Can ADUs Solve the Housing Crisis
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Date: 2025-03-30
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Comments and reviews: 20
molliemicrobe
As someone who lived in an ADU for 3 or 4 months, I have extreme concerns about almost everything you covered in this video. It was a converted garage, and had abysmal insulation. That means the highly inefficient mini-split a/c / heater was running pretty much non stop the entire time I lived there. The landlord was a creep and a control freak (he was a former IDF soldier, that tells you all you need to know, and towards the end became verbally abusive. It only cost about 10% less than an apartment would have, but we weren't able to get an apartment because we were 18/19 and didn't have any credit. We didn't even have a formal lease to protect us, because it was originally an Airbnb that we turned into an extended stay with a handshake deal. It had a rodent problem, the bathroom was built in such a way where it will inevitably fall apart and start molding within a few years of construction, the kitchen was seemingly designed by someone who'd never touched a spatula in their life, the whole ADU was on one electrical circuit so if you had 2 phones charging, the washer or dryer running, and a low wattage guitar practice amp turned on it'd blow. I could go on for a long time about this experience, but needless to say I would never go near an ADU again unless the only alternative was homelessness. Corporate landlords are horrible and most modern apartment buildings are built to the absolute minimum code requirements (if that, but it's still better than dealing with a single unhinged individual with no oversight who can snoop on your every move.
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As someone who lived in an ADU for 3 or 4 months, I have extreme concerns about almost everything you covered in this video. It was a converted garage, and had abysmal insulation. That means the highly inefficient mini-split a/c / heater was running pretty much non stop the entire time I lived there. The landlord was a creep and a control freak (he was a former IDF soldier, that tells you all you need to know, and towards the end became verbally abusive. It only cost about 10% less than an apartment would have, but we weren't able to get an apartment because we were 18/19 and didn't have any credit. We didn't even have a formal lease to protect us, because it was originally an Airbnb that we turned into an extended stay with a handshake deal. It had a rodent problem, the bathroom was built in such a way where it will inevitably fall apart and start molding within a few years of construction, the kitchen was seemingly designed by someone who'd never touched a spatula in their life, the whole ADU was on one electrical circuit so if you had 2 phones charging, the washer or dryer running, and a low wattage guitar practice amp turned on it'd blow. I could go on for a long time about this experience, but needless to say I would never go near an ADU again unless the only alternative was homelessness. Corporate landlords are horrible and most modern apartment buildings are built to the absolute minimum code requirements (if that, but it's still better than dealing with a single unhinged individual with no oversight who can snoop on your every move.
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jamiek8123
ADU's are nice. like I have older relatives, they wanna both keep independence, but also be close to family for care and such, like not be alone, and an ADU would work great, not in the main home with the rest of the family, instead having their own place, but still being close, and able to take advantage of the support of the main home. or like, we actually wanted to get some set up on our yard for the siblings to use as they grow up and become adults, so that they can adjust to living alone, by instead of diving right in, but by just moving to the ADU to adjust, taking advantage of the simplicity and safety of it, you get the privacy of your own place, while also having the security of living with your parents. and for some people, like disabled people, there isn't much option for actually moving out/living alone, and ADU's help with that, more of your own space, getting that privacy and such, while also being close enough to family and such for the support they need, its nice.
and also, on that bit about driveways and two many cars, well, for a lot of the people that would be living in these, they likely can't drive anyway, and so either need to get somebody to drive for them, or use public transit, like I know a bunch of people who for medical reasons can't drive, who would love to have more public transit and be able to walk and bike places, so really that's a car dependency issue, not an ADU one.
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ADU's are nice. like I have older relatives, they wanna both keep independence, but also be close to family for care and such, like not be alone, and an ADU would work great, not in the main home with the rest of the family, instead having their own place, but still being close, and able to take advantage of the support of the main home. or like, we actually wanted to get some set up on our yard for the siblings to use as they grow up and become adults, so that they can adjust to living alone, by instead of diving right in, but by just moving to the ADU to adjust, taking advantage of the simplicity and safety of it, you get the privacy of your own place, while also having the security of living with your parents. and for some people, like disabled people, there isn't much option for actually moving out/living alone, and ADU's help with that, more of your own space, getting that privacy and such, while also being close enough to family and such for the support they need, its nice.
and also, on that bit about driveways and two many cars, well, for a lot of the people that would be living in these, they likely can't drive anyway, and so either need to get somebody to drive for them, or use public transit, like I know a bunch of people who for medical reasons can't drive, who would love to have more public transit and be able to walk and bike places, so really that's a car dependency issue, not an ADU one.
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Norfirio
My problem with ADUs (and most other modern changes to zoning in the US) is that they often don't support family-sized living. In Seattle, the current max size of an ADU is 1000 sq ft (soon to be 1200 due to state law and mayor's proposal is 1500 sq ft, meanwhile SFHs are still allowed to be up to 2500 sq ft.
Other proposals for middle housing previously would have capped out units at 675 sq ft per unit in 6-unit buildings. The idea was that smaller units are more affordable, but that would have the effect of having to families in the city in the long term. There is no way a family is going to willingly live in a 675 sq ft home. We need all new upzones to allow the same size per unit as is already allowed. The previous generations got to buy whatever they could afford, why do younger generations have to get saddled with a legislative maximum allowed housing size of 1000 sq ft, 750 sq ft, 675 sq ft, etc. 1000 sq ft is doable if you have 1 kid, but it starts to get tight if you aren't creative about your space or a minimalist when you have 2. Not everyone wants to be perpetually single or a DINK couple. Our cities need family sized units that aren't just SFHs.
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My problem with ADUs (and most other modern changes to zoning in the US) is that they often don't support family-sized living. In Seattle, the current max size of an ADU is 1000 sq ft (soon to be 1200 due to state law and mayor's proposal is 1500 sq ft, meanwhile SFHs are still allowed to be up to 2500 sq ft.
Other proposals for middle housing previously would have capped out units at 675 sq ft per unit in 6-unit buildings. The idea was that smaller units are more affordable, but that would have the effect of having to families in the city in the long term. There is no way a family is going to willingly live in a 675 sq ft home. We need all new upzones to allow the same size per unit as is already allowed. The previous generations got to buy whatever they could afford, why do younger generations have to get saddled with a legislative maximum allowed housing size of 1000 sq ft, 750 sq ft, 675 sq ft, etc. 1000 sq ft is doable if you have 1 kid, but it starts to get tight if you aren't creative about your space or a minimalist when you have 2. Not everyone wants to be perpetually single or a DINK couple. Our cities need family sized units that aren't just SFHs.
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danieljensen329
As someone from the Portland area who recently purchased a home, I wouldn't hold up Portland as an example of progressive policy. Your video fails to mention that one of the major reasons Portland passed the ADU ordinance was because of racist zoning laws for much of the 20th century, which severely limited multi-family housing, and because the city bulldozed a majority black neighborhood of apartment buildings in the 60s to build I-5 and the Rose Quarter. More recently, the city has used its ADU policy as an excuse to move more slowly with rezoning, such that middle housing is still virtually non-existent and, outside of downtown, most multifamily dwellings are still only allowed along major thoroughfares. Even the neighborhood where we ended up buying is zoned R-9 because there literally weren't any apartments for sale in the areas where we were looking. There are a few duplexes here and there, but every one of those projects had to go to the City Council for approval.
And don't get me started on the joke of a light rail system that everyone thinks is so great.
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As someone from the Portland area who recently purchased a home, I wouldn't hold up Portland as an example of progressive policy. Your video fails to mention that one of the major reasons Portland passed the ADU ordinance was because of racist zoning laws for much of the 20th century, which severely limited multi-family housing, and because the city bulldozed a majority black neighborhood of apartment buildings in the 60s to build I-5 and the Rose Quarter. More recently, the city has used its ADU policy as an excuse to move more slowly with rezoning, such that middle housing is still virtually non-existent and, outside of downtown, most multifamily dwellings are still only allowed along major thoroughfares. Even the neighborhood where we ended up buying is zoned R-9 because there literally weren't any apartments for sale in the areas where we were looking. There are a few duplexes here and there, but every one of those projects had to go to the City Council for approval.
And don't get me started on the joke of a light rail system that everyone thinks is so great.
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randalllewis4485
WA legislature is still in session as I write this and is making progress on ADUs and other incentives to build housing while protecting ag lands and rural areas. Cities are the often the biggest obstacles to building more housing because they too often echo the complaints of middle class and higher homeowners. A bill I introduced 20 years ago in WA provided the authority for cities to incentive new or rehabilitated multifamily housing with property tax breaks for 8 years or 12 years depending on affordability. The 12 year limit has since been raised to 20 years. The levels of NIMBYISM this raised stunned me. The law has been successful but still is only used in a handful of WA cities. My city has aggressively used the law, and the most often heard complaint is about the city not requiring parking minimums. Even before the legislature finishes this year, my city has adopted a new land use plan that encourages ADUs everywhere.
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WA legislature is still in session as I write this and is making progress on ADUs and other incentives to build housing while protecting ag lands and rural areas. Cities are the often the biggest obstacles to building more housing because they too often echo the complaints of middle class and higher homeowners. A bill I introduced 20 years ago in WA provided the authority for cities to incentive new or rehabilitated multifamily housing with property tax breaks for 8 years or 12 years depending on affordability. The 12 year limit has since been raised to 20 years. The levels of NIMBYISM this raised stunned me. The law has been successful but still is only used in a handful of WA cities. My city has aggressively used the law, and the most often heard complaint is about the city not requiring parking minimums. Even before the legislature finishes this year, my city has adopted a new land use plan that encourages ADUs everywhere.
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missing_score
History has examples of successfully tackling housing crises. Post war Britain handled a considerable loss of housing due to air raids followed by a huge baby boom by simply taxing the ultra wealthy at reasonable rates and building houses, flats, and entire towns. And it was all publicly owned until Thatcher put an end to that. And things have only gotten worse since.
As a British person living in America it amazes me how far Americans go to find market solutions. Especially for things like housing and healthcare where you just can’t trust profiteers to help us cover our most basic needs. It’s madness. We don’t need to contort ourselves into living pretzels to maybe cajole the private sector (individuals and companies) into maybe creating affordable housing if the conditions are juuuust right. Tax the ultra wealthy and build, build, build government housingthere’s plenty of space.
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History has examples of successfully tackling housing crises. Post war Britain handled a considerable loss of housing due to air raids followed by a huge baby boom by simply taxing the ultra wealthy at reasonable rates and building houses, flats, and entire towns. And it was all publicly owned until Thatcher put an end to that. And things have only gotten worse since.
As a British person living in America it amazes me how far Americans go to find market solutions. Especially for things like housing and healthcare where you just can’t trust profiteers to help us cover our most basic needs. It’s madness. We don’t need to contort ourselves into living pretzels to maybe cajole the private sector (individuals and companies) into maybe creating affordable housing if the conditions are juuuust right. Tax the ultra wealthy and build, build, build government housingthere’s plenty of space.
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city_beautiful
ADUs can't solve the housing crisis, because the housing crisis isn't a function of scarcity, it's a function of price. New construction doesn't ever result in lower prices because prices are a function of cost, not supply. New units will always be priced to cover their costs. We can hide those costs through wealth transfers, but we can't make them go away.
So, why should we build ADUs (and even the midrise luxury condos I hate so much) anyway
Because the thing they can solve is a future housing crisis. The solution to the current housing crisis is to have a time machine so we can go back in time and not demolish perfectly good structures to replace them with more profitable (more expensive) structures; the solution to future housing crises is to have enough structures in the future that were built in the past at past construction and financing costs.
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ADUs can't solve the housing crisis, because the housing crisis isn't a function of scarcity, it's a function of price. New construction doesn't ever result in lower prices because prices are a function of cost, not supply. New units will always be priced to cover their costs. We can hide those costs through wealth transfers, but we can't make them go away.
So, why should we build ADUs (and even the midrise luxury condos I hate so much) anyway
Because the thing they can solve is a future housing crisis. The solution to the current housing crisis is to have a time machine so we can go back in time and not demolish perfectly good structures to replace them with more profitable (more expensive) structures; the solution to future housing crises is to have enough structures in the future that were built in the past at past construction and financing costs.
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Ratchet4647
Or be my city, terrible at enforcement of housing legislation and until recently almost no new construction of apartments(last few years have seen this change.
There are thousands of illegal constructions, subdivisions, rvs, motorhomes, etc. Behind or beside peoples homes with people packed into them like sardines. Every house has 5 cars or more, and some residential roads are lined with cars facing the road (and onto the road) from one end to the other, looking like the mad hatter's car dealership.
Oh and rent is still ridiculous(well for what it used to be at least. Despite an explosion in new appartment buildings in former motor home parks and in some formerly commercial areas.
my cousin was apartment shopping and big rental companies only mentioned having a few unaffordable dwellings.
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Or be my city, terrible at enforcement of housing legislation and until recently almost no new construction of apartments(last few years have seen this change.
There are thousands of illegal constructions, subdivisions, rvs, motorhomes, etc. Behind or beside peoples homes with people packed into them like sardines. Every house has 5 cars or more, and some residential roads are lined with cars facing the road (and onto the road) from one end to the other, looking like the mad hatter's car dealership.
Oh and rent is still ridiculous(well for what it used to be at least. Despite an explosion in new appartment buildings in former motor home parks and in some formerly commercial areas.
my cousin was apartment shopping and big rental companies only mentioned having a few unaffordable dwellings.
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ericbaer7880
One concern in some areas is the lack of basic infrastructure. Things like water supply, sewage treatment, peak energy supply, and schools can be critically impacted by increased density from ADUs. (This doesn't even touch roads and transportation. If a city has already maxed out its sewage treatment facility or has full schools, increasing the density can bring significant costs long before the taxes from those new residents pay for those impacts. In areas of new building (large-scale subdivisions, this is often dealt with by cities imposing development fees on builders or requiring the builders to install the infrastructure. Is there a way that these cities are dealing with these issues
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One concern in some areas is the lack of basic infrastructure. Things like water supply, sewage treatment, peak energy supply, and schools can be critically impacted by increased density from ADUs. (This doesn't even touch roads and transportation. If a city has already maxed out its sewage treatment facility or has full schools, increasing the density can bring significant costs long before the taxes from those new residents pay for those impacts. In areas of new building (large-scale subdivisions, this is often dealt with by cities imposing development fees on builders or requiring the builders to install the infrastructure. Is there a way that these cities are dealing with these issues
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Thesecret101-te1lm
The main problem with ADUs is that the make 50% of the involved families also land lords. Do we really want that
TBH ADU: s should be regulated in a way that a public entity must be the one who handles a queue for renting these, with the owners only being able to opt for renting out or not renting out, and setting some basic rules like pets v. s. no pets, smoking v. s. no smoking indoors/outdoors and perhaps an age span and/or relationship status for those who rent.
The actual solution would be to split the plots so that a portion of two adjacent plots would form a new plot, with a duplex built, all this owned by the public sector.
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The main problem with ADUs is that the make 50% of the involved families also land lords. Do we really want that
TBH ADU: s should be regulated in a way that a public entity must be the one who handles a queue for renting these, with the owners only being able to opt for renting out or not renting out, and setting some basic rules like pets v. s. no pets, smoking v. s. no smoking indoors/outdoors and perhaps an age span and/or relationship status for those who rent.
The actual solution would be to split the plots so that a portion of two adjacent plots would form a new plot, with a duplex built, all this owned by the public sector.
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piguy4607
I’m a residential permit tech and zoning specialist in Citrus County, FL. In the last few years we’ve seen a major uptick in ADUs. This is because every residential zoning type inherently allows for ADUs, so there’s no need to go in front of boards. As a result, all over the county we’ve seen more and more pop up. Currently, the only limit we have on ADUs is that they cannot exceed 850 sq ft of living space, however recent changes to our Land Development Code now allow for larger ADUs on larger lots. It’s very exciting to see all this growth!
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I’m a residential permit tech and zoning specialist in Citrus County, FL. In the last few years we’ve seen a major uptick in ADUs. This is because every residential zoning type inherently allows for ADUs, so there’s no need to go in front of boards. As a result, all over the county we’ve seen more and more pop up. Currently, the only limit we have on ADUs is that they cannot exceed 850 sq ft of living space, however recent changes to our Land Development Code now allow for larger ADUs on larger lots. It’s very exciting to see all this growth!
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KurtDunn267
This only helps people who have access to property already tho.
The numbers of adoption are clearly a reflection of people wanting to expand their suburban property to have more living space, but ultimately it' still treating housing as a commodity. Now it's just a slightly more lucrative commodity.
The bitter pill we need to swallow is that Property will not help us retire, and that a lot of people banking on that right now will never be able to retire as we start to give everyone the right of being housed and secure.
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This only helps people who have access to property already tho.
The numbers of adoption are clearly a reflection of people wanting to expand their suburban property to have more living space, but ultimately it' still treating housing as a commodity. Now it's just a slightly more lucrative commodity.
The bitter pill we need to swallow is that Property will not help us retire, and that a lot of people banking on that right now will never be able to retire as we start to give everyone the right of being housed and secure.
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jijitters
I'm as YIMBY as YIMBY gets and it feels so hopeless seeing videos like this. Since I can't drive and never will, and will never be able to afford a home or even an apartment by myself, a densely-built city with housing and businesses and everything one could need within walking/biking/bussing distance is my only option outside of giving in to homelessness. Suburbia truly is the enemy. This feels like a band-aid that just makes suburbia a little more dense but does not fix anything else that's terrible about it.
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I'm as YIMBY as YIMBY gets and it feels so hopeless seeing videos like this. Since I can't drive and never will, and will never be able to afford a home or even an apartment by myself, a densely-built city with housing and businesses and everything one could need within walking/biking/bussing distance is my only option outside of giving in to homelessness. Suburbia truly is the enemy. This feels like a band-aid that just makes suburbia a little more dense but does not fix anything else that's terrible about it.
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PalmelaHanderson
The housing crisis ultimately stems from wealth inequality. You can make all the zoning adendums and ADUs you want, but ultimately nothing will change about the housing crisis as long as the wealthy are buying up all the assets. Experts have been talking about a recession for years, or a housing crash for years. It hasn't happened, and it doesn't look like it will any time soon.
Until we start taxing the wealthy, your kids will never own anything other than the clothes on their backs.
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The housing crisis ultimately stems from wealth inequality. You can make all the zoning adendums and ADUs you want, but ultimately nothing will change about the housing crisis as long as the wealthy are buying up all the assets. Experts have been talking about a recession for years, or a housing crash for years. It hasn't happened, and it doesn't look like it will any time soon.
Until we start taxing the wealthy, your kids will never own anything other than the clothes on their backs.
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skipperson4077
I live in a part of Virginia where almost all houses have structures out back that run from simple carports and sheds to barns and built-out offices and extra housing and it is a good way to add housing numbers.
It's not technology but rather local laws and NIMBY opposition that is preventing smaller denser housing from being built. Many are locked out of being able to buy housing because the high cost of rent undercuts savings, the ability to make a down payment.
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I live in a part of Virginia where almost all houses have structures out back that run from simple carports and sheds to barns and built-out offices and extra housing and it is a good way to add housing numbers.
It's not technology but rather local laws and NIMBY opposition that is preventing smaller denser housing from being built. Many are locked out of being able to buy housing because the high cost of rent undercuts savings, the ability to make a down payment.
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jakehood7463
I'm seeing people demolish their homes and building massive houses, for multi-generation families. The problem is they live on streets that already have limited parking. But how can you blame them for not wanting their family members to be be crushed by rents and mortgages until they're homeless.
Maybe wasting all of our space for car and car infrastructure is not a great long term plan. ADUs will work great on streets with lots of parking until that runs out too.
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I'm seeing people demolish their homes and building massive houses, for multi-generation families. The problem is they live on streets that already have limited parking. But how can you blame them for not wanting their family members to be be crushed by rents and mortgages until they're homeless.
Maybe wasting all of our space for car and car infrastructure is not a great long term plan. ADUs will work great on streets with lots of parking until that runs out too.
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Peter2k84
Nice garden sheds.
I'm sure we can also solve the problem of not getting kids anymore, by telling women its fine to raise a family in a house where you would usually put your lawnmower in.
But now it costs 200k more, and has like 4 outlets and a window.
This ain't tge solution to housing.
Building tall and wide is.
Brings me back to the BabylonBee, where a couple was seeing a realtor for cardbord boxes as homes.
Man those boxes where expensive.
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Nice garden sheds.
I'm sure we can also solve the problem of not getting kids anymore, by telling women its fine to raise a family in a house where you would usually put your lawnmower in.
But now it costs 200k more, and has like 4 outlets and a window.
This ain't tge solution to housing.
Building tall and wide is.
Brings me back to the BabylonBee, where a couple was seeing a realtor for cardbord boxes as homes.
Man those boxes where expensive.
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tylovsims
The housing crisis is so multifaceted; I'm Canadian and our housing market is one of the most expensive and inaccessible in the world. Homeowners look at homes as an asset and and investment, non-homeowners see them as unattainable money-pits. On the East Coast at least, ADU's aren't really allowed here; but hopefully the work happening in larger cities will help move the needle towards ADU's here as it is a great way to help folks get onto the housing ladder!
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The housing crisis is so multifaceted; I'm Canadian and our housing market is one of the most expensive and inaccessible in the world. Homeowners look at homes as an asset and and investment, non-homeowners see them as unattainable money-pits. On the East Coast at least, ADU's aren't really allowed here; but hopefully the work happening in larger cities will help move the needle towards ADU's here as it is a great way to help folks get onto the housing ladder!
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robertm. 9515
I am 22, looking for cheap housing in San Jose/south bay as I am moving there for work. Many of these ADUs lack ovens and some have mini-fridges. If I find a good deal on one I might be able to buy a toaster oven that can do almost everything an oven does. Parking is another concern as I get a car stipend for work, but most are OK. Finding ADU on FB, craigslist is another story, less reputable than say, an apartment complex.
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I am 22, looking for cheap housing in San Jose/south bay as I am moving there for work. Many of these ADUs lack ovens and some have mini-fridges. If I find a good deal on one I might be able to buy a toaster oven that can do almost everything an oven does. Parking is another concern as I get a car stipend for work, but most are OK. Finding ADU on FB, craigslist is another story, less reputable than say, an apartment complex.
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swisscourthustle
ADU’s have been taking off big time in Australia. In South Australia, we call them ancillary accommodation’, but we don’t have a streamlined approval process for these yet.
The problem here, is that a lot of people who want them, don’t want to build them properly. They want to use glorified caravans, old sheds, or portable / fold out buildings - none of which meet our National building standards for dwellings.
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ADU’s have been taking off big time in Australia. In South Australia, we call them ancillary accommodation’, but we don’t have a streamlined approval process for these yet.
The problem here, is that a lot of people who want them, don’t want to build them properly. They want to use glorified caravans, old sheds, or portable / fold out buildings - none of which meet our National building standards for dwellings.
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