More new California ADUs house family than market tenants, and Acton ADU, the Campbell design-build firm that named the Family Integrity Planning framework, says the record permit numbers reflect families caring for aging parents, keeping grandparents close to grandchildren, and building lasting value on property they already own.
CAMPBELL, Calif., Oct. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — November is National Family Caregivers Month, and a growing share of California’s caregiving is happening in a backyard. The state’s record run of accessory dwelling unit permits is usually reported as a housing supply story. Acton ADU, the design-build company that named the Family Integrity Planning framework, says a decade of data shows multigenerational care has become the engine behind the backyard home.
The median assisted living community in California now costs $84,000 a year, and a semi-private nursing home room $146,000 (CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey, published March 2026). Meanwhile, California issued 41,844 ADU permits in 2025, an all-time high and 31 times the 1,336 permitted in 2016 (California HCD Annual Progress Report, October 2026 release).
In the only statewide survey of California ADU owners to date, 37 percent of new ADUs housed family or friends, at no cost or reduced rent, while 32 percent were rented to market tenants (UC Berkeley Center for Community Innovation, April 2021). Nationally, 59.7 million Americans live in multigenerational households, four times the 1971 figure. A third cite caregiving as a major reason, 25 percent for adult care and 12 percent for child care (Pew Research Center, 2021 survey and Census analysis, published March 2022).
Among Acton ADU’s own projects, 91% were built to house a family member (Acton ADU project records, as of January 1, 2026).
“ADU growth gets covered as a supply story, but in the backyard it’s a family story,” said Stan Acton, founder of Acton ADU. “Acton ADU exists to help families stay together. Homeowners are planning and building for their parents who shouldn’t live alone anymore and their adult child who can’t afford to stay close. We named the approach Family Integrity Planning in 2017 because families needed a way to talk about the decision, multi-generational living, and to invest in a smart, long-term solution that makes an impact not only on their lives, but their financial plan. Every family that owns a home already has these conversations in some way. The permit numbers are what a decade of those decisions looks like.”
Family Integrity Planning treats an ADU as a long-term family plan rather than a construction project. It asks homeowners three questions: who will need to live on this property over the next 30 years, what care will they need, and how will the home hold its value, or grow, as those needs change. Many ADUs built for family become rentals later, and many rentals were built for family first, which is why the framework treats design and quality as an investment decision, not a finish choice.
“An aging-in-place ADU is not a regular ADU with grab bars added at the end,” Acton said. “Step-free entries, wider clearances, and a bathroom a caregiver can work in have to be designed in from the first sketch, or the home stops working the year the family needs it most.”
Homeowners can hear the framework applied city by city on the company’s ADU Adventures Podcast, which covers the story of cities and towns, multigenerational living, and some of the local ADU rules and approaches homeowners should consider in cities across the Bay Area and Los Angeles County. Listen at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adu-adventures-building-in-your-backyard/id1802900686.
Acton ADU is set to appear as an industry specialist on All Access with Andy Garcia, an educational series airing on Public Television stations nationwide, discussing the ADU movement and the thinking behind Family Integrity Planning. The segment begins distribution on October 26, 2026 to more than 170 participating Public Television stations and will air through October 2027.
Founded on more than 35 years of residential construction experience, Acton ADU has completed projects across California. The company serves homeowners throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, East Bay, San Gabriel Valley, and the greater Los Angeles County.
Interview Availability
Acton ADU founder Stan Acton is available for media interviews on:
- Elderly care at home: when a backyard home beats an $84,000-a-year assisted living community, and when it does not
- Why aging parents and adult children, not rental income, are behind California’s record ADU permits
- The grandparent ADU: how families are using backyard homes to solve the child care gap
- ADUs as a long-term family asset: why design quality decides whether the home performs for 30 years
- What homeowners should know before building, including Family Integrity Planning and California’s new pre-approved plan programs
To schedule an interview, contact James Parks at info@actonadu.com.
About Acton ADU
Acton ADU is a California design-build company specializing in accessory dwelling units. Serving homeowners throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, East Bay, and San Gabriel Valley, Acton ADU provides an all-in-one partnership covering feasibility, design, permitting, construction, and warranty. Every project is built to perform for decades, backed by a proven process built on No Surprises, Thoughtful Procedures, and Pride and Quality. Learn more at ActonADU.com.
Acton ADU | CA Lic. #638333 | (408) 539-1908 | ActonADU.com
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SOURCE Acton ADU
