Courtesy of Abodu
- Joyce Higashi is a San Jose native who built an ADU in her backyard in 2020 for $230,000.
- She leases the unit out to traveling nurses for three months at a time and charges $3,000 per month.
- Higashi has become a self-proclaimed "ADU evangelist," since building her own.
This story is based on a conversation with Joyce Higashi, who built an accessory dwelling unit, also known as an ADU, in her San Jose backyard in 2020. Now, she advocates for ADUs at events throughout the Bay Area. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
I am a San Jose native. I left for 15 years. I went to school and lived in San Francisco for a while. I never planned on moving back to San Jose but somehow I landed back here.