Catherine Holland-Bax, 63, made the decision to build an annex in her garden, where her mother could live, after her father died unexpectedly.
She had already moved her parents to be closer to her in South Shropshire, but after her father’s passing, she realised that it still wasn’t close enough.
Catherine’s mother, Anne, who is 88, had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s five years ago andwas cared for by her father until he died.
“It was fine while Dad was alive, as Mum could manage with the cooking when he told her what to do.
“Without someone there, she couldn’t manage and wouldn’t recognise things like when food was going off,” says Catherine, who is the author of novels The Badger Resistance Army and Little Viking Horse, and also works as a part-time, non-executive director for the NHS.
The bungalow her mother was living in was also rented and Catherine worried, should the landlord decide to sell, she’d have to move her mum when her illness had progressed further.
“Immediately after Dad died, my brother and I started staying in the bungalow every night,” says Catherine. “My brother and I are in our 60s and it was beginning to feel harder to do. It was killing me staying there. I’ve got chickens and horses and was charging up and down between the two houses.”
While the family did initially look at a care home for Anne, they didn’t think it was the right route for them.
“It was good but not right for Mum,” says Catherine, who also thought that the activities on offer, such as board games and royal-themed garden parties, wouldn’t appeal to her mother’s interests.
Catherine built the annex to be close to her mother and also as a way of saving on care fees (Photo: Ruth Hall)At this point, Catherine had the idea of putting an annex in the wraparound garden of her three-bedroom, period cottage. After an internet search, she found Norwegian Log, a modular home builder.
“We’ve seen a significant rise in families choosing granny annexes as a practical alternative to traditional care homes,” says Ed Taylor, chief executive of Norwegian Log.
“Enquiries have increased by 112 per cent over the past three years, with around 80 per cent referencing elder care, multi-generational living, or accommodation for older relatives. This reflects a growing desire for solutions that allow families to keep loved ones close, while maintaining independence, comfort and dignity.”
At a cost of £160,000, which was funded by the sale of Anne’s former home in Gloucestershire, Norwegian Log took care of everything, from the planning through to the groundworks and the refit.
“It was great [that they dealt with the planning permission] as we didn’t want the stress of that,” says Catherine. “They got a Certificate of Lawfulness under the Caravan Act. It’s ancillary accommodation so must be occupied by a member of the family.”
Catherine Holland-Bax said that while an annex won’t be the best option for every family, it was a solution that worked for hersThe contracting was done in November 2025 and the groundworks started in January 2026. The cabin itself was built between mid-February and mid-April, with Anne moving in a week after in April 2026.
The family opted for the 525sqft, Cressida cabin, which comes with a small double bedroom, second single bedroom, galley kitchen and a large sitting/dining room. “It’s not really big enough for a three-piece suite and a dining table, so Mum has all her existing furniture and a fold-away table in there,” adds Catherine.
The cabin doesn’t have a washing machine or tumble dryer, so Anne’s laundry is done at Catherine’s house.
While disconcerting for her at first, Anne has now got used to her new home. “It’s going well – she was discombobulated because of her mental condition, but she’s got there now and understands that my place is next door,” says Catherine.
“It was definitely the right thing to do, and when my brother is here, he can stay. Before, he’d have to travel and then stay at the bungalow and that could be very isolating, so it’s much nicer for him to be here, and I’m only next door.”
In terms of bills, the cost of Catherine’s electricity costs has increased by 15 per cent and she splits her water bill 50/50 with her mother.
With council tax, the family need to do a valuation of the cabin, but Catherine thinks “because she is a dependent relative, that excludes her from paying council tax, and I will keep my single person discount. After she dies, there will be a council tax liability”.
Catherine says she would “100 per cent” recommend building an annex for an aging relative.
If Catherine has a complaint, it was that the company weren’t very transparent with their pricing.
“Until you get a very long way into the process, it’s difficult to pin down what the actual cost will be. You get an estimate of the cost, but our groundworks were £10,000 more than expected,” says Catherine.
“When we went to the sales room to pick out stuff [like the kitchen units], we didn’t want to spend loads of money on things that looked nice, as it was Mum’s money, not ours, and the salesperson couldn’t answer how much some of the different options were.”
While a care home wasn’t ever an option Catherine and her brother considered, for other families, she says, building an annex and getting carers come in is much more cost-effective in the long term.
While the siblings provide much of their mum’s care, when it’s necessary, Catherine estimates they will spend £220 a day to have someone come three times and then stay overnight.
There are a wide range of options, but Bupa has found, depending on care needs, room type and location, nursing home fees range from £925 to £2,828 a week. The lower figure would be for someone needing the minimum amount of care.
“In the early stage, if you can sell the family home and buy a cabin, it does work out cheaper,” says Catherine.
“If you have the capital, and I know it’s a privilege, you should do it. I wish we’d done it sooner. When they were building the cabin, I thought that my dad, who was an engineer, would have loved that.”
That said, Catherine says you need to get on with your family members for an annex to work. “If you don’t have good family relations, don’t do it,” she says.
“Mum’s cabin is 15 feet from my back door, and I’ve done a few things to increase privacy, such as put up nets. If you weren’t close to your relative, it would be a disaster.”
While living with someone who has Alzheimer’s is a challenge, Catherine and her brother say they are pleased with how it’s worked out: “She’s losing parts of herself to [Alzheimer’s] but she’s still our mum and we appreciate how lucky we are to be able to have her so close and give her the quality of life she deserves.
“She’s surrounded by beautiful countryside, is in a lovely home surrounded by her most loved possessions, and has settled well.”
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