Alternative senior housing
Alternative Senior Housing Builder
A backyard home can give a parent independent living close to family as an alternative to assisted living. It provides housing, not medical care. Wolf builds a code-compliant, usually one-level home and can add accessibility features. Not every small home is ADA.
Where Wolf works
In Washington and Oregon, Wolf employees handle your project from property review and permits through construction, site work, delivery, and installation. Some projects require third-party services, such as surveys or septic design and installation, depending on the property and jurisdiction. Beyond Washington and Oregon, local contractors complete site work and utility connections.
Who it’s for
Who small-scale senior housing can serve
Families housing a parent nearby
The backyard home gives them their own kitchen, bath, and door, a short walk from help in the main house.
Households leaving a care setting they no longer want
A permitted ADU (accessory dwelling unit) does not replace clinical care. It is a private dwelling for when housing, rather than a facility, is what the household needs.
Seniors who want to downsize and stay close
A single-level Wolf plan can be the place you move into while someone else uses the primary house, or the other way around.
What Wolf builds
Accessibility options available
Not all homes are ADA. When you tell us the need, we can include wider doorways, lever handles, grab bars, taller toilets, a lower-step shower, and ramped or covered entries. Model E is designed with accessibility in mind, the Model L plan can be adjusted for accessibility, and compact plans are single-level. Wolf does not have a clinician on staff or a blanket accessibility certification.
One story as the default
Compact Wolf plans have no stairs inside the dwelling, so they work well for aging in place.
A permit that outlives the first occupant
When the accessibility features are no longer needed, the same dwelling can host guests or a long-term renter if rules allow.
Factory quality, local placement
The home is inspected at the plant (Washington L&I or Oregon BCD). Your city or county inspects the pad, setbacks, and hookups.
Process
When senior-ready housing is legal on the lot
- 1
What it is
A permanent, usually detached dwelling designed around the resident’s mobility needs. Most jurisdictions permit it as an ADU.
- 2
When it is legal
The property must allow a second dwelling, or a primary home on vacant land, and provide a practical route from parking to the entrance. Rural rules and HOA (homeowners association) requirements may differ.
- 3
Typical size and cost
Model K (432 sq ft) works well for one person or a couple; Model E (616 sq ft) adds a second room; Model L (984 sq ft) has room to adjust the plan for accessibility. Prices for the homes themselves range from $67,500 (Model B, available only in the City of Portland) to $178,500 (Model I), with appliances separate. Your complete project is quoted after reviewing the property and confirming the scope.
- 4
Permit path Wolf handles
Evaluation (zoning plus the path of travel) → proposal → local ADU/placement permit and factory insignia → foundation, set, occupancy. Accessibility features are included in the dwelling permit.
Models
Plans we discuss for senior-ready living
Start with how someone moves through a home, then pick the smallest plan that still has a real bedroom and a comfortable bath.
Notice the rooms and details you would use. These are layouts to explore; we need to review your property before recommending one.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Are Wolf homes ADA compliant?
Is this the same as aging-in-place or a mother-in-law suite?
Does Medicare or a facility budget pay for this?
Do I have to live in the main house?
Keep reading
Related Wolf pages
See if a senior-ready home fits your lot
Tell us who would live there and how they move through a home. We will check zoning, a step-conscious entry, utilities, and a Wolf plan that can be permitted as a dwelling.
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