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When Families Build Granny Flats, Caregiving Gets Easier
Four families share how accessory dwelling units let them care for aging parents and special-needs adults at home, often for less than the cost of nursing homes or assisted living.
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Lena Koropey's mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease nearly a decade ago. Since then, Koropey has watched her once-independent mother come to rely on others for nearly every part of daily life.
"It's definitely getting harder each year," Koropey, 48, told Business Insider.
Six years ago, Koropey bought a three-bedroom home in Mattituck, on Long Island's North Fork. She lives there with her mother and a live-in caregiver. The house is 1,300 square feet on half an acre. That space gives her room to rethink the living arrangement as her mother's condition progresses.
"I've created spreadsheets and mapped out various scenarios, including building a small cottage or an accessory dwelling unit on our property, moving to another house, or, as a last resort, placing my mother in a care facility," she said. "For now, we've decided to build an ADU."
Koropey plans to build a 750-square-foot home on the property and move into it herself. Her mother stays in the main house with the caregiver and familiar surroundings.
Accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, are small homes often built in a backyard. They typically range from 150 to 1,200 square feet and cost $100,000 to $300,000 to build before extras like permitting fees. Some states, including California and New York, offer financial assistance to homeowners who build them.
Business Insider has spoken with dozens of people over the years about why they built ADUs. Some needed extra space or a home office. Others wanted rental income. Increasingly, families are using ADUs to keep loved ones who need care close by.
Rachael Reiner, director of pre-construction and project management at the Bay Area-based ADU company Villa, said the trend has grown as multigenerational living becomes more common. According to Reiner, 75% of Villa's sales so far in 2026 have been for multigenerational living purposes.
"The majority of our ADU projects are driven by families seeking to balance independence with accessible care," Reiner said. "These spaces provide either aging relatives or loved ones requiring support the autonomy they desire while ensuring they remain close to family for support and oversight."
Building an ADU is not cheap. In an expensive housing market like California, it can still be a more affordable option. That was the case for Todd Kuchta, who lives in Napa County with his wife, Gabrielle, and son, Jacob.
Jacob has autism and needs help with daily tasks like taking medication and preparing meals. He still wants his independence. When he told his parents he was ready to move out, they weighed their options.
They could buy a larger home or move Jacob into supported housing with staff available to help. Neither seemed affordable. Jacob's medical support costs alone could exceed $9,000 a month.
Instead, the Kuchtas built an ADU on their property in 2023. Jacob's 480-square-foot, one-bedroom home cost $248,000 to build. That is far less than Napa County's $907,440 median home price in August. They financed it in part through Napa County's Affordable ADU program, which offers forgivable loans to homeowners who rent the units to low-income tenants for at least five years.