If you’ve looked into having an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) built on your Long Beach property, you may have noticed that the City of Long Beach has some pre-approved plans online. These are plans that were submitted by architects in the area and have already been reviewed and approved by the City. You would purchase the plans from the architect who designed them (no, they’re not free), and if you keep the plans as they are, you can submit them to the City for an over-the-counter review.
One of the pre-approved plans might work out fine for you if you are considering putting an ADU on your property just to rent out to strangers. When this is the case, you might not care too much about the floorplan and details.
However, we’ve found that most people are building ADUs in Long Beach for other reasons. Typically, they are deciding to invest in an ADU to support their own family members by providing them with an affordable housing situation. They may be taking in an aging parent who needs some assistance but still wants to live somewhat independently, or they may want to provide a space for an adult child who is finding it difficult to find an affordable rental in the Long Beach area. In other cases, Long Beach residents build ADUs to house visiting friends and relatives.
When building an ADU for a specific person or situation, you likely want to have some say in the details. Maybe the space needs to be wheelchair accessible for an elderly family member or have a small office for your adult child who works remotely. If the ADU will be used to house visitors, it may not need a fully outfitted kitchen or a lot of storage space.
When you buy one of the pre-approved Long Beach ADU plans, you have to use them exactly as they were designed in order to get the cost and time savings associated with them. In other words, if the plan you select doesn’t exactly fit your needs, you will still need to pay an architect to make the changes you want, and you will then likely need to send the plans through the full approval process anyway. These things negate any of the benefits of the pre-approved ADU plans.
Our suggestion? Just go with a Long Beach architect from the beginning. Have your ADU plans designed exactly how you want them instead of trying to “make it work” with one of the pre-approved designs.
An ADU is an investment in your property—one that will increase its value and possibly provide you with some rental income. Trying to save a few dollars on the design of your ADU may not turn out to be the wisest decision—especially if the intended occupant has some special needs.
If you’re interested in learning more about Grisafe Architecture and how our firm can help you with ADU design, contact our Long Beach office. We can answer your initial questions and set up a consultation with you to discuss things further.
