If you are a homeowner in the wonderful city of San Diego, there is a pretty good chance that you have already heard about one way that people are adding space and value to their property by having ADUs – or Accessory Dwelling Units – built on the same lot as their main dwelling.
Otherwise known as backyard cottages, in-law units, or granny flats, ADUs are essentially tiny homes that can serve a lot of fantastic purposes and bring a fantastic addition of value to your property.
If you are considering having an Accessory Dwelling Unit built on your plot of land in the relatively near future, you very likely have a fair number of questions that you would like to have answered before you break ground.
That is why we have decided to break down the six things that homeowners need to keep in mind when it comes to San Diego ADUs. Let’s get started!
Make sure to check development standards to make sure you can build an ADU
This is obviously the most important step that anyone who is seriously considering getting an ADU built on their land is going to take. There are a lot of different factors that will go into the final determination of whether or not a plot of land is eligible, with the main considerations including:
- The density of the number of dwelling units that are allowed on a property. You will have to make sure that your potential ADU will not exceed the density constraints.
- The maximum height of the potential ADU will also have to be considered, as many cities have limitations on the height of new buildings.
- Setback parameters, meaning how much space there has to be between one building and another.
- Making sure that your proposed ADU does not limit other buildings’ access to public utilities such as gas, water, and electricity.
Will you need additional parking?
There are cities and counties across the Golden State that force properties to add off-street parking if the owners want to add an ADU to the lot. This is especially important for people who own smaller lots of land to pay attention to.
With that being said, there are a few different factors that will allow you to quickly find out whether or not you need new parking. If your property meets any of the following conditions, you are in the clear no matter what:
- Your property is within a half-mile of some kind of public transit system
- Your property is located in a historically and/or architecturally significant part of town
- On-street parking permits are required but are not offered to the occupant of your ADU
- A car-share vehicle is located with one block of your property
With that in mind, if none of these apply, you may need to plan for extra parking to be provided if you decide to go forward with your ADU.
Make sure to plan site access to your ADU
This should go without saying, but access is obviously important for you to consider when you are planning your ADU build. With this consideration, safety is obviously the most important factor. You will want to make sure that there are safe exit pathways in the event of fire, earthquake, or other natural disasters.
Beyond that, you will just want to make sure that you are plotting the build out effectively so, by the end of the building process, you will have a comfortable and aesthetically pleasing area that separates your primary domicile from your ADU. While ADU’s can be great, it is not necessarily worth it to eat up all of your outdoor areas just to add another unit to your plot. Certainly, something important to keep in mind!
Make sure to consider privacy for yourself and your neighbors
You are going to want to really think about how you plan to integrate privacy into the layout and placement of your ADU as well.
When you are building your ADU, make sure to keep in mind where the windows will be placed and how that may impact the privacy of both the people in your primary home and the people who live in the homes neighboring your property. This is – of course- especially true if you are planning on using this ADU as a home for a family member. If, on the other hand, you are building an ADU to operate more like an extension of your home, but not as a full-time living space for someone, privacy will likely be a little bit less of an issue.
Perhaps the most important time to consider privacy is if you are planning on renting out your ADU either full-time or part-time. If this is the plan, make sure that you will feel comfortable with a stranger being in that ADU at any time.
Make sure your site conditions are understood
Before you get started on installing your ADU, you will want to have a pretty good idea of the overall conditions of the worksite. You will want to know how much work will have to be done on the plot before the building of the actual ADU gets started because certain aspects of certain lots can add huge amounts of money to the overall cost of the build. If a lot of work on the plot is needed, you may end up deciding that the job is not worth the overall cost.
Consider the style of the exterior and interior
Finally, you will want to make sure that you consider what style you are going to go with for both the exterior and interior of your ADU. Some people decide to use the exact same style of their home, while others use an ADU to juxtapose their home with a more modern build. On top of that, making sure that the interior is built efficiently and to your comfort and desire will be the best way to make sure that you end up satisfied and happy by the end of the build.
