If our last cliffhanger post didn’t get you pumped about ADUs, let’s hope this one can deliver. As mentioned in the previous post, we are excited to announce our very own ADU design / build /deliver service. We have designed two prototypes (floor plans and renderings shown above) and have done our due diligence on codes, constraints, financing and delivery methods. All of that to say, if you like what you see, you could have one of these in your backyard very soon!
Interested to know more?
For starters, check out this step by-step presentation we put together. There are some site limitations that are important to address up-front, and this will help you see if you have any deal breakers before coming to us. At a minimum, ask yourself the following questions:
1. Do you have a reasonable amount of space behind or beside your existing house? If your lot is mostly covered by house, patio and/or paving you may not be able to add more impervious surfaces.
2. Do you have steep topography?
3. Is your backyard higher or lower than the street? Sewers run downhill, so if your backyard is lower than the street you will likely have to invest in a sewer lift station.
4. Do you have any large trees on your property? Root zones take up way more space than you’d expect (they are typically larger than the drip/canopy line of the tree) and it’s best to steer clear of them.
We are currently working through pricing estimates with our contractor and developing a strategy to make the process (from site feasibility to permitted drawings) as easy and pain free as possible. As far as financing goes, we are coordinating with Midtown Bank on lending options for our local Atlanta market clients. On the financing side of things, doing a home equity line of credit will be the simplest mechanism if you have the equity in your house. They have a loan product ready to go for folks that have higher credit scores and home equity they can tap into. We are also working on other financing options for folks that can’t leverage this path. Antoinette Mitchell is the appropriate loan officer to reach out to if you are serious about things and want to know more about your lending options.
If you feel reasonably confident that the above criteria are workable and you are interested in learning more about feasibility and pricing , email us with your address, square footage of your current house and (if you have one) a property survey that includes tree size and locations, topography and sewer invert heights in the street.
Let’s ADU this!
2017/02/24 Update: The original version of this post was revised to correctly describe when a sewer lift station may be required.
Originally posted by Elizabeth Ward for KWA and ATL ADU CO