Erin and David | Relocating Dad Close to Home

Mar 11

We've lived in the Inland Empire area since 2009, and we fell in love with how charming and peaceful Upland is. As our family grew, we were drawn to the big backyard of this house; it had so many possibilities. Mom and Dad were living in Oregon where they built their own house, but Mom had been fighting cancer for 22 years. After she passed in 2018, we were really worried about Dad. He was alone in a big house, in a small town far from family. He was also getting older and started having health issues, but the nearest hospital was 45 miles away. It was hard to visit to check on him, and we didn’t want him to be lonely. In 2019 he decided to move back to California. He looked for a place in Upland, but everything was expensive and we worried that he couldn’t afford anything in the area.

Dad brought up the idea of an ADU, and we thought “well of course, our yard is huge!” He was worried living on our property might be weird, but we said it would be fine – he’d have his space and we’d have ours. We have three teenagers, a dog, and two cats, and Dad has his dog—there was no way we could fit in one house. With an ADU, suddenly living close was possible.

Erin reached out to a mom’s group on Facebook for contractor referrals and went to Nextdoor for architect recommendations. After getting several quotes we found a contractor and an architect who both had experience working in Upland, and after talking with them it felt like we just clicked. Erin watched videos of people building their own ADU until we found some examples that we liked, and we sent ideas back and forth with our team and Dad to make sure the ADU would be the perfect fit. We were worried that building would be a nightmare, but with the help of our team it took much less work than we expected. The Upland Planning Division was also great to work with, the inspectors were so nice, and our plans were approved for permits in 45 days.

The ADU is a mini custom home designed for aging in place. 447 square feet sounds small, but it feels very comfortable. We built in high ceilings and windows so the space feels big and has lots of natural light. Dad has everything he needs to live independently as he ages: the ADU has a full kitchen, an accessible bathroom, wide hallways for a walker, and tons of storage. Our favorite part of the ADU is Dad’s patio. He can sit outside and enjoy the weather, there’s a BBQ area, and he watches our dogs play together in the yard. Dad has his own routine, but we can go over to check on him and hang out. We’ll send one of our kids to bring him mail or ask a question, and it’s easy to spend time together. It’s so nice to have him around for everyday ‘dad’ things too. The other day Erin’s car battery died, she called Dad to ask, “Do you know how to put in batteries?” He said, “Of course!” and came over to help figure it out. Having your dad around is really cool, and if he needs us we're always there for him too. We wouldn't change anything!

If you want to build an ADU our advice is to plan for the long term and be as prepared as possible. Know as much about your property as you can and find an architect and contractor that you get along with.

“Even if you start out renting the ADU, you or someone in your family like your parents or kids might move in someday, so it’s really a custom home for your family’s future. ”