Some ADUs are creative, like this retrofitted Airstream ADU from Innovative Spaces.

Accessory Dwelling Units provide needed housing and additional options for seniors

By Steve Feldman

To address the housing shortage in the state and skirt not-in-my backyard resistance toward new development, the Commonwealth now allows Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in single-family zones.
For South Shore towns, both the state and many municipalities hope that ADUs play a major role in easing the housing crisis. ADUs add housing units for homeowners and renters without adding much burden to town infrastructure, resources, and environmental protection. Local officials on the South Shore encourage homeowners to better understand ADUs.
An Accessory Dwelling Unit can be attached to one’s existing home or sit completely separate, as long as the structure meets setback, parking, septic, and other local requirements. An ADU must have its own separate entrance that meets local building codes and cannot exceed 900 square feet (the size of a small, two-bedroom house).
In situations involving seniors (who my wife, Beth Davis, and I serve), an ADU can function as their own living environment on the same lot as the “main” house. For example, an ADU might be occupied by a senior couple whose grown children live in the other “half.”
Or, an ADU can be rented to help meet the rising cost of home ownership for seniors. Tenants might also include caregivers who live on-site to provide assistance to seniors aging in place within the main home. In lieu of paying market-rate rent, the tenants might deliver services that include shopping for seniors, taking them to doctors and other appointments, and/or performing basic yardwork and light maintenance on the main home and the ADU.
An Accessory Dwelling Unit cannot be used for short-term rentals such as Airbnb income. This dwelling must tie into the property’s septic system or possess its own separate system on the lot. An ADU might even provide “incinerating toilets” that burn waste to ashes, and are not dependent on a septic system and its leaching field.
For a video on building an ADU, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=phxH-MYit8E
An ADU owner must record a document at the county registry of deeds stating that the unit is an accessory to the main dwelling. For single-family homes, two parking spaces are generally required for the ADU and two for the main home.
How to get started:

  • Consult with the town’s planning department or inspectional services.
  • Hire an architect and/or a general contractor who can design the space to meet town requirements.
    • Lean on the town’s inspection services to guide you on what is legal and not.
    Beth and I advised one client on how to convert his two-story barn to house both his ADU and two cars. Imaginative homeowners are investigating the use of prefabricated tiny homes. (You can even search for tiny homes on Amazon).
    Fans of vintage Airstreams are investigating the restoration of these classic trailers for use as ADUs, which tie into their septic and water supply. If they remain on wheels in your yard and not on a foundation, you may be able to obviate the need for town permits and approvals, and, if desired, use them to explore the country when not serving as an ADU, says one excited Airstream renovator. This may be an exciting option for 55+ retired individuals, although Airstreams only provide 150-200 square feet. To learn more about Airstream as ADUs, visit www.innovsb.com/learn/airstream-as-adu-alternative.
    Accessory Dwelling Units are less taxing on a town’s resources than conventional new construction and don’t require the building of additional roads.
    Is an ADU part of your future?

As real-estate agents at Plymouth’s Keller Williams Realty, Steve Feldman and his wife, Beth Davis, are Seniors Real Estate Specialists, a designation provided by the National Association of Realtors. As 55+ seniors themselves, they moved from a large Boston Victorian 10 years ago to seek a new lifestyle in a smaller home beside the ocean in Plymouth.