Why Did This Freetown Family Build an ADU to Keep Their Daughter in Town?

By Buz Artiano, BuildX | March 2026

Watch: Keeping Family Close | The ADU Solution

If you are a parent watching your adult child struggle to find an affordable place to live in the town where they grew up, you already know how difficult that is. Rent prices just keep going up. Starter homes are too far out of reach, and the idea of your kid leaving the town they love would be heartbreaking. You want your kid to be able to stay in the place where they coach softball or serve on committees for, and the place they call home.

My name is Buz Artiano, and we have been involved in building many ADUs across Massachusetts at BuildX, mostly on the South Shore and in the southeastern Massachusetts areas such as Plymouth, Marshfield, Kingston, and now Freetown. We handle everything from the design and getting the permits as well as the actual construction. We also help with the Massachusetts zoning laws, including septic restrictions, lot coverage limits, and the ADU state laws. Every week, we talk to families that are trying to solve a housing problem that they didn't think they would have. The discussions we have are almost always about keeping family close, and people don't know where to start.

Pam and Cliff Carden are BuildX clients. We are currently building their detached ADU in Freetown for their adult daughter, who has lived in Freetown her whole life and is very involved in the community. Unfortunately she can't afford to buy or rent a home there. The Cardens compared us to a prefab company from Burlington and chose BuildX because we had the full team, architects, designers, and contractors, assembled and ready to go.

We always love to share stories about families who had a great experience with us. We're sharing the Cardens' story because they did their homework, compared builders, and made a very well thought out choice. Their story and honest opinion on why they chose BuildX is more helpful than anything we could say about ourselves.

Why Did the Cardens Decide to Build an ADU for Their Daughter?

The answer comes down to two words: housing costs. Cliff Carden said this: the cost of housing in their area made a traditional home not an option for their daughter. An ADU on the property the family already owns in Freetown was the only option that would allow her to stay in town without causing the family to spend more money than they could afford.

But this wasn't only a financial decision. Pam says their daughter is a townie in the best sense of the word. She will always live in Freetown and she is very involved with the town including local organizations and community events. So the Cardens were not just solving a housing problem, they were keeping something that mattered to their whole family: their daughter's connection to the town where she belongs.

If you have ever been in a situation like that, with a grown child who can't afford to live in the community where they grew up, the Cardens were exactly in your situation. They found a solution that works, and it started with a single discussion about the possibilities on their property.

What Made the Cardens Choose BuildX Over a Prefab Company?

The Cardens did not choose the first builder that they talked to. They met with a prefab company from Burlington before they came to our facility. Cliff described the difference in this way: the prefab company did not have all the contractors lined up the way BuildX does.

What made the difference was the team that we had put together. Cliff said it was the biggest thing. BuildX has contractors, building designers, and architects all in one place. So the Cardens did not have to deal with all separate companies for design, engineering, permitting, and construction. That coordination was already part of the process, and Cliff said it made everything easier.

Pam found BuildX on Facebook, visited our facility, and brought their daughter to the design meeting. The whole family went through the process together. That matters. When you are building a home for a family member, the person who will live there needs to be part of the conversation from day one.

What Does the Design Process Actually Look Like When You Are Building for a Family Member?

The Cardens came to our facility and sat down with the design team. Their daughter's top priority was an open-concept kitchen, something the family had always wanted but never had. Using our 3D design tools, we were able to build a nice layout while they watched.

Cliff said when the changes appeared on screen it was a wow experience. He said he loved that you just drag the mouse and all of a sudden you can instantly see the change, and you are seeing your home come together right in front of you. Pam said she didn't have to worry about what it was going to look like, because she could see it right in front of her. Being able to see the design in 3D before committing really eased the anxiety the family was feeling.

We bring the family member who will live in the ADU into the design session for every project where the ADU is being built for someone specific. That's because the person living there has different priorities and ideas than the person who's paying for it. Parents tend to think about cost and property impact first. The person who will be living there every day cares about kitchen layout, natural light, and whether the space feels like a real home or a guest house. When we have everyone together in the same room at the same time, we can deal with any conflicts early and design something that works for everyone. On the Carden project, that meant orienting the layout around an open-concept kitchen because that was their daughter's one non-negotiable thing. If we had designed the ADU without her in the room, we could have missed that.

What Happens When Your ADU Cannot Go Where You Originally Planned?

The Cardens ran into a site constraint that many families face: the ADU couldn't go where they originally wanted it to go. But Pam said that Buz was able to rotate the structure and work with our designer Samantha to make the layout work on a different part of the property.

This is just one of the things that happens when you're building on an existing residential lot. Setback requirements, septic system locations, tree coverage, utility access, and grading are all a part of deciding where an ADU can physically go. The Cardens' lot required creative problem-solving, so we did just that. We adjusted the orientation, and the family ended up with a layout that worked.

What Pam said about that experience is worth hearing. She said that every little thing they thought was a problem ended up really not being a big deal. She didn't feel confident because we made the problem disappear. She felt that way because she knew our team had a plan for working through it.

Is Building an ADU for Your Adult Child Actually Realistic?

The Cardens are proof that it is. Their project in Freetown is actively under way. They have cleared the site, taken down fences, removed a shed, and cut trees to prepare the property. Cliff joked that there was more stuff to move than he thought he had, but the work is real and it is happening right now.

Massachusetts allows homeowners to build one ADU by right under the Affordable Homes Act, up to 900 square feet. You can review the full requirements at mass.gov. The Cardens' daughter will have her own independent living space right there on her parents' property, and she gets to stay in her home town that she loves, and the cost is something the family can manage together.

If you have been wondering whether this kind of project is even possible, the Cardens are not the first ones that we've helped through it, and they of course won't be the last. People all over Massachusetts are going the ADU route because watching their kids leave or take on mortgages they are going to drown in is just not practical or a viable option.

Is a Design-Build ADU the Right Fit for Every Family?

No. And we'd much rather be honest about that upfront than have you find out after signing a contract. A full design-build ADU makes sense when you want a permanent, code-compliant home that adds a lot of value to your property. It's a great option when you need design flexibility, when your lot has constraints that require creative solutions, and when you want one team that deals with the entire project from start to finish.

It might not be the right choice for you if you're working with a very short timeline and a modular or prefab unit could be placed faster. It's also probably not the right choice for you if you are working with a smaller budget that can't support site work, permitting, and custom construction. And it might not be a good idea if you aren't planning to stay on the property long enough for the investment to pay off. We tell every family that they should talk to multiple builders, compare approaches, and make the decision that fits their specific situation. The Cardens did exactly that, and they chose us. Not every family will, and that is fine.

Your Daughter Deserves to Stay in the Town She Loves

The Cardens are building more than just a 900-square-foot building in their backyard. They're building a way for their daughter to stay in the community where she grew up, volunteers, and belongs. That's what an ADU can do when the housing market has taken away every other option. If your family is facing the same decision, you're not alone, and a solution is more achievable than you might think.