After decades of caregiving and a whirlwind of health crises, Lydia Villalobos, a Colorado mother of three, has faced the reality of living apart from her husband of 53 years.
But instead of letting distance define their next chapter, the family has built an accessory dwelling unit — or ADU — to reunite them.
After caring for her brother with Down syndrome for 27 years, the pandemic and his declining health forced Lydia to make the difficult decision to move him into a care facility. Around the same time, her husband, Modesto Villalobos, was diagnosed with cancer and developed mobility issues, prompting him to move in with their daughter, Vanessa Villalobos, due to accessibility challenges in their Brighton home.
“It was just one thing after another,” Lydia, 72, said. “He and I have not lived together for the last three and a half years.”
They met on the dance floor
The couple met at a wedding dance in the early 1970s. Modesto, 77, came to the U.S. from Mexico to pursue music; she was a Longmont native. Lydia noticed not only his good looks, but also his talent on the dance floor. He even taught her how to dance.
Despite the language barrier, their connection was strong and grew. She describes their relationship as “salt and pepper” and “night and day”— a blend of differences that fostered a deep connection through hard work and humor.
"He's funny. He makes me laugh," Lydia said. "[We] used to talk and talk and just laugh all the time."
Since they began living under different roofs, Lydia has been commuting daily between Brighton and Henderson to care for Modesto, 77, who is in remission.
“The kids ... they’ve been helping so much, all of it for me and my husband, trying to help me care for him,” she said. “But it’s just getting to be too much.”
So, the family began searching for a way to reunite the couple.
“I was trying to still keep our home in Brighton,” Lydia said. “I spent two months looking and checking with other options — senior living communities, cost of renovations in our home, getting an apartment.”
Eventually, their daughter Monica persuaded them to build an ADU in her backyard in Denver. An ADU is a secondary residential unit built on the same lot — in the backyard, attic, garage, basement, etc. ADUs are designed to function independently as homes and typically have a kitchen, bathroom, sleeping area, and separate entrance. They are considered less expensive ways to accommodate family members or generate rental income.
“My wife and I, 12 years ago, bought our home and knew that eventually there might be a time where either one of us would need to bring our parents to live with us, either because of their age or illness,” Monica said.
But they had to find the right builder
Once the decision to build an ADU was made, the family had to figure out how to make it happen.
Last spring, Monica found Christy Silva, co-owner of Little Home Builder, who specializes in constructing ADUs — often for aging family members.
“I enjoy creating this housing,” Silva said. “Whoever is the customer, whoever we’re building it for, they’re involved in the design process.”
Silva said Little Home Builder works with clients from start to finish. With the Villalobos family, it took about a year to complete the ADU.
“They’ve been incredible,” Lydia said. “They’ve kept us informed every step of the way, explaining what to expect and how everything would unfold.”
Silva and her team took the time to understand Lydia and Modesto’s specific needs during the initial interviews, which helped shape a home designed for aging in place.
It's a one-level house with a bathroom large enough to accommodate a wheelchair. There are no carpets, flush edges in the shower, porch stairs, a ramp, or grab bars in the bathroom.
Monica’s property is on a corner lot of about 0.16 acres. Her house is 864 square feet, and the ADU is 565 square feet.
“I think [Lydia] said they’ve never gone through actually designing their own house and being able to pick out the exterior siding and the interior flooring and paints,” Silva said. “She had saved some Mexican terra-cotta tiles that she wanted to use, and we figured out how to lay those into the kitchen backsplash and give her own personal touches like that.”
Silva said these projects typically range from $200,000 to $300,000.
For Monica, the best part of the process was working with Silva and planning everything.
“Christy really did spend a lot of time with us in the planning, just because she wanted to get it right,” Monica said. “We wanted to make sure that we thought of every possible thing in our journey with my parents.”
Monica said the ADU is also an ideal option because it will stay in the family.
"My parents have a trust,” she said. “My wife and I could buy out my siblings because we own the land and they own the structure.”
'I look forward to a new, modern place'
Though nervous about the transition, Lydia is looking forward to being under the same roof as her husband again.
“I look forward to a new, modern place,” Lydia said. “It’s small — I had trouble with that at the beginning ... but it’s going to work. You only need the necessities.”
For Monica and her siblings, seeing their parents together again will lift their spirits.
“We’ve seen them,” Monica said. “They miss each other. They’re not able to be together all the time, and that wasn’t the plan.”
Monica expects her parents to be settled into their new home by mid-October.
She does anticipate growing pains.
“I know it’s going to be a little challenging because I’m a grown adult and I haven’t lived at home since I was 18,” she said of living on the same property as her parents. “And I know there’ll be some adjusting.”
Despite that, she’s excited about how much easier this will be on everyone.
“We’re all looking forward to just really having them together, knowing that they’re safe and in one spot and that all their needs are being met,” she said.
Lydia shared her deep appreciation for her children — especially Monica, for offering part of her backyard to keep the family close, and Vanessa, for caring for Modesto in her home for the past three and a half years.
“My daughters need their lives back and their privacy,” she said. “It’s probably one of the best things that we’ve decided to do.”
Silva hopes to see more outcomes like this, whether it's to bring families together or build generational wealth.
“I just hope to see this continue — this movement toward people thinking outside of the box, finding ways to create multigenerational living and income streams for their property,” she said.