Importance Of Having An ADU In San Jose

Do you want to offer some extra care and support to your parents at their old age? Are you a family-oriented person who enjoys the warmth of a joint family? Are you breaking your head to find some extra space for your boomerang child? Then you are in urgent requirement of an accessory dwelling unit (ADU). Being a resident of San Jose, it is no exception from any other cities like San Francisco or any other part of California that housing becomes a remote option. Additionally, if you have the above-mentioned commitments, then it’s compelling for you to have an ADU in the same premises. These units provide you enough space to accommodate everyone in the family a bit closer. Hence building an ADU becomes the perfect choice for you. 

ADU’s brings flexibility in housing and is a sensible decision for many reasons like financial, environmental, and lifestyle. The very common reason to build an ADU is to gain extra income through rent or to accommodate a family member. ADU’s are named differently based on the purpose they serve. For some families, it is granny’s cottage, and for others, it could be a laneway house, in-law units, carriage house, backyard apartment, accessory suite, a garden house, a basement apartment, a tiny house so on and so for. Whatever you name them ADU provides an extra breathing space for you to get along with your family members and in-laws. Mainly there are 3 types of ADUs according to their construction and the amount of freedom that offers from the main house. These are detached ADUs, attached ADUs and junior ADUs.

1. Detached ADUs: A detached ADU provides the maximum freedom from the primary residence. It could be a garage or garden shed that is renovated to an independent freestanding construction. If this has a private entrance, one can live independently here. You even can generate income by renting it out.
2. Attached ADUs: This unit share at least one wall with the primary residence. However, the foundation and utilities remain separate from the main house with an independent entrance. There is no internal connection between the 2 units. 
3. Junior ADUs: This is the most attached unit with the main house with a completely separate living zone. But someone walking on the street cannot even imagine that such a unit exists with the main house.

Let us understand how important it is for a San Jose resident to have an ADU on their premises. 

• ADU offers joint living with privacy and liberty: A packed house for multigenerational living is challenging as the members will be engaged most of the time in conflicts than living together harmoniously. ADU helps to improve such situations within the family regardless of a detached or attached building. You will be able to share a space, consider a tiny house instead of a whole house for your aged parent or a sibling or a loved one who wants to live independently without interfering in your privacy. Thus ADU helps in maintaining the bonding and support within the family members.
• Serves as a home for your elderly parents and grandparents: Think of your parents or grandparents who lived independently for decades, and are now forced to live in one of your spare bedrooms during retirement.  This is because they can’t afford the skyrocketing living cost in a city like San Jose with their limited income. In such circumstances, ADU is a blessing to have them separately but closer to you without interrupting their social life. This will help in strengthening the family bonding between your kids and grandparents. They will have so much energy and enthusiasm as they have ready access to their grandparents who can inspire them in many ways.  ADU can be a practical solution when you have an elderly parent with health issues who cannot live a completely independent life. Instead of shedding your lifelong savings in nursing homes, ADU will be a perfect balance.

• ADU serves as space for an adult child to develop their social status: Earlier adult kids were left freely into the world after graduation to figure out future plans. Nowadays, we are facing an episode of boomerang kids, moving back to their parents for financial support. It is, of course, a tough time for an adult child who goes through a period of getting a good job to settle down. You’ll still consider your grown-up child as a baby, while your adult child would have got accustomed to the peak of adult independence that they enjoyed throughout their college days which can’t be abandoned. Hence in such a tricky situation going back to their old childhood bedroom can hurt their self-esteem. Here ADU is a perfect space for them to lead an adult life by providing the essential liberty to keep up their confidence level while they settle down in their life.

• ADU provides support for a relative with special needs: With day by day hiking expenses, living in a city like San Jose becomes highly competitive. Added to that if you have a relative with special needs to be looked after your life will be more complicated. In such instances, an ADU allows an independent living space for your loved ones at an affordable price.  It provides complete privacy and liberty to get easily adjusted to the new environment. Special needs are not restricted to physical requirements alone or aged relatives. It can even happen to an adult child who requires your support financially or to manage their daily routine. ADU makes it feasible for the parents to have quick and easy access to the special child at the time of their needs.

• Offers a space for visitors and in-laws: With an ADU in the premises of your main house, it allows you to spend enough quality time with your in-laws or guests when they visit without interrupting your family routine. 

• ADU serves as a recreational space: In the middle of kids, pets and many other things that mess up your life, you’ll long for space for yourself to take a deep breath. An ADU allows you enough space for your recreational activities and sometimes even to work from home without anyone bothering you. An ADU can be a fully functional unit that can play many roles for you.

For all the aforementioned reasons California government is encouraging the importance of having an ADU in cities like San Jose and San Francisco by providing all supports like a pre-approved design at a lower cost to the house owners. Ultimately the mayor and other members of the leadership team are successfully working towards a dream come true project – an ADU-friendly San Jose.

(Image: Acton ADU)