On any given day, the Los Angeles skyline is overshadowed by massive cranes and the skeletal contours of another building slowly taking shape.
Business is booming in the City of Angels, making it an attractive option for families looking to relocate. Yet the housing market is a complex environment with the market favoring sellers more than buyers.
The solution?
About 14 miles from downtown LA is Altadena. The unincorporated area is in the Verdugo Mountains region, giving inhabitants wide open spaces above the bustling city.
Altadena is fast becoming an appealing choice, offering a variety of home styles and good value for money. There’s only one problem. The area is thrust against the Verdugo Mountains, making it almost impossible to grow beyond its limits. That is until now…
There is always a solution to every problem and in Altadena’s case, it started with thinking outside the box. The city’s reimagining of the suburban landscape is a progressive project that could inspire others to follow.
Tiny House Nation
Tiny homes are eschewing current home trends where bigger is better. Accessory dwelling units are becoming increasingly popular, more so in the suburbs of Altadena.
Architect Yan M. Wang had a lightbulb moment following the pandemic. To bring several generations together, he moved his family onto his mom’s 8,700 square feet property.
Wang built an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) to accommodate his mother and her husband while he and his family were in the main house.
To create privacy, he designed a 620-square-foot home with a front deck partially concealed by a curved wall. The tiny home project took less than a year to complete.
The ADU Boom
Also known as granny flats or backyard cottages, ADUs are small independent residential units.
These days many homeowners are maximizing space by incorporating tiny abodes into their main home or on their properties.
Because Altadena sits at the foot of a mountain, the rugged terrain presents many challenges for new home builds. ADU homes are an ideal alternative for utilizing property space.
ADU contractors in Altadena are expert artisans with in-depth knowledge of the surrounding area and the accompanying risks of building in a mountainous region.
ADUs create additional living space but also increase your property value. Renting out the unit can be a worthwhile income generator.
New California ADU laws passed earlier this year make it easier for homeowners, developers and investors to build additional housing units on the same lot as the primary residence.
If considering an ADU, Regal Construction & Remodeling advises hiring a company that oversees the design, permitting, construction, and finishings.
Affordable Housing
All roads lead to Altadena in addressing the growing need for affordable and permanent supportive housing.
One of the largest nonprofit housing development organizations partnered with Union Station Homeless Services to create a 58-unit affordable housing development.
NPO EAH Housing has already started construction on Agave and the project is expected to be completed by 2025.
Laura Hall, CEO and president of EAH Housing tells Yield Pro that her organization views Agave as an opportunity to address affordable housing demands.
The building will house one and two-bedroom apartments for formerly unhoused individuals. Residents will have access to a shared courtyard and several common spaces.
Designing for the Future
Families are thinking about the future, resulting in homes made for multiple generations.
Despite being a few minutes from the big city, Altadena can sometimes feel like an isolated island separate from civilization. Many homeowners crave the remote location without compromising community spirit.
Danielle Katvan and Raimy Rosenduft thought they found the perfect home in Altadena until tragedy struck. A fire caused structural damage to the 1,400-square-foot abode, forcing the couple to rebuild.
Originally built as a traditional ranch-style home, the vision was an open-plan living space connected to the outdoors. With their growing family in mind, they converted the attached garage to an ADU.
Now that the couple has rebuilt the home of their dreams, they tell Architectural Digest they have a place they’re happy and comfortable with to raise their kids in.
Altadena Dreaming
The affordable housing crisis is locking many potential homeowners out of the market.
The shortage is forcing many people to look as far as small towns, far from the city. While the expansion of suburbs is nothing new, it can have a detrimental effect on small-town America.
Celina, Texas, residents tell NBC News that pastures are replaced with densely packed homes and golf carts. The same can be seen in towns dotted across rural America.
Altadena is bucking the trend. Instead of snapping up houses, homeowners are taking advantage of their massive properties by accommodating their large families with renovation projects.
ADU construction is the solution to utilizing space and could potentially change the suburban landscape across the rest of the U.S.
