Blog

During the week of January 19 the huge National Builders’ Show and Building Products Exposition was the talk of Las Vegas. Homebuilders, Architects, Community Planners, Realtors, new home sales and marketing companies, and building product manufacturers attend this yearly event. Dozens of seminars and presentations are given educating the diverse crowd about the newest and best ideas and practices in home design and building.

Mike Kephart, Owner and designer of Sidekick Homes by Kephart Living, and Founder of Kephart, community, planning, architecture, was featured in two of those seminars along with other notable architects, Don Evans, Michael Medick, and Ed Hord. Judy Schriener, Mike Kephart’s Co-Author on their recent book, Building for Boomers, Joined Mike in one of those presentations. They revealed some of the myths and misunderstandings about the huge population segment called Baby Boomers, most importantly, that Boomers are much more complex than any attempt to stereotype them as a single group can capture.

A segment of those Baby Boomers still have school age children at home, and are considering bringing an aging relative or two in with them as well. They’ve been dubbed, “The Sandwich Generation,” because of their situation. These are the families that can benefit most from the simple addition of a Carriage House or Granny Flat in their backyard, and they are the population that Sidekick Homes was created to serve. An additional independent home is perfect for an adult child or two, a guest suite, or a home for mom or dad who feel safer by being close by. In most cases that dwelling can also be rented to supplement the family income.

Accessory Dwelling Units, (ADUs) the official zoning name for carriage houses, are an old idea being revived in this time of stress on American families. They were popular and plentiful in the first half of the 20th century and are a new and improved idea for today. This recycling of old ideas is common in life and it’s usually because those ideas are fundamentally sound.

Labels: Backyard Cottages, National Builders' Show, Sidekick Homes