When your loved one needs a place to stay, what do you do? You give them a place to rest. And when they need a place to live, you do everything in your power to ensure they have a home.
That’s why so many families in California are now turning to accessory dwelling units as an affordable, realistic housing option to help their loved ones thrive.
If you’re thinking of building an accessory dwelling unit, it pays to be prepared. Here’s the ultimate guide to ADUs, walking you through all the important points you need to consider and all the major steps of the building process.
What is an Accessory Dwelling Unit?
An accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, is a legal and regulatory term for a secondary dwelling unit sharing the building lot of a larger, primary residence such as a house.
You may have also heard of them as:
- Attic apartment
- Backyard cottage
- Backyard house
- Basement apartment
- Carriage house
- Garage conversion
- Garden cottage
- Granny flat
- Mother-in-law suite
- Mother-in-law unit
- Secondary dwelling unit
- Tiny house (but not quite the same)
However, it doesn’t matter if you know it by any other name. An ADU is a smaller secondary residence that always has a few features that qualify it as an ADU:
- It has its own water hookup
- It has its own utility hookup (electricity, gas, etc.)
- It is a fully functional living space (kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, living room, etc.)
- It has a foundation (its own foundation or foundation shared with the primary residence)
Think of it as an apartment, but without a full apartment building. Keep in mind that tiny houses may not always qualify as ADUs if they do not have utility hookups and foundations, and mobile homes or trailers are not ADUs–ADUs must be permanent residences.
Types of ADUs
There are four types of ADUs:
- Detached ADU
- Attached ADU
- Garage conversion
- Interior conversion
Think of a detached ADU like a cottage, carriage house, or little apartment in your backyard. It is a freestanding, fully functional independent living space with its own utilities and its own entrance to the property. Someone could live there with the same level of independence from the main house as if you were next-door neighbors, if they were so inclined.
An attached ADU is slightly closer to home (literally). Attached ADUs share one wall with the primary residence, though there is no internal entrance–you have to exit the primary residence to enter the ADU. Attached ADUs may have their own utility hookups or share it with the main residence, but they must be fully functional living spaces.
Garage conversions may be attached or detached, depending on your garage. The idea is exactly what it sounds like on the tin: a garage converted into a complete apartment space. Thanks to new reduced parking requirements, you may not need to replace the lost parking.
Finally, there are interior conversions. This isn’t a spare room, but a fully functional apartment, often in the basement or attic. It may not be visible from the outside, but the unit could function completely independently from the main residence.
Let us help you build your own!
Contact JHR Construction for expert advice on making an accessory dwelling unit or to get a free quote today. We will build our projects with best QUALITY.
JHR Construction has 20 years construction experience and it is honored to serve Seattle & Portland local areas!
Contact JHR Construction:
Jeff Huang
(503)998-9766
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