ADU Business Booming in California

"Bay Area companies that specialize in backyard cottages are seeing a surge in interest from homeowners who suddenly need to create additional living space for elderly parents or adult children displaced because of the coronavirus," reports J.K. Dineen. 

"Some families are scrambling to move their parents out of assisted-living facilities, where the risks of contracting the coronavirus are high. Other erstwhile empty-nesters find themselves crowded as their young adult kids return from shuttered college campuses or look to escape small apartments in expensive cities like San Francisco or New York," explains Dineen of the trend. 

"Abodu, a San Jose firm that makes ADUs, estimates that 10,000 will be permitted in California in 2020, based on a survey of city permits."

Dineen provides historical background on California's efforts to legalize and streamline the construction of ADUs, in addition to a few anecdotes from residents who are working to quickly add an additional living unit to their property during the pandemic.