KONHOFF COMPANY
  • Accessory Dwelling Units
    • ADUs
    • ADU Financing
    • Get Started
  • Multi-Family
    • Multi-family Land Acquisition
    • Multi-family Value Add
    • Single Family Homes
  • About
  • Blog

Mother-In-Law Apartment Floorplans & Designs

Back to Chapter 7
Go to Chapter 9

Chapter 08: Mother-In-Law Apartment Floorplans & Designs

An architect will come to your house for an initial consultation and will require an up-front retainer if you decide to move forward with them. The architect will typically offer you three to four different floor plans to come up with something you like, taking into account what is most important to you. Make sure to use your two or three variations wisely as you will have to pay extra to keep making changes to your design thereafter.
 
When you have a finalized floor plan, it is time to draw up your building plans. Your architect will usually recommend a structural engineer who can get your plans stamped and in Title 24 compliance. (Note: Konhoff Company’s architects take care of the submission process with the city.)

Pro tip: Make sure your architect, contractor and structural engineer communicate with each other to make sure you design your project within your budget and to avoid costly mistakes.   

Most cities we have seen have height restrictions that only allow you to build a 1-story ADU. There are all kinds of interesting and cool pictures online with floor plans that include lofts. Some even dig a few feet into the ground so they can fit in a cool loft without going over the height restriction. Unless you have a very large budget or don't care about your project as an investment, these type of floor plans are not advised. Right now, the construction costs are expensive in high-demand California coastal areas and you will end up increasing your budget. If you want to keep your project under $200K, stick with the basics. You may see really cool floor plans from ADU friendly cities like Portland, Oregon. But keep in mind, construction costs in Portland are very different from the Bay Area.     

Vaulted Ceilings
Higher ceilings are very nice and make the ADU feel bigger but add considerable cost. One way to get the nice open feeling without the high cost is to utlize scissor trusses, which are no more expensive than regular trusses.  

Flat Roofs
Flat roofs are popular and give a nice contemporary modern look.   They are more expensive and you may have problems down the road. They tend to have more leaking problems than a pitched roof.  Again, if you are on a fixed budget of less than $200K, these types of decisions can put you over the top. So make sure you know how much you are adding to the project cost with these types of design decisions.


Back to Chapter 7
Go to Chapter 9
  • Introduction
  • Chapter 1: What is an ADU?
  • Chapter 2: Are Accessory Dwelling Units a Good Investment?
  • Chapter 3: How to Build a Mother-In-Law House
  • Chapter 4: Why Build an ADU?
  • Chapter 5: Top 3 Ways to Finance Your ADU
  • Chapter 6: Do Cheap Pre Fab Homes Really Pencil Out?
  • Chapter 7: Can ADU Housing Solve the Current Crisis in California?
  • Chapter 8: Mother-In-Law Apartment Floorplans and Design
  • Chapter 9: How to Choose a Small Home Builder
  • Chapter 10: Cost to Build a Cottage in the Backyard
  • Chapter 11: East Bay & Contra Costa County California ADU City Requirements
Download the PDF

Site Evaluation

Take this short 10 question survey and receive a custom proforma, feasibility analysis and pre/post home value comparison.
I'm interested
Picture

The 2019 Guide to Building an ADU in California
​(Including Financing Options)

For homeowners who want to make the smartest investment when building a backyard cottage, granny flat, accessory dwelling unit, or garage apartment.
Picture

Chapter 01

What is an ADU?​
Picture

Chapter 02

Are Accessory Dwelling Units a Good Investment?
Picture

Chapter 03

How to Build a Mother-In-Law House
Picture

Chapter 04

Why Build an ADU?
​

Picture

Chapter 05

Top 3 Ways to Finance Your ADU Renovation Loan, FHA 203K, & HELOC
Picture

Chapter 06

Do Cheap Pre Fab Homes Really Pencil Out?
Picture

Chapter 07

Can ADU Housing Solve the Current Crisis in California?
Picture

Chapter 08

Mother-In-Law Apartment Floorplans, & Design
Picture

Chapter 09

How to Choose a Small Home Builder
Picture

Chapter 10

Cost to Build a Cottage in the Backyard
Picture

Chapter 11

East Bay & Contra Costa County ADU Requirements

Services

​Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
ADU Financing
Multifamily Land Acquisition
Multifamily Value Add
Single Family Homes
Listings

Company

About Us
Contact
ADU Quote

Miscellaneous

Privacy policy

2019 Guide to Building an ADU
Picture

925-587-5080

Disclosure: Konhoff Company is not a licensed contractor. Konhoff Company does not contract to perform, hire others to perform, or perform itself any actual construction work.
​ADU Financing is offered by Freedomstar Financial, Inc. NMLS # 1439059.

Copyright 2019 - 2020  Konhoff Company | All rights reserved. Icons made by Freepik at www.flaticon.com.

  • Accessory Dwelling Units
    • ADUs
    • ADU Financing
    • Get Started
  • Multi-Family
    • Multi-family Land Acquisition
    • Multi-family Value Add
    • Single Family Homes
  • About
  • Blog