Top 7 Reasons to Convert Your Basement Into an Additional Dwelling Unit (ADU)

An additional dwelling unit or ADU is a secondary or accessory structure on your property that contains living space. Additional dwelling units are great to provide flexible living space options on your property or to provide an additional income stream. An ADU can’t be bought or sold because it is a part of a single-family property. The property owner will be the same as that of the ADU.

There are several great reasons to add an ADU to your home, but this article specifically focuses on converting your basement. Keep reading for the top reasons:

1. Extra income: you can provide either a temporary and long term space to rent out which means extra income coming in for space you don’t currently use. The impact to your daily living will be even further decreased by creating a separate entrance to the basement from the exterior.
2. Construction Costs: construction costs are lower than doing a standalone ADU since there’s already an exterior structure built.
3. Space: a basement ADU conversion saves space you might lose in your yard compared to a standalone or garage ADU.
4. Energy: since it’s all integrated with the house, energy costs won’t skyrocket. Especially since a basement is below ground, its temperature is easily moderated.
5. Housing: easily house a family member or friend if the need arises. It provides more flexible housing options for your home.
6. Finished Basement: if you already have a finished basement it’s easy to convert one room or open space into the kitchen area. It wouldn’t take a lot of resources to bring it up to code at that point.
7. Utilities: since there’s already water and power in the basement, it’s easier to convert it to an ADU compared to having to pull those to a new standalone ADU.

Ready to get to work on converting your basement into an additional dwelling unit? FH Water Restoration would be happy to bring your idea to life - reach out to us with any questions you have!