You're sipping your morning coffee looking out the back window into the yard and thinking to yourself “I have a good amount of unused space back here”. Let's make that a profitable space by building an Accessory Dwelling Unit. (ADU)
ADUs are becoming a big trend, especially in California, where you can even receive grants for funding. ADUs can also be used for long term rentals, or in-law quarters. One of the tiny homes Flax + Stone has designed is currently listed as a Airbnb and becoming quite profitable. This blog will focus on the way to maximize your ADU for the purpose of an Airbnb or short term rentals.
Tips for your ADU
Research - Contact your local city or county building department to see if there are any financial incentives being offered to offset ADU construction costs.
Capacity - Determine how many guests you would like the dwelling to have at any given time. This information is important especially if you plan to list it on a travel site. The square footage will correlate directly to how many guests are allowed to stay at a time.
Accessibility - If possible it is preferred to include a private access to the ADU. Whether that be a side gate or just a separate entry point other than the main house. Another bonus feature is a parking space. If you have free street parking that will always work, but let's say you're in an area with limited access to parking, it may be nice to add a small parking spot/driveway specifically for your ADU.
Privacy - Consider if you want to have a fence dividing your ADU from your main house. A fence is a good way to go if you do not want to have any shared space (i.e. patio, lawn, ect.) with potential guests.
Design - Because ADUs are small, there are a couple of design tricks to help make the space feel bigger.
Tall ceilings will make the space seem larger.
Large windows will also make the space feel bigger and will bring in additional layers of light
As ADUS are basically “tiny homes”, storage is an important concern. Try to lean towards space saving designs. Researching “tiny house design” is a great way to start.
ADUs have a lot of potential not only for hosting friends & family but also in bringing in extra income for the home. When you're ready to start your ADU journey, Flax+Stone is here to help!