How To Prepare For ADU And Home Addition Projects

Accessory dwelling units and home additions are among the most common ways to add living space to properties. People frequently make ADUs and additions to provide space for their relatives or create rental units. Regardless of your motivations, it's important to know how to prepare for these jobs. Here is how you can get ready.

Plans

Especially when it comes to ADU house plans, many people elect to use off-the-shelf documents. ADU plans tend to not require large spaces, and this makes stock solutions that fit within prescribed rectangles not only viable but cost-effective. Using ADU building plans makes it easier to bring ideas together quickly, too, because you won't have to expend effort studying their feasibility or trying to draw them up.

The notable exception is if you're doing an ADU garage conversion or need home addition full engineering plans. You will be interacting with existing structures, and that means you'll have to be careful about creating sufficient support. Adding a living space above a garage, for example, may require plans that reinforce the support for the second floor.

Zoning

Not all municipalities are friendly to property owners' ADU plans. It is wise to contact your locality's code compliance office to learn what your region's rules are. There may be limits on the potential size of the structure, for example. Also, some places flat-out exclude the construction of additional units on a plot. You might be able to wrangle this legally by creating a subdivision, but make sure you have everything lined up before you start any work.

You may also need to go through an approval process. This means you'll need to have ADU building plans in hand so compliance officials can review them. You may also need to do adjustments to bring them into compliance with local regulations.

Utility Connections

Unless you're comfortable paying for all the utilities for the additional unit, it's a good idea to talk with your local services providers about installing new connections. This includes adding meters to ensure the folks living in the new unit will be billable for their utility needs.

Also, you may need to plan how you're going to run power and water to the unit. For example, will you run underground electrical lines or have the electric company run new lines to the unit from a nearby pole? Even if you want to keep everything on one bill, you'll still need to think about basic issues like frost depth to ensure pipes don't burst and the potential presence of existing utility lines.

To learn more about ADU house plans, contact a residential construction contractor in your area.