Betty Schuddy (70), who lives in Oakland, California, gave one side of her yard to her son and wife six years ago. The old garage in the yard was converted into a 37㎡ (about 11 pyeong) studio (one-room) house so that his son and his wife could live there. It also has a separate kitchen and bathroom. Mr. Shudi told the New York Times, “I like it because my family can have their own space while living close by.”
In the United States, houses like Mr. Shudi’s outbuildings are usually called ‘backyard houses’ or ‘granny apartments’ to accommodate elderly parents. The correct name is ‘Accessory Dwelling Unit ( ADU ) ’. It is an independent space usually measuring about 40 to 90 m2 and equipped with basic spaces such as a bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. It can be built attached to the main building, or it can be built as a separate house.
These days, the number of backyard homes like this is increasing rapidly in the United States. As house prices and rents soar, especially in large cities, local governments are loosening ADU- related regulations in large numbers to increase the supply of affordable housing. Landlords welcome it because they can give independent space to parents or children or earn rental income by renting it out to others. California is the most active region for backyard homes
as an alternative to skyrocketing housing prices .
As housing supply was sluggish compared to the increased population, expansion of ADUs was brought up as an alternative. Since 2017, the state government has sequentially relaxed regulations such as minimum standards for land where ADUs can be built and securing parking spaces. The time it takes to obtain a building permit was cut in half, and a policy of providing subsidies of up to $40,000 was introduced. The number of ADU construction permits in California jumped nearly 20-fold, from about 1,200 in 2016 to about 23,700 last year.
Not only California, but since 2017, states such as Oregon, Maine, and Connecticut, as well as cities including Seattle and Kansas City, have passed bills one after another to make it easier to build ADUs . In Seattle, when regulations were relaxed in 2019, the먹튀검증 number of ADU permits was 280, but last year it more than tripled to 988.
The reason why there is such a rush to promote ADUs is because the housing shortage is so severe. According to an analysis by housing finance company Freddie Mac, as of 2020, there is a shortage of 3.8 million homes for sale and rental in the United States. As a result of this, according to a survey by online real estate platform Redfin, the median home price in the United States soared 40% compared to four years ago to $421,774 (about 555 million won) in July. Rent also increased by 25% during the same period.
Used by everyone from grandmothers to adult children,
the main purpose of Americans building outbuildings is for family housing. As house prices are soaring through the sky, ‘kangaroos’ who have difficulty paying rent are living with their parents, and the parents are building separate houses for their children. According to the Pew Research Center, last year, half of U.S. adults aged 18 to 29 lived with their parents. Some people combine their homes with their children to take care of their grandchildren. When her daughter gave birth, Bona da Silva of Portland, Oregon, sold her existing home, bought a larger home, and built her own ADU .
In some cases, ADUs are built to bring in elderly parents , or single-person elderly households that no longer need a larger home rent the main house and live in a separate building. This is why the American Association of Retired Persons ( AARP ) is active in ADU support legislation. In an AARP survey targeting seniors aged 65 or older the year before last, 70% of respondents answered, “If necessary, I would consider moving into an ADU (giving the main house to a family member, etc.).” 25% said, “ I will build an ADU and give it to a caregiver.”
The increase in working from home during the pandemic also contributed to the popularity of ADUs . This is because more and more people are building separate houses for business use in their backyards. ‘Studio Shed’, which sells prefabricated houses, said, “One of our most popular products is the ‘backyard office’ house.” Customers of this company left reviews on the website, such as, “I saved money by purchasing a ‘backyard office’ instead of paying rent for an office.” Of course , there are many homeowners who use ADUs
for rental purposes . According to ADU builder Cottage, adding an ADU in California costs between $200,000 and $400,000.It costs $10,000, and in the San Francisco Bay area, you can get a monthly rent of about $2,400 to $3,000. You can recoup the cost by leasing for about 7 to 8 years.
ADU companies advertise that “you can get a 30-35% higher price when selling your house.” Local governments believe that because ADU rents are cheaper than regular housing, it is helpful to low-income residents. The UC Berkeley Turner Housing Innovation Center said last year, “There are many ADUs that can be used by residents earning less than 80% of the median income.” As the popularity of ADUs
increases, the number of startups providing related products and services is springing up. A representative example is ‘Samara’, which Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia started last year. Samara is a company that handles the entire process from ADU permitting to installation. In a recent media interview, Gebbia said, “Currently, one in five households in the United States has adults from two or more generations living together, and the number of people working from home has increased through the pandemic.” He added, “ ADUs are becoming popular as people’s values about homes are changing.” “He said.
In addition to Samara, various companies such as Cottage and Homestead have entered the ADU market in recent years . Large retailers such as Amazon, Home Depot, and Costco have also begun selling prefabricated home kits that can be used as ADUs . There are also cheaper models priced under $20,000. However, there are no electricity, lighting, bathroom, or kitchen facilities, and the buyer must take care of finishing work such as assembly and painting. For this reason, it is often used for simple purposes such as office work or relaxation.
In Korea, you can also build a separate building if you meet legal standards such as building-to-land ratio, floor area ratio, and number of parking spaces and receive expansion permission from the local government. However, unlike the United States, which is a large country, not many homes have enough space to build separate buildings. Seo Yong-sik, CEO of Soomok Architecture, said, “There are cases where outbuildings are built to accommodate guests who come to the house or to use them for Airbnb rentals.”