Granny Flats, Backyard Cottages, ADUs: The Tiny Home Revolution in Bay Area Backyards

Tiny houses, sometimes just a few hundred square feet, are popping up everywhere in people’s backyards. A new state law makes it easier than ever to build one, and some feel they are key to solving the Bay Area’s housing crisis. Consumer Investigator Chris Chmura has been looking into how you get started.

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[iivv_nn]

And they rent them at the same cost as a full house. Great solution

[TheDigitalslayer]

Homeowners commonly do this in my area . But wow, those prices are outrageous.😑

[GabsterZ]

California needs to figure this out. It’s so difficult living here I’ve lived in the Bay Area since the age of 7 and things just keep getting rough

[caruniv]

Alot of people who brought a house back in the 70s and 80s now let their children live there for super low rent or rent free until they can save enough money to put a big down payment to buy a house of their own. Alot of Asain and Latino families use this strategy to get ahead and it's a smart move. I really do t know where this idea came from to push your kids out of the house as soon as possible. If your children live with you they can pay the utilities and help with groceries as well as help maint the physical upkeep of the home. The adult children also have family support if they are married with children and can help pay your mortgage off taking some of the burden off of the homeowner. Though in order to make this work you have to raise your family 👪 with strong bonds and respect. In the end your home gets paid off quicker and your children aquire a home which means another property that belongs to your family.

[JAYY_JAYY]

I will be having a large shed built in my backyard .

I will turn it into an In-law unit that I will live in .

The plan is do it for around 25k .

I will live in the unit and rent out my house .

I will have no housing costs

[harrietkaufman]

I don’t know how people who work regular jobs afford to live in CA and other places.

[murraymadness]

These are not 'tiny houses' as the term applies to houses on wheels, aka trailers. Those are not legal ADU's, they don't meet building codes.
Please note that the shacks being used to house homeless people are called tiny houses, and are just shacks, they are ILLEGAL structures that don't meet building codes, and the fking government needs to be sued to not break their own laws. But great news about the new statewide ADU, many cities already allow them, but they have not really had much effect...you need more than 2 minutes to explain.

[richardleetbluesharmonicac]

If they didn’t reassess the taxes everyone would do this

[oliverwilliams]

My granny died when I was 12 I would have to tote her body up from the cemetery if I built her one.