Goals and Concerns

by Richard Jaramillo (RJ) on March 25th, 2022i

Richard “RJ” and wife Beth Jaramillo live in the San Diego community of Rancho Bernardo. Living in San Diego County for over 35 years, they are going through the experience of “empty nesting”, aging parents and their future retirement years.

With all these things happing in front of them, RJ & Beth decided to leave their options open with the build out of an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) to give them the flexibility for the future.

Before you begin with your ADU journey, it’s important to know why you’re building one. One of the benefit of having an ADU is that it can adapt to your situation as it changes over time. At first you might rent it for additional income, then it might turn into a children’s playroom, and eventually, it might house aging parents or yourselves.

What's also important is thinking about your concerns and having them addressed early in the process. What are some of your overall goals for building an ADU?

Pros

  • Rental Income
  • Housing for family
  • Increased property value
  • Helping out the comunity
  • Housing for someone with special needs
  • Planning a retirement
  • You can choose to downsize/move into the second unit

Cons

  • Cost
  • Difficulty of approval and/or construction
  • Privacy
  • Life changes taking on renters and managing the ADU
  • Increase in property taxes