i + D - January/February 2021 - 36

Small is Big - By Brian J. Barth

Karen Steinberg, owner and principal designer of Décor
Revolution in Pasadena, California, first caught the ADU
bug six years ago. She'd been in the interior design
business for years, but the decision to convert her garage
into a guesthouse transformed her career trajectory, a
change that is bearing unexpected fruit in the pandemic.
She gutted the garage, which sits next to her pool, and
refitted the structure as a studio apartment with a smartly
designed kitchen, bathroom, and living/sleeping space, all in
less than 400 square feet. White walls make the space feel
bigger, she says, while " built-in open shelving for dishes
and stemware, rather than closed cabinets, provides storage
but with a more spacious appearance. " A sofa-bed allows
for overnight guests, and the media cabinet doubles as a
dresser. This tiny space has comfortably housed relatives
on a short-term basis and provided rental income. In
planning-speak, it's known as an accessory dwelling unit, or
ADU-the catch-all phrase for any addition to a single-family
property that, unlike an ordinary " addition, " is intended to
function as a separate, self-contained habitation.

Creative small space
planning: Slim open
stairs lead to an upper
level and sliding doors
allow for spaces to be
closed off for privacy.
(Image: buildinganadu.com)

In 2000, only 8,000 properties sold in the United States
contained an ADU, according to Multiple Listing Services
(MLS) data. By 2019, the number was 70,000, representing
4.2 percent of home sales. According to Freddie Mac, there
are now at least 1.4 million ADUs in the United States.
A 2019 survey conducted by the National Association of
Home Builders found that one in five home remodelers had
worked on at least one ADU project. The booming market
for these flexible spaces-most recently driven by changes
to work and family life brought on by the pandemic-led
Forbes to declare 2020 the " year of the ADU. "

An early adopter of
the ADU, Portland,
Oregon, now allows
for two detached units
per property.
(Image: buildinganadu.com)

ADUs go by many names-in-law suites, granny
flats, carriage houses. They can be connected
to the original home (as garage conversions
and basement or attic apartments) or built
as standalone structures in the backyard.
Homeowners are often motivated to build ADUs
as a source of rental income or to accommodate
adult children or aging parents. Municipalities
encourage them as a way to promote urban infill
and increase the supply of affordable rental units.
There are also environmental implications: Smaller
dwellings result in a smaller carbon footprint
per capita, and adding ADUs to built-out intown
neighborhoods makes shorter commutes available
to more people.
These attributes have made ADUs a hot
commodity in recent years, but the pandemic has
added much fuel to the fire. " There's always been
a need for ADUs because of the housing shortage
that we have in major cities across the country, "
says Steinberg. " But because of the pandemic,
even more people are wanting an ADU in their
backyard, whether as a work-from-home space,
for visiting family, as isolation spaces in the case of
a positive COVID test result, or to have parents
or adult children living close by. Multigenerational
living is back in fashion in a big way! " Steinberg
has rebranded her business to focus on ADU
design as a result of unprecedented demand
in the age of COVID and is convinced that the
current ADU mania will continue long beyond the
pandemic. " ADUs are the future! " she says.

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