June's annexe at her daughter's Oxford home

Okay, I'm here with Alex in a garden in Oxford. We're in front of an annex and a lovely lovely house, lovely big garden. What's the story here, Alex?

June has moved in with her daughter. So, this is the studio that we've built. It's 24 by 8.

So, it's got a bathroom and a kitchen and everything. June's very interesting lady. She's over here.

They're going to uh they're going to try and become self-sufficient. So, June's going to live here. Daughter's there and the solar panels.

That's one of the reasons we're here is to put solar panels on the studio. We're just looking at the We're looking into it. Yeah, into the options of that.

So, basically, June's moved in with her daughter and they're going to they've got all these beds now and they just sort the garden out. She's going to live here and they're going to sort of live in an allotment almost and reduce all their living costs. That's the That's the idea.

Yeah. Should we have a little look round there? Oh, here comes June now.

Just got rid of the grandchildren. So, how long have you had the studio, June? A year now.

Oh, yeah. Okay. >> Exactly a year.

Exactly a year. Yeah, of course. Yeah.

And how are you getting on with it? Oh, I absolutely love it. Um it's just amazing cuz it's warm and cozy, well insulated.

It's got everything I need. Um it's just a home from home. Yeah.

So, is this your daughter's house? Is that >> My daughter's house um and we did have a house before with a garage conversion granny annex for a mum and she passed away. And then we moved house and actually my daughter thought granny annex would be a great addition for me and for the future.

So, we sort of future-proofed it cuz obviously I don't need it now as such. Right. >> Um in terms of the disability, you know, the wet room and things, but we've done it so that in the future it's just as it needs to be as sort of going forward.

Right. Excellent. We have a little look inside?

Thank you. So, I got the guy to build the ramp so that Yeah. came to get the elderly in.

>> [laughter] >> Oh, so you live with your grandchildren? They they spend a a lot of time up here. They come up here a lot.

>> She does actually cuz I'm the only one with a television. Oh, [laughter] so It's a little bit of a pull. So, yeah, they sometimes come down just to watch TV.

>> Yeah, that's nice. Occasionally. Yeah, they do spend quite a lot of time down here cuz I've got biscuits as well.

>> [laughter] >> Well, my my wife lives in the garden. My daughter and her grandchildren. " They're all down with Yeah.

Ellen. So, it works really well. " Well, I go I go to the biscuit tin after the weekend cuz I work at weekends and it's empty.

So, they've been down even when I'm not here. biscuits. Um but yeah, I went for open plan actually.

I decided not to to partition the bedroom. So, I've sort of got a bedroom area, sort of living area, kitchen and then obviously the en suite wet room. Um and yeah, it's just it's got everything I need.

It's perfect. Well, that's what we're finding is it is that cuz obviously you've got the garden that's big. So, you're going to spend time in the garden.

Especially going to be growing all these vegetables. Yeah. Yeah, that'll be nice.

It's so easy. And and the view, I mean, I've got to put my bird table out there so I could sit here and just watch the birds. Um so, yeah, the grandchildren sort of fill it up and we we watch the birds and we try to identify, you know, what's coming into the garden.

So, it's great. Yeah, I absolutely love it. I can't I don't I don't know what else to say.

We've [laughter] said plenty. That's great. I mean, that's what we're trying to do is to try and try and demonstrate, you know, and hopefully you've seen the team, you know, you've seen >> Oh, the team are amazing.

They come and they are they're in uniform, Yeah. they work, they don't mess about, they come and they do what they need to do. Um and even the the big channel that went from here all the way across the garden, they had to channel the grass, but they literally took it out in small chunks and put it all back and you wouldn't have actually known that they'd been.

Um and that was like the week before they put it up and then the the guys came and it just went up in no time. Um and you know, it they're always so helpful and kind and considerate. But didn't you find that but before you probably bought it, you were worried?

Cuz this I don't know. It's really hard, Alex, because we looked far and wide Yeah. and we looked at really expensive and sort of cheaper wooden ones and we went with you not because of the build as such, but although the 25-year guarantee was a massive pull.

Yeah. It was all the videos and all the things that you've got on your website. You're in one.

Um and people Yeah, people basically were saying what a great team you were and there was so much it's, you know, so much good feedback. We wanted somebody who actually cared and that's really hard in today's environment. Nobody cares.

You get mediocre, shoddy job and nobody they won't even come back. >> Yeah. Um and actually with with you, you've proved exactly what we thought in that whenever we had an issue, you know, you ring back, you WhatsApp immediately, weekends, 11:00 at night sometimes.

I've had Diane reply. Um and that's just so unusual to find a company that actually care. Yeah, and I think there there is a bunch of people there.

Your team are great. Yeah, we we work on that. That just doesn't happen, you know, we work on keeping them motivated, keeping them happy, making sure that, you know, it's one of the reasons you know, we build fast as you know.

But it's not just for your benefit, it's for their benefit so we can get them home to the wife. I know it was when we were away from home for a little while, everybody was getting depressed. Let's fix it.

Too much drinking cuz you could nothing else to do, which doesn't help your mental health and then being away from your family. So, the speed of the install cuz this would have happened in days, wouldn't it? Two two days Oh, it was two two and a half days.

I think they were painting on that the third third day. And and it's the it's the finish as well. Everything's painted, the floor is down, the blinds are up, the kitchen's in, the hamper is there, you know, it's just like oh, and even a doormat.

You come in and there's a doormat and you're just like attention to detail. And yeah, your company's only as you're one person, it's your name, but your company's only as good as the people who work for you. And they obviously really appreciate so they put the extra effort in.

Yeah, no, we work on that. They're amazing. They're amazing.

Yeah, we want it to be. Yeah. I Yeah, it's I'd recommend them to anybody.

Okay, that's lovely. Thanks very much, June.

Hi. Um, just going to give you a quick walk around. I'm all settled in now.

Um, still got the temporary path, which we're going to keep permanent, I think. And we've put a ramp. And I've obviously got my chair and table outside of my olive tree.

And in we go. So, this is straight into the bedroom with a wardrobe and I've obviously got my coat hooks and everything organized there, slippers and a mirror. Um, and then coming round from the bed, I've got a callax at the bottom with my computer and everything on it and yeah, bit of artwork.

Um, got my sofa, which is actually an IKEA sofa bed. Very comfortable as a sofa, but what makes into a really comfortable double bed. Um, and I've actually put myself a coffee table, which is again a laid down callax.

And your beautiful hamper is now a basket with my books in that I'm currently reading. Um, and then we go around here. And I did put the Billy.

haven't quite got round to attaching some sort of table to it, but I'm hoping to have like a pull a pull out table, but I've not Yeah, I'm a time. Um, but I've got the TV and my guinea pigs are at the bottom in a vavarium. And then I've got the kitchen nicely set up now with a microwave and a toaster.

And I got my fridge in. And um I've actually used the pocket door to mount one of my favorite pictures. It's actually on and it slides behind the billy which works very nicely cuz I didn't have a big enough wall really for it to go on.

Um and the bathroom I got the the mirror. It's a cupboard mirror. And yeah, I've put some little hooks up for everything there.

And obviously, yeah, we're all all set. And it's looking amazing. It's so easy to live in.

Um my view of the garden is absolutely amazing. So, you know, I sit here on my sofa and look out to the garden. and I can watch the children in the paddling pool or watch them on the climbing frame and it's just beautiful.

Um, I'm loving it and it's just a great space and thanks