Helping Homeowners Become Home Creators
There is no single solution to our housing crisis. Different households have different needs, from type of home, to the size and location, to cost. One of the solutions available to us is for homeowners to become home creators. This includes Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), conversions such as turning a single family into a duplex or triplex, and even adding small clustered housing to one’s land.
While these small-scale solutions often fit nicely into our communities, it is no small undertaking for a homeowner to go through the process of creating an additional home or homes. Each town’s zoning and permitting process can be different. Costs can vary and quickly become prohibitive. Finding a contractor and the workforce needed to build homes can be challenging. But resources and help are available, and more is being developed. From financing, to workforce, to design, and permitting, solutions are evolving making ADUs and other small-scale development a more feasible option in addressing our communities’ housing needs.
The Upper Valley Home Creators project currently has 2 components:
- Home Creators Expos: Hosted by Vital Communities, Keys to the Valley (The Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission, the Two Rivers Ottauquechee Planning Commission, and the Mount Ascutney Regional Commission), Town of Hartford, and the Hartford Area Career & Technogy Center and sponsored by Dartmouth Health and the East Central Vermont Economic Development District, the Home Creators Expo has been offered annually since 2023. The Expo offers workshops and resources for homeowners curious about or ready to become a home creator whether by adding an ADU, converting a home, or other small development option.
- Business Plan Options: In partnership with Keys to the Valley and with funding from Dartmouth Health, a consultant is conducting outreach and information gathering to create two business plan options for a home creator utility/navigator. There is a lot of talk about ADUs, but many homeowners need more support to get from being interested to actually having a completed unit. The business plans will give us concrete options of how to move this support work forward and ultimately create more homes.
To learn more about ADUs and other small-scale housing solutions, check out:
- Keys to the Valley: Data, toolbox, and other resources from UVLSRPC, TRORC, MARC
- NH Housing ADU Resources