For Mark and Lynn, an ADU Meant Moving Closer to What Matters Most

Mark Baker, 67, and his wife, Lynn, 62, wanted to move from Fresno, California, to Portland, Maine, so that they could be closer to their daughter, her husband, and their two grandchildren, ages 1 and 5.

But the former missionaries have modest retirement savings, and housing costs in Portland are higher than in Fresno, a farming hub that has more in common with the rural Midwest than California’s tech hubs.

Their solution? Tear down their daughter’s detached two-car garage in North Deering and build an ADU in its place.

Thanks to modular construction by Backyard ADUs, the Bakers moved in just a year after starting the project.

The new $360,000 ADU includes a bedroom, a separate office, and access to a shared backyard vegetable garden.

The ADU sits so close to the main house that Mark can touch both buildings at once with his outstretched arms. And that proximity is no problem—in fact, it’s exactly why they chose this path.

Lynn said she loves spending time with her five-year-old grandson every morning before he goes to preschool.

“In the end,” Mark added, “we are doing this for family relationships.”