A real foundation is a great start. My brother recently built an entire home prefabricated and shipped it to an island in the middle of a lake. It was assembled and finished on site and it is fantastic, Which is to say don’t shy away from prefab for your ADU.

In any small kitchen your goal is to make everything serve dual purposes, so a workstation sink, an adjustable table that can go from table to island height. The things you want to be sure to get right are cooking ventilation (why do so many people get this wrong?) and window heights/expanses. The joy of a small space should be that all of it gets natural light. A stackable washer/dryer will make the place self sufficient and attract devoted tenants, as will a small outdoor space private from yours, where the beautiful weather can be enjoyed. And don’t underestimate the power of an 18” dishwasher. The toe-kick drawer is another potential small kitchen lifesaver.

Here are some inspiration images for you.

Thank you so much!! I also don't know why builders don't put good ventilation for cooking. It's so stupid. We live in a "fancy and expensive" neighborhood in Houston and there are so many houses right here on my street with stupid down draft vents or actually nothing at all. It's crazy. Our house was so poorly built.

Your comment about a private outdoor space was so great bc people need privacy. Even if it's just a screened area separate from our area would make the renter/guest/our Navy son feel they have privacy outside. Thank you!

I have handled the remodel of our entire current house, so I won't struggle with making decisions, but I will need a referral to a quality contractor. Does anyone here have a referral in SD?

First thing is to find out if ADUs are allowed. You may have room, but check with code/zoning in your city to see what is necessary, California has some pretty strict zoning.

Thank you. Yes that is paramount. For the property we are buying ADUs are allowed. I'm going to have to learn a lot of details about California, but I have learned that this property is allowed to have an ADU. Thank you.

You need to make sure that you are allowed to rent out the ADU, not just if it is allowed to build one. In my jurisdiction, while it is permissible to build an ADU, renting out an ADU is strictly forbidden, even short term.

Thank you catbuilder. Hmmm, I have a lot to learn. I just added your comment to my list of have-to's. We haven't entered escrow yet, so I will inquire about this.

We are a military family and our son is currently deployed. When we move to SD I want to provide an affordable place for military folks.

CA used to be very strict with ADUs, but in the push to increase housing they did a complete 180 and I'm sometimes amazed at what does get approved. We built a guest house in LA in 2011 when the rules were very strict .... even when it was for our own use and we had no intentions of ever renting it out.

Consider the potential privacy and quality of living having two dwelling units on a lot in a development that was designed for only one dwelling unit. Just because you can do something does not mean you should do it.

Thank you Mrs. S,

I did read about the pre-approved plans and how that can expedite the process. I have remodeled (not by my own hands, but I've hired contractors over the years to have our current house completely remodeled), so I feel confident I can vette contractors. I do need to look into the rules about renting an ADU as catbuilder pointed out.

Thank you Mark Bischak,

We are a military family so it is important to us to provide an affordable rental for a military member. We are not trying to price gouge. If not rented, family can use the ADU when visiting. We intend to provide a small deck and privacy screen for any potential renter so they have some privacy.

Remember to consider parking for a renter’s vehicle, and how that will affect your plans and curb appeal if it’s visible from the front of your house. (My neighborhood doesn’t allow street parking overnight, and in some cities street parking is challenging.)

Fascinating. I was able to find the pre-approved plans online here. They are interesting to consider, and some are quite large. But i already want to make changes 😂 The best is E, but I would swap the kitchen and dining room locations and get rid of that wall between them.

Pre-approved does not mean permit ready, by the way. 😂

I am re-iterating that people are building these ADUs all over the place here. I don't think permitting is the problem one might normally think would be encountered in this state. Also, near me, a one bedroom one bathroom ADU (relatively near Camp Pendleton) might rent for $2,500-$3,000 ish, or more, depending (maybe) on the school district.

There are a lot of financial considerations to weigh to determine whether it's worth it. Depreciation, tax advantages, income (but is that income offsetting high interest loan payments? etc.). Still there are bigger properties up there and lots of ADUs being built even in my HOA-dominant very picky neighborhood.

Thank you Mrs. S!

We will not be getting a mortgage loan bc we are selling our large family house and are empty nesters now, so are downsizing big time. So we are trading a big family house in a cheaper state for a smaller empty-nester house in a more expensive state. It will almost be a wash bc going from a cheaper state to Cali. But we will have enough left over cash to build an ADU if we decide to.

Thank you for all your good local intel!

We decided not to enter into escrow until we get some of these detailed questions settled.

Thank you chicagoans

I do understand what you are saying about parking. We will have 2 cars and if we decide to rent an ADU I agree it is important to have a parking spot for a renter; or for family visiting. Hubby is from Long Beach and his whole family lives in Belmont Heights, the historical district. We are out there all the time to see family. The street parking is insane and they have to move their cars on certain days for the street cleaning.

I've never lived in a neighborhood where overnight street parking is prohibited. But I'll be sure to ask the Realtor about this.

"The best is E, but I would swap the kitchen and dining room locations and get rid of that wall between them."

Holy smokes, why?

• There's a counter, not a wall, between the dining room and kitchen.
• Why would you want to move the dining room away from the pair of windows?
• Where would you put a refrigerator or even wall cabinets?
• How would you vent the stove?

Thank you eam44,

I feel you. I would want to make changes too!!

wdccruise

Thank you! Which plan do you think is best? Keep in mind we haven't bought a property yet. Our intentions are to rent to a military service member, or our son when he gets back from deployment.

wdccruise

Which is your favorite plan?

He just follows me from thread to thread. I try to ignore him.

If you plan to rent it furnished, it may help to look for things that do double duty. For example, an ottoman with storage, a coffee table or bench with drawers, a platform bed with storage below, a bathroom vanity with storage, an armchair that folds out to a twin bed.

I recently stayed at a friend's guest apartment in their pool house (sweet!) and took pictures of the vanity because I liked how the drawers are built around the plumbing to maximize storage space (inspo for my own future bathroom update.) Pics below.

This YT channel follows modular homes. Kerry Tarnow - YouTube

I went to Modern Modular to see when the Viral PREFAB HOME will be Available in America… (youtube.com) You can explore different floorplans.

I like to consider a lot of options without limits from cost to start. For privacy a rooftop deck and for functional use once you have a stairs for the rooftop, a basement space with good headroom.

Considering a rooftop deck and basement which could be walkout on a sloped section of a lot, these affectively triple the square footage of your adu. They triple the rental attractiveness and increase potential income. You might move in to the adu and get the income from the main house. That could fund the added costs.