Neighbor Spotlight: Dena and Tor | Sonoma County

600 sq ft
1 floor
1 bedroom
1 bathroom

Dena and Tor, local environmentalists who care deeply about sustainability, were looking for a combination of properties close to town in Sebastopol at a price they could afford.

When Dena and Tor were looking for a new home, they had their wish list: a place for themselves and two teenage girls, an ADU for Dena’s mother, a space for their home based environmental nonprofit, a nice neighborhood and a reasonable price. “We just weren’t finding anything,” Dena explained. 

Then, almost by accident, they came across an empty piece of land for sale that could work. They bought it with plans to simultaneously build a house for themselves and granny flat for Dena’s mom.

Adding the ADU was important and doing the two units together cut down on costs. “It was important for my mom’s sense of independence to have her own place. Also for us, it was so convenient. Especially after she stopped driving,” explained Dena. “And, we were thinking ahead, potentially using it as a rental someday.”

Now that Dena’s mom has passed they do in fact rent out the unit. “It’s super easy to find a renter. Everyone you know is trying to find a space for someone they know. As a landlord you have your pick of who and how to rent. We picked someone we liked to interact because we knew they would be our next door neighbor.”