What is a Adu or granny flat?
ADU stands for Accessory Dwelling Unit and they might just be your next home project. You might know ADUs by their other, names such as granny-flats, mother-in-law-apartments and so on. They are dwellings–either attached or detached from a main house–that exist on a lot with another house. Many ADUs are buit above garages such as the one pictured above.
Benefits of ADu's (accessory dwelling units
ADUs have many benefits such as:
What’s great about ADUs is that they provide a way of optimizing the American home, whose lot size is often larger than its home. We realize many people who want to live an edited life live in traditional American homes; moreover they neither want to move into a small apartment in the city or a tiny house in the country. The ADU provides a great way of working with existing resources, while providing extra income, increasing the efficiency of a property and creating a more community-oriented lifestyle.
- Relaxed laws in San Diego County making ADU's more affordable.
- Creating a secondary rental income.
- Increasing the occupancy of a given plot of land.
- Creating more communal living, while still providing autonomy and privacy for both homes.
- People who may have once needed a large home–e.g. parents whose children have moved out–can move into the ADU and rent out the main home.
What’s great about ADUs is that they provide a way of optimizing the American home, whose lot size is often larger than its home. We realize many people who want to live an edited life live in traditional American homes; moreover they neither want to move into a small apartment in the city or a tiny house in the country. The ADU provides a great way of working with existing resources, while providing extra income, increasing the efficiency of a property and creating a more community-oriented lifestyle.
adu's and San Diego county
Understanding Accessory Dwelling Units and Their Importance
California’s housing production is not keeping pace withdemand. In the last decade less than half of the needed housing was built. This lack of housing is impacting affordability with average housing costs in California exceeding the rest of the nation. As affordability becomes more problematic, people drive longer distances between a home that is affordable and where they work, or double up to share space, both of which reduces quality of life and produces negative environmental impacts.
Beyond traditional market-rate construction and
government subsidized production and preservation there are alternative housing models and emerging trends that can contribute to addressing home supply and affordability in California.
One such example gaining popularity are Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) (also referred to as second units, in- law units, or granny flats).
ADUs offer benefits that address common development barriers such as affordability and environmental quality. ADUs are an affordable type of home to construct in California because they do not require paying for land, major new infrastructure, structured parking, or elevators. ADUs are built with cost-effective one- or two-story wood frame construction, which is significantly less costly than homes in new multifamily infill buildings. ADUs can provide as much living space as the new apartments and condominiums being built in new infill buildings and serve very well for couples, small families, friends, young people, and seniors.
ADUs are a different form of housing that can help California meet its diverse housing needs. Young professionals and students desire to live in areas close to jobs, amenities, and schools. The problem with high-opportunity areas is that space is limited. There is a shortage of affordable units and the units that are available can be out of reach for many people. To address the needs of individuals or small families seeking living quarters in high opportunity areas, homeowners can construct an ADU on their lot or convert an underutilized part of their home like a garage into a junior ADU. This flexibility benefits not just people renting the space, but the homeowner as well, who can receive an extra monthly rent income.
ADUs give homeowners the flexibility to share independent living areas with family members and others, allowing seniors to age in place as they require more care and helping extended families to be near one another while maintaining privacy.
Relaxed regulations and the cost to build an ADU make it a very feasible affordable housing option. A UC Berkeley study noted that one unit of affordable housing in the Bay Area costs about $500,000 to develop whereas an ADU can range anywhere up to $200,000 on the expensive end in high housing cost areas.
ADUs are a critical form of infill-development that can be affordable and offer important housing choices within existing neighborhoods. ADUs are a powerful type of housing unit because they allow for different uses, and serve different populations ranging from students and young professionals to young families, people with disabilities and senior citizens. By design, ADU s are more affordable and can provide additional income to homeowners. Local governments can encourage the development of ADUs and improve access to jobs, education and services for many Californians.
Courtesy: hcd.ca.gov
California’s housing production is not keeping pace withdemand. In the last decade less than half of the needed housing was built. This lack of housing is impacting affordability with average housing costs in California exceeding the rest of the nation. As affordability becomes more problematic, people drive longer distances between a home that is affordable and where they work, or double up to share space, both of which reduces quality of life and produces negative environmental impacts.
Beyond traditional market-rate construction and
government subsidized production and preservation there are alternative housing models and emerging trends that can contribute to addressing home supply and affordability in California.
One such example gaining popularity are Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) (also referred to as second units, in- law units, or granny flats).
ADUs offer benefits that address common development barriers such as affordability and environmental quality. ADUs are an affordable type of home to construct in California because they do not require paying for land, major new infrastructure, structured parking, or elevators. ADUs are built with cost-effective one- or two-story wood frame construction, which is significantly less costly than homes in new multifamily infill buildings. ADUs can provide as much living space as the new apartments and condominiums being built in new infill buildings and serve very well for couples, small families, friends, young people, and seniors.
ADUs are a different form of housing that can help California meet its diverse housing needs. Young professionals and students desire to live in areas close to jobs, amenities, and schools. The problem with high-opportunity areas is that space is limited. There is a shortage of affordable units and the units that are available can be out of reach for many people. To address the needs of individuals or small families seeking living quarters in high opportunity areas, homeowners can construct an ADU on their lot or convert an underutilized part of their home like a garage into a junior ADU. This flexibility benefits not just people renting the space, but the homeowner as well, who can receive an extra monthly rent income.
ADUs give homeowners the flexibility to share independent living areas with family members and others, allowing seniors to age in place as they require more care and helping extended families to be near one another while maintaining privacy.
Relaxed regulations and the cost to build an ADU make it a very feasible affordable housing option. A UC Berkeley study noted that one unit of affordable housing in the Bay Area costs about $500,000 to develop whereas an ADU can range anywhere up to $200,000 on the expensive end in high housing cost areas.
ADUs are a critical form of infill-development that can be affordable and offer important housing choices within existing neighborhoods. ADUs are a powerful type of housing unit because they allow for different uses, and serve different populations ranging from students and young professionals to young families, people with disabilities and senior citizens. By design, ADU s are more affordable and can provide additional income to homeowners. Local governments can encourage the development of ADUs and improve access to jobs, education and services for many Californians.
Courtesy: hcd.ca.gov
