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The interior of a tiny house with large glass windows, showcase the kitchen, part of the living room and loft bedroom.

Front end of a blue tiny house with under skirting and storage unit in the back. Shaded windows in the front of tiny home. Fence

A tiny house with large glass windows, sits in the backyard at night, surrounded by trees and party lights.

Homes come in all shapes and sizes — from tiny homes to mansions, converted barns to high-rise apartments — but there are also housing units known as “granny pods” that are making headlines in Connecticut and nationwide.

A bill that recently passed the State Senate would require towns to allow owners of single-family homes to convert parts of their houses or detached garages into so-called accessory units — sometimes known as granny pods — without needing special permission from local officials. Towns can opt out of this, though some already allow the units. 

While granny pods are a type of accessory dwelling unit (or ADU), not all ADUs are granny pods. So what constitutes a granny pod?

Granny pods can take the form of a standalone “modular structure” in a property’s backyard that acts as a detached in-law apartment for aging parents, according to Realtor.com. Such structures typically have a bedroom, bathroom, living room and kitchenette housed in around 300 to 500 square feet, Realtor.com notes; they also tend to be built with wider doorways and open floor plans to accommodate any accessibility needs. 

The Connecticut Law Tribune notes that the housing option was originally thought of as “affordable, handicapped-accessible housing close to caretakers and/or family” that acts as “timely and cost-effective alternatives to nursing home care or in-home modifications.” 

Vincent Averaimo, partner at Milford Law, LLC, offered that these types of living arrangements can provide a modern alternative to traditional eldercare housing options like nursing homes. 

“Considering that individuals are living longer and the cost of care is significant and continues to rise, this may be a way that loved ones can care for their elderly parents but still allow them some independence at a much lower overall cost,” he said in an email. 

Some towns in Connecticut already allow ADUs that are not designated for specific use as granny pods. For example, Ridgefield permits the construction of ADUs “in all single-family residential zones” in the town, so long as there is only one per residential lot and the owner of the primary residence lives on site. However, they can only be a maximum of 900 square feet and contain one bedroom. 

In Fairfield, the “separate, self-contained living unit” is allowed so long as it is “no more than forty percent of the floor area of the originally existing residence or 1,500 square feet, whichever is less.” Such units also have to be rented for a minimum of 60 consecutive days. 

With granny pods and other ADUs comes some controversy, according to Averaimo — starting with the potential for greater neighborhood density. 

“I would say that all accessory dwellings post the same concerns if the plan is to place them in the backyard of an already-established main home in an otherwise single-family residential neighborhood,” he said. “[Where] you would have a family of four in a single-family home, for example, with an accessory dwelling/tiny home added to the back yard of the main home, you have now added an additional one or two people on the same size lot in the same neighborhood.”

Beyond population concerns, Averaimo noted that such structures also have to be connected to basic utilities and create a capacity issue in doing so. Additionally, the potential for financial ramifications might also turn people off to the idea.

“An increase in the number of individuals living in a particular neighborhood or city could also cause an increase in the cost of municipal services that might be passed on to all homeowners through increased taxes or cutting of services if not affordable,” he said. “Furthermore, many may question if the allowance of such tiny homes onto a property in a predominantly single-family residential neighborhood could negatively impact the property values of the existing homes or make that particular neighborhood less desirable.”