That's a generous offer they've made you. The deal sounds good for you, financially. And your parents can rent it out after you leave. As for the privacy question, they probably have the same concern. You and your mom should probably have a talk and come up with some rules in advance. No showing up without calling, or whatever. And that works both ways. Three years doesn't sound like a super long time to me. But I'm older, so 3 years would fly by. That could work for you very well, depending on your attitude and whether you all get along well. And your parents will probably love having easy access to their grandson, and you won't have far to go to drop off baby boy for his afternoon with grandma! It's just possible you'll look back on this arrangement with fondness, in the years to come. It's not like you're single with no kids and will be partying every night, doing things you wouldn't want your parents to know about (like I was doing in my 20s). A problem may come in with the cost. As a poster above mentioned, the renovation may cost more than they originally plan on, and then what? In renovating, problems come up. Problems cost money. Decisions are changed, and that costs money. Could you end up paying more than $500? That's a critical thing in this arrangement, since the renovation isn't done yet. Or will they foot the bill for cost overruns, since it's their property? I moved back into mom's house when I was in my 20s, for a while. It worked out fine, and I wasn't particularly close with my mother. I enjoyed spending time with her and seeing her on a regular basis. I still remember that time fondly, and how kind it was of her to let me stay with her during that time, while I got my life on the right track. I'd do it, if the renovation cost issue I mentioned were ironed out beforehand. How nice of your parents to make this offer. You have some great parents. And I'm sure you're a great daughter, which is why they made the offer!

I vote for full size also. My friend had a one bedroom garage apartment. She likes to cook so I dont think she would have been happy with small appliances. FYI. Her washer & dryer was in the walk in closet. She loved it. Said it was super convenient.

You have to contact the relevant building department where the property is located for the answer to these very specific questions.

You would have to check with the planning dept/building inspector in the area. For a tiny apartment less than 800sf I do not believe a 2nd exit door is required, just 1 legal exit and an egress window in the bedroom. If the living room is going to be used as a second bedroom I would make sure at least one window meets egress too (not required). The apartment and stair have to be fire-separated from the garage. Maybe the apt has to have a sprinkler system depending on local law (ours requires this). Sometimes the building dept and state fire marshal office have different restrictions/interpretations based on the different codes used (building code vs life safety code), sometimes their codes really do conflict, it doesn’t hurt to ask both. I’ve found the building inspector will defer to the state fire marshal when this happens but YMMV. If this will be a rental she has to check local zoning law and any deed restrictions to make sure it’s allowed and approved. Locally we have a housing office that has to inspect every rental unit and sometimes they look for different things.