Acorn Built Homes

10/27/2026

What if one solution to America's housing shortage is already sitting in our backyards?

This CBS Sunday Morning report highlights how Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are creating new housing opportunities across the country.

From helping families displaced by wildfires to allowing aging parents to live independently while remaining close to loved ones, ADUs offer practical solutions to some of today's most pressing housing challenges.

And the momentum is growing.

Here in Pennsylvania, two bills — HB 2186 and SB 1346 — could help expand access to ADUs by removing unnecessary regulatory barriers.

At Acorn Built Homes, we see firsthand how much families want flexible living arrangements that accommodate changing needs across generations.

The demand is real. The opportunity is significant.

Pennsylvania has an opportunity to make these housing options more accessible.

Watch the CBS report. We'd love to hear your thoughts:

Should more Pennsylvania homeowners have the ability to create an ADU on their own property?

Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs, are small, fully-functional secondary homes located on the same property as a main home (usually in the backyard) that serve as carriage houses or "granny flats." But as wildfires have displaced residents in the West, ADUs have filled a vital need where housing has...

10/17/2026

The Golden Girls may have been ahead of their time.
A recent TODAY Show segment highlights a growing trend: older women choosing to share homes with friends, combining companionship, independence, and financial practicality.
According to a 2024 AARP survey, 57% of women over 50 would consider living with a friend as they age.
It's an interesting shift in how people are thinking about their later years. And it raises a bigger question:
What if we designed our homes around how we want to live in the future, rather than how we've always lived?
Whether that means creating private living quarters within an existing home, building an addition, or exploring an accessory dwelling unit (ADU), thoughtful planning can create new possibilities for living together while maintaining independence.
At Acorn Built Homes, we believe the best homes are designed not just for today, but for the next chapter of life.

Watch the TODAY Show segment:
Meet the Real-Life Golden Girls — TODAY Show
https://www.today.com/video/more-women-are-tapping-into-inner-golden-girl-to-save-money-271555653818

Read our related article:
Aging in Place: ADUs and Home Additions for Older Relatives Moving In — Acorn Built Homes
https://acornbuilthomes.com/blog/aging-in-place-adus-and-additions/

When an older parent needs to live closer to family, the first question is usually where to make room. It is the wrong first question. The better one is what

10/09/2026

🏗️ Behind the Build: From framing to finished walls.

Our 750-square-foot, two-bedroom addition has reached another major milestone.
Outside, the structure is fully wrapped, and siding is underway. Inside, insulation and drywall are complete, spackling is in progress, and the HVAC system and electrical panels are in place.

You can also clearly see the living space, two bedrooms, and shared full bathroom taking shape.

Next up: paint.

This is the stage where months of planning and construction start to look and feel like a finished home.

👉 Planning a significant home addition? Visit acornbuilthomes.com to tell us about your project and learn about A Better Way to Build.

10/05/2026

🏗️ Behind the Build: Part 8 - Inspections passed. What’s next?

Another major checkpoint for our 750-square-foot, two-bedroom addition: plumbing, electrical, and framing inspections are complete and passed.

Now the project is moving into its next phase. Tyvek is going up on the exterior, insulation is being installed inside, and gutters are next on the schedule.

These may not be the most dramatic stages of a build, but each one moves the structure closer to becoming a finished living space.

👉 Planning a significant home addition? Visit acornbuilthomes.com to tell us about your project and learn about A Better Way to Build.

09/30/2026

🏗️ The work inside is moving just as quickly as the work outside.

With the roof complete, we’re stepping inside this 750-square-foot addition for the latest progress update.

Framing is complete. Electrical, plumbing, and mechanical work are in place. And next up: insulation and drywall.

But keeping a project moving is only part of the job. Keeping the homeowner informed matters, too.

Every week, our clients receive an update on what was completed, what’s happening now, and what they can expect next. Because a well-managed project shouldn’t leave the homeowner wondering where things stand.

👉 Planning a significant home addition? Visit acornbuilthomes.com and tell us about your project.

09/30/2026

📍 Planning a home addition in Lower Merion? A building permit isn’t the only requirement you may need to think about.

One distinction homeowners often overlook is the difference between zoning approval and building permits.

Zoning determines whether your proposed addition is allowed on the property and where it can be located. The permitting process addresses the requirements for actually constructing it.

Depending on the property and project, factors such as setbacks, lot conditions, coverage limitations, and other township requirements can influence what you’re able to build.

Know what your property allows before designing around assumptions:
→ https://bit.ly/4pZwlrx

09/29/2026

They signed a contract. Paid a large deposit. Four months later, the price went up by $100,000.

The problem wasn’t necessarily that someone did something wrong. No one was responsible for the whole project.

The architect had their scope. The civil engineer had theirs. The structural engineer had theirs. The soil testing firm had theirs. And the builder priced the project before critical engineering and approvals were complete.

Every company understood its piece. No one owned what happened between the pieces.

That’s why the order matters.

At Acorn Built Homes, we coordinate pre-construction, design, engineering, permitting, interior design, and construction under one accountable team, and we don’t price a project we don’t understand yet.

The number comes last. That order is the difference.

👉 Planning a significant home addition? Visit acornbuilthomes.com and tell us about your project.

09/28/2026

🏗️ Behind the Build: The addition is officially under roof.

Our 750-square-foot, two-bedroom addition has reached another major milestone. The roof is complete, the framing is wrapped in OSB, and the structure is starting to feel more and more like a finished living space.

Next up: insulation inside, Tyvek outside, and then drywall.

Each step builds on the work that came before it, and we’ll keep taking you behind the scenes as this project moves from structure to finished space.

Follow along for the next update.

👉 Planning a significant home addition? Visit acornbuilthomes.com to learn about A Better Way to Build.

09/28/2026

Sometimes the reason to build isn’t more space. It’s keeping family close without giving up independence.

For families considering an Accessory Living Space, the conversation goes well beyond adding bedrooms.

Does a parent need single-floor living? How much privacy and independence should the space provide? Will it need its own kitchen and utilities? How should it relate to the main home? What does the municipality allow?

Those questions shape very different projects, and they’re worth answering before plans are drawn.

This National Family Day, we’re celebrating homes designed not simply for more people, but for multiple generations to live well together.

09/25/2026

🏡 More families aren’t asking, “Should we move?” They’re asking, “How can we live differently here?”

Multigenerational living is changing what established homes need to do for the families who own them.

Aging parents may want independence with family nearby. Adult children may need their own space. Homeowners may want to stay in a neighborhood and property they already love while making room for another generation.

But there isn’t one “multigenerational floor plan.”

For one family, the answer might be an addition. For another, it could be an independent Accessory Living Space. In other cases, a whole-home or full-floor renovation may allow an existing home to function differently.

The important question isn’t simply “How do we add more space?”

It’s “How should this property work for two generations with different needs?”

👉 Exploring multigenerational living in the Philadelphia suburbs? Visit https://bit.ly/4pZwlrx to learn about A Better Way to Build.