"Granny Flats" Are Not A New Thing
On The "ADU" Housing Horizon
It's interesting to see how this "Cottage Industry" (pun intended) has morphed into a full blown Growth Industry almost Nationwide during the past several years. And it's just the beginning.
Our biggest impediment still remains several of our local jurisdictions of course. They can't seem to get out of there own and old ways. Even with the mandate of California's Senate Bill 1069 many continue to remain reluctant if not outright defiant.
Prefab 'In-law' Cottages Mix High-tech Features, Comfort
While some refuse to wrap their arms around it and accept the new laws others just plain refuse to cooperate with the mandate. However, I'm hearing the war drums beating in the distance as some jurisdictions are already gearing up for lawsuits and outright fighting to resist this ole "Rode hard and put away wet" NIMBY SYNDROME.
New freestanding modular home additions aim to provide the right kind of space for aging in place.
PHOTO COURTESY OF FABCAB
FabCab is a timber-frame kit home with universal design features. Click photo for more information.
Eric Santolicito, 35, of Billerica, Mass., had a plan for looking after his parents as they grew older: The family man bought his sixty-something parents’ home, demolished it and put up a new prefab house with an in-law suite on the lot.
“It was a win-win situation,” Santolicito says. “We cut our expenses for owning and maintaining two separate, older homes. Now we all have a new house with separate living quarters, and we stayed in the neighborhood where my sisters live, too. My parents were able to downsize a bit.
They now have living, dining, bedroom, bath and kitchen spaces in about 800 square feet — much less for them to clean and maintain. I can look after all the yard work. And now we have the best on-site child care for our two little ones.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MEDCOTTAGE
MEDCottage features options for advanced medical monitoring equipment. Click photo for more information.
See Also: Custom Prefab ADUs
“Building this house the way we did — it has alleviated a lot of stress for everyone in the family,” he says.
Not everyone is in a position to build a new home to support multigenerational families. But a number of manufactured housing producers are introducing new prefab home additions with features to support aging at home or near family members. Known in the building industry as ADUs (accessory dwelling units) and in consumer media as “granny pods” and “in-law apartments,” the new self-contained units incorporate barrier-free, universal designs and options that include electronic monitoring and medical care equipment.
All are largely built or prepared for assembly in a factory, trucked to a building site and set on a foundation, which manufacturers claim cuts construction costs and time from initiation to occupancy.
No doubt about it. There are 70 to 80 million Baby Boomers winding down their once complicated and ambitious paces and lifestyles, retiring and now looking for places and ways to 'AGE IN PLACE' while staying close to their families, friends and neighbors on the ''FREE LAND" beneath their feet. There is now a way and it's beginning to catch on like a wind fanned fire. We just need to get our local jurisdictions on board sooner rather than later.
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John DL Arenden, Broker
TAG Real Estate Sales & Investments
TAG (The Arendsen Group) Real Estate Sales & Investments is a full service, one-stop, turnkey, family owned and operated real estate brokerage, General Contractor, Manufactured Home Contractor, Developer, Investor, Property Manager, Interior Design, Engineering, architectural, Landscape design, Expert Witness, Consulting, Curative Title and Troubleshooting company with over 100 years of combined experience in the San Diego real estate sales, construction, design & development arena.
