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Four ways to add a home

The right type depends on the lot more than on taste. Here is what each one fits and what we check before recommending it.

DADU

Detached backyard cottage

A separate small house in the backyard, with its own entry, kitchen and bath.

Fits: Lots with a usable rear yard, ideally with alley access or a clear path for the sewer line.

AADU

A self-contained unit built onto the side or back of your house.

Fits: Lots where the yard is tight but the house has room to grow sideways or back.

Conversion

Your existing detached garage, rebuilt into a small home.

Fits: Garages with a sound slab and walls, or ones worth taking down to the slab and framing new.

Lower level

A lower level turned into a legal unit with its own entry.

Fits: Houses with enough ceiling height, a dry foundation and room for a separate door.

Not sure which fits?