Exploring Compact Living: Small Homes, ADUs, and Tiny Home Insights

Stories of net-zero living and families who live with zero carbon emissions can often conjure up images of exclusive communities and shiny sterile homes. And while those homes may have their place, for many, that lifestyle could never feel like home. But is this all net-zero is? What is Net-Zero? The term “net-zero” refers to living in a way that completely balances out carbon emissions, bringing the net total of a person’s carbon footprint contribution to zero. As our planet surges farther past the line of un-sustainability with every passing day, world organizations and countries are placing goals in action to motivate consumers and companies to better align their consumption and output with the planet’s needs for the future. And while it’s true that the effect that one family can have by bringing their lifestyle more in line with net-zero values is minuscule in comparison to the effect that could result by one large corporation doing the same, we believe that this is a poor comparison that does little to set any of us up for success. All changes, however small, are steps in the right direction. So what steps can we all make? Worthwhile Steps When considering which changes are most impactful to be made, most sources recommend that instead of thinking too big, we think small. What are everyday energy-wasters in our home? What specific single-use plastics seem to clog up our own trash cans? How can our driving style make what gas we do use last a bit longer? Building for Success with Sustainability At XtremeADU, we believe that Net-Zero Living is not a lifestyle only achievable to a select few. We seek to inspire people to not just view Net-Zero as a concept for constructing their house but as an ideal that can become a living and breathing piece of their home and lifestyle. Building a home set up to generate and run on solar energy as well as being designed for maximum temperature retention can be a great next step for families looking to do more to bring their lives more in-line with the ultimate goal of net-zero. All XtremeADU’s come solar-ready, and with easy add-on options to leverage your desire to help the Earth while providing you with a place that looks and feels like home, wherever home is for you and your family. We strongly hold that viewing net-zero as a goal instead of one large step and taking gradual changes as they come is the most sustainable way for families to make this step. It’s a journey, and a worthwhile one to undertake! Call us to talk more about Net-Zero living and how easy we can make that jump for you. Your first step is really that simple! Further Reading and Resources: 35 Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint New York Times: How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint How to Calculate Your Carbon Footprint 7 Steps Towards Net-Zero For G7 Countries that have a place in your home

At XtremeADU, one of the topics we’re most passionate about is the materials we use to build. We’ve been in the industry a long time, and have been able to really hone our skills and techniques to keep families warm and cozy in their homes not just once the build is finalized, but for many long years to come. One of our favorite topics to wax poetic on is the use of Structurally Insulated Panels, or SIPs for short. We’ve individually been building with them for years, and exclusively work with SIPs for all of our XtremeADU models because we are that passionate about their structural superiority, health benefits, speed of assembly, and energy efficiency. Join us in taking a brief deep-dive into our favorite building material and to learn why your next build should absolutely use SIPs! What are SIPs?  SIP stands for Structurally Insulated Panel, and in a nutshell, that’s exactly what it is. SIPs sandwich a layer of rigid insulation between two OSB (oriented strand boards) and are then worked with as one unit. These panels provide both structure and insulation in one step, and can thus be assembled as one unit instead of framing out the home and then adding insulation later.