A charming lady from The United States loved to see her daughter and grandchildren – what Granny doesn’t? But when she did see them, she had to stay in an hotel. Money was not a problem, it was the inconvenience. The local hotels dismally failed to meet her American standards of luxury. So she stayed in London became a commuting Granny on her visits. Not satisfactory at all.
Her daughter lived in a pleasant house, typical of Merton, but too small to accommodate the aging relative. Moreover, the downside (very apt in this case) was that, when it rained, the water from the hill made a mud bath of the garden. Granny had an idea.
Using all her diplomacy she could muster, Granny approached her daughter and son-in-law suggesting that she would pay for the garden to have a proper drainage system and a specially built ‘Granny Mansion’ built at the other end of the garden – if they didn’t mind. The idea was enthusiastically welcomed. Shortly after, a landscape gardener was appointed redesign the garden and Andrew Dobson Architects were invited to put forward plans for the house.
The ‘mansion’ includes an open-plan south facing bedroom-cum-sitting room with bi-folding doors leading onto the patio and newly-drained garden. It is en suite with a capacious dressing room, walk-in in shower, elegant vanity unit and a lavatory furnished with the latest smart sanitary ware. The internal finishes and colour scheme give the place a contemporary, sophisticated look enhanced by integrated blinds in the bi-folding doors and automated controlled lighting and heating.
“Just making a virtue out of necessity,” smiled Granny!
