The 31st annual Home and Garden Idea Fair by Clark Public Utilities (CPU) packed the Clark County Event Center with thousands of people looking for new inspiration for their homes and property.
A newer option to real estate continues to evolve, especially by Clark County builders Wolf Industries and My ADU Homes. Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) have increased in popularity as they come in at sizes similar to apartments, but can go on existing property, or even their own where code allows.
My ADU Homes, out of Vancouver, was at the Home and Garden Idea Fair from Saturday, April 26, through Sunday, April 27, answering questions such as, “Alright, what’s an ADU?” as one visitor to their booth asked on Saturday.
“So, what we do is we build small homes in people’s backyards,” said Luke Shaffer, owner of My ADU Homes. “So, on properties that already have a single-family dwelling, you’re allowed to put in most places here in Clark County, you can now do two ADUs up to usually about 1,000 square feet, so you can get basically a second full-size home on your property.”
Shaffer explained that often families are sharing property now in today’s real estate climate.
“This is a way that you get to put multiple homes on the same property for family to be all together but have their own space,” he said.
Shaffer said his business offers a stock catalog of ADU home plans with 15 options from 400 square feet up to 1,000 square feet. He added that some designs are bigger in square footage for areas that allow larger spaces to be built.
With sizes of ADUs similar to apartments, Shaffer explained the benefits of going the ADU route if a budget allows.
“If you own something, you’re building the equity for yourself, whereas when you’re renting, you’re just giving that money to the landlord,” Shaffer said. “So, this is a way to build equity in your property. ADUs aren’t cheap. A lot of people have a concept that you’re going to just throw something up really inexpensively, but this is a full home.”
Shaffer added that he likes to tell people they are building a home, just half the size of a normal house.
“So it costs about half as much,” he said. “So our cost is usually between $200,000 and $300,000 for one of our products, depending on the size.”
Shaffer explained that My ADU Homes builds on site, making it manageable for sites that don’t allow for a modular home to be hauled in. He said the average overall project time is six to seven months from signing the contract to being move-in ready.
“We handle everything,” he said. “We do all the permitting. We do all the site work all the way through move-in ready. We provide the appliances so that when we walk away, mom and dad can move in.”
To learn more about My ADU Homes, visit myadu.com.
