Home Visit Internal Lower Level ADU Housing

Home Visit Internal Lower Level ADU

Portland Oregon 795 square feet

Photo by Melissa Stanton, AARP The door to the right of the garage leads to a ground-floor ADU with windows along the back and side walls. The upper-level windows seen below are part of the main residence. “We were looking for a way to live in our house for the rest of our lives and to generate at least some income in the process,” Robert Mercer and Jim Heuer wrote for the program guide of the annual Portland ADU Tour when their home was part of the lineup. “An ADU offers the possibility of caregiver lodging in the future or even a place for us to live while we rent out the main house if we get to the point where we can’t handle the stairs any longer.” THE SOUND OF SILENCE: Internal ADUs often require that soundproofing insulation be installed between the primary dwelling and the accessory unit that’s below, above or beside it. In Portland, the building code for duplex residences requires a sound insulation rating of at least STCC45. To property owners thinking about a similar ADU setup, the duo advise: “Think about how you live in your home and how having downstairs neighbors will change what you can and can’t do with your space and what investment you are prepared to make in sound insulation.” AN ADDED BONUS: “We are pleased that we have been able to provide more housing density on our property and still be in keeping with the historic character of our home.” Design: DMS Architects
Builder: Weitzer Company
Cost to build: $261,000 in 2016

Article adapted from the 2017 ADU Tour project profiles on and s by AARP.

MORE ABOUT ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS

Visit for links to more articles and to order AARP s free publications about accessory dwelling units

TAKE A LOOK

Watch and share this short video about the benefits of Accessory Dwelling Units.

AARP org Livable

Enter a topic, name, place, etc. See past issues:

Our Free Publications

See the complete list at

Follow Us

Facebook: Twitter:

Contact Us

Email AARP Livable Communities at .

Ask about the AARP Livability Index by completing this .

AARP Members: For questions about your benefits, AARP The Magazine or the AARP Bulletin, visit the page or call 1-888-OUR-AARP (1-888-687-2277). Cancel You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. Your email address is now confirmed. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. Cancel Offer Details Disclosures

Close In the next 24 hours, you will receive an email to confirm your subscription to receive emails related to AARP volunteering. Once you confirm that subscription, you will regularly receive communications related to AARP volunteering. In the meantime, please feel free to search for ways to make a difference in your community at Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again.