So what is an ADU?
An Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) is a secondary living space located on the same property as the main residence. They’ve become very popular in California in recent years, especially during the pandemic when everyone was desperate for some extra space. These structures are great for rentals, guests, in-laws, college students or home care providers. They are different from “tiny houses” which are built on their own separate parcel.
Varieties of ADUs
An internal ADU is located within the main residence and shares the same entrance, but has its own living space, kitchen, and bathroom. They are often built in the attic or basement. Internal ADUs also include the subtype of junior ADUs, which are typically smaller and may share a bathroom with the primary residence. This can be one of the most economical solutions as you don’t have to start from scratch building the foundation, wiring, and installing amenities. You also avoid the worry about setbacks.
An attached ADU is added directly onto the side or top of your main residence. Hopefully, utilities are nearby in the house and your foundation can support a second story for additional savings.
A garage conversion ADU turns some or all parts of a garage into a living space. To visualize, a standard two-car garage is 400 sf so the allowed 800 sf ADU is the size of a four-car garage. You can also build above the garage, allowing you to continue using the garage itself for parking cars. Homeowners can often get more out of their budget with this type of ADU because the foundation and structure already exist. As a reminder, covered parking is a requirement in Hope Ranch for your home and the ADU so you may need to build covered parking elsewhere on your property.
A detached ADU (DADU) is a stand-alone structure commonly built in the backyard. There is more freedom to design your DADU when it is stand-alone as you don’t have to work within the given parameters of your home or garage and can place it where you like on your property. This type of ADU is especially convenient for use as a rental property or guest house since it’s separate from the main house.
Legal/Construction Considerations
Homeowners who are thinking of building an ADU need to sift through local zoning laws and building regulations (State, County, Hope Ranch and the Coastal Commission if you live in the Coastal zone). There are consultants available to help you. This involves issues like making sure there’s enough usable space to build the ADU, confirming the location of the nearest fire hydrant, utility requirements (think septic capacity) and ensuring there’s an accompanying covered parking space for the ADU. Additionally, if you’ll be renting out your ADU, you must be compliant with local landlord-tenant laws. Although you can utilize an ADU as a rental, it’s important to note that in most cases you aren’t allowed to use your ADU for short-term rentals (i.e., Airbnb).
Choose Your ADU Type
Before building your ADU, think about who that space is for and how you want to utilize. For instance, if the ADU is for an aging parent who has mobility issues, you might want to consider building it on the ground level and making it wheelchair accessible. Factor in lot size and the aesthetics of your main residence as you think about your design choices. If you have a budget and time constraint, a prefab ADU might be a better option compared to a custom one. Lindal Homes, a family business founded in 1945 is one of the quality leaders in the prefab post and beam building space. Per Jos Kannin the marketing director, “ADUs are becoming increasingly popular as local zoning laws loosen up to allow for greater density in residential areas. As an example, the 366 sf Sage ADU that was recently built in Virginia runs approximately $80,000 and the time from order to build was around 12 months, give or take (it would probably be a bit longer in CA)”. Thanks to Jos for helping with this article. If you want to speak to a local dealer orwant to peek at their design possibilities, their website is https://lindal.com/locate-a-lindal-representative/california/. I personally stayed at a friend’s Lindal 3000 sf home inHawaii and it was amazing.
Popping one of these in your backyard can really be a great addition!
Trudi
