That’s how we wound up where we are; all of DHs college friends are returning to the area to finish out their careers and retire. We love the area, but we also had the benefit a built-in friend and support base.
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I have a friend (she’s a psychologist) who lives in an intentional community (which I believe is like co-housing). She enjoyed it at first, but then life happened. The people who started the community were all friends or friends of friends. The community has been around for twenty-some years now and it’s changed. People got divorced, people took in young grandchildren, etc. etc. My friend says that sometimes the local drama is exhausting.
I’ve been to her place (they’re like town houses) and it’s a great space. I’ve also had dinner in the communal dining area. My friend thinks she wants to move, but then changes her mind. Her husband loves it. Personally, I wouldn’t want to live there.
H and I hope to age in place. We love where we live and have good friends and I’m involved in a few community nonprofits, which keeps me busy.
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@1214mom we are in the same boat as you. If we decide to “cash out” and leave Southern California for somewhere else it would be hard to afford to move back in the future.
Most of the people on this thread seem to be married 
I think that changes criteria for downsizing (or remaining in place). Socially, economically, medically, emotionally etc. And maybe kids don’t have to worry about parents as much, which is nice for everyone.
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Casitas are common home amenities in AZ and was a top priority for us when we right-sized as we moved when our son was a HS senior and we wanted him to have his own private space when he came home from school as well as have a guest house for visitors. When our son moved out, I completely redecorated the casita (as I posted here) and use it as my “she-shed” when it’s not occupied by visitors. It has a full bath, bedroom, walk-in closet, sitting room, and kitchenette. It’s definitely rentable, too, though we put that off due to the pandemic. Rentals are restricted in our community to friends and family (overflow guests) of current members and for no more than one month per occupancy. Several of our friends rent theirs and no one has had an issue, so we will revisit that option.
What I especially like about this extra space is that it’s there when we need it but doesn’t require any upkeep when we don’t and, because it’s not part of the main house, it doesn’t feel like wasted daily space.
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It’s like that in our current neighborhood and in our old neighborhood too…it’s hard to know exactly what is going to happen in life.
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That’s so true. You can plan all sorts of stuff and then life throws you a curve and everything goes out the window. I think you don’t really undertand that until you get older (like over 50).
I’d love to turn our unused unattached one car garage into a casita/art studio. Our town makes it pretty hard to do because ADU’s aren’t allowed. I did one garage conversion for a friend that was billed as an unheated workshop, but it has a steam shower, lots of insulation and they plug in electric heat in the winter. They use it as a massage/accupuncture studio.
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@mathmom, in principle our town encourages ADU’s (in part because the median house price is so high), but when we purchased the house, the permit under which our in-law suite was approved as an ADU automatically terminated and we have to apply again and it may no longer meet the specs. We could apply for another one for the studio. To the extent that I can foresee, we will use the in-law suite for ourselves (currently we are moving into it to do a big renovation) and then use it as a master bedroom suite.
California has liberalized ADU’s laws in the past few years and in many jurisdictions are openly encouraging homeowners to build/install them.
ADU permitting varies greatly around my neck of the woods. Most cities cap the size at 700-800 sft. That is tiny. One town has a very generous “50% sft of the main house.” So if the main house is 3,000 sft, which is common there, the detached dwelling can be up to 1500 sft - if the drain field can be expanded.
Has anyone looked at tiny houses as an ADU? They are popular now but I’ve heard mixed opinions.
To me the pros are:
- Dont’ have to 100% commit to a particular location (e.g., can move to a different state if the one you started in is too cold!)
- Lower cost than a regular house
- Aesthetically appealing (although that could be the editing on those Tiny Homes TV shows!)
The cons:
- Tiny homes depreciate like cars or RVs - no equity
- Most seem to have sleeping lofts/steps - not great for aging in place
- Many states/communities have restrictive zoning (in some - can’t live in tiny house full-time - ilike an RV)
- Because tiny homes are still a niche market, resale is not guaranteed and could be lower than initial cost investment
A huge con is where to put those tiny houses!! Not many people want them on their land, so the tiny house owner has to buy land, put a well and electric in. Not cheap! That, or end up in a trailer park, parking lot, or rv campground – none of which is usually envisioned when starting to think about tiny houses.
If you already own land, then a tiny house may make sense.
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We have tiny home communities popping up in our area, but they’re stick built from the ground up. They’re 1 bed/1bath, a little bigger than the modulars, but smaller than the 55+ community cottages I’ve seen. They’re geared towards grad students, but the concept would be great for retirees. They have a lot of amenities, and the community is by the lake. This type of community a little further north away from campus geared towards 55+ would sell like hotcakes here.
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ADU’s and in-law units are not allowed by zoning laws in my area. This issue came up at a housing forum I attended, as a possible help in addressing the housing shortage here.
I googled ADU- lots there. Here’s one:
Get in the Holiday Spirit with Studio Shed (studio-shed.com)
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A friend has a great story about buying a tiny house.
Basically they bought a tiny house from a disgruntled ex girlfriend. Because it was easy to move, she got cash and they got a house.
The buying party found out when there was a house stolen flyer at the local hardware. The buying couple had evidence that they bought it and the seller was in jail for another charge lol!
The last I heard there were negotiations on moving the house back. Because there are no titles on these type of dwellings, it was complicated.
I’m not here to debate who was in the wrong but just to say that when a house is portable and not titled, there can be issues.
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Wow, stealing a house is a new one for me!
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Lots of considerations w/the tiny houses!! I def would not want to be in an RV park or the like.
Tigerwife92- can I ask where that small home community is (generally)?
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For retirees considering 2nd home part-time, I’ve heard there are various ways to buy 1/4 share (or 1/8 share) of vacation homes. Personally I’d prefer just renting various homes/locations, but there seems to be a market for partial shares.
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