Stories from your neighbors: Meet John and Ruth
Name: John and Ruth (the Program Manager of RCR!)
Neighborhood: Point Reyes Station
Type of rental: JADU
We have a long history of renting space to other people and we’ve had housemates over the years. When my husband needed to retire early for health reasons, he desired more privacy and no longer wanted a housemate. I still wanted the community of others living on the property, and we still needed the rental income. Converting the master bedroom to a JADU with its own entrance and kitchenette seemed like the perfect solution.
We found a wonderful tenant that loves the space and shares the community values. He sometimes joins us for a beer at the end of a long workday, or a BBQ on the weekend. I try to be more mindful about playing loud music or banging dishes around in the kitchen. Even though we installed sound deadening wallboard, some noise still travels. We can sometimes hear his voice but not enough to make out the words. We can hear him play his fiddle and it makes us smile.
We added a new entrance to the room including stairs and small deck, new floor covering, painting, plumbing for kitchenette with a sink, kitchen cabinet, and small fridge. A new solid door between the room and the rest of the house remains locked. The bedroom already had its own bathroom. We invested $25,000 to create the JADU and another $5,000 to create a flagstone outdoor living room for the unit. We self-financed and set the rent at $1000/month including utilities.
Floor plan: Before conversion to JADU
Floor plan: After conversion to JADU
Room before conversion
Stairs to JADU and deck
Room after conversion to JADU
Outdoor living room space
