The names vary — granny flat, casita, carriage house, or in-law apartment — but the much less romantic, yet official, name for a tiny house in the backyard is accessory dwelling unit (ADU).

An example of an auxiliary dwelling unit built behind an existing home. If you’ve ever wandered through “model” studio apartments in an Ikea showroom you will understand that a lot of living ...

Tim and Jackie Bowers outside of the 745 square-foot auxiliary dwelling unit that they built on the same parcel as their home. Manteca’s de facto affordable housing strategy — auxiliary ...