Although each city develops their own guidelines
for ADU's, generally the units cannot be more
than 75% of the existing homes square footage
and cannot exceed 800 SF. (Salem is 900
SF) Essentially if your existing home is
over 1100 SF, you are limited to the 800 SF
maximum.
Units can be detached, stand alone buildings or
can be incorporated into an existing structure.
Attached units can be built over a garage, garage
conversion, or built on to an existing home.
Typically, the ADU must be its own living unit
with no direct access to the main house.
Complete kitchen and bathroom must be part of
the plan. As well as a heating system.
Cooling is optional, but mini-split systems
offer both in one compact design that works
perfectly with ADU's. Owners can elect to
run power and water off the existing meter or
have a separate meters installed.
Floor plans can range from studio designs
to one or two bedrooms. They must include
both a bathroom and kitchen. Space saving
and energy efficient ideas to consider are
OnDemand hot water, Radiant Heat, and Mini Split
systems. |
