Q&A - Does a DADU have to go behind the primary house?

Issue 14

Q: If I am listing a property in which there can, by zoning, be two ADUs, but the primary residence is set in the back of the property, can I still market the property as having the ability to add ADUs? My question is really, can ADUs be between the primary residence and the street or does the primary residence need to appear primary in terms of the neighborhood (at the front of the property)?

A. Great question and good thinking! We should not assume that just because the land is there and available that the ADUs can be added anywhere. Your best bet is to review the following:

HOA - If the house is in an HOA, there may be requirements regarding where the ADU can be added in proximity to the primary residence.

Building Department - Even if an HOA doesn't have regulations regarding the placement of an ADU, the building department might. 

Other Issues - There are plenty of other issues to consider as a buyer who may be thinking that this is what they want to do:

1. Appeal of the primary house - The person in the primary house is going to be the one shelling out the most money - either for purchase or rent. How much will putting a smaller home or two in front of that impact the sale or rent price? This is especially important to consider if the property does not have an alley behind for access to the primary home. 
   
   One other thing to consider is outdoor private spaces, especially as those are removed from the primary residence. In the event the primary residence is set up with privacy in the front yard as opposed to the back, ensure that there is a logical and appealing way to add it to the back. There doesn't have to be a lot of extra space in order for it to feel special. Privacy fencing and a little landscaping can go a long way in helping establish a garden-style retreat that can make up for losing space in the front.  
   
   
2. Parking and proximity of parking to house - There are two factors at play here: 
   
   1) How do you keep the parking situation appealing to the primary residence in order to maximize your selling or rental dollars?
   
   Again, since the owner or renter of the primary residence will likely be the primary financial contributor, they aren't going to want to hoist their groceries hundreds of feet away from their parking space. Additionally, we would want to consider EV charging if that is in-demand in the area. Proximity to parking or availability of parking impacts price!
   
   2) Since many areas now want to limit the prevalance of a garage or parking in front of houses, creativity may be needed to get the parking as close to the primary residence as possible without severely limiting buildable square footage. 
   
   For example, a city may not allow for a garage to be added with parking beside it, but it might allow a driveway around a building into shared parking behind one of the newly-built ADUs in front. However, driveways have to be a certain width, so let's say there is a minimum of 15' of a driveway which also has to be set back from a side lot line by 5', that is a lot of buildable square footage that goes away the further back on the property that driveway has to go. 
   
   In most municipalities, parking for the primary residence is still required, although it may not be for ADUs. That doesn't mean it is not allowed. Check with the Building Department. 
   
   
3. Utilities located between house and street - Often when a house is built at the back of a property, utilities are placed in the front. These may be expensive to replace or relocate, but since they would likely need to be reallocated amongst the units, some of these are expenses you would most likely have already. But there will most likely be additional development dollars needed. 

If you are listing a property like this, I would encourage you to go through the MLS in an area that is already seeing ADUs developed on different areas of a property, especially those that are being condoized and sold. Pay special attention to those units that are comprised of an older primary residence that is located in the back of the property with new ADU units in the front. Compare these to a more-traditional arrangement of an older primary residence in the front with the ADU in the back. How did the overall prices differ between the two? This will be important information to know if you are promoting a property with ADU potential. 

10 Things Real Estate Agents Need to Know About Middle Housing

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