Author: Hank Hernandez

The City of Alameda, Alameda Tiny Homes and The California State Legislature agree that the production of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) is an important strategy in the effort to reduce the overall cost of housing in California, and understanding the ADU permit legislation is key.

According to UC Berkeley’s Urban Displacement Project, “Recent state efforts to incentivize the construction of ADUs have resulted in more communities and families building ADUs as a cost-efficient way to address the affordable housing crisis. By further reducing barriers to ADU approval and construction, this legislation will help add tens of thousands of new units to California’s housing stock.”

History

On September 27, 2016, Governor Brown signed three bills into law (AB 2299, SB 1069, and AB 2406), which modify State regulations related to accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in Government Code Section 65852.2.

These new regulations made ADUs legal in all California cities. But in some municipalities, strict local regulations such as parking space and minimum lot size requirements coupled with high permit fees and have hampered ADU development efforts.

Upcoming Changes to ADU Permit Process

This year, new legislation has been passed that streamlines the ADU application process, limits fees, and in general makes the permit process easier for ADUs.

Tell Gov. Gavin Newsom that you support these bills to streamline the ADU Permit process.

Specifically, Senate Bill 13 by Senator Wieckowski, which is currently awaiting signature by Gov. Newsom addresses the issue of high permit fees and other barriers to ADU development, while Assembly Bill 881 removes owner-occupancy requirements. Assembly Bill 68 even allows for two ADUs on the same property.

According to Assembly Member Bloom, author of AB 881, “Although the ADU permitting process has been significantly streamlined as a result (of previous legislation), there continue to be ambiguities in the ADU statute that can slow or block the construction of these units. This has resulted in many ADU permits being significantly delayed or blocked. There are a number of specific deficiencies in existing law that this bill seeks to remedy.”

The California Association of Realtors notes that the bill “will help alleviate our housing shortage while capitalizing on limited land resources.”

Once signed these new regulations go into effect January 1, 2020 making now an excellent time to begin your ADU project with Alameda Tiny Homes.

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One of the benefits of Alameda is year round outside time.  Figuring out how to mesh this with your indoor living will create the perfect oasis.  Your tiny home is not just extra square footage – done right, your new tiny area will complete your visual landscape and complement your main house.

Think about what you’re going to use your tiny home for–is it going to be a guest house or a personal art/ yoga studio?  Do you want privacy or visibility from your main house?  What area of your garden do you want to reserve for growing tomatoes?

So my sister, husband, and 3 cherubic (seriously, they are) nephews and niece came from the East Coast for an Alameda visit. Our home is a modest 1800 sq ft. but we do have a guest room/office with a comfy for 3 days max. Ikea pullout couch. An inflatable toddler bed manages to squeeze in nicely between the wall. My how they had grown. Sleeping bags in the living room, tooth-brushing parties, shoes everywhere…the stuff childhood memories are made of right? Okay, yes but… thank the baby Jesus it was summer with “let’s go back outside” time. I realized then that our 150 sq ft. guest room (a.k.a. home office) wasn’t going to cut it if I wanted to keep my sanity and also make sure my family remained willing to keep making the cross-country trek. Cue the cute backyard cottage–we’re talking about building a guest house.

Imagining their next visit, I would love it if the next time they come, my sister and her husband could wake up to their own room (and real bed!) on East Coast time as they wish, sipping coffee on their private patio. Meanwhile, the kids would be happily camped out on in their own little nook enjoying Peppa Pig in the comfort of their own little space. The chaos of shared spaces would be replaced with room to spread out, get some private time to re-charge, “real” beds for everyone, and maybe even help extend their visits for more quality time. Building a guest house could be a game-changer for helping us build family connections too.

Building a guest house isn’t just about adding extra square footage; it’s about creating a welcoming haven for family and friends. It’s an investment in quality time spent together, minus the stress of cramped living quarters. By providing individualized spaces, we can ensure that everyone is relaxed and can truly enjoy their time together.

Family visits can often be loaded – fortunately with my sister & co. they never have been – but I know that by building a guest house the individual space will make for a more peaceful visit all round.  Tooth-brushing parties will persist.

Written by a man:

With space in the Bay Area at a premium, we are all faced with some potentially difficult choices as to what gets to stay and what gets voted off the island.

This can be even more difficult if you have an active family with ‘gear’. It’s inevitable if you live and play in the Bay Area that you not only need piles of layers for our changing weather but also those more dedicated items like winter wear for Tahoe, the obligatory paddle board or kayak for romps at Crown Beach, a pile of bikes, scooters and wagons, the list can go on and on.

This doesn’t even take into account the earthquake kit, lawn tools, Halloween, and other holiday decorations (yes, we know who you are!). Though if you live on Christmas Tree Lane then you probably have already rented a warehouse so maybe this conundrum doesn’t apply to you.

“Yes!”, you say. “I know, I really should get rid of some of this stuff.”

But let’s face it, some of this stuff needs to stay. Building a tiny home in your backyard may mean that you need to remove that often dilapidated garage/shed thing that is already there. Yes, it may be a little worse for the wear since it was first put together sometime around WWII but it is undeniably useful in keeping the stuff of Bay Area living out of sight.

A big part of taking the plunge to tear down your shed and build a more versatile tiny home is about taking apart our priorities and putting them back together in a more purposeful way.

Even if you can’t bring yourself to offload your worldly goods to Goodwill, do not fear- there are amazing things that can be done through organizing! Ask anyone who has ever lived on boat. If everything has a place and everything is in its place, clutter can be kept under control even in tight spaces.

For my money, deciding to get my inventory under control and organized and stored in manageable ways is a worthwhile proposition not only because it opens the door to a better backyard structure.

A small but liveable space, also known as an accessory dwelling unit (ADU), even one where the closet is well stocked, is so much better than a ramshackle shed or tired old garage.

When you thinking about tiny home decor, look for pieces that can serve multi purpose – a table that can function both as a desk and a dining table, a deep sofa that can double as a guest bed, or an ottoman that can be both a coffee table and bonus seats when guests are over.

Built-ins, storage nooks, and furniture tailored to your exact needs can utilize every available sliver of space.

Buy bigger but fewer furniture. It may seem counter-intuitive, but outfitting a small space with just a few large-scale pieces (rather than a mishmash of pint-size furniture) can actually make it feel grand.

On September 27, 2016, Governor Brown signed three bills into law (AB 2299, SB 1069, and AB 2406), which modify State regulations related to accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in Government Code Section 65852.2.

On April 10, 2017, the City of Alameda Planning Board held a study session to discuss proposed amendments to the Alameda Municipal Code (AMC) to bring the zoning ordinance into compliance with the new State laws.

In May of 2017, the Planning Board met again to discuss and finalize the amendments to the City of Alameda Zoning Ordinance (AMC Chapter 30), which now make it possible for Alameda to enjoy the benefits of backyard cottages and tiny homes.

In short, these new regulations make it easier than ever to increase the the useable living space of your home, add value to your property, and create a viable housing opportunity for family, friends, or tenants- all while maintaining the unique neighborhood feel of Alameda that we love. Permitting and building accessory dwelling units, also know as ADUs in Alameda is our specialty.

This City of Alameda ADU checklist will help us determine if your property is a viable candidate for an Alameda Tiny Home.