“When Chris Aune bought his home in Palmdale, California, he was looking for a place for just himself and his dogs so he didn’t need all 1400 square feet. He also didn’t need a “home for his car” so he converted his garage into his home.
He now rents the original home for more than the cost of his mortgage and figures he can pay off his home in 4 or 5 years. Meanwhile, he parks in the driveway and lives comfortably in the 575-square-foot ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit- AKA backyard cottage, granny flat, in-law unit).”
Another great video from Fair Companies.
$30K for a near-complete renovation of the garage is not awful, although it’s not exactly cheap, either. I say “near-complete,” because putting in a more conventional floor would probably add at least a few grand. Especially if he went for something that meshed with his “all the bells and whistles” approach to the kitchen. Still, all said and done, it looks nice, livable, and nobody can argue with making more money on an income property than the total cost of the investment.
Yeah, it’s pretty clever. The cost is high because it’s in California. Also note, some consider plain concrete floors fashionable.
He’s still young. He could do this again a number of times and retire quite wealthy — all from such a simple idea.
I imagine other communities will adopt similar zoning/code changes for allowing converted garages.