Imagine your child graduates from college and can’t afford a place on their own but doesn’t want to move back home. You want to help but can’t cover their rent, so you decide to build an accessory dwelling unit (ADU).
Building an ADU can provide you and your adult child with more privacy and give them some independence. After they move out, you can convert it to an office or rent it to other young people.
Read on to learn about other benefits that come from building an ADU.
1. Create an Office
One of the most significant benefits of building an ADU is that you can turn it into an office. If you work from home, you may have trouble keeping others from disturbing you, especially if you don’t have an extra bedroom.
Instead of trying to work in the kitchen, build a separate building. Not only will that help keep your family from barging in, but it can offer you more work-life separation.
You can close and lock the ADU after the end of your workday. Then, you won’t have as much of a temptation to respond to emails or do other tasks in the evening.
2. Start a Home Gym
Building an ADU is also a good option if you want to create a home gym. Maybe you’re tired of paying for a gym membership or never have time to go.
Having a gym on your property allows you to work out whenever you want. But you can also enjoy a bit of separation between your gym and the rest of your house.
You won’t have to worry about leaving equipment out if you have young kids, for example. Of course, you can also invest in the gym equipment you want based on the exercises you prefer.
3. House Your Extended Family
Another name for an ADU is a granny flat, and it’s the perfect place to house aging parents. If you need to take care of your parents or drive them to appointments, consider having them stay in an ADU on your property.
This is also an excellent option for adult children who need to be close by. Whether you or they need care, the ADU gives your relative their own space.
However, you and your adult child can split living costs to both save money. Many young adults struggle to afford a place of their own, and an ADU can be a nice compromise.
4. Host Other Guests
Maybe you don’t have parents or children who need to live on your property. You can reserve your ADU for guests who come into town.
Another option is to use your ADU as an office during the week and a guest house on weekends. Then, you can have family visit you and not need to pay for a hotel.
Also, you won’t have to cram everyone into your house. When everyone has more space and privacy, the visit can be more enjoyable.
5. Provide Affordable Housing
The next way an ADU benefits you is that you can provide affordable housing. Of course, you may prefer to rent the space to your adult children or nieces or nephews.
However, you could also rent the ADU to a single adult or a young couple. San Diego can be an excellent place to live, but it’s not cheap.
Offering an ADU for rent can help encourage more people to move to the city. Eventually, the tenant will move out, and you can offer the space to another young person or couple.
6. Diversify Your Income
No matter who uses your ADU, you can turn it into an extra income stream. You could charge rent to your parents, child, or a stranger.
Some people claim a rental property can provide passive income. However, you do need to put some time into maintaining the property and fixing anything that goes wrong.
You’ll also want to save some of the money for your taxes. But buying a whole separate property to rent out can be expensive, and building an ADU is much more affordable for many.
7. Up Your Property Value
Having an ADU benefits the value of your property. As long as the building is in good condition, you can use it to help with your property value.
Of course, that means you’ll owe more in property taxes, so you may not want one. But if you plan on selling your property in the next few years, investing in building an ADU can be worth it.
You might be able to get some or all of your money back when you sell the entire property. Just make sure you don’t sell it in the middle of a lease if you decide to rent out the ADU.
8. Improve the Aesthetic
Building an ADU can also help improve the aesthetic of your property. A good remodeling contractor can make sure the building blends in with your home and surrounding homes.
That way, it won’t stand out in a bad way and attract complaints from your neighbors. Meanwhile, the ADU can help make your property unique.
So if you happen to want to sell it when many other properties are for sale, you can draw in more buyers. Then, your property might not sit on the market for as long as it otherwise would have.
9. More Privacy
Regardless of how you use the ADU or who uses it, it can offer more privacy. For example, if more family members move to your property, you won’t have to give up space or share the bathroom with more people.
If you need a home office or gym, you can separate it from your main living space. Of course, if you rent the ADU to strangers, you won’t have to worry about them living in your house.
Having privacy can be essential, especially over the long term. A well-built ADU has everything you need to provide privacy to you, your family, and any guests.
Start Building an ADU Today
Building an ADU (accessory dwelling unit) can be an excellent way to increase your privacy or your income. Be sure to consider how you plan to use it.
Then, you can find a company that will be able to design the ADU to meet your needs.
Do you need help designing an ADU in San Diego? Learn more about our services.
