How small is too small?
 

I have a property in Northern San Diego county (unincorporated) that I would like to put a small house on. Limited/minimalist living being the trend but I can't find a definitive answer to the minimum size for a single family dwelling on a .66 acre lot.
Anyone out there have the number or are there other variables to consider?

setback? (as in 'other variables' on where to put the small structure)

I don’t have first hand knowledge of how unincorporated towns are governed.

Are there any zoning laws in place? This is what I found on the County site but it doesn’t show a minimum building size.

https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/dam/sdc/pds/zoning/z4000.pdf

Thanks for trying. Much appreciated .
The best I can come up with is 700-1000 square feet. The county has a pre-approved ADU at 600, 800, 1000 but I would like to find out if these buildings can be used as a single family dwelling.

Short answer is yes, you should be able to. IRC lists a minimum of 320-350 sq for a living residence. Here in Santa Cruz county, 850 sq max for a single bedroom ADU, 1000 sq for multiple bedroom. ADU minimum is 150sq.

We have many small cottages that are zoned single family that are under 1000sq.

Still, you are limited to %footprint. Here in SC it’s 50%. Here, taxes jump substantially from 650sq and up.

I believe my motor home is bigger than that.
They are coming up with some new state wide regs on tiny homes but I don't believe they can stand alone as a primary residence in my area.

Stupid question...If you have .66 acre, why do you want to put a tiny house on it? Or are you thinking multiple tiny houses?

My wife and I spent the past few years designing a small, separate, apartment to compliment the house we bought in South Carolina.

We did a lot of homework then hired an architect to tie it all together, He was invaluable in terms of presenting design wrinkles we did not consider.

850sq feet plus decking. One bedroom only. The zoning laws were very firm and we needed set back relief, which was granted.

The main house is 2300sq.

The design is in the process of being approved.

For your part of the world, the outdoor space would make a small house very livable.

The place I want the house has a view but the hillside offers grading issues.
I think the minimalist direction makes sense in both need and cost to build/heat/cooling and property taxes here are crazy.
Who knows where this project will end up but if I keep it relatively small, I think I can build it myself.

Why not build a structure to house the motorhome ? Have septic/water/electric on a concrete pad . A deck facing the view and the structure stores stuff . Pull the rig in , hook up and instant living .

Maybe design the house with later additions in mind - e.g. if you add another bedroom or office or etc someday, where might it connect and how, hallway, breezeway, etc. Also maybe design foundation, walling, systems, ceiling height to accommodate a second floor someday.

Expandable and modular.

I saw these on AirBnB and bookmarked them as I like the styling and layout for a future downsizing.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/46198996?source_impression_id=p3_1704457159_EC5peR etcNQEhZNt

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/49342259?source_impression_id=p3_1704478669_WtyDWp %2Bb7WjGwVn4

There are floor plans for both in the photos.

Just a heads up about the build it yourself, yes it can be done but it will take you likely 4x longer than you were thinking, and when you are trying to find trades to help you with items you can't do good luck. Anybody who is good will likely be working for the GC's that normally keep them busy. Consider getting somebody to take it to lock up and you finish from there.

This was my experience. When I got into a bind and had to hire someone to bail me out, it cost me 4x what it should have.

Electrical was the only trade I did soup to nuts and even then, it probably didn’t pay for the time it took me.

I did my own build and found out a couple things, I did look for a GC but could not find one available for a long time. One other item that a GC normally covers is course of construction insurance, usually about 4x what a home policy costs. One other snag at least up here is, being a construction project need to make sure anybody that is hired to help has workman's comp insurance, they wanted about $10k for a year policy that would cover anybody I hired, I said forget it and made sure any contractor I hired had there own. Many don't have it and rely on the GC.

I get it. I often ask the same question when I see first time engine builders struggling with a 911 build.
I was the general on my parts shop build and you're right. It was challenging.
That said, the last contractor I hired to build my front porch (simple 240' deck with pony wall) was horrible. The third time he said "don't worry, you won't see that" I fired him. No other contractor would take on the job without a complete demo and start over.
I bought the necessary tools, repair the ugly and finished it myself. Now I get to brag about the project when we have company on the front porch having drinks and watching the sun set/rise.
There is personal satisfaction beyond cost involved in completing a project you haven't tried before.

The view from the porch.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1704480357.jpg

Building a structure would uncap taxes.
Adding utilities hook-up might not.
(There may be county restrictions on max amount/days of usage. Or they may add them in the future)

It depends on what it is planned for: Second home crash pad, relatives and friends, adding value to lot, whatever.

https://www.sccassessor.org/faq/understanding-proposition-13
"When new construction occurs, it is re-assessed at current market value as of the date of completion. This establishes a new base year value for the property’s newly constructed improvements only"

Here, any variance to existing zoning laws requires a notice sent to neighbors to be able to voice concerns at a planning review board meeting. I've gotten them for properties blocks away for people adding on/building to the curb/ADUs/etc. Not sure how it works there or if that would be a problem.

My first though would be to contact the county directly, or an hour's consultation with a RE attorney with local experience.
Get it in writing. No point in starting something which has to be reversed.

How small is too small?
 

There’s definitely a value to that.

The mistake I made is starting the project when wife was 4 months pregnant with our first and we moved to my mothers during construction. 10 months later, I was almost done but not entirely.

We moved into the house with my 6 month old daughter and everything after that took 10x longer to do because it had to planned around naps, set up and clean up every day, etc.

If you have the time to work through any issues, then it can obviously be done.

The engine shop is a 4 day a week proposition and me don't travel much anymore. God willing, I have time.

I have a 100 year old adobe building that was a house, then converted to office space and after the pandemic, I converted back to residential.
Added an ensuite bath, built a kitchen in an enclosed patio and redid the landscape to be drought resistant (my 106 lb wife and I moved 4 tons of rock and plants to make that happen) . Before we were complete, I friend/contractor was burned out of his place and offered to move in, finish the reno for a reduced rent.
Sometimes the universe offer solutions you never expected.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1704481703.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1704481703.JPG

.66 ac is too small for a septic field and a well. You would need services (one or the other to make this work)… or haul water and / or septic…

I could never go that small again. We have 450X that much land… I don’t think I could stand less than 20 acres.

Nice view. Once you figure out what you can build, have you considered a prefab house, take a look if there are any company's around you. I have the same experience with contractors out here, gave up trying to find any very early in this project, just do it myself but it added lots of time. Just the electrical took months.

All good information.
I tried calling code enforcement and got perpetual hold, 3 times.
I get in the car and drive by and they should be able to answer all my questions.
The minimum size I was looking for was just a starting point. The access road and pad has a preliminary grade and now I need to start to get serious.

Here's my house and shop peeking out of the woods.........my neighbors have still complained about my stereo being too loud.




http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1704557035.JPG

Most 'tiny' houses are not considered permanent. I think your inquiries should include what you can have there before you design.

Also, looking up the preferred definition of a ADU is "accessory dwelling unit." This infers that there is a primary residence. So I think that terminology does not fit here.

Don't know...I have the opposite problem. :D

I understand the difference between SFD (single family dwelling) and ADU. I used ADU simply as a reference to pre-approved plans. There is value in working with plans the county will approve without drama. My feeling is that plans/blue prints for an ADU are no more laxed than those for a SFD.
The question is basically, "what is the minimum size for a primary residence in unincorporated San Diego county". In my research I was unable to find the answer.
The generally consensus is 750-1000 sq/ft. I was looking for a definitive answer.
As for your "what you can have" statement: the purpose of this thread is exactly that.

Where we are, Auburn, CA, Placer County, ADU's have much less in fees and permits required to build. Additionally, the County is required to approve those plans within 12 months- so the whole process is cheaper and quicker. However, we have a minimum residence size requirement on a lot of 2,400 sq. ft. for a primary residence before they will consider an ADU on a property.

All that aside, I think 800 sq. ft. is perfectly livable for a couple. I would make all 800 sq. ft. as living space and have unconditioned space for laundry, pantry, and a mechanical room for typical HVAC, water heater, etc.

Thank you
I'm leaning towards this design. 676 sq/ft. The design suits the property. The only changes I would make would be to switch the bath with the bedroom. That keeps all the plumbing on one wall.



http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1704647371.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1704648019.jpg

Also a walk in closet is less efficient than a reach in. I'm not sure how I would achieve that in the design, but the lack of door to the bathroom would have to be changed for me. That upsets the laundry and so it goes. So I give that plan a 5 out of 10.

However, your thought on the plumbing makes a lot of sense which casts doubt on the design as a whole.

Sorry, I can't help on the minimum size. But there is a lot of information in the IRC. Min bedroom and bath sizes, fenestration and egress requirements that tend to add up.

Crude but you get the point. All the plumbing on one wall, I bet we could even find a way to add a bathroom door.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1704663851.jpghttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1704663851.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1704663851.jpg

That's a nice sized bedroom but a little cramped living space. By the time you add for TV and entertainment there will hardly be room for a couch.

Just general taste won't let me hang a TV over a fireplace. It's just a thing, that's all. In this case there aren't many other options.

The best thing about a small house is small utility bills.

I was thinking a smaller bedroom would increase the living room area.
Less space can mean less clutter and studies have shown, clutter creates anxiety.
I'm done collect crap. Plus this property already has a 1500 sq/ft ag building.

^^^Sounds good. And a 1500 sq ft outbuilding. What could be better?

This is considered a tiny house?

What's in the outbuilding.....?

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1704674371.JPG

No, it's just a concept for a small house.
Tiny house was never on my radar.

I like that house design. I would consider a way to make a bathroom entry where the closet is from the general space so guests dont have to go through your bedroom to go pee. Also a sliding barn door resolves the bathroom door issue on the bedroom.

Henry, not sure this is of any interest/help to you as my house is in Slovenia.

Plot size is 0.04acre/165m2 with garden and parking for 1 car

House is 3 story, 3 bed, 2 bath, 1 living room, 1 kitchen, 1 garage with small man cave sitting on a 550ft2/51m2 footprint

Not sure if it meets 'tiny house' criteria but to me it never feels too small as the stunning outside views makes it feel very spacious

Thanks for the input. The floor plan was only offered as a generic size and room location. Cabinet, closet, doors and windows need specific consideration.

Three story is not an option but it would offer a view cool view. Single story is preferred and "tiny house" is not on my radar. "How small" was simply a reference to minimum primary residence code requirements.
I still don't have a definitive answer.