By Paul Bianchina
Remember the old TV shows where it seemed like there was always someone living in a converted space over the garage? For many families, it would be great to have that kind of flexibility of living space to accommodate elderly parents, adult children returning home or the needs of other family members who need to be at home but still want to maintain an independent lifestyle.
Secondary dwellings - or "mother-in-law" quarters as they are often known - have become a topic of increasing interest as baby boomers age and real estate prices in some regions approach the unaffordable. If this is something you've been considering, planning is everything.
Is it Legal?
The first task you face is to determine exactly what is and isn't legal for your particular property. A room addition that adds bedroom and bathroom space is typically allowed for just about any home and is usually restricted only by the size of the lot and the distance that any dwelling or addition to it needs to be set back from adjacent property lines. However, the addition of separate cooking facilities is usually what moves the new space from the realm of simple room addition to the more difficult area of separate living space - and here's where you may run afoul of local zoning ordinances.
Most residences are in zones designated for single-family homes - as the name implies, the home is intended for use by only one family. As soon as additional living space is created through the construction of a guesthouse, an addition, or even the conversion of an existing outbuilding or attic over the garage, it becomes a multi-family dwelling, and unless the zoning specifically allows multi-family use, it will probably not be allowed. The argument is often made that since parents or adult children will be occupying the space, it's still "single-family." However, once that space becomes vacant for any reason, it often gets rented out - an obvious concern for neighbors.
The first step, therefore, is a visit to your local planning department to determine if what you wish to do is legal. It may be permitted outright. It may be permitted subject to a conditional use permit (meaning you have to meet certain additional criteria before you build or remodel), or it may not be allowed at all. Discuss the situation honestly with the planning department and see what options are available to you.
Creating the Space
The physical creation of a secondary dwelling space can be fun and challenging. How you get there depends on both your budget and the particulars of the existing home, and you'll quickly find there are several things to take into consideration. For example, you may want to have the new space share your existing home's electrical service, or you may want to create a separate service with a separate electrical meter. The same applies to water service, as well as natural gas.
Access to the space is an important issue, from the standpoints of safety, convenience, privacy and meeting building code requirements. In almost every instance, if the new space is considered completely independent of the existing space - even if it's physically attached - it will need a separate entrance from the outside. You may also need to look into separate parking facilities, depending on local restrictions.
For both convenience and privacy the new space should have its own bathroom facilities -- including shower or bath - and separate laundry facilities if possible. Plumbing can become one of the first challenges you face, including whether it's possible to attach to existing water and sewer or septic lines or whether you need to extend separate lines.
Cooking facilities, no matter how simple, are another consideration. Depending on your zoning restrictions you may find that the only way to legally create the space is to have the occupants share the kitchen in the existing home, but for most people having a complete second kitchen - with range, sink and refrigerator - is far more convenient. Here again, you'll have to explore the issues of both plumbing and electrical wiring.
Separate space and water heating capabilities are another important issue. If the new space is in a separate building, then this is something you'll have to do anyway. But in the case of a secondary dwelling space that's either added onto an existing home or created inside an existing space, such as a garage or an attic, avoid the temptation to simply extend hot water and heat off your home's existing facilities.
There's a lot to consider, and even if you plan on doing a lot of the work yourself, some professional design assistance is almost a must. Depending on the circumstances and what you're trying to achieve, the assistance of an experienced remodeling contractor, an architect or home designer or perhaps even a structural engineer can make the entire process much simpler and safer.
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