For seven years, Leticia and Maynor Aldana and their two children lived in a rundown apartment in North eld, Minn. Raw sewage from the apartment above dripped into their kitchen. The basement had standing water and mold. Their landlord was not helpful. For this they paid $1,200 a month in rent.
The Aldanas, who immigrated here — she from Mexico 16 years ago and he from Guatemala 33 years ago — are legal residents and hard workers. He hangs drywall. She’s a seamstress. But homeownership escaped them.
“We tried to buy a house, but didn’t have enough credit,” Maynor told me through an
interpreter. Neither he nor his wife speaks English. When they did nally have enough credit, they were turned down for loans because they didn’t earn enough.
“We felt stuck,”
Leticia said.
However, thanks to a compassionate couple, a caring community and their local Habitat for Humanity, the Aldanas moved into their new home on Labor Day.
“We know we can’t help every family who needs better housing, but we can help one at a time,” said Bob Thacker, a retired marketing executive who worked alongside the Aldanas and dozens of volunteers all summer renovating a dilapidated townhome to create a
■ See JAMESON, page 5
Leticia
“I’ve
Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed legislation making it easier for homeowners to add one or more accessory dwelling units, ADUs, to their property. The new law exempts junior ADUs, housed in an existing home, from the requirement of having their own bathroom. Larger, primary ADUs will now be exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act, required by some local jurisdictions. These are technical changes that will reduce the cost and expedite the process for anyone building an ADU.
40,000.
Over the last few years, the Legislature has focused much of its housing e orts on ADUs as a solution to California’s a ordable housing shortage. The regulatory process is now easier and lessening government regulations has made building ADUs more a ordable. These changes have attracted ADU specialty contractors who o er a large variety of house designs and provide homeowners a complete process from permitting to a completion certi cate. Higher-end production builders are designing new home site locations to better accommodate a future ADU and are using exible space designs within a new home that would accommodate an additional residential unit.
The legislative intent of building more ADUs has been successful. California leads the nation in ADU construction. By decreasing costly regulations, the private sector is building a record number of ADUs. A homeowner is allowed a primary ADU, separate from the main home, and a junior ADU that is attached or incorporated into the main home. According to the California Department of Housing and Community Development, in 2018 California homeowners applied for 7,000 ADU permits. In 2023, 31,000 ADU permit applications were submitted and the projection this year is
I expect the interest in building stand-alone, primary ADUs or converting existing space into a junior ADU will continue. The traditional thinking about the “single” family home as an exclusive single-family home is evolving. Fewer homes today are being occupied by only one family. An increasing number of homes are multigenerational. According to Pew Research a third of young adults between the ages of 18 and 34 are still living with a parent. Fi y-seven percent of those in the 18-to-24 age group said they were doing so; as did 21% of those ages 25 to 29 and 11% of those between the ages of 30 and 34.
Young adults living with their parents are the largest percentage of multigenerational households but there’s a growing increase of parents and grandparents taking up residence in their children’s homes. According to Pew, “Older parents moving in with their adult children make up a much larger component of “shared living” than they did a generation ago. Today, 14% of adults living in someone else’s household are a parent of the household head, up from 7% in 1995.”
With an increasing number of multigenerational families, homes are getting a little crowded. The median size of a detached home that sold last year was 2,286 square feet, down from 2,328 in 2022. According to the U.S. Census, the size of single-family homes has been shrinking since 2014. An ADU is o en an extension of an existing home.
El Dorado County isn’t a hot bed of ADU activity. O cially, the county believes there are less than 1,000 ADUs. Uno cially, there are likely twice that many. From experience, I have found many unpermitted ADUs, usually occupied by a family member and located in the more rural areas of the
county. Lower-level apartments, garage conversions, recreational vehicles and an assortment of buildings have been converted into separate living areas. Financing a new ADU or a home with an ADU is now easier. Fannie Mae will now include the ADU rental income when qualifying for a loan. An ADU may provide a homeowner with additional income or it may provide housing for grandma or adult children; however, ADUs have failed as a solution to California’s a ordable housing problem.
Everyone needs a ordable housing. In 2023 there were 5 million California’s living in poverty or about 14% of the state’s population. A study by the California Budget and Policy Center nds 4 in 10 households had una ordable housing costs, exceeding 30% of household income. Housing in California is scarce and expensive but ADUs will not solve these problems. Although ADUs are separate living quarters, they are extensions of the existing home. Folks are very particular about who is living in their backyard. That’s why ADUs are most o en occupied by extended family or homeowners have an existing
relationship with their tenants. The size limitation of ADUs limits the number of occupants. When de ning a lowincome household, California’s model is a family of four. The typical size of an ADU is around 800 square feet. ADUs are not generally built close to transit or job centers. When an ADU is rented at market value, rental income will generally be higher than nearby multifamily housing.
ADUs will provide extra space for crowded homeowners. They may provide homeowners with extra income. They are an a ordable housing option for elderly dependent parents or young adults saving for a downpayment for their own home. They are not, however, providing homes for the homeless, poor or rent challenged. California can have both. The success of ADUs has come about because the government reduced regulations, allowing the private sector to innovate designs at reduced costs. This example needs to be applied for a ordable housing built for lower income families. Ken Calhoon is a real estate broker in El Dorado County. He can be reached for questions and comments at ken@ kencalhoon.com.
“Star sh House.”
The name, Bob explained, comes from a parable about a boy on a beach covered with thousands of washed-up star sh. As he is throwing them one by one back into the ocean, an old man asks, why he bothers; he can’t save them all. At that, the boy tosses another star sh into the sea and says, “Well, it matters to this one.”
And the e ort matters to the Aldanas.
“Like so many laborers around us who mow our lawns, serve our meals, clean our homes, the Aldanas lived in slum-like housing, just a notch above homeless,” Bob said. “These folks don’t have a path to homeownership.”
The Aldanas’ new home is Star sh House 2. Bob and his team nished the rst Star sh House a year ago. “From the moment the paint dried, we knew we wanted to take on another one,” Bob said. Their model, which they would like to replicate in other communities, involves nding a rundown deserted house that they can buy for a song, asking talented and generous community members to pitch in, soliciting donated materials and combing curbs for casto furniture.
The Aldanas actually have their daughter to thank for putting the new home idea in play. Leticia and Maynor were among a few paid laborers who worked on Star sh House 1. As the project was winding up, the couple’s then 12-year-old daughter asked Bob, “Could you do a house like this for my family?”
He would nd a way. Funding was an issue. Bob and his wife Karen Cherewatuk bankrolled the rst house, Bob said. “We only had so much money and insurance.” Then the local Habitat for Humanity, a national nonpro t organization that helps lowerincome community members build and own a ordable homes, o ered to partner with them.
“That was huge,” Bob said. “Habitat provided resources and the name recognition that made getting donations and contributions easier.” Until then, this Habitat chapter had avoided restoring old homes, preferring to build new ones. Bob and Karen had proven with their rst project that through extreme resourcefulness and their contagious passion they could restore a rundown home for 30% to 40% less than the cost to build new.
Next, they found a townhouse that no one had lived in for a year. “The inside was trashed,” Bob said. “Mud covered the oors. The walls had holes in them. The basement windows had stayed open all winter.”
In other words, it was perfect.
Habitat bought the 1,200-square-foot house last spring and gave Team Star sh a $50,000 budget to restore it. “We came in under,” Bob said proudly. Volunteers worked on the house all summer, but no one put in more hours than Leticia and Maynor, who worked there evenings and weekends around their day jobs.
“Having a house like this was never even a goal because it was such a far-o possibility,” said Leticia, who especially loves her new kitchen. The only problem is, because she’s never had such nice appliances, she has to learn how to use them. “Sometimes I’m afraid to turn them on.”
As for Maynor, he still can’t believe that a er 33 years in this country, he owns a home. “This really is the American Dream.”
Renovating a house can cost more than building a new one, but it doesn’t have to. Here’s how the Star sh team does it and perhaps you can, too.
• Spend sparingly. The team stretched the $50,000 restoration budget to purchase only what they couldn’t get donated, and then spent carefully. They shopped at Building Material Outlet, a venue that sells over ow supplies from builders, for wood-vinyl ooring, cabinets, appliances, showers, toilets, tubs and sinks.
• Spread the word. Thanks to word of mouth, over 100 local residents volunteered to help, including framers, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, designers and master gardeners. Many donated building materials and provided labor discounts.
• Seek out free stu . “I am an inveterate Dumpster
diver and curb crawler,” Bob said. Early mornings, before trash pickup, and the last and rst days of the month, when people are moving, are prime times. They found many pieces of free furniture, including an heirloom quality mahogany bedroom set.
• Shop for cheap. They scoured Goodwill and garage sales. They found beautiful area rugs on Facebook Marketplace. Altogether they were able to completely furnish the home for under $800.
• Restore. The Aldanas worked alongside community members to restore and re nish much of the found furniture. “A little elbow grease really can turn trash into treasure,” Bob said.
• Believe. “If I’ve learned anything from this,” Bob added, “it’s to never underestimate the power of people or how much they want to help.”
Leticia and Maynor will o cially close on their new home September 19. Their house payments will be less than they now pay in rent.
Marni Jameson is the author of seven books, including “Rightsize Today to Create Your Best Life Tomorrow,” “What to Do With Everything You Own to Leave the Legacy You Want” and “Downsizing the Family Home.” You may reach her at marnijameson.com.
Court, Placerville
custom estate in the coveted gated community of Greenstone Country. is updated luxurious Sierras, pool, owned solar, oversized 4-car garage, new carpet & paint spans over 5,400 sq of re ned bedrooms, 6 baths including two half-baths ,an executive o ce, and a spacious game/movie room room, this estate is set on over 3 lush acres of meticulously manicured, park-like grounds that will approach, a grand circular driveway leads to the impressive entrance, anked by mature trees and fountain. Inside, custom trim and millwork grace every corner, and a stunning curved staircase expansive dining room, styled in true RH fashion, awaits your next dinner party, while the family room, ceiling & a beautiful replace, provides a serene retreat for relaxation. For those who love to entertain, showstopper, o ering a chic space to serve up cra cocktails or your nest wine selection. e updated a wine fridge, high-end appliances including two Bosch dishwashers, two Miele ovens & a Subresort awaits, with a sparkling pool, spa, expansive lawns, and gardens. Greenstone Country o ers trails, creeks, ponds with prime shing, equestrian arena, tennis courts and volleyball courts!
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11-3
5618 LUPIN LANE, POLLOCK PINES
$379,900
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11-3
3720 MARINKO COURT, PLACERVILLE
$665,000
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C21 • HELEN RIVARD 530-409-2687, ASHLEY CAMPBELL 530-391-4058
$149,500
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$3,099,000 5011 Greyson Creek Drive 4 6 (5 1) 4865 0.46 223105112
$3,195,000 890 Las Brisas Ct 5 6 (5 1) 4272 0.72
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Services 3420 Coach Lane, Suite 15, Cameron Park, CA 95682. NMLS #705400. Licensed by the Department of Business Oversight under the California Finance Lenders law - #6073455. CA Department of Business Oversight - 866-275-2677. California - Bureau of Real Estate Branch Of ce License Endorsement #00988341 1-2024
POLLOCK PINES $995,000
This is more than a home, more than just another estate, it’s a legacy, a legacy of hard work, caring and love. For almost 40 years, this area’s most successful builder has built and refined this magnificent Country Manor. It has seen Weddings, countless spirited Basketball games, and hundreds of swim parties. The three acre property is located on a hilltop that is only 1/2 mile from fishing or water skiing at Sly Park Lake, only one hour from Lake Tahoe and Sacramento. It boasts a view of the Crystal range mountains and the 10, 000 foot high, snow covered Pyramid Peak. It features a pool house with a full bath, a gaming court, a heated pool , and gazebo. The grounds have lush lawns and gardens amongst a forest of towering Cedars and Pines. This is the perfect elevation. with four distinct seasons, allowing for family fun all year long. The home itself is over 4200 square feet, with 4 bedrooms and 3 full baths, It has a soaring open beam ceiling and a wall of windows that let in the sunshine and expansive views. The hardwood floors radiate warmth, and the huge chef’s kitchen opens to the living and dining room for causal mountain style living. Down the elaborate staircase, you will find the family fun center, with a full bath. Start your Legacy today!
$529,000 MLS# 224083202
PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP!
This immaculate and gorgeous 3 bd, 2 bath home sits on .36 of acre. It’s only minutes from downtown Placerville. Gorgeous Hardwood Flooring, plantation shutters/dual panes, ceiling fans, central HVAC, whole house fan. The Kitchen has reverse osmosis filtration, granite counter tops, plenty of cabinets, pantry closet. The Living room has a fireplace w/newer insert. Dining room area has a woodstove. Large master suite features a walk-in closet, slider to balcony. Lot’s of windows and two solar tubes bring in plenty of natural light. Enjoy relaxing on the deck. 2 car garage with recessed lights. Close to schools, shopping and only minutes to Hwy 50. DRE#01187431 VICKI EMERY (530) 409-3707
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