The 2021 ADU Idea House
Our Take on the Perfect Home + JADU & ADU
The 2021 ADU Idea House raises the bar on what can be done within your home and distinctly takes advantage of the homesite property – creating the Ultimate Live / Life / Work & Wealth residence.
The effort includes the remodeling/renovation of a 110-year-old home, which we have affectionally named “The Rail House.” In addition to modernizing and expanding the primary residence with the creation of an internal permitted JADU, we constructed a new ground-up detached ADU.
It embraces both the ADU and JADU trend that is sweeping the nation.
The ADU
The Accessory Dwelling Unit, built behind the primary home, could be referred to as the prototype of what can be achieved in the ultimate ADU.
The Rail House ADU is a two-story unit with 1200 square feet of living area upstairs and a three-car garage downstairs with laundry/work area/kitchenette. It additionally has an office with a bathroom on the ground level as well as an outdoor kitchen. Uniquely, the home has a large deck and ties into the outdoor living, gardening, and social gathering spaces while complementing the primary home’s amenities. There is a lift elevator option for access to the second story for those with disabilities, and the ADU uniquely connects to the primary unit via a breezeway.
The 1200 square feet of living space inside the top story includes two bedrooms and full bathrooms, a walk-in closet, an open concept living room and entry, a cook’s kitchen with high-end appliances and cabinets, an open pantry, and laundry. All the living space has high ceilings throughout. While the primary unit is more traditional in terms of design and finishes as is appropriate to its historical age, the ADU feels a bit more modern and contemporary.
On the ground level, the three-car garage is spacious. It opens into the home’s alley, which is a short drive (100 feet) to the connecting street. Street parking is also available directly in front of the property.
The garage has a laundry station, pet grooming / wash, kitchenette with fridge and sink, and a large fridge and freezer. There is also room in the garage for tools and a work area.
The ground level office opens directly into the yard via double French doors. It has a connecting bathroom that is also accessible to the outside and opens to the outdoor kitchen. That kitchen is directly under the back of the ADU and upstairs deck. It has BBQ, Smoker, Flat Top Cooking, and storage with abundant table and bar seating space.
The home is energy efficient with Solar Panels, Storage Battery and High-End Energy Efficient Water Heater, and Advanced Insulation as well as Mini-Splits throughout. Mini-split Heating and Cooling is also in the garage. The windows are dual and triple with laminate to energy and sound. The unit has energy start appliances. And, where possible, sustainable and environmentally friendly materials were used in construction.
While the primary unit was specifically remodled with Aging-in-Place considerations, the ADU has a lift elevator option for access via the outside breezeway to the deck and a large entryway via French doors on the second floor. Downstairs the office, garage, and bathroom are all ADA accessible, allowing easy entry to both the primary and ADU unit through alley entrance and garage by those with disabilities.
Uniquely, we created a separate address for both the Primary Home and ADU. Each unit also has its own electrical metering. Both of which could be useful should there ever be the desire to rent out the ADU or separate utility costs.
Beyond more traditional rental arrangements, short-term rental of the upstairs ADU or even the downstairs office as a room would be possible. Such rentals can be profitable to homeowners and are incredibly popular and trendy in an age where online marketplaces now allow easy arrangement of short or temporary lodging, homestays, or tourism experiences.
Having a separate address could also allow for better business opportunities. For example, the current cottage laws and micro-enterprise businesses require only one address per business and kitchen. In this example, you couldn’t have a cottage and micro-enterprise businesses at the same address. Also, if working from home, you might find it more appropriate to have a separate business address. The City of Roseville, where the house is located, supports having up to two employees per residence without requiring zoning changes – empowering working from home and small business activities.
In terms of spaces and design, the ADU was specifically laid out to be pet friendly, connected for working at home, functional for multigenerational living, practical when leveraged against indoor and outdoor living, energy-efficient, and high tech.
The primary residence on the property required significant remodeling and construction efforts – the residence had nearly every possible issue one could think of or might encounter when renovating a home.
We reconfigured the home during construction and renovation to include a new permitted JADU inside. This 500 square foot unit now sits downstairs in the front of the house (much like you would find with a city street or basement flat) with its own separate and private entrance. It has full amenities, including a modern cooks kitchen, full bathroom, independent HVAC with utilities/high-speed internet, and bike/personal storage. It is a fully self-contained and contemporary living space appropriate for a family member’s independent living or potential rental unit. It could alternatively also function as a full home office.
What was once a simple small 3 bedroom 1 1/2 bath dilapidated and languishing dwelling with vast amounts of unused and nonfunctional space is now a reconfigured and redeveloped three residence connected housing property with 7 bedrooms and 7.5 baths featuring an open floor plan. It has 5 separate areas for people to utilize for living and 7 separate outdoor spaces to enjoy. It contains 4 indoor living rooms/family rooms for gathering. There are 3 indoor kitchens, 1 outdoor kitchen, and 2 kitchenettes. The three-car garage is also fully functional with tool and laundry areas. The outdoor areas are additionally enhanced for gardening and entertainment.
All are accomplished affordably without changing the physical footprint on the property of the original home or impacting the street aesthetics of the neighborhood.
Most importantly, though, the ADU and JADU were both built to allow them to be leveraged monetarily and illustrate how they can enhance a property’s functionality, increase its value, and potentially generate active and passive income for its owners. Something that becomes all the more critical during times of economic uncertainty.
To be more topical to evolving trends and applicable to individual homeowners’ needs, we specifically worked to incorporate into the 2021 ADU Idea home elements from our Nine Themes for Better Living. Timely and forward-looking, through design, function, features, materials, and technology, we believe the home is a powerhouse in embracing the trends and the desires most on the mind of consumers and homebuyers today.
With single-family detached homes making up 56.4 percent of overall housing in California and issues of affordability and lack of housing considerations, ADUs are projected to be a big part of the future of housing. Some projections show that they could triple the number of permits and new construction areas.
Our dedicated team worked diligently to make the 2021 ADU Idea House a stellar example of what homeowners can accomplish on their property with an ADU or JADU if desired. It is appointed with a wide range of design elements, products, and technological enhancements, representing some of the most cutting-edge concepts available in the modern home. But most importantly, it is meant to be a living resource and source of information/education to visitors when seeking to learn more about or potentially building one themselves.
We are proud to share it with you.
