by - Justin Mauldin built an accessory home in his Austin -Terertuin for $ 41,500.
- Mauldin says that the ADU office enables its family of Vier to live comfortably in a smaller house.
- The Adu also increased the value of his house, said his broker.
This share-to-essay is based on a conversation with Justin Mauldin, 40, which one Accessory housing unit In his Austin -Terertuin. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
I am the founder and CEO of Salient, a PR agency that cooperates with technical startups.
By 2019, before the outbreak of COVID-19, my team had already switched to a largely remote, with many freelancers who work from home or shared office spaces such as Wework. My wife and I decided to get the most out of our property and to build a dedicated home office.
Our property is within the city boundaries of Austin. We live on a quarter -hectare lot with a relatively small main building of approximately 1,200 square base. At that time our large backyard was undeveloped, with only a small farm shed on the site.
We have added an accessory residential unit of just under 200 square foot to our back garden. The costs for the ADU were $ 32,542, which related to the products, shipping and installation. I believe that prices have risen since then, but at the time we were able to take advantage of a sale and a 10%discount. The total costs of the entire project were around $ 41,500.
Justin Mauldin’s 200 square foot accessories home. Thanks to Justin Mauldin
It is the best decision we could have made for our property. We bought our house in 2020 for around $ 450,000, and its value has certainly increased. When we asked our broker for an estimate, she said it could be worth $ 750,000 today. (Note of the editors: According to Redfin, the median house price in Austin has risen by 12.8% since 2020.)
Working from the ADU was fantastic – it allowed me some quiet time. We have two young children, so I can “go to work” without being in the main building with all the chaos and noise. It has really been a game change.
The construction process was simple and fast
Although it is separate from the main building, the home office is the most beautiful room on the site – everyone who sees it is completely amazed.
I went out completely with super-long, dramatic ceilings and a huge wall of windows. We have also built a fire pit in front, which has become a real point of attention.
Mauldin’s workspace. Thanks to Justin Mauldin
When we decided to build an adu, Covid made it difficult to get bids, materials and reliable contractors, so a prefabricated option seemed the best choice. I went with Studio Shed, a company in Denver that builds the structure in their warehouse and then sends to be assembled on site.
The process was simple, such as building with LEGO stones or designing a car. You choose your model, adjust the size, ceilings and Windows and select your upgrades. You can go as simple or chic as you want. It is all done online – just like everything ordering on Amazon – and you get the price immediately.
Before the Adu arrived, I knew the site and guttered the concrete pillow, which cost around $ 1500.
Mauldin’s Adu during the construction process. Thanks to Justin Mauldin
When it was delivered, I did not want them to simply drop the materials and let myself find out, so I paid a few thousand dollars for them to assemble the structure. The walls, windows and roof were on in just two days.
After the structure was assembled, a local handyman and I worked on the finishing details, including installing the floors, painting, adding door handles, electric work and other accents. Because the ADU was too far from the main building to connect to our central AC, I also added a mini-split system that I bought for $ 600 and paid around $ 500 to install.
Everything was built and finished quickly. The ADU was delivered on February 1, 2021 and completed by the end of the month.
The Adu allowed our family of 4 to live more comfortably in a smaller house
Given the price of our house, it is clear that we are not in a chic, McMansion -filled neighborhood. Most houses here are bungalows from the 1950s.
When we first moved to our house, instead of following the common trend – where people break these houses to build new construction – we took the opposite approach.
We wanted to keep the character, so we did a lot of renovations: replaced the façade cladding, re -painting, completely redesign the interior and rework the landscape. I think the neighbors really appreciated that.
Mauldin runs his company from his home office. Thanks to Justin Mauldin
Yet we have two girls, so a house of 1200 square foot with just one bathroom can be a challenge, especially if we have visitors.
Of course we would love a larger house, but with the prices still priceless, it is difficult. When we bought our house, our interest rate was locked at 2.5% rates are now much higher. Most houses in desired areas are in the range of $ 1.5 million, and with the high real estate tax here it is simply not realistic. We could not afford a place in Austin now without doubleing our housing costs or triple.
For now we are happy with our place, and maybe we add a bathroom one day.
Adu’s become popular in Austin, and I can see why
Austin has a home crisis, but people still want to live here and keep moving to the city. I think creative solutions such as AdUs are needed.
In recent years, the city has made it much easier to add adu’s to properties, especially the type that I have built, which is less than 200 square feet.
Historically, with a permit you can divide a quarter of hectare or smaller real estate into two parties one for your main house and the other for an adu, often for use such as Airbnb. But now, with relaxed regulations, you can easily add a small structure in your property without needing a permit.
The office is just a stone’s throw from the main building, but is sufficiently insulated to give Mauldin peace and loneliness. Thanks to Justin Mauldin
Although some are worried that houses are closer together, I believe that this is the best solution to make it easier for people to build adu’s and their own houses – and it works well.
The office has certainly made living in our house much more comfortable.
In today’s world there is so much background noise, whether you are in the office or work remotely, making it difficult to concentrate and be creative. You can try to block it with headphones, but there is a big difference between being and in a really quiet space.
I am used to my children who run in and out – that should only be a part of being a father – but if I close the door, it is so serene.
In addition to avoiding interruptions, you sometimes just need real focus time, especially for the creative things. With all the noise around us, having a quiet space feels like a complete escape.