Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are rapidly growing in popularity. These miniature homes can be installed in a homeowners backyard to provide additional housing or substantial supplemental income from rent. They also provide a viable solution to the U.S.’s growing affordable housing crisis. In the State of California, permits for ADUs and backyard homes have grown 11 fold in only 3 years. 

Cities all over the country have begun easing regulations to allow for the rapid development and construction of backyard homes. Offsight customer, Rent the Backyard aims to tackle the rapidly growing backyard home market by offering high quality, sustainably built backyard homes that are constructed Offsite in their Bay Area factory. They leverage the efficiencies of Offsite Construction to deliver units faster and economically. 

We sat down with Rent the Backyard, CEO, Brian Bakerman, to get his take on backyard homes, Offsite Construction and the role technology plays in driving efficiencies.  

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There are just so many long-term benefits — what it really comes down to is the ability to make up to $15,000 in extra income per year, while also simultaneously gaining ownership in a valuable home in your backyard. We know our units are a great way to supplement retirement income, save up for major expenses, or fund side-businesses or other entrepreneurial ventures. 

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It really comes down to speed and certainty. For us, our units are built in the factory in the fraction of the time that a traditional building is built given the processes we’ve implemented and streamlined. Simultaneously, we are able to permit the unit, which is a faster process because of our state approval. We also give homeowners certainty when it comes to unit costs and in final design, since our homeowners can come see our show unit before making a purchase decision. Cost for offsite built units can also be advantageous (ours are especially good because we sell direct to consumer), but really ranges based on the supplier.

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Q: Brian: Is there a role technology can play in helping manage factory assembly, product quality or driving production efficiencies? Is there a way technology implemented in your supply chain or production process can ultimately benefit your customers too?

Absolutely. Tracking is something that is pretty rare for projects onsite and is often very manual. Having a central factory enables standardization and tracking and allows for the implementation of technology. We use Offsight to help us track where we have issues, when they are corrected, and where bottlenecks exist. This allows us to plan farther in advance. On the supply chain side, being able to keep track of material orders can help reduce delays and keep down costs, which have a direct benefit to the customer.