Accessory Dwelling Units

[jyl]

Getting interested in building an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) for rental now and eventually for my dad, when he is too old to live independently.

Portland is encouraging the building of these things, as a way to increase the housing supply.

One possible option is to tear down the small one car detached garage and rebuild it as workshop/studio below and 250 sq ft studio ADU above. I don't park a car there. Another is to convert half of the basement into a 400 sq ft studio unit. Either one would have a separate entrance, a bathroom, and a small kitchenette. Obviously we're taking pretty small spaces, but they'd work for my dad, and even small places will rent in this city now.

What do you think?. Anyone done this?. Any very rough rules of thumb for cost estimation?

[jorian]

Biggest bang for your buck for rental and resale is a detached ADU.

[look 171]

Wow, I wish they allow it in LA. It will blow up this place. Many bootlegs are already done that way. If its allowed here, I will get a lot of btiching from my tenets but would never do this to my own house.

I say do it. Better all the way around, better resale and have a fresh, clean garage.

[john70t]

Two exits will be needed (fire escape code).
New sewage will have to be run. It's easier from above grade, and doesn't back up.
Doorways and stairs have to be wide enough for a wheelchair/stairlift.

That all might require some planning in advance.

[jyl]

Anyone want to take a WAG on cost, or have a cost estimation website?

Garage option: 12' x 21' footprint, probably have to stay within that footprint or close to it, tear down structure and build new two story structure, (very) small studio on top, workshop/studio on bottom, exterior staircase, little balcony, wood frame with wood siding and composition roof.

Basement option: take about 40-50% of the 1000 sq ft basement, 8' 6" headroom, slab floor and concrete walls, one big egress window in window well, one glass exterior door in an entry well, would need to cut a 30' trench in slab for drain line to reach stack.

Yeah, neither sounds like a great place to live, but that's all I have room for.

[look 171]

John,

Is this on a hillside? I don't know about OR building code and am not sure if you need to dig below frost line since I only know the building codes here in paradise. For a 2 story building that's basically 500' with a small kitchen, and bath should run you over 100k. That basement should a lot less. A wild guess would be 60k?

Oh, that should include permits and drawings.

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by jyl

Anyone want to take a WAG on cost, or have a cost estimation website?

Garage option: 12' x 21' footprint, probably have to stay within that footprint or close to it, tear down structure and build new two story structure, (very) small studio on top, workshop/studio on bottom, exterior staircase, little balcony, wood frame with wood siding and composition roof.

Basement option: take about 40-50% of the 1000 sq ft basement, 8' 6" headroom, slab floor and concrete walls, one big egress window in window well, one glass exterior door in an entry well, would need to cut a 30' trench in slab for drain line to reach stack.

Yeah, neither sounds like a great place to live, but that's all I have room for.

The first option... $60,000 to 75,000 USD?

The basement... Less than $25,000

** Assuming you'll be doing some of the work yourself. (tear down structure, painting and finishing)

I have some building experience.

[look 171]

25K for the basement with a kitchen, bath (cut slab and run drain)electrical, heat, ingress/egress windows and a separate entrance?

[tevake]

Don't want Dad to be climbing too many stairs as he ages.

[kach22i]

Special elevating devices also known as residential lifts are an affordable way to go.

They are lower cost than elevators which cover more than one level at a time.

I'd opt for the upper garage flat.

I'm pretty sure that in Portland the resident of the "in-law" apartment does not have to be related to you, so there is some resale or investment value there.

You should be able to get a better design and an idea of cost from a local architect.

Try a small office or a guy working out of his house with low overhead to get the best price.

[Charles Freeborn]

I've got an auxiliary building that I use as my workshop. Someday when I retire we'll convert it to ADU for us and rent the main house, or visa versa.
That said, Portland seems to have a no harm / no foul attitude towards them. The town needs rental space, so they tend look the other way, in spite of the nebulous legality of them. Meaning, depending on your neighborhood, if your zoning is R1, you're only allowed one building as living space per lot. Even a basement apartment is not allowed a full kitchen. Technically.... A second story on a garage will attract attention on a couple of different levels - building code, fire code, zoning, etc. Trickier to build all the way 'round.
A new separate building (like my shop) will have to fit all the code requirements (setbacks, building codes etc). If you go that route my suggestion is to only permit the empty shell with no plumbing and base electrical. Then after it's signed off install the kitchen / bathroom, etc.
As for cost of a new building, it largely depends on how difficult the utilities runs are, and if it needs a sewage pump (mine will). My shop is a Tuff Shed building. If I was doing it again I probably would have gone a different route. They have cost calculators on their website that will give you a pretty good idea of the raw structure.
Basement retrofits can be equally expensive depending on the layout and age of the house. Emergency egress can be had with a window well style window. I can't remember the specs on height, but as my aging memory serves it needs to be a minimum of 30" wide and 4' tall.
I know a couple of excellent contractors in the area if you need one, and you're welcome to see my shop if that's of interest.

WAG on $? If it's a 400 s.f. building or so with bathroom and kitchenette I'll guess $30k. Roughly the same for a basement unit if you have to cut into the concrete floor for plumbing.

-C

[dyount]

Cost per sq ft (according to ICC BVD table ) is or about $112 per sq ft. And as a code official I'd recommend that if you intend to add plumbing etc do it right of the bat. If you are busted for work without a permit (your neighbors will turn you in) you costs for permit could be double or you can bit cited. As well, they'd assume date X and back charge you fees for service and connection.
Zoning wise, a accessory dwelling unit may be allowable in your area but limited to sq footages and parking is always a problem with AD's and parking/lot coverages allowable. You may have to have a garage under in order to get enough off street parking spaces.
THink of all of it this way.... if your 911 had an electrical issue would it be ok to jump wire over to make it go or would you want it done once and right. Same thing

[Seahawk]

I follow this link quite a bit.

Tiny Houses : TreeHugger

I like the fact that they publish differing opinions (great article recently on why NOT to use shipping containers as a cabin) and have a very artistic side coupled with a practical nature.

[Por_sha911]

One of the biggest mistakes in planning for the senior years is setting up for what he can do now but not taking into account his limitations 1-3 years from now.
Stairs is a BAD idea. He can handle them now but do you want to rebuild when he can't due to a fall? Setup for what he'll need 10-20 years from now.

[sc_rufctr]

Actually stairs are a good idea. As people get older exercise becomes more and more important.
Honestly, if he can't climb a flight of stairs you'd be looking at a nursing home anyway.

I'm always nagging my mother about this and I drag her out for walks regularly. She doesn't get a say in it

[Por_sha911]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

Actually stairs are a good idea. As people get older exercise becomes more and more important.
Honestly, if he can't climb a flight of stairs you'd be looking at a nursing home anyway.
I'm always nagging my mother about this and I drag her out for walks regularly. She doesn't get a say in it

Something tells me you have never had to deal with the final years of life care.

[sc_rufctr]

I used to work as a nurse in a nursing home. So I've seen this first hand. (I was a Medic in the Army)

In my opinion... The worst thing you can do to someone is to let them sit around and do nothing.

People should remain active regardless of advancing years. I have an Aunt who is 91 and she still tends to her garden and walks regularly. She even rolls her own cigarettes.
She does have some issue with arthritis but she doesn't let that slow her down. She recently told me that losing her driver's licence was the worse thing ever.

[jyl]

Thanks for the thoughts. As always, I'm thankful for the wide range of experience and helpful replies on this and other topics.

I'm going to meet with some folks knowledgeable about ADUs in Portland, maybe next week.

I understand the concern about stairs. My experience is that old people start having accidents on stairs, before they actually lose the strength to climb them. My father fell on the stairs to my third floor on his last visit, he went to turn off a fan located near the stairs, forgot there were stairs there, slipped off the top step and ended up at the bottom in a pile of broken glass from several framed pictures that he took down with him. Cut his scalp, broke bones in his foot, couldn't walk much for months. My stepmother fell down the stairs from my second floor a few years ago, just missed the last step for no clear reason, fractured her leg.

But my house has stairs everywhere, just to get into the house from the street you have to climb a few steps, and then inside is three floors, and it would be very hard to build an ADU without stairs. I have thought about leaving room for a lift from basement to first floor, of some sort, in case one is later needed.

[sc_rufctr]

OH... With that history John stairs are not an option for your father but as always you should always encourage him to stay active.

[Por_sha911]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

I used to work as a nurse in a nursing home. So I've seen this first hand. (I was a Medic in the Army)

In my opinion... The worst thing you can do to someone is to let them sit around and do nothing.

People should remain active regardless of advancing years. I have an Aunt who is 91 and she still tends to her garden and walks regularly. She even rolls her own cigarettes.
She does have some issue with arthritis but she doesn't let that slow her down. She recently told me that losing her driver's licence was the worse thing ever.

Active? absol-stinkin-lutely. Stairs? No. Prepare a living space that can be easily entered and exited and they will get out more.