Whenever one of our clients’ parents came from California for an extended visit, they stayed in the upstairs guest bedroom across the hall from their granddaughter. The two bedrooms shared a bathroom. After bedtime, everyone tried to tiptoe through the hallway, close doors gently, and avoid waking a sleeping child. Spending time together in the evening meant another trip up and down the stairs.
It wasn’t ideal, but it worked well enough.
Until it didn’t.
A second child was on the way, and the guest room would soon become a nursery. That left one remaining option: an air mattress in the downstairs office.
For grandparents in their eighties, that didn’t feel like much of a solution.
The family began asking a different question.
If a hotel or Airbnb meant spending less time together, where else could they stay?
As they looked at the detached garage in the backyard, they began to wonder if it could become something more. Maybe it could become a place where the grandparents could stay. Close enough to feel like part of everyday family life, while still having a place of their own.
That idea eventually became a DADU.
A Place of Their Own
Today, when the grandparents come to visit, they spend their days with the family.
They celebrate birthdays. They play with the grandkids. They share meals together.
Then, after dinner, as the bedtime routine begins, they quietly head back to the DADU.
As our client shared with us,
“It’s been really nice to have that sense of separation at the end of the day.”
The parents can focus on getting the kids to bed. The grandparents can settle in for the evening, watch a little television, or simply enjoy some quiet before turning in for the night.
Mornings Look Different, Too
The mornings don’t begin with everyone waking up under the same roof.
The grandparents can wake up leisurely, enjoy a quiet cup of coffee, and rejoin the family when they’re ready.
By then, the joyful chaos of getting two young children fed, dressed, and moving has already begun.
Together, Differently
Some days, everyone gathers at the house. Other days, the grandchildren wander over to “Grandma and Grandpa’s place” to play cards, play games, or simply say hello.
They’re still together.
The difference is that everyone has a place of their own at the end of the day.
It turns out that a little separation made it easier for everyone to enjoy being together.