these options have a different cost impact and a different risk assessment , but all of these paths should be available .”
Placer County is also making free ADU plans available through its accessory homes page on its website , which provides tools to calculate the cost of building an ADU , as well as the return on investment . The county worked with Jackson and Sands Engineering in Chico to design three plans with various options , all under 750 square feet , to maximize the affordability and bypass higher development impact fees . Each of the jurisdictions is making a concerted effort to market the new laws and affordable housing options , but it can be a complicated task .
To help , AIA California , an architectural association , tapped the AIA Central Valley chapter and others to create an ADU website , Plus1House . org . It ’ s intended to be a resource on how homeowners and property owners can use the state ’ s new ADU policy to add living space to their property . Malinowski spearheaded the education project and brought on Sacramento architect Gennifer Muñoz to write the copy for the website . “ I worked with a team on the website development and designing the information that went into it ,” Muñoz says . “ It is really meant as a high-level tool that can be applied to any jurisdiction in the state .”
Muñoz ’ s firm , Studio Oxeye , has designed a number of ADUs for clients , including a 650-square-foot contemporary , one-bedroom , one-bath dwelling with an open kitchen and living area . The property owner intends to live in the unit while renting out the main house . Muñoz ’ s projects are all custom designed and are coming in on the higher end , approximately $ 300 to $ 600 per square foot . “ I always start the conversation talking about budgets , making sure we are working in reality ,” she says . “ We definitely get calls from people who want to build for $ 150 per square foot , and personally , I can ’ t promise that . But I bet there ’ s a hero out there that can do that .”
Enter Mark Roddy . Before moving to Sacramento nearly three years ago , Roddy worked in commercial architecture in Phoenix and San Francisco . He and wife Caren Roddy — also an architect — were ready for a lifestyle change and moved from the Bay Area to Sacramento with their young family in 2018 . Roddy took a position with Sacramento State teaching interior architecture and launched his own boutique architecture firm .
He has a long-standing affinity for prefabrication and pre-engineered buildings , dating back to when he lived in Phoenix and designed a 700-square-foot addition to his historic 1928 bungalow that was an “ experiment in affordable , off-the-shelf and lean construction methods .” The project won a number of awards , including one from Metal Architecture magazine in 2008 . “ My wife and I have always been nerds about prefabrication ,” he says . “ And there ’ s other projects I ’ m working on right now and playing with that typology ( types of architecture ) as a solution to lower cost , faster schedule types of projects .”
HOUSE PLUS
Properties with existing ADUs are in demand — but they are hard to find
Kandace Mulvaney , an experienced real estate broker with boutique agency Miller Real Estate in Carmichael , recently sold a Fair Oaks home on a half-acre lot that included a permitted accessory dwelling unit . “ Availability of these types of properties is really light ,” says Mulvaney . “ They don ’ t come on the market all that often , and when they do , they fly off the market .” In all , there were 12 offers on the property , which ended up selling for $ 100,000 over the list price .
Mulvaney has noticed an increased demand for properties with ADUs , primarily for families who desire a multigenerational space to house loved ones nearby . Some of her clients are looking for an ADU already built on the property , and others are interested in adding their own . Older , more established areas with larger lots , like in Orangevale , Citrus Heights , Fair Oaks and Granite Bay , tend to have more of that kind of inventory , but demand is still higher than availability . By Mulvaney ’ s estimation , buyers looking for these types of properties are also willing to pay significantly more for them . “ It ’ s going to vary , but in this market and based on our recent Fair Oaks sale , I can see where it could easily add 15-20 percent to the value ,” she says . Conversely , she has also found that an unpermitted , do-it-yourself type of unit can take away value .
With more people working from home , garage conversions are also gaining in popularity . One couple she worked with did not have the space to expand their small East Sacramento home , but instead of moving , opted to convert their garage into a home office space . “ They had nowhere to go , and this was a good option for them ,” she says . “ I always counsel my clients to have a plan , because their first choice may not always work out .”
– Laurie Lauletta-Boshart
August 2021 | comstocksmag . com 49