Shruti | Growing my business and creating space for our family in Livermore
Cost: $100,000 | Size: 600 square feet | Type: One Bedroom Detached
We really wanted our kids to grow up in a diverse environment, so our family moved from upstate New York to Livermore in 2017. We love the rolling hillsides and scenic beauty of the area and it’s been easy to make friends. I love working with children, and also wanted the flexibility of working and living in the same space, so I decided to open an in-home preschool.
With our home business and growing family in the same space, we didn’t have much privacy. Originally the preschool was in our house and we would spend hours every Friday moving daycare supplies to the garage to try to create a sense of normalcy on the weekends. With everyone at home during the pandemic, it was clear we needed more space. It was stressful and just becoming too much to manage.
A neighbor suggested building an ADU. We were intrigued and at first thought of building it for our parents who live overseas. Instead, we realized that an ADU would be the perfect solution for our preschool. We had a great working relationship with our contractor who was recommended by our same neighbor. He was practical and helped us navigate the building process and make smart choices.
Our ADU has been great for both my family and my business. We have more space and privacy and it has given the preschool a more professional atmosphere. With the separate entrance for the ADU, parents no longer need to come through the main house when dropping off or picking up their children, and I’ve finally found the perfect balance of living and working on one property that I was looking for all along.
