The Many Benefits of Owning a San Jose Backyard Home
Case Study: Escaping Bay Area Costs, the story of the Parks ADU
James Parks lives in the Almaden Valley in San Jose, California and wanted to invest in his family’s property. His intentions were to not only create a long-term asset, but to escape the crushing costs of Bay Area rent, and provide a future home for his younger siblings, Bristin and Joseph. The final goal of his ADU was ultimately to create a safe, proximal home for his parents when they need future care. Like many ADU owners, James had a long-term plan for the family’s backyard home and worked closely with his parents, Cynthia and Jim to realize it. Read More…
You’ve worked hard your entire life so that you can live the American dream. You own your home and your land, and now you want to make sure that you and your family can enjoy that property.
The best thing that you can do with your land to make it more livable and enjoyable for your family is to add an accessory dwelling unit (ADU). These are often referred to as a granny flat, in-law suite, or mother-in-law suite. They add a useful and valuable space to your property that can add liveability to your space.
Are you wondering what an ADU can do for your land? Do you want to know how it can help your family enjoy your land even more than they already do? Read on to learn about the many benefits of owning a San Jose backyard home and how we can help you get one.
They Allow You To Help Elderly Family Members While Still Giving Them Privacy
There are currently over 51 million Americans over the age of 65, and that number will grow larger over the next few decades.
With the growing number of Americans who aren’t able to save for retirement, much of the responsibility for taking care of the elderly falls on family members. Even for those that have money saved for retirement, there are many people over 65 that aren’t able to live independently.
Now that the Coronavirus has made nursing homes a less-than-desirable option, accessory dwelling units are becoming more popular than ever.
Elderly family members often worry about moving in with their children or younger siblings because they don’t want to be a burden or worry about losing their privacy. With backyard homes in San Jose, you can stay close to family members that need you while giving them their own space.
You can still check in on your elderly parents while giving them the freedom of having their own home with a mother-in-law suite. You’ll have them close-by in case they need something while still giving them the privacy that they desire.
For your family members, they can live with dignity while knowing that they have someone close by to help them if they need assistance. They can also see their grandkids without having to travel and can remain active by taking part in family activities.
You’ve worked hard for your land in San Jose. Now you can use that land to help your family stay safe. You can support them and let them share in the fruits of your labor.
It’s a win for everyone involved!
You Can Create A Backyard Party Room for Your Family
The Bay Area has an amazing sports culture. The 49ers and Raiders are both on the rise. The Sharks, Giants, and Athletics all have an amazing history and a legion of loyal fans, and the Warriors are obviously the elite NBA team (once we get healthy, the league is going to have a reckoning).
With the large number of sports teams in the area, there are going to be several times a year that you want to have friends and family over to watch the big game. What better way to host a large group of party than to have a San Jose backyard home?
Instead of having a dozen or so people come into your house and make a mess, you can walk out into your backyard and into a functioning ‘party room’. This will help you manage any mess that might occur and be a cool way to differentiate your house from your friends.
Since more people are working from home, you also don’t want to disrupt your family’s work life to have some friends over. With an in-law suite in your back yard, you don’t have to worry about messing up your spouse’s work schedule or your kid’s school work. You can still have social events without worrying about creating distractions for the people that live in your home.
A Place To Quarantine If Needed
Unfortunately, we live in a world where we have to plan for worst case scenarios. With COVID-19 showing no signs of slowing down in the near future, it’s important to plan ahead if you have the means to do so.
Let’s say you have family members out of state that want to come visit. The first thing to worry about is their safety. Staying in hotels and AirBnbs can be a risky endeavor. Even with the most stringent cleaning protocols in place, there’s still always the chance that something could get missed, which means that a family member could end up getting sick.
Instead of leaving it to chance, you could have a safe place for them to stay so that they can still visit you and your family. Family members staying in backyard homes are safer than those that would have to book a room in a local hotel and put their trust in the cleaning protocols there.
If someone you know decides to come to the state long-term, it’s recommended that they quarantine for 14 days upon arrival to the state. One of the best ways to help them transition to the state is to have a backyard home for them to stay in. This helps keep Californians and your loved ones safe.
Preparing for the Worst
Something that everyone should plan for, unfortunately, is someone in the household catching Covid-19.
When someone in your household catches Coronavirus, it’s a stressful time for everyone. For the person that gets sick, they’re concerned about their own health and the people around them. For the other people in the home, they’re both concerned about their loved one and about their own health.
With a backyard home, you can properly isolate the person who’s contracted the virus while also making sure they’re comfortable. You can give them a proper home to stay in while also keeping them close enough to get them medical help, food, and other things that will make their time in quarantine more comfortable.
While we hope that no one will have to go through this, the reality is that 40,000 Americans a day face this issue. With a backyard home in San Jose, you can help keep both your loved ones and other people in the community safe.
Extra Storage for your Things
Everyone has things that they want to keep but don’t have the space for. There are probably dozens of things in your home that you want to keep but that you don’t have room for in your home.
There are also probably times where you come across something that you’d love to have but you aren’t sure where it will go. Is there a couch on sale that you love? Are there antique pieces that you want to collect but aren’t sure where to put them? Having a backyard home can help you store these things without throwing them into a storage container.
In many ways, you can use these things to set up a ‘second home’ in your backyard. You can properly showcase your rare finds without creating clutter in your primary home.
We’ve also had customers that use these structures as a museum of sorts. Many people enjoy collecting art pieces or antiques as a hobby. They find the pieces and buy them but have a hard time displaying them in a natural setting, so instead they end up storing them in a dark and dirty storage facility where no one will see them.
With accessory dwelling units, you can not only store these items in a natural setting, but you can also keep your primary home clutter free. These units give you the freedom you need to follow your hobby without having to worry about upsetting those that live with you.
You can even store your prized possession while still using the unit to serve as a backyard party place or living space for a loved one. Not only will you get to enjoy your rare finds, but your friends and family can also experience them as well!
Accessory Dwelling Units Can Help Your College Aged Children
One appeal of going away for four years to a university is the independence it gives your college age children. They get to live in their own space, learn some independence, and can study late into the night if need be without keeping the rest of the family awake.
Of course, that independence comes at a cost, often to the parents. Off-campus housing can be a major expense, and living on campus in many cases is more expensive. There’s also the cost for food, insurance, and transportation. These costs make up a large portion of the price parents pay to get their kids a college education.
College students also often rack up thousands of dollars in debt to pay for these expenses. Imagine graduating with a college degree and then realizing that you’re thousands of dollars in debt? Welcome to the real world, kids!
Debt is one of the main reasons students don’t go to graduate school, even though more jobs now require an advanced degree for entry-level jobs. If your child has a bachelor’s degree, they may compete with other people who have their master’s for the same job.
When your children know that they have a steady place to stay that won’t put them further into debt, they’re more likely to go to graduate school. They’ll be able to continue their degree and possibly even save money while they’re in college, giving them a headstart on life.
What’s better than knowing that your lifetime of hard work has paid off and given your children the opportunity to get a head start in life?
A Great Place For Caretakers
When you get older, you may find that you need a live-in caretaker to help you take care of yourself or another family member. Both you and the caretaker will appreciate the benefits of accessory dwelling units.
For you, you can have the help you may need at a moment’s notice without having to deal with someone else living in your home. You can still have the same level of privacy and independence you had before. You’ll feel more secure knowing that help is within walking distance to your home.
The caretaker will also appreciate having their own space where they can unwind while still being able to take care of you. You can also use the privacy of the granny flat to attract the best candidates. A private living space is a great benefit that few people can offer a live-in nurse or caretaker.
Increased Property Value
While building accessory dwelling units in San Jose might cost money up front, in the long run this is an investment that will help raise and protect your property’s value. If you decide to sell your property at some point, investors and home buyers appreciate a property with multiple uses, which is exactly what an ADU will give you.
If you pass the property on to your family, you’ll know that you’re giving them a valuable piece of land that they can use for generations to come. Your children can then use the mother-in-law apartment to help their family and enjoy their life the same way you did.
ADU’s are more than a home addition. They’re an investment into your home and in your family’s future generations.
Building an Accessory Dwelling Unit Doesn’t Have To Be Hard
Now that you know some of the benefits and uses of accessory dwelling units in San Jose, you might wonder how to go about building one on your property.
Let’s be honest: building anything in California can be a difficult process. Between inspectors, environmental regulations, and local and state codes, it can seem daunting when you decide to improve your property.
So, why should you choose us to help you build a backyard home in San Jose?
Experience and Licensing Matters
We’ve remodeled and built backyard homes for families in Silicon Valley for over 30 years. We’ve learned over the past three decades how to work with families just like yours and help them realize their dreams.
The first thing we’ll do is talk to you to get an idea of what you want to use your ADU for. We’ll then work with you to come up with a plan that can bring your vision to reality in as fast a timeframe as possible.
Along the way, we’ll use our experience working locally and some research to make sure that the process goes smoothly. You won’t have to worry about inspectors shutting down your project because of a misplaced beam or earthquake coding laws when you work with us. We’ve built hundreds of these structures and know exactly what local and state regulations call for.
We even provide a warranty on our work so that you can enjoy your space without worrying about the quality of the work.
We’re also sure that you’ve heard horror stories about independent contractors that are licensed and insured. When you work with us, you can rest easy knowing that we’re fully licensed and insured, meaning you’re covered if there are any issues along the way.
Fair and Honest Pricing
Because of our experience, we know what projects of any size will typically cost. We can evaluate a project and quote you a fair and honest price early in the process so that you know exactly how much everything will cost.
We also aren’t going to give you the price of the box and then hit you with surprise costs later. When we give you a quote, we include everything we can into it, from materials to the costs of getting your project approved by the city.
We also understand how difficult it can be to find financing for a San Jose accessory dwelling unit. That’s why we help our customers with financing if needed. By working with our partners, we can help you find low down payments, low interest, and interest-only payments during the construction process of your ADU. We’re with you every step of the way!
Open Communication Throughout Your Project
We know that you don’t invite just anybody onto your property to do work. When we come onto your land, we will treat it like we’d treat our own homes.
We believe that integrity matters, especially in this business. We’ll never leave you with a mess to clean up and will always let you know everything that’s going on. We won’t leave a job half-finished and will give you an honest assessment of any issues that come up. We know that our best form of advertising is our work, and for 30 years, that work has helped us become the premier builder of San Jose backyard homes.
Build The San Jose Backyard Home of Your Dreams
If you’re ready to realize all the benefits listed above from accessory dwelling units, we’re here to help you every step of the way. Our professional team can help you through the planning, regulation, and building process. Even after we’ve finished the work, our warranty gives you the peace of mind you need to fully enjoy your new backyard home.
With our help, you can have a beautiful and fully-functional accessory dwelling unit on your land in no time. Get in touch with us today to start the process, and before long you’ll be able to use your ADU for whatever you need!