A Loving Situation

At 75, Bill Wolfram, who lives with Parkinson’s disease, wanted to move from Washington State to Maine to be closer to his 88-year-old brother, Chuck. But relocating meant giving up his subsidized apartment in Seattle and facing years on a waiting list for affordable housing in Maine.

The solution was right in Chuck’s side yard. There was enough space to build a one-bedroom ADU.

Within six months of signing a contract with the builder, Backyard ADUs, a 580-square-foot home was ready for Bill to move in.

Today, the brothers live side-by-side.

The two homes on Portland’s Stevens Avenue are sided with the same style of cedar shingles. Chuck is installing the shingles himself.

The two brothers were close growing up, so it’s great to have Bill as a next-door neighbor, Chuck said. “It’s wonderful. It couldn’t be better.”

Bill, who spent 20 years living on a sailboat, said he appreciates the ADU’s simplicity. “I don’t need anything further,” he said. “This is fine.”

Their sister, Mary Hunter, who lives in Florida and recently visited, said she was thrilled to see her brothers together again.

“It’s a relief,” she said. “It’s a loving situation.”