Having your elderly family members by your side is easily accessible. Building an accessory dwelling unit on your lot near the primary residence allows you to create extra living space not only for a growing family but also for your loved ones who need more care as they age. With an ADU or a granny flat on the property, you get a perfect solution that combines that privacy for your own family and in-home care for those who need it the most.
Hiring professionals to construct mother-in-law suites for a multi- or single-family residence makes it easier for homeowners to take into account all the special needs and other important points of living with the elderly. Learn how building an ADU for your parents and in-laws works and create a cherished home for everyone to live in harmony.
When people age, even the simplest everyday tasks can become challenging. Older adults often find it difficult to go to the nearest grocery store or doctor's office, and some even might require help to move from one room to another. While having a caretaker or a family member who would assist your loved ones is possible, for some people, such options might not be accessible.
Many families spend their time traveling every day from their own homes to their elderly relatives' places to make sure that everything is okay. However, you never know when an emergency might happen or when they will need your help the most. What is more, families who live far away from their aging loved ones might not even have the opportunity for regular check-ups.
To make sure that your elderly family members are provided full-time assistance and care, building an additional living space next to your house might be helpful. While giving an extra room right at home might also be helpful, you should consider that many elderly people still want to live independently in the comfort of their own space, which ADUs offer.
Another problem that aging family members might encounter is cognitive and memory changes. Such people with special needs require special care, as they are more prone to getting into accidents, especially when they are outside all on their own.
Families with aging relatives who have memory loss should be extra careful. It is quite common for such people to get lost, even during the most mundane grocery shopping trips. They might forget their home address or have trouble contacting their families.
Hiring someone to look after your loved ones can be hard in terms of money. Especially for those old people who have special needs and require medical care, paying for a nurse or a caretaker can take a huge part of a family's budget. Therefore, a better solution should be considered.
With an accessory dwelling unit, you can create a safe space for your aging family members. Incorporating accessibility options into the ADU building process allows you to create comfortable housing according to their needs.
For instance, many homeowners look for the right builder to install handrails around the house for elderly relatives who have problems with mobility. While widening room entrances in an existing home for a family member who has started to use a wheelchair might be difficult, considering all the special needs while building an ADU anew is more than possible.
Creating a realistic housing option for your aging parents means taking into account all their specificities. For those with hearing problems, extra sound amplifiers can be installed in accessory dwelling units. People with vision problems might need more safe tactile devices in their new construction.
Considering all of this when building an ADU will provide easy access for the elderly and allow them to perform everyday tasks with more comfort. It is more than important to build granny flats that make aging people feel not only cared for by others but also still capable of living in a usual way.
Another advantage of having an accessory dwelling unit next to your main house is that you can always provide company for your loved ones. The feeling of isolation especially increases for older generations, and it is crucial for the family to provide all the needed support.
When living far away from family, aging adults might feel lonely and forgotten by everyone, even with frequent visits from their loved ones. Having them live next to your primary residence will allow you to encounter them more frequently and make sure that their emotional conditions are great.
What is more, by including ADU's own entrance into the building process, you give their living space more privacy, allowing for other visitors to come without your constant control. Such freedom is the crucial part, especially for those old people who feel guilty or feel like a burden to their families. With their personal living space, you ensure that they still consider themselves fully-functioning members of society.
We have already mentioned how having accessory dwelling units can help you to save money on medical workers who take care of the elderly. Furthermore, you can build an ADU and have your older relatives live there so that you can personally control their health conditions.
Such an extra space near your home will also make it easier for you to check whether all the needed medicine was taken by those who need it. Or, in the case of an emergency, your aging parents can have an alert button that would notify you of urgent help.
If your loved one needs constant care, then building an attached ADU or making a basement conversion might be the best option for affordable housing. And for those whose relatives do not require as much assistance, getting a detached ADU with a separate entrance can be just as good.
Accessory dwelling units have become increasingly popular among landowners all over the country in recent years. Why so? Building an accessory dwelling unit usually requires less money than beginning the construction of a whole new house. What is more, a detached and attached ADU or even a junior ADU gives you the possibility of efficient land use.
Even if you are putting up one ADU on your lot, the property value increases. It can make your house more attractive to potential customers if you are planning to sell it in the future. With a good ADU package, you can get professionals to build an affordable yet comfortable living place for your elderly family members.
Before the construction begins, you will get a price estimate for your accessory dwelling unit. It makes it easier for all homeowners to plan their future changes to the property and calculate their project budgets accordingly.
Even a small house for your elderly relatives should provide an efficient source of natural lighting. As we get older, our eyesight often gets worse. For aging people who often love to read their morning newspapers and knit cozy sweaters for their grandchildren, having a lot of light coming from the windows is especially important.
What is more, ventilation systems should be properly installed in each accessory dwelling unit. Bad air conditions might cause unnecessary respiratory problems, especially for those who already have trouble breathing. Therefore, when building an ADU, every detail of such kind must be taken into account.
Still thinking about whether to build an ADU or simply accommodate your elderly ones in one of the guest suites in your house? Having a personal space is important for everyone, no matter how old you are. While you and your family might be used to one lifestyle, your aging parents can have the total opposite one.
To make sure that no conflicts arise, it is better to divide the property into separate living zones. Having a new ADU plan pre-approved with your loved ones can help you to create a habitual space that is convenient for everyone.
Before you start construction, consider all the possible types available for your existing space on the property. Homeowners can now build an ADU of one of the following kinds:
For the construction of a secondary dwelling unit, you will need to provide architectural plans that comply with the local governments and follow all zoning laws. Moreover, plans for electrical wiring and plumbing systems might also require additional reviews from the experts. The permit process can be quite overwhelming; however, if you have worked on the plans with professionals, no problems should arise. In the next section, you can get more details on the matter.
Once you have decided that your aging relative certainly needs your constant attention, building an ADU on your property is the next step. While planning a standard secondary unit might not be as difficult, constructing one with special equipment and design considerations requires some professional help, for sure.
When contacting a contractor firm, for example, you will get the full range of services, from architectural planning and creating a submittal package to delivering the materials and providing construction to do the job. Experts with plenty of experience in the construction industry will recommend the best solutions for those who need them the most. Moreover, you will be able to see design models and envision the way the future unit will look like.
Undergoing the permit-receiving process is probably one of the most stressful parts of ADU creation. You have to make sure that all the local requirements and zoning rules are followed in your plans. Otherwise, you will have to change them in compliance with the legal regulations and reapply for your building permit, which costs additional money.
However, such problems are easily avoided when trained specialists create your plans for you. As they constantly work in the sphere, they are better acquainted with the details that have to be taken into account.
Building a home that would be not only cozy but also supportive in everyday life can be one of the best decisions for families with elderly people who need to be taken care of. Modern technologies are rapidly developing, and each day, more opportunities for comfortable living for people with special needs appear.
Many property owners have already started incorporating smart home devices into their dwellings. Indeed, these improvements can make your life a lot easier and safer at the same time. ADUs for aging adults can also be modified with assistive technologies. For the elderly, who have problems with hearing, speaking, or reading things, such assistance can provide them more freedom to do simple daily chores.
Equipping your house with such devices, such as chair lifts, voice command utilities, or health tracking systems, will make you feel calmer, as you will not have to worry about helping your loved ones every second of the day. Moreover, such home improvements give the elderly that necessary feeling of independence, making them capable of continuing everyday life without relying on external help a lot.
Taking care of our loved ones is not an easy task, especially when they require your constant and undivided attention along with special healthcare help. While some aging people prefer to keep their distance from their relatives in order to maintain some kind of self-sustenance, others feel safer always having someone by their side. When building an accessory dwelling unit, such aspects have to be considered thoroughly. You would not want your elderly parents or in-laws to feel like a burden or, on the contrary, neglected.
It is important to remember that aging people often go through some major steps of psychological changes, especially when they cannot live without someone's assistance anymore. Taking proper care of them at such times will make your family bonds even stronger.
To sum everything up, there are several points that one should consider when planning an accessory dwelling unit for their elderly loved ones:
In general, building an ADU for your aging loved ones can be a pretty good investment for you as a homeowner and as a member of a family. On one hand, you do not have to constantly worry about your elderly relative's condition, as you can easily visit them and check yourself. On the other side, additional construction on your property increases your home's housing market value and provides extra living space without disturbing the privacy and comfort of the main residence dwellers.
Building an ADU allows you to have your elderly parents or other relatives by your side all the time. When you build an ADU, you can also take into account all their needs and preferences to make the new living space as comfortable as possible for them. With such an ADU next to your home, you can forget about constantly worrying about their health or any other problems, as you can easily visit them and provide any help if needed.
If you have some extra space on your property, you should seriously consider building an ADU. This addition to your lot allows you to extend the living area without making any changes to your main housing. The unit itself can be turned into anything, from a home office to a mini-home for your aging relatives. Also, ADUs increase the value of the property, which is beneficial for all landowners, no matter what size of a lot you have.
A possible drawback of an ADU might be the fact that it has certain limitations in size. Depending on local law regulations of different states, ADUs usually cannot exceed a particular height or size. As these units are considered to be additional to the primary ones, they cannot be the size of an entire house. What is more, when building an ADU, you have to consider zoning rules and carefully measure the distance between the unit and property lines. Sometimes, these limitations can make placing an ADU in a particular part of your lot impossible.
Accessory dwelling units vary depending on their proximity to the main house. An ADU might be detached, meaning it has no connection to the primary residence. An ADU can also be an attached one, sharing one or more common walls with the main home. There are also junior ADUs, which are smaller in size and serve as home additions to some rooms. ADUs can also be converted from other existing structures, like garages or basements.
As of 2023, there are a few additions to the ADU laws in California. Now, property owners who want to convert a detached garage have to apply for a permit for the construction of a new ADU as well. It has to be sent as an application for the governmental allowance for creating an ADU on your property.
