It's been almost a year since I last posted as I came to the conclusion that building an ADU didn't make much financial sense. I originally began looking at ADUS in August of 2018. At that time it didn't take much to conclude an ADU was far too expensive, exacerbated by what seemed like unreasonable state and city permit requirements.
Then a year later (2019), with the San Francisco Bay Area experiencing a severe housing shortage driven by a robust economy and the rapid growth of the tech sector, the California Department of Housing and Community Development enacted laws to make building an ADU somewhat easier.
But now Covid-19 has changed the landscape with work from anywhere lowering rental prices in most Bay Area cities, while home prices still rise driven by the high concentration of high tech jobs with high tech salaries but not enough land, at least open land within the HQ shadows cast by Google, Facebook, Apple, etc. etc. etc. as Yul Brynner would say in the King And I.
Ah, to be King of my backyard with my "backyard" home!
So, if I'm to build an ADU in my backyard and keep it within cost I going to have to go the DIY route, and I mean that in a big, big, big way. I'm going to have to learn the City of San Jose's secret handshake, meaning becoming an expert on the latest building codes and I'm going to have buy and learn a construction grade software program.
Taking into account my DIY experience and High Tech background, this is doable given I now have the time and money.
Sad news, my mother recently passed away which relieves me of my caregiver role, and thanks to my parents, grandparents, and overall ancestors who immigrated to the USA way back when my inheritance gives me the freedom to build an ADU and not worry too much about money. But that doesn't mean I don't have a budget and want to save as much money as possible. That's the way I'm wired!
So now it's time to take a third look at building an ADU, DIY style. Stay tuned!
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