What Are Granny Pods and Why You Might Want One

In the world of home improvement, we tend to focus on the here and the now. Styles. Trends. Must-haves. But there’s a less exciting design element many homeowners don't think about: aging. At some point, most of us will have the responsibility of caring for an older parent or loved one. And yet most families don’t have a plan for senior housing and elder care. And the cost alone for traditional senior housing can be a serious shock for those unprepared. So, people are getting creative and building accessible, affordable senior housing in their own backyard.

Meet the Granny Pod. These little buildings are keeping relatives close to home and close to care without breaking the bank. And as more cities nationwide relax building codes, you’ll be seeing a lot more of them. Whether you’re weighing options for elder care right now or thinking about investments for the future, here’s everything you need to know about the granny pod trend.

Dad pads. Granny pods. Backyard cottage. These homes go by many names, but according to Ian Butcher of Seattle architecture firm Best Practice, the technical name is detached accessory dwelling unit or DADU. “500 to 750 square feet is probably the sweet spot for one of these,” he says. “Because it’s big enough to have a proper bedroom.” But Butcher notes that different municipalities have different restrictions for size. “The smallest one we’ve done was about 350 square feet,” he says. “And we’re doing one now that’s 1,000 square feet, which is the maximum you’re allowed to do in the city of Seattle.”

Granny pods strike a balance, offering autonomy for aging parents and the safety of having aging parents nearby. And while younger people are thinking about multigenerational living, Butcher says these pods are becoming more popular as homeowners realize the income opportunities with Airbnb, VRBO and other home rental sites. “People are like ‘I can put that thing in my backyard and make a hundred dollars a night.’ There’s a real appeal to that and once jurisdictions have allowed for that to happen, people are taking real advantage of that.”

Though it is smaller than your average home, a granny pod shouldn’t be confused with a tiny home. Nor is it an RV or a SheShed. And that’s because a granny pod is permanent. Compared to other more mobile tiny homes, these accessory dwellings have real electricity (no generator), real plumbing (no RV toilet paper) and a real foundation (no tractor-trailer lift). “Almost always it’s connected to the same sewer line as the main house,” says Butcher. “It runs its own electrical line from the main house, too. Some of them have gas. Some are all-electric. But it's every bit a small home, not a tiny home. They’ve got a full bath and a full kitchen. It’s a small version of a full home.”