CHAPTER 8: HOW ADU AND PRADU DESIGNS MAKE CONSTRUCTION A FAMILY AFFAIR
In this book we have discussed the multiple benefits of building an ADU when you become less able to look after yourself but are still keen to retain your independence. All those options apply when you already own a property. However, there are numerous other scenarios where, as a homeowner, building an ADU or affordable housing unit on your property could still make a lot of sense if the property you own is on a sufficiently large plot. If you are wondering why ADUs or affordable housing can provide so many solutions to a myriad of challenges and problems, the answer, to a degree, lies in the description. Steel-frame homes have already carved themselves a niche in today’s property market, not just in the US, the UK, or Europe. Across the globe, they are providing a cost-effective solution to many of today’s housing problems. Now, if a property is affordable to build and that affordability includes the price of the lot or plot the property is built on, imagine just how much more affordable a steel-framed home would be when you already own the land! And it doesn’t stop there—with the introduction of PRADUs, the cost of that ADU just got a whole load more affordable, while the construction process got a whole load shorter! So what scenarios are we talking about here? 1. Helping your children gain independence – In many countries, the average age for children leaving home and buying their own property is now well over 30. The sole reason for this is the rising price of residential property in areas where there are good work opportunities. Many adult children looking to gain independence run the risk of falling into a common trap. If you can’t buy your own home and get on the property ladder, then your only option is to rent. However, with the rising value of residential property, rents have risen. Renting a property is now so costly, it can be impossible to also save for a down payment and buy a property later on. What is paid in rent just becomes lost money. As a parent, you have two options if you want to help out your children and support them in becoming independent. If your savings permit, you could build an ADU on your current property and let your son or daughter live there while they save for a place of their own. Alternately, you could downsize your own property and build an ADU in the grounds of your
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