An Accessory Dwelling Unit stands true to the concept of an efficient, functional, and minimal home
If you’re planning on expanding your home, an Accessory Dwelling Unit can be the best way to go about it.
Why, you may ask?
You see, when it comes to home addition projects, they can be quite a task and can take months to finish.
And not to forget, home renovations aren’t cost-effective either, as they can cost you anywhere between $32,000 and $80,000 on average for every square foot.
But why bother if you can have a robust mini-unit as a quick and affordable home addition?
Yes, we are talking about Accessory Dwelling Units or ADUs.
You might have come across the term ADUs recently, as Tampa Bay is looking to legalize them to fix the housing crisis. However, these dwelling units or mini homes are much more than just economical housing solutions.
So let’s have a look at what makes an ADU home a go-to solution for expansion projects and why you should consider having one in your backyard.
What exactly is an Accessory Dwelling Unit?
At its very basic, an Accessory Dwelling Unit or ADU is a secondary home that shares the same property as the larger primary home. Often built in the backyards, you can’t purchase or sell ADUs as separate units since they’re meant to be home additions.
Coming to the utility of Accessory Dwelling Units, you can use them for multiple purposes. For instance, you can use an ADU anywhere from a garage to a guest house to a home for your adult children.
Also, you can build a dwelling unit for rental income, thus turning your yard into a profit-making business.
Interesting, isn’t it?
What is included in an ADU home?
Now that you’ve seen what an Accessory Dwelling Unit exactly is, you might wonder what such a home includes.
Well, an ADU is a fully functional dwelling with all the functional amenities that you’ll find in a typical home. That’s because even though these dwelling units are compact in size, they feature innovative designs, which include a bedroom, living area, kitchenette, porch, and more.
But won’t the interior space be cramped in such small-sized units?
Certainly not.
ADU homes are usually sized between 384 and 576 square feet, and they can also be dual-storied. That means one such unit can easily house two persons without compromising on space and comfort.
Benefits of building an Accessory Dwelling Unit:
Before you build an ADU home, you’re sure to ask whether it is worth the investment.
If you own a home with a sizable back or front yard, or if you have a sprawling residential property, you should definitely build an Accessory Dwelling Unit.
Here’s why:
#1. ADUs carry a high return on investment (ROI)
It’s true that in order to have an ADU built on your property, you’ll need to make an upfront investment. And even as this is way lower than actual home expansion, it still is a wholesome expenditure.
Nevertheless, the return on investment that the Accessory Dwelling Units carry is simply unmatched. So by having one in your backyard, you only stand to increase the value of your property significantly.
In fact, some estimates suggest that a home with an Accessory Dwelling Unit can have a higher resale value by as much as $600,000.
That sounds amazing, doesn’t it?
#2. An ADU is an excellent way to earn passive income
As a homeowner, you’d have thought about making money from your property. And to that end, an Accessory Dwelling Unit can be your best bet.
How?
You see, the ADUs need not be attached or connected to your private home, as they are independent units and can be built anywhere on the property.
As such, you can easily convert them into a rental home or an Airbnb apartment.
#3. Your Accessory Dwelling home can withstand extreme weather with ease
The idea that Accessory Dwelling Units can make a robust and impact-resistant home may sound strange at first.
But contrary to the common assumption, the ADUs are actually very sturdy and can easily withstand the worst of weather extremities. That’s because these accessory dwellings are built with steel SIP panels, the most solid of all building materials.
We can’t overstate the importance of disaster-resistant homes in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. And when building one such home, nothing comes close to SIP panel home kits, as they can stand strong in the highest category hurricanes.
#4. ADU homes are eco-friendly and maintenance-free
Eco-friendly building materials are already the trendsetters among modern-day housing products. And thanks to the readily available sustainable building materials, people are making the switch to green homes.
But do ADUs qualify as green buildings?
Yes, they do.
An Accessory Dwelling Unit features steel SIP panels as the primary construction materials. And these panels are mostly made with recycled stainless steel, which makes them ecologically sound.
Also, as a matter of fact, steel is the most recyclable material on earth, and that also holds for SIPs.
Further, ADUs feature materials like marmoleum click flooring, recycled rubber carpets, etc. And since these materials are mold/mildew free and moisture-resistant, they make your ADU a low to zero-maintenance home.
#5. A quick and low-cost home with Accessory Dwelling Units
While expanding your original home can be time-consuming, that’s now the case with an Accessory Dwelling Unit. That’s because you can build an ADU in well under eight hours.
All that you’ll require to build one such home is a team of three people and some elementary handyman and carpentry skills.
Now, talking about the cost aspect, Accessory Dwelling Units won’t break your bank like conventional homes do, as you can have one for a little over $100,000.
Impressive, right?
Bonus: If you’re looking to have an affordable office space quickly, a junior/office ADU could be your best bet. You see, office spaces like these cost $50,000 at most and provide the best way to boost a business’s worth by offering an efficient work area.
Here’s why Tampa Bay is looking up to Accessory Dwellings:
As you might be aware, the housing crisis in the city of Tampa has been palpable for quite some time now. And the skyrocketing rents have only worsened the shortage of affordable homes in the past few months.
You see, the city code of Tampa currently allows building ADUs for public use only in Seminole Heights and the Lowry Park area. Elsewhere, ADUs can only be built on a residential property for a family member, and that too if the primary home is owner-occupied.
But with a new ADU bill introduced in Tampa’s City Council, that’s set to change sooner than later.
How?
The proposed rules will allow rental ADUs in almost all of Tampa City except South Tampa and New Tampa. That means homeowners can now build Accessory Dwelling Units for the purpose of renting them.
Lynn Hurtak, a member of the Tampa City Council, believes that with the relaxing ADU regulations, more affordable housing units will come up, thus easing the crisis.
Wrapping it up
You see, with the problem of cost-efficient housing rising exponentially, an Accessory Dwelling Unit is truly the one-stop solution. So it’s not surprising why cities across Florida are looking to change their housing regulations to permit more ADUs.
Nevertheless, an ADU is much more than simply affordable housing, as they can create spacious and luxury eco homes as well.
Looking to build one such home?
You can reach out to us, and we will build an Accessory Dwelling Unit on your residential property in no time.
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