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How Accessory Dwelling Units Are Helping These People Thrive
From left to right: Majbritt and Daniel Rayas; Precious Price; Betty Szudy, Maggie Roth and their son. (Photo sources linked below.)
As far back as the 1980s, California began loosening the laws around the construction of backyard cottages, in-law suites and casitas statewide. State Bill 1160, passed in 1982, encouraged local jurisdictions to legalize these secondary units on all lots zoned for single-family homes. But with no real guardrails, local governments set their own rules — most of which were so restrictive that accessory dwelling units, as these backyard additions are formally known, remained out of reach for decades. Even a 2002 reform (AB 1866) failed to move the needle, as cities continued to impose costly and unworkable standards.
After 34 years of red tape and missed opportunities, state lawmakers took bold action in 2016 with SB 1069 and AB 2299. These reforms cut through the bureaucratic roadblocks and created clear standards that made it easier for homeowners to build additions to their properties. When the changes took effect in 2017, construction took off. In 2023, one in every five homes built in California was an accessory dwelling unit. The appetite for these modest additions has perhaps been most visible in Los Angeles, where over 19,700 such units were constructed between 2017 and 2021. The “backdoor revolution,” as some have called it, has been gaining more momentum than its crusaders could’ve ever imagined.
While there’s much to celebrate, it’s important to remember that policy changes like ADU legalization and zoning reform aren’t just about density, economic models or political victories — they’re about people. Behind every new backyard cottage or converted garage is a family finding an affordable place to live, a homeowner securing financial stability or an aging parent staying close to loved ones. These reforms matter because they give real people the flexibility to meet their own needs in their own communities.
If we only focus on the technical side of housing policy, we miss the bigger picture: Thriving places are built by the people who live in them, and the strongest reforms are the ones that empower these people to shape their own futures.
Here are some of the people who are thriving because of policies that empowered them, both in California and beyond.
Aging and Recovering in Place
Dublin, California
When Bakari Grant’s grandmother suffered a stroke, she was referred to a facility where she died less than a year later. Her final months are remembered alongside long drives, strange smells, and what Bakari viewed as inadequate care. When his father, Robert, had a stroke soon after, Bakari and his four siblings knew they needed an alternative. They wanted their father close to home and in a place they could afford. So, they built a backyard cottage.
It sits in Bisa Grant’s backyard in Dublin, California, where everyone can enjoy a bit of privacy but also rest easy knowing that family is just a knock away. And since moving in, Robert’s health has only improved. “I feel pretty good,” he told Bay City News. “I have trouble remembering names, but it’s good. I see my daughter once a month. I see my grandkids almost daily. We have dinners together.”
Robert with his granddaughter inside his backyard home, 2023. (Photo source: Ruth Dusseault for Bay City News.)
In a senior care facility, his interactions would be limited to staff and others his age whose health is in decline. In his daughter’s backyard, he has more control over his life. “He has friends at the senior center, where Open Heart Kitchen provides free meals — Polynesian meatloaf on Tuesday, chicken parmesan on Thursday,” the publication noted. “He drives his car on short errands around the neighborhood, and he works out at the gym four times a week. On Friday his son-in-law takes him to IHOP.”
In fact, the arrangement worked out so well that it inspired the siblings to start their own company building prefabricated backyard units for others in similar situations.
A Shoulder To Lean On and a Place To Live
Austin, Texas
“When Majbritt Rayas of Austin, Texas, saw her 20-year-old son, Daniel, struggling to pay rent and attend his college classes, she wondered if there was a way to help him,” an article for Business Insider begins.
At the time, Daniel was splitting an apartment with three roommates, working as a contractor when he wasn’t in class, and still struggling to afford rent. Rather than having him move back home, his mother saw promise in her backyard. A separate living space would afford him independence and her peace of mind. Daniel added that he's thankful he doesn't have to worry about making too much noise when he gets home late from work.
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The Rayases were lucky: A family friend already had a fully built tiny home sitting unused in their yard. Recognizing its potential, they purchased the unit for just $14,000, transforming an idle structure into a smart investment. Additional upgrades — like air conditioning, plumbing and aesthetic enhancements — came out to about $8,000.
After Daniel moves out, Majbritt is considering renting out the unit, noting that accessory units like hers are growing in popularity in Austin. For about a year’s worth of rent (at present, the average rent per month in the capital city is $1,696) the Rayases were able to lift a weight off their shoulders and even set up a future for extra income, all thanks to a 300-square-foot backyard cottage.
Multigenerational Living in California
Oakland, California
Forty-five years ago, Betty Szudy and her wife, Maggie Roth, made a home in a 1911 Oakland Craftsman bungalow, a style of home known for its modest size and accessible price tag. Decades later, when their son and his wife struggled to afford many of the same types of homes nearby, Szudy and Roth stepped in. They transformed their “once-decrepit garage” into a cozy 400-square-foot studio, complete with a kitchen and bath.
Roth and Szudy with their son. (Photo source: LGBTQ Nation.)
“I love having them around,” Szudy told The New York Times. The multigenerational living arrangement offers proximity when needed — like with groceries or dinner — while allowing for space. “It’s very shared, you know?” Roth told LGBTQ Nation. “‘Hey, can we borrow your car?’ ‘Can we borrow this car this day?’ You know, enjoy the backyard together because it’s a nice garden. And it’s nice to be able to just know each other’s there and be able to share family meals and just catch up.”
For Szudy, whose parents died when she was young, that connection is especially meaningful. “We know a fair amount of people whose kids are not necessarily close to them, so for us, it’s really a gift.”
Best of all, they provided housing to a couple desperately in search of shelter.
Saving Space and Making Money
Atlanta, Georgia
In 2019, Precious Price purchased a three-bedroom, 1,400-square-foot home in Atlanta, Georgia, for $196,000. The plan was to generate extra income by renting out the spare rooms on Airbnb, but when the pandemic hit in early 2020, demand for shared housing plummeted. With no bookings and no work trips, she found herself alone in a house that suddenly felt far too big. “But that May, as I stared out the kitchen window into my huge backyard, something clicked: I could use that space to build a tiny home to live in, and fully rent out the main house.”
Precious Price and her backyard cottage. (Photo source: Precious Price.)
In 2015, Georgia made it easier for homeowners in certain residential zones to add backyard units like the kind Price was envisioning. Taking advantage of the new permissions, she converted a 12-by-24-foot shed into a home in her 7,280-square-foot backyard, outfitting it with a full-sized kitchen, bathroom and a lofted bedspace. Moving into the “tiny home,” as she sometimes calls it, has convinced her to downsize her wardrobe, but the shift has been nothing short of positive otherwise. In fact, by renting out the larger home, she’s been able to live in the backyard unit “for free.”
As she intended, Price began recouping the costs of her backyard construction — which came out to about $35,000 —with short-term rentals through sites like Airbnb, later opening up the main house to long-term living. Though, for her, the tiny home was more than just a means of making money. “Having this home has given me a ton of real estate options, including rental income and backup housing for myself or aging family members,” she wrote for CNBC. “It’s amazing what you can do with a bit of backyard space.”
Making it easier for homeowners to build backyard additions and garage extensions is one way your city can provide housing for those who need it. It’s one way your city can become housing ready.
Want to see what it takes to get your city housing ready? Check out our housing-ready checklist and download “The Housing-Ready City: A Toolkit for Local Code Reform.”
