Joni and Scott: Housing Independence for a Son with Special Needs

Stories

Gabe’s Home Away From Home

  • Location

    Outside McKinleyville

  • ADU Type

    Detached

  • Price

    $250,000

  • Time

    9 months

  • Year of Completion

    2021

  • Size

    1,100 square feet

We have been married for more than 40 years and have nine children together. We met at Humboldt State and built our current home about 20 years ago. Since our adult son Gabe has both Downs Syndrome and autism, and Joni provides him with part-time care, we wanted to build an ADU to keep him close to home while providing him with his own personal space. With three other adult children living in the main home and limited supportive housing options for people with special needs in the area, we thought an ADU could be the answer.

Our son-in-law is a licensed contractor and became our project manager. We found it was important to build a team that has experience since there are lots of details and our property is in an airport overlay. We were able to find a space on our one-acre property and worked with an architect to design a floor plan that would best fit Gabe’s needs, including two bedrooms and bathrooms, so both Gabe and his caretakers have their own space. The ADU is solar powered and receives lots of natural light. The process to build went slowly because of supply issues, and we ended up paying more than expected, but Gabe finally moved into the ADU in June of 2021.

Building an ADU has given our son more independence and has helped bring more peace to our home.  His and our stress levels have come down dramatically and it’s so good to know that Gabe is happy and taken care of in his own home.

  • Joni and Scott smile in the sun, arm in arm before their ADU.
  • Interior of bedroom with floral bedspread, two windows and wooden shelving.
  • Bathroom with large shower equipped with multiple nozzles and seat. Sink, clean counter and toilet in foreground.
  • Interior of the second bedroom with plenty of natural light, a sitting chair on a patterned rug and door open into the bathroom.
  • Large basin sink, oven, microwave with wooden cabinets and sun-dappled countertop.
  • Open floorplan living space with trampoline on a rug, a sofa and a chair. Three windows, a glass door and a skylight fill the room with light.
  • Gabe, Joni and Scott’s adult son, stands with a caretaker by the island in the kitchen. Pitched ceiling and abundant natural light make space feel very big.
  • Gabe, Joni and Scott’s adult son, smiles with ipad as caretaker walks by the island in the well-lit kitchen/living area.
  • A man and a woman pose in front of their ADU.
  • Joni and Scott smile and their dog plays in the grass in front of their ADU.
  • Joni and Scott walk hand in hand on the cement walkway between the ADU and the lawn.
  • Sample floorplan of single-story 1,100 square foot ADU with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, one living room, and one kitchen/dining room. The Kitchen/dining area occupies the upper half, and the living room occupies the lower half of the left portion of the house with access to a reach-in closet and the washer/dryer room. The master bedroom and bathroom with a tub are in the lower right corner with one reach-in closet. The other bedroom is in the upper right corner and is equipped with a reach-in closet. There is a second bathroom with a tub accessible from the hallway.