Recent ADU News

weeping cherry

Free and Clear…and broke

It’s a familiar story for seniors in every community and neighborhood in California. Empty nest households have paid off their mortgage and their house has become their main asset, but their retirement income falls short of what they need. Making matters worse, their houses may be worth (unrealized profit) many times what they paid for them so house-jealous young people call them rich. Meanwhile, daily necessities chew up all their social security and pensions. Many

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Random Deer

Free money for moving…to your backyard

Moving to a new ADU can be so attractive that many seniors choose the smaller home in order to attract higher rent for the main house. For many, an extra $1,000 or $1,500 a month can make a huge difference in their quality of life. In addition to the monetary aspects, a brand new structure can feature amenities of interest to aging seniors or others. The ADU can have accessible features for wheel chair access,

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Cloverdale pond

Senior ADU Decisions

Life has been kind enough to allow you a place to live, but cruel enough to not let you fully enjoy it. Reclaim your future. Deciding is hard One of the worst parts of getting old is feeling mentally slow much of the time. Technology has advanced faster than our fingers and eyes can follow. Your grandkids are talking about FaceTime and TikTok but all you really want is a regular phone with push buttons.

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Acacia blossoms

25 square feet is irreconcilable

..and we pick up coverage with the meeting in session…The Council debated over altering its stance on the size of ADUs with Konopa suggested 825 square feet and Sykes offering 850. The two continued to move further apart after Konopa refused to move to 75% of the main home’s square feet and Sykes refused anything less than 850 square feet. For all the sordid details about government officials spinning their wheels over 25 square feet

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crabapple blossom

Tiny Homes are Smart ADUs

Los Angeles leads the way. Los Angeles has adopted one of the first local ordinances that includes Tiny Homes on wheels as officially sanctioned ADUs. They have to be built to modern code specifications, but this is the way most tiny home builders already operate. Here’s the specific code that refers to tiny homes. MOVABLE TINY HOUSE. A structure intended for the separate, independent living quarters of one household for year-round residence that meets all

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