Anyone who has obsessively scrolled through Zillow and Padmapper looking for rentals in Los Angeles knows how difficult it is to find housing in a city where most are renters . Add popular amenities like parking, laundry, pet accommodations and private outdoor living space to the search, and housing becomes even more tricky. “You have to be diligent,” says Ben Larson, a 29-year-old commercial real estate broker for Industry Partners who found everything he was looking for.
“I got lucky.” As is often the case, Larson found the perfect rental for him and his dog, Theo, on Zillow.com.
However, it was far from a typical apartment listing: a 500-square-foot accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, in the backyard of architect Cameron McNall’s longtime Mar Vista home. “This place is such a nice sanctuary for us,” says Larson, who has had Theo since his senior year in college. “It’s so nice and comfortable.
It’s perfect for one person.” When the opportunity came to transform his garage into a one-bedroom, one-bath ADU in 2021, McNall viewed the addition as more than just a way to supplement his retirement. “Our motivations for making the ADU certainly include extra income,” confesses McNall, who is in his late 60s and collects Social Security benefits.
“But I have real problems with suburban land use, and I don’t think it’s right. I embrace the idea that we can increase the density. Aside from making extra income, I feel better about my footprint on the plane.