A new avenue for housing: Accessory dwellings

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[],"markups":[["strong"],["b"],["em"],["a",["href","http:\/\/newavenuehomes.com\/"]]],"sections":[[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Aging in place,\ncaregivers, working from home, boomerang millennials\u2026"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"With all these trends\ncoinciding at once we are rapidly approaching a new era in suburban living. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"At New Avenue Homes, we\u2019ve\nconducted research regarding unmet housing needs and found that 30% of\nhomeowners have an interest in an accessory dwelling, or secondary houses that\nshare a lot with the primary residence. Surprisingly, half of the interested\nrespondents tried to start an accessory dwelling project and failed, while the\nother half presumed they could not get permits."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"We have dedicated a lot of\neffort to the trend of accessory dwellings because we believe that if we help\nwith the process of designing, permitting and building them, then they will\nplay a pivotal role in the future of housing in America. There is proof that\nthis trend is real, since 32% of our projects are accessory dwellings. The rest\nare new homes, additions, remodels and detached offices."]]],[1,"h3",[[0,[],0,"Baby Boomers \u0026 Millennials Redefining Housing Needs"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Eighty percent of our\nclients are 50+ years old, making them part of the 80 million baby boomer\npopulation. With many boomers planning to age in place, there is a clear need\nto modify their homes for safety. Add in the demographic changes with\nmillennials moving home and multigenerational living expanding, and our\nexisting homes are facing a future demand that goes far beyond their original\nintent of raising a family."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[0],1,"Judy\u2019s Accessory Dwelling:"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,""],[0,[],0,"One example of an\naccessory dwelling is Judy W., in Albany, California. She built an accessory\ndwelling that is 442 square feet. This cottage is part of a larger plan for her\ngrowing family as it allows Judy to share her home with her daughter and\ngrandkids. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Together these three\ngenerations will share two homes on one lot, which has been in the family for\nnearly 40 years now."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"They want to stay in\nthis home as it is in a great neighborhood. It is near a local subway\/BART\nstation, as well as little shops, a grocery store and other conveniences. In a\nfew years, the Albany school district will be a big benefit for the grandkids, too."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The home has a number\nof adaptable design standards such as a low threshold entry that can easily\nbecome wheelchair accessible, flush floors throughout, including in the\nbathroom, grab bars and a bench in the shower, a small kitchen, indoor air circulation\nand non-toxic materials."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[0],1,"Bruce and Janet in San Jose, California:"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,""],[0,[],0,"Bruce and Janet live in\nSan Jose and analyzed the cost of an assisted living facility nearby for his\nparents. With financing, their costs for an accessory dwelling were a small\nfraction of assisted living, and they quickly decided to build one for their\nparents."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"This project is still\nin design. They own almost an acre of land so space is not an issue. The design\nis a 700 square foot, two-bedroom home with a huge porch, private driveway and\ntwo-car garage. The details for this project are far from tantalizing but they\nare arguably lifesavers in the long run. Details include grab bar blocking and\nlow threshold transitions such as these details:"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"When it comes to\ndesigning, permitting and building accessory dwellings, we have found several\npersistent problems and misconceptions:"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[1],1,"1) Misinformation:"],[0,[],0," Many\nowners assume permits are impossible. In fact, 15% of our initial survey\nrespondents incorrectly said, \u201cI know I can\u2019t get permits for an accessory dwelling,\u201d when they were actually allowed to do so. There is a need for\nre-education as the rules have changed in many cities."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[1],1,"2) Permits take too\nlong:"],[0,[],0," With some cities\nhaving planning permits that take six months and building permits that take\nanother four months, people can be at their wit\u2019s end before they even break ground. At New Avenue we process\nall payments for clients, and that allows us to track permit times and costs\nacross all projects. This lets us analyze data across a large number of\nprojects and present accurate timelines to new clients and architects so they\ncan set their expectations accordingly."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[1],1,"3) There are too many\npermits and they cost too much:"],[0,[],0,"The collection of planning\nfees, impact fees and building permits, especially in metro areas is too\ncomplex for an average person to figure out. Therefore they require an\narchitect\u2019s expertise. Unfortunately many owners try to\nfigure this out on their own and they give up due to a lack of experience\nnavigating the city process."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[1],1,"4) Hiring an Architect or\nContractor is Difficult:"],[0,[],0,"\nFew people know how to talk to an architect or contractor. We share average\narchitect time ranging from 100-200 hours to design a home, get permits, manage\nthe sub-consultants and perform construction administration. The range in\narchitect time is driven by the type of project and location. We have found\nthat listing each step along the way provides a clarity that reduces the rate\nof people saying \u201c$20,000? I can buy plans for $400 on the\ninternet.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[1],1,"4)"],[0,[],0," "],[0,[1],1,"Costs vary wildly:"],[0,[],0," It is not uncommon\nfor an $80,000 project to receive a bid from someone that is $200,000+. At New\nAvenue we open up our database of over 100 projects to show owners, architects\nand contractors what comparable projects have cost so at least you have a line\nin the stand to work from. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[1],1,"5) Shortsightedness:"],[0,[],0," Owners often overlook some of the fundamental\nreasons for creating a space for aging in place. It\u2019s so much easier to focus on floors and finishes than to\nacknowledge grab bars, ramps, railings and wheelchair access. We are providing\na detailed library to at least expose owners to the concepts as early as\npossible."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"By solving some of the\nproblems listed here we hope to get people past their fear of starting a\nproject so we can make an impact on a national level. We now work with 55\narchitects and contractors and have 3,500 projects in design, but we have\nmillions of homes to go. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[1],1,"About the Author"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[2],1,"Kevin Casey is the\nfounder and CEO of "],[0,[3,2],2,"newavenuehomes.com"],[0,[2],1,". New Avenue\u0027s mission is to transform every\nhome for multigenerational, shared living. He obtained an MBA from the Haas\nSchool of Business at UC Berkeley, was a Fulbright Scholar in economic\ndevelopment, and holds a B.A. in Economics and Anthropology from Fordham\nUniversity. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\n\n\n\n"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\n\n\n\n"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\n\n\n\n"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\n\n\n\n"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\n\n\n\n"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\n\n\n\n"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\n\n\n\n"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\n\n\n\n"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\n\n\n\n\n"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\n\n\n\n"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\n\n\n\n"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\n\n\n\n"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\n\n\n\n"]]]]}