If you are here reading this, you probably are the caring, thoughtful one who often puts others before yourself.  But, you gotta turn that compassion inward and take care of yourself, too. 

I am a big believer in filling up your cup because YOU MATTER as well as to best take care of those in your family and inner circle.

Well, I have been there and for a long time, been perplexed, worried, and spent LOTS of time trying to resolve these issues. 

I’ve honed my knowledge of my loved ones' life stage, particular needs of their specific circumstances, and how to support them, anticipate their needs, and help them thrive. 

And let’s not forget all those budget reviews and consulting with financial advisors or life insurance specialists. 

Those were all useful endeavors, but the biggest transformation from feelings of worry to facing the future fearlessly, with peace and confidence came from an unexpectedly concrete solution:

A personalized ADU tailored to the current and future needs of myself and my loved ones became my safety net.

Now, I don’t know your resources or situation and if an ADU is a viable option for you. 

But, if you are considering an ADU, hearing about other’s experiences with ADUs can help to inform your own decision-making process. 

Whether you decide to go forward or not, it’s all good and I trust you will do what is best for you.  

For me, an ADU ended up being a life-changing solution.  Our personalized ADU has been a huge blessing for me and I am so excited to share this powerful experience with you.

4 Family Accessory Dwelling Unit Benefits

Everything I am going to share in this post I personally experienced in my life.  I will be covering how building a personalized ADU ended up being a life-changing event in not one but 4 different ways.

1. Making sure my kids are taken care of now and in the future
2. Preserving family bonds with young adult kids
3. Cohabitating with older adult parents
4. Earning an extra stream of passive income

Family Accessory Dwelling Unit Benefit #1:  Making Sure My Kids are Taken Care of Now and in Future

It seems like parenting comes with this deep, primal, unstoppable drive to protect our kids, provide them with resources and skills so they are positioned to be happy and have a good life. 

It doesn’t stop when they grow out of the attached to your hip stage or when they are in the talking back to you stage or even when they physically dwarf you stage. 

This perpetual worry is the case whether your child has special needs or health conditions or if they are a well-adjusted human. 

Been there, my friend, and actually have a lifetime membership.

I remember when we were looking for a home to purchase in the Bay Area years ago.  My husband and I were both working full-time with solid careers but-reality check hit hard when we realized the kind of houses that were within our budget. 

We did end up purchasing a fixer-upper and have watched it double in value since we bought it 20 years ago.  While it was great to see the return on investment, as my kids grew older, my anxiety about their future grew, too. 

How would they be able to afford to live in this area?

What kind of pressure would they be under to be able to succeed at a level where they could afford to buy a house here?

Would they choose to move out of the area so they could have a better quality of life?

How far away would they and my future grandbabies live from me?

Would I have to pull up my roots and relocate to be closer to them?

I remember wracking my brain for a solution. 

At one point, we seriously considered relocating to experience a better quality of life and provide the kids with a more attainable quality of life in the future. 

But, all my family was in the Bay Area and I grew up here, had friends here, and loved the cultural diversity offered here.  

In the end, we chose to re-design our house to accommodate our current and future needs.  We added on to our house so that it grew to a 4 bedroom home with an attached 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom California ADU. 

Later, in our second phase, we ended up reconfiguring the old portion of the property to relocate the ADU with 1 bedroom and 1 bathroom and finally, remodeled the 1950s kitchen with yellow countertops. 

Yes, you read that right, yellow.  

While the renovation process has had its challenges, like taking waaay longer than expected, we finally completed the plan. 

The biggest outcome, that niggling worry, anxiety in the pit of my stomach? 

Gone! 

Now that this house has been crafted to be like a duplex with the flexibility of how many rooms per unit, I feel a sense of peace that they both have a home base to live comfortably if they so choose. 

That peace is priceless.

Family Accessory Dwelling Unit Benefit #2:  Multigenerational Home with Young Adult Kids

Family is one of if not THE most important things in life and nurturing or maintaining a good relationship takes work and needs to be protected. 

This is why living with our young adult kids can be such a wonderful connecting experience, but it can also be full of challenges to living in the same household. 

We become not just family members but also roommates. 

The connection and good conversation over shared meals and the solidarity of side by side family fun activities like a Sharks game or round of badminton. 

But, there is the other side of the coin, right? 

Roommates can drive you crazy! 

Forgetting to put away the milk, leaving dirty dishes in the sink, and the days where it seems like every which way you turn, there they are! 

Been there, tempted on a bad day to give my inner grump the freedom to sling hurtful words without the "I message"-to engage in violent rather than the non-violent communication I learned as a newbie therapist.  

Well, times are changin’ and there are more and more opportunities to cohabitate even after your kids become adults.  It turns out, the Pew Research Center reports that 52% of young adults are living with their parents.  This trend hasn’t been seen at this level since the Great Depression.  

An ADU that consists of a garage conversion or studio/1bedroom apartment type ADU can create a private space in the home that encourages young adults to continue with their developmental tasks of achieving autonomy and independence, establishing their identity, values, and world views, and maturing emotionally. 

Bottom line is that an Accessory Dwelling Unit can help preserve connection and give space when living with your young adult kids.

And hey, it's kind of nice for parents to not have to wade through the ankle-deep clothes on the floor or see the empty pizza boxes left on the coffee table. 

Family Accessory Dwelling Unit Benefit #3:  Multigenerational Home with elderly parents

As our parents' age, they need more support.  Oftentimes, there is a gradual incline of help needed with things like errands, housework, or driving to medical appointments.  

But, when it hits the area of financial support or personal care, that is when some serious family discussions need to take place. 

Perhaps it is your parent’s occasional fall or forgetting to take their medication again when your worries mount and the phone calls and trips out to their home increase.

Some families opt to build an ADU as the solution to make sure elderly parents are OK--financially or caregiving or a nearby helping hand. 

This is a big commitment and one that should require lots of family meetings, estate planning, and analysis of resources (think long-term care insurance or fund for caregiving support). 

Not to mention mindful ADU design planning like making sure there is adequate storage.  Talk about downsizing! 

Or including disability accommodation or planning.  For instance, make sure doorways and hallways are large enough for wheelchair access.  Or designing a roll-in shower that is spacious enough to accommodate a wheelchair in the future.  

This can be complicated to put into place but there are a ton of benefits.  Multigenerational living can improve finances, safeguard from stress, reduce loneliness, enhance social connections and consequently, improve one's health.

Multigenerational living through a customized ADU setup can be a safety net not only for your parents but also for you and your kids.

Family Accessory Dwelling Unit Benefit #4:  Stream of Extra Income

And let’s not forget the dream of an extra passive income where you can sock it away for a rainy day, pay for your kid’s college tuition, a big-ticket splurge like finally taking that trip to Europe or to attain the goal of being able to leave the 9 to 5 grind and retire early!  

When you live in a high-priced housing market, this dream of extra passive income from rental property seems super unattainable. 

I don’t know about you, but I live in an area where properties are typically 1 million-plus.  

In high-priced housing markets, real estate investing can be pretty daunting and require a comfort level with HUGE debt. 

But, the loophole for wanna-be real estate investors in high-priced housing markets can be the building of an ADU on the property you already own for much, much less cost compared to the purchase of a new rental property.

With a rental on shared property, privacy is the most important factor for not only you but for your tenants. 

A detached ADU with a separate entrance and yard would be ideal if your finances, property, and return accommodate that scenario. 

If that is not possible, then a separate entrance and careful design to minimize noise is the next best bet. 

Although we chose to go with an attached ADU, it is separated by an interior door from the rest of the home, so it has its own distinct space.  Our ADU has been put into use as a short-term rental. 

When we designed the ADU placement, we knew that my youngest kid’s bedroom was the closest to this area and he happened to be the loudest.  Since he is a teenager, he spends quite a bit of time in his room playing video games.  So, we will see how it goes and, if necessary, have the plan B of switching bedrooms to make it a more workable environment for a successful rental. 

It’s good to be aware, my friend, that these types of situations will come up with an attached ADU rental.

Now, I know I covered the fun benefits of having extra income earlier. 

But, what I need for you to know is that having this extra income coming in can be a cushion when life knocks you down with an illness or a job loss, or any other catastrophic event as well. 

See how an ADU can be such a great safety net in so many ways?     

Conclusion

To recap, adding an Accessory Dwelling Unit or granny flat to your property can be the solution to make sure your kids are able to afford to live in your high-priced market if they so choose and can help us parents feel such relief that we carved out this option for them. 

52% of young adults are now living with their parents and an ADU like a garage accessory dwelling unit can be tailored to accommodate their developmental needs (autonomy, identity, and emotional maturity) while at the same time maintaining the family bond.  

Attached accessory dwelling units or detached accessory dwelling units can also be customized to accommodate aging parents and aging in place design features for current and future needs. 

And let’s not forget, an ADU like a backyard cottage can be rented out to provide a passive stream of income to fund early retirement or your child's college tuition or splurge on travel or high-ticket items.  

Lastly but most importantly, an ADU that is custom-tailored to your and your loved one's personality, life stage, and needs can serve as a powerful safety net and legacy for the future.  A personalized ADU can translate into families approaching the future feeling empowered, confident and peaceful.    

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