About Backyard ADUs
It all started helping a neighbor.
In late 2019, we stumbled on the fact that people could build “tiny homes” in backyards across New England, they just had to meet the building code.
With a background in real estate development, we realized this was completely possible and dove in headfirst.
We put up a website and started telling people about what we had in mind. Within two weeks our neighbor Marty showed us a post in the town’s local Facebook Group from another neighbor looking for someone to help build a small home for her mom.
We knocked on the door, explained what we thought was possible, and the rest is history.
We remain forever grateful to our first clients (and now friends) who trusted us with the great responsibility of building a home for their family on a budget they could afford, with nothing but passion, honesty, and our word to back up our plans.
New England is facing a housing crisis.
Some call it an "affordable housing crisis”, but the fact is our region simply does not have enough quality housing to go around and it affects everyone– not just renters paying more than 30% or even 50% of their income to rent. Landlords chase late rent payments, families compete for overpriced subpar rentals or to purchase homes, local businesses receive few patrons, and community engagement declines as people work longer to pay rent.
Why is this happening now?
Renovating old properties has become more difficult. The cost stems from abatement of dangerous materials (lead, asbestos, etc.), ever-increasing safety requirements of new homes, and the necessity to meet new energy efficiency codes to slow the advance of climate change.
Over the past decade the average household size had dropped to 2.6 people per home (PewResearch.org, 2019). More people have become empowered to live self sufficiently on their own or in much smaller groups than has been historically true.
Undeveloped land in cities has become increasingly scarce. This drives up the cost of empty parcels or requires additional expense to demolish existing structures.
We established Backyard ADUs to tackle these issues directly.
We design and build high-quality Net Zero ready small homes in backyards (aka ADUs, accessory apartments, granny flats, in-law apartments) and on standalone land. We combine modern prefab construction techniques with a flawless on-site construction process to do this at a price that starts to put pressure on the insane cost of building new homes.
Our homes are allowing seniors to downsize and boost their income, aging parents to join their children, and homeowners to earn honest rental income. And the best part is that homeowners do not get caught in the crossfire. No one will ever have to wake up to a giant apartment complex constructed next door.
The Team Leading the Way:
Chris Lee, Head of Design & Development
Chris started developing multi-family homes six years ago and has never strayed from his philosophy, “if my wife and I won’t live in it, no one should”. In other words, he is passionate about creating high-quality housing that tenants can call home.
He created Backyard ADUs after realizing the best opportunities in real estate were in a homeowner’s backyard. Leveraging experience in development projects, working with municipalities, and real estate finance, Chris set up Backyard ADUs to help homeowners benefit from a tight rental market and help solve the housing crisis.
Chris is a Maine native and currently lives in Brunswick, ME with his wife who is a Pediatrician and their running buddy Ellie (a dog). When he is not working, he is doing house projects, vegetable gardening, skiing, surfing, or enjoying a cold beer.
Austin Gregory, Chief of Operations & Engineering
Austin lives in Portland, Maine and has a background in Structural engineering. He holds a Bachelors of Civil Engineering degree from the University of Maine and is a Licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, North Carolina AND South Carolina. Austin has been practicing residential structural engineering for the past 10 years and is a licensed General Contractor in the state of MA.
“I love helping to house people who actually NEED housing. Providing housing that is beautiful and functional, but that also happens to be affordable, is extremely rewarding.”
Aaron Gregory, Board Member & Advisor
Aaron, also known as “Bunky”, is our Advisor for Backyard ADUs AND owner of Two Tractor Guys, a small construction company that works hand in hand with us to complete many of our builds across Maine and Massachusetts. Aaron has multiple businesses and is valued for his strong knowledge of entrepreneurship and many years of experience in business.
Aaron loves working with Backyard ADUs because he “really enjoys helping people get into homes that they previously couldn’t, in addition to changing the way that society views space-conscious living.”
Jeff Bowman, Maine Small Home Advisor
Those of you in Maine who are looking to build with us will be working side by side with Jeff to bring your dream to reality.
He recently moved to Maine with his wife and young son from Charlotte, North Carolina.
With a B.S. in Business, his passion lies in working side-by-side with clients, guiding them through the design and build process to create their custom dream home.
Tim O’Reilly, Massachusetts Small Home Advisor
If you live in Massachusetts you will most likely be working with Tim to make your small home dreams happen.
Tim lives in Holyoke, MA and started building small homes in California straight out of college. He has since worked in other fields such as teaching and farming but has returned back to the construction space due to his love for it and working with clients.
When asked what he enjoys about his job he responded, “I love problem-solving which is why I love the work that I do at Backyard ADUs. From planning, designing and construction, every day of work is different and I love helping people meet their housing needs.”
Kevin Whelan, PreConstruction Project Manager
Kevin is the guy who keeps every project in his region running smoothly.
He got started working in the solar industry straight out of college and worked alongside electricians and contractors on various projects, which included some innovative construction technologies. Just before joining our team he wore many hats at a coffee roasting facility doing everything from roasting specialty coffee, deciphering and implementing legal requirements for food manufacturing and OSHA, and managing a 70,000 sq ft facility. Now he’s back in the construction world and we couldn’t be more lucky to have him.
“I love working for Backyard ADUs because I take great satisfaction in bringing someone's vision to life and making them happy,” he says. “Not to mention, it's been a privilege to join this dynamite team.”
Avril Williams, Director of Marketing
Avril is the creative face behind what you see on social media, events and the emails you receive. Her art degree gives her an eye for graphic design and, prior to working for us, she ran her own lifestyle wellness brand where she hosted her own events and marketed her own products.
When the pandemic hit, Avril embraced the opportunity to improve her digital marketing skills and got certified in Social Media Management. It was then that she went looking for a company she was excited about. Living in Portland and with a strong passion in social change, she looked forward to joining Backyard ADUs and the goal of impacting the housing crisis.
In her spare time she is a potter, yoga teacher and travels extensively, both around the country and internationally. She loves writing, hiking, gardening and anything that gets her outside.
Jeremy Gingras, Site Supervisor (Cape Cod)
Jeremy not only lives on the Cape, but is a 13th generation Cape Cod native! A Licensed General Contractor (CSL), he grew up on construction sites with his father and uncles. He has been working in modular home construction for several years after working in custom home building.
When not building homes, Jeremy is growing local cranberries and spending time with his wife and 3 teenage daughters.