The Block 2023: What potential buyers are going to rate (or not) about the granny-flat bathrooms

If there’s ever a property feature that’s had a resurgence it’s the humble granny flat – so-called because poor old granny was often designated to live there during her twilight years.

These days, though, you’re more likely to find an overgrown teenager or young adult residing in one in a bid for some (rent-free) autonomy. Or it could be a protected space for harried adults to work from home, or a room for an au pair, a home gym, yoga studio, she-shed, man-cave, guest room – the list goes on.

In theory, delivering a bathroom in a studio should be relatively straightforward. Yet, as we saw on The Block this week, there is an art to getting these secondary living quarters on point.

Not too luxe, not too spartan, but just right. And before you wonder if these spaces actually add value to your overall property; yes, they do indeed.

Houses with a studio or granny flat attract greater interest from buyers, and they also have a median price $266,000 higher than those without.

Call me harsh, but I strongly feel that these areas of a property needn’t have seven-star hotel vibes.

Buyers who love the addition of a self-contained studio will most likely be drawn to the very fact it exists and it is habitable, not necessarily that it is fitted out with the most expensive marble you can buy or that it has a solid-gold loo.

This is never truer than in a family-friendly suburb like Hampton East, where the average buyer will most likely use the space as an office, a guest room or an overflow pad for a very lucky older child.

HOUSE NO.1: KYLE AND LESLIE (SPENT $30,366)

These guys delivered the Goldilocks of bathrooms this week. They managed to walk the line by ticking all the boxes when it came to what the space needed.

Although it’s a slip of a room, it has all the necessities and is laid out perfectly. The beautiful curves they incorporated into the layout give it a wonderful sense of style and architecture – backed up by the colour palette and tiles.

And, for the record, I don’t think a studio bathroom needs underfloor heating … you don’t want your guests to be so cosy and comfortable that they’ll never leave. For my money, this room really is perfect.

HOUSE NO.2: LEAH AND ASH (SPENT $19,691) 

Well, I guess a novel use of a granny flat could be that it’s used as a romantic escape for parents? I love the passion and dedication Leah and Ash showed in making this space sexy and grown up but is that the right use of it? Maybe I’m not living my life right!

They conceded it was risky and bold and I think that’s OK, but perhaps not in a guest bathroom which may not be used on a daily basis.

The lighting, the polished Venetian plaster, the LED strip lighting, the moody, dark tones … it’s gorgeous, but most likely above what the average family buyer expects from a space like that.

HOUSE NO.3: KRISTY AND BRETT (SPENT $17,534)

Morocco meets Hampton; it doesn’t quite roll off the tongue – and is that what buyers want? Maybe, but I’m not sure.

Kristy and Brett erred on the side of caution and if there’s ever a room to do that in, it is the guest bathroom of a studio.

It is most certainly on the blander side, but I think it can afford to be in a space like this. So much so that they might have been better off playing it completely straighty-180 and ditching the Moroccan accents altogether and, in this instance, sticking to the road most travelled.

HOUSE NO.4: STEPH AND GIAN (SPENT $22,362)

Skylights, tiles and colours are all on point and so chic. Perfect layout, elegant simplicity and, for the most part, the room functions beautifully as a guest bathroom (except for the light switch outside the door!).

And yet, they over-egged it; the beams are a classic example of style over substance; they are just not necessary, and the whole space would have come together seamlessly without them.

HOUSE NO.5: ELIZA AND LIBERTY (SPENT $26,262)

The floor tiles and skylights are divine – the perfect sweet spot between being stylish and too over the top.

The mixed metals leave the bathroom feeling a bit scattered but the layout and the bones of it are right and will no doubt speak to people.

This en suite ticks the boxes.

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