If age, reduced cash flow or medical limitations are pushing you out of house and home, an ADU may be just what you need.
That’s the abbreviation for an “accessory dwelling unit.”
It’s basically a small house on the lot of a full-sized house.
ADUs were already a trend, but they are also the solution to many problems caused by Covid-19.
Maybe you live in a large, two-story house. But going up and down the stairs is hard on your knees. With your children grown, it’s too big. Keeping up with the cleaning and maintenance is wearing you out. You can’t afford to heat and cool all those rooms you don’t even occupy anymore.
But you love your neighbors. You don’t want to leave.
So you build a small house on your lot, and move there.
You let one or more of your grown children and their families live in the main house. Or you rent the main house out.
Your utility bills in the small house are low. Renting out the main house brings in additional income.
Your family is there to look after you, while you still have your privacy.
You see your grandchildren every day without having to take care of them. Or, if you enjoy that, it’s convenient.
People can remain socially distanced while still keeping an eye on each other’s health and well-being.
With an ADU, everybody gets the emotional benefits of living in an extended family, but you can watch TV late at night without disturbing anyone.
The Legal Environment is Changing
Maybe you remember when it was normal for suburban homes to have “mother-in-law suites” or “granny flats.” People also used to build rooms above garages.
Strict zoning laws destroyed most of them, and got us used to thinking, “one house, one family.”
However, that fosters urban sprawl, encouraging some areas to reconsider the value of ADUs.
California made ADUs legal in every city throughout the state. Los Angeles alone issued 12,000 ADU permits from January 2017 to June 2019.
Other states have also passed such laws, including New Hampshire, Oregon, Washington, and Vermont.
Various communities have placed various legal restrictions on ADUs, so if you’re interested, you’ll have to check out your local zoning laws.
Some do not allow short-term rentals such as Airbnb.
Some do not allow you to rent out both the main house and the ADU.
Some don’t allow you to rent out either the main house or the ADU. The other building must be occupied by a family member or caregiver.
Your Family Members May Soon Need Help
Before the pandemic, many Millennials were still living with their parents. A small ADU in the back may be just what you both need.
Thanks to the pandemic, many people of all ages will need housing assistance. According to a report by the Federal Reserve, 93% of workers laid off in March expected to return to their jobs when the crisis was over. However, 42% of those laid off in March will wind up losing that job permanently.
The federal government is going to keep sending out trillions of dollars, but that’s not a permanent solution to solving the housing problems of the unemployed.
So, it makes sense for families to move back in together – but with somebody occupying the smaller building in the back yard.
Sharing expenses will save everybody money. Older and disabled people can get help with cooking, cleaning, shopping, and other chores.
Modern Construction Costs are Efficient
A well-built “tiny” house can be heated and cooled at a minimal cost.
Construction can be quite inexpensive. And a big trend in modern construction around the world is using shipping containers.
These are the solid steel containers used to hold goods shipped from an overseas manufacturer to another country for sale to the consumer.
These cargo containers are so cheap to make, they’re not even sent back to the original country. Around 11 million are sent to the United States every year.
These containers are 40 feet long and 8 feet wide, so there’s room to equip one with a small kitchen, bed, bath, and living area. If your back yard is large enough, it can hold two. You can also stack them if you don’t mind walking upstairs.
You can buy one for a few thousand dollars, then have it transported to your home. You will need qualified construction workers to turn it into a comfortable home and hook it up to utilities.
There are also small, pre-constructed, modular houses you can buy, then have transported to you and assembled onsite.
These options are much less expensive and more efficient than normal construction methods.
And, because they’re made of solid steel, container homes are strong. Therefore, they’re very safe for areas at risk from storms and earthquakes.
The modern American lifestyle has separated older adults from their families much more than is normal in traditional societies.
ADUs can allow older folks to continue to live on their own, staying out of assisted living or nursing homes, and yet give them regular contact with their families.
Everybody is closer, and yet everybody has their own space.
