‘Grannie Flat’ Boomlet Is About Affordable Housing And . . . Grannies!

white cottage situated in garden
IMG_7584 photo by Nicolás Boullosa is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are separate living suites within a principal residence, or standing alone somewhere on the property of that residence. A recent report from California has suggested that ADUs have become the single most effective (so far) way of adding affordable housing to a neighbourhood. Try: Tradition Beats Techno-Solutions In California Fight To Build Affordable Housing

Over the years, regulations have discouraged or forbidden these units known by a dozen or more different names. ‘Grannie flats’ are just one of their many quaint names.1 Originally, these kinds of dwelling units were intended for the purpose that the name implies — to give an aging relative the opportunity to live inexpensively and with a degree of independence while still part of a family.

Lately attention towards ADUs under any of their names has focussed on providing affordable housing for renters of any and every stripe. This article explores how changing living patterns are turning the use of grannie flats for exactly that purpose — for grannies, or other aging family members.

Read more at Fast Company: The Future Of Housing Looks Nothing Like Today’s

Footnotes

  1. Second suite, in-law unit, mother-in-law unit and carriage suite are other examples.

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