All About Accessory Dwelling Units

As small houses or apartments that exist on the same property lot as a single-family residence, Accessory Dwelling Units — or ADUs — play a major role in serving a national housing need. This traditional home type is re-emerging as an affordable and flexible housing option that meets the needs of older adults and young families alike. (Find this page again: AARP.org/ADU.)

A Guide to Accessory Dwelling Units and How They Expand Housing Options for People of All Ages

A primer for elected officials, policymakers, local leaders, homeowners, consumers and others, The ABCs of ADUs is a 20-page introductory and best-practices guide for how towns, cities, counties and states can include ADUs in their mix of housing options.

To get a copy: Download the PDF or email Livable@AARP.org to receive the printed edition. In the email body, include your name, street mailing address, town/city, state, zip code and the publication name (The ABCs of ADUs) and number D20473.

A double-sided handout about the guide can be ordered using D20477.

A Step by Step Guide to Design and Development 

Featuring ADU policies and projects from Austin, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Oakland, California; and Washington, D.C., this 113-page design catalog contains information about financing and budgeting for an ADU project as well as visuals that show how ADUs can be easily designed to serve people of differing ages and abilities. 

To get a copy: Download the PDF or email Fulfillment@AARP.org to receive the printed edition. In the email body, include your name, street mailing address, town/city, state, zip code and the publication name (Accessory Dwelling Units) and the number D20480.

A trifold brochure about the guide can be ordered using D20481.

^{If seeking more than one title, you can send a single email using the subject line ADU Guides. We can send one copy of each publication. If seeking multiple copies please explain why and identify the organization you are representing, if any. Delivery of the printed publication will be by mail and can take up to 4 weeks.}

Videos

• Watch a webinar led by Eli Spevak, co-author of The ABCs of ADUs
• Accessory Dwelling Unit Initiatives from Across the Country
• Take a look at an ADU project funded by an AARP Community Challenge grant
• See how ADUs help families address a variety of housing needs

Related Articles

• Making Big Sense of Small Homes
• New Hampshire Says Yes to ADUS
• Two Houses in One for a Home Within a Home
• Creating Room for ADUs (a state model act and local ordinance published in 2000)
• AARP Livable A-Z Archives: Housing

External Resources

• AccessoryDwellings.org (including ADU Project Case Studies)
• American Planning Association KnowledgeBase: Accessory Dwelling Units
• BuildingAnADU.com

^{Page updated June 2019}