ADU Hindsight
Here’s what ADU owners tell us after their projects are complete.
If you could go back a year, would you change anything?
What if you could go back five years? Ten? Twenty? What would you do differently?
Some would say there’s no sense in asking these questions, but we believe there is.
You see, hindsight isn’t always about regret. Often, it’s about progress. The “what ifs” and “if I’d only knowns” serve a purpose. They open our eyes to the present and help us imagine what could be.
So, in the interest of hindsight, we’re sharing some of our clients’ post-project thoughts. Here are some examples of what we hear from new ADU owners:
“I wish I’d started my project sooner.”
A lot of people feel this way, but their stories are all different.
Some of our ADU owners are using their accessory dwellings as home offices. They’re using their time better by working from home in a peaceful, productive space.
Others are enjoying multigenerational living. They’re surrounded by loved ones who support them. They’re saving money on housing for their parents or adult children. Most importantly, they’re keeping the family together in a neighborhood they all love.
Some are looking at the rent money their ADUs are bringing in and seeing how great it is to have capital to invest in education, their own housing expenses, fulfilling hobbies, or world travels.
However they’re using their ADUs, we often get the same message. These homeowners don’t regret their projects.
They’re just looking back at them with their eyes wide open. When someone tells us they wish they’d started sooner, what they’re really saying is “This is amazing.”
“I should have built a bigger ADU.”
There’s no doubt that for most homeowners, bigger is better. This is especially true if you plan to rent out your ADU. In the San Francisco Bay area, a one-bedroom ADU might rent for $2,200 per month, while a two-bedroom unit will bring in $3,300 per month, and a three-bedroom unit can go for $4,500 per month.
Even homeowners who don’t plan to rent out their ADUs immediately like to have the option to do so in the future.
More space just means more flexibility, so we recommend building as big as you can.
“I didn’t know I’d want to do more.”
There’s something about the way one improvement leads to another. In talking with our clients and completing hundreds of projects, we’ve discovered that most homes need four things to bring them up to date:
A new primary bedroom and bathroom
An open living room and kitchen
Whole-house sustainability upgrades
An accessory dwelling
While older homes are in great locations and have “good bones,” they just don’t fit our modern lives. After making a few improvements, our clients find that their homes give them more time to do the things they love with the people they love. Once one project is complete, they see the value in doing more.
Looking back can tell us a lot. So can looking ahead.
What about your home?
When your ADU, family compound, or whole-house remodel is finished, what will your hindsight tell you?
Contact us to get in touch with our design/build experts. We’ll help you get your project started the right way and make sure that in the end, you have no regrets.
