Welcome Home
Built for the years ahead
Welcome Home is a series where we share stories from clients detailing their motivations and reflections on their ADU journeys. We hope their experiences and insights will enrich your exploration and help shape your vision.
When Richard and Chris started planning their backyard home, they weren't responding to an immediate need so much as preparing for one down the road. The couple wanted a space that could flex with their family across changing needs: a place for guests today, a home for an aging parent tomorrow, and a rental option somewhere down the line. What they landed on was a self-sufficient ADU in Albany capable of doing all of it.
What inspired you to build this ADU?
Richard:
We just wanted a plan B. If one of our mothers ended up getting sick or needing to be closer to us, we wanted to have the space for them. That was the main impetus. Thankfully they're both well now, but we just didn't want to be caught flat-footed if anything did happen.
Had you considered other options, like moving or adding onto your house?
Richard:
We looked at an addition, but it was pretty costly. We would have had to build up, and we weren't sure where we'd land long-term anyway. We figured that having an ADU would still add value to the property down the road.
We didn't love the idea of a straight prefab you can't customize, but we also didn't want a full custom design-build process. We liked the happy medium.
What made you pull the trigger and get started?
Richard:
Chris might say it was a little faster than he wanted. But when I come to a decision, I just want to get moving. We'd done construction before, so we knew there'd be ebbs and flows. Someone told me once: if you're going to do something, why wait? Do it now, and you have more time to enjoy it.
How did you find and choose Type Five?
Richard:
We found Type Five through the Berkeley Parents Network. Recommendations there are pretty reliable in my experience. The more conversations we had, the more comfortable we felt. The fact that they were open to exploring it made it easy to move forward. We didn't love the idea of a straight prefab you can't customize, but we also didn't want a full custom design-build process. We liked the happy medium.
What was the process like across design, permitting, and construction?
Richard:
Honestly, pretty seamless. Any delays were the city: the piers for our foundation had to go deeper than expected because they said we're in a liquefaction zone. Which technically we're not. But if the city says so, what are you going to do? Nothing was on Type Five.
Chris:
Working with Ian it was great. We'd be sharing screens, doing PDF markups, going back and forth. And during construction, Aleksis would work through things with us as they came up. Things like where to put shelves, adding blocking in the walls for future use. For little things like not knowing which wall we'd hang the TV on, they just said, "We'll prep both, figure it out later." Nothing was made to be a big deal. Whatever we needed, it was always, "You want that? Okay, we'll work it in."
What's your favorite thing about the finished space?
Chris:
The versatility. It's nice knowing it's there. If I'm working in the backyard, there's an extra bathroom to clean up in, and it's nice to do laundry without being in a cold garage. Just having that extra flex space is nice.
How has having the ADU changed your daily life?
Richard:
A couple weeks ago, we had people over and it worked really naturally. We used the dishwasher out there on top of the one in the house, closed everything up at the end of the night, and didn't worry about cleanup till the next day. The kids ran around out there, and the adults hung out in the backyard. We have a friend who visits from Palo Alto too, and she'll just use the ADU when she comes up.
What advice would you give someone thinking about building an ADU?
Chris:
There are a lot of options out there. Take your time and really think about what you're going to use the space for.
Richard:
For us it was all about flexibility. We don't know yet if we'll rent it out, but we wanted to give ourselves that option. That's why we made sure it has a street-facing entrance. But we also wanted the doors from the backyard because we knew we'd be in and out ourselves. Think hard about how you intend to use the space, and then talk about it with your team, because Type Five is open to things you might not even see on the website. What you discuss and collaborate on is what you'll ultimately get. Don't just rely on what's in front of you.