In a time where housing prices are unattainable and residents are looking to downsize their homes more than ever, enter the concept of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). These small and highly customizable homes are taking backyards across the United States by storm, enabling homeowners to build homes on their land, and rent them out to tenants.
An accessory dwelling unit is an additional housing unit that is built on a lot that already has one home. As the name suggests, an ADU is smaller than the existing home, ranging anywhere from 500 to 1,000 SF. Similar to a standard home, an ADU has all of the spaces and amenities needed for a tenant to live comfortably, including a kitchen, bathroom, living/sleeping spaces, and a completely separate entrance from the main unit, allowing for privacy. While ADUs come in all shapes and sizes, the most common form is a detached structure. Sometimes these units are former garages converted into living spaces, and sometimes they’re built from the ground up. Other ADUs are attached structures, which are like micro-apartments built onto the back of a home, sharing a wall with the main unit.
