NEWS FLASH - Last week the California Legislature passed Assembly Bill No. 2299 which will significantly reduce the cost of adding a rental unit or Grannie Cottage to the backyards of California. The Bill is largely aimed at providing a source of low cost dwelling units to an ever decreasing supply of living quarters for mid to low income working people. If you had ideas of adding a backyard cottage for rental income or as a retirement home the idea might finally make sense. The new changes include:
Utility Fees Greatly Reduced - The Bill removes the requirement to force a second connection to the City water, sewer and electrical services, saving most folks anywhere from $40,000 to $60,000 in utility hook up fees and installation costs.
Parking Requirements - The Bill removes the requirement to add an additional parking space for each backyard 2nd units. This requirement has been a deal buster for a huge number of residences because they could not modify their property to add an additional space. Cost wise, this could save as much as $10,000 when adding a rental Unit
Fire Sprinklers - The bill removes the requirement to install fire sprinklers in some 2nd units. A Change that could save home owners $3-5000.
If you'd like to learn more you'll find the bill and the huge list of major sponsors at this address:
http://www.bayareacouncil.org/economy/legislature-passes-council-backed-second-unit-housing-bill/
If you want to see what a full service backyard cottage looks like, see our Tiny Home section, where you'll see a fully functioning 416 sf model with LR, Kitchen, full Bath. Here's a thumb nail of our "Aging in Place" Model:
