Accessory Dwelling Units in Whatcom County
In the December 2021 New York Times article, America’s Boom Towns, Bellingham came in ninth — right after Vancouver, WA and just ahead of Seattle. Two Idaho cities made the top 10 as well. Northwest popularity is not going away, and as we well know, the rate of housing development is not keeping up.
Bellingham, WA is the 76th fastest growing city in the US, and 4th in the state. Because of this rapid influx of new residents, the rate of housing growth simply is not keeping up. To address this, the City of Bellingham has encouraged infill within the existing city limits, rather than sprawling outward. In the last 8 years 70% of new households have been 1-2 persons. These in tandem with relaxing the permits required— has created an opportunity for single-family residences to build connected but separate Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) or Detached Accessory Dwelling Units (DADU) on their property much more easily than just a few years ago.
Benefits
There is a lot of talk about ADUs (or In-Law suites) in Whatcom County these days, we at A1DesignBuild get multiple inquires a week about constructing them. These small, self-sufficient living spaces provide a lot of flexibility to homeowners and renters alike. Some may want to rent an ADU for supplemental income, while others plan to downsize into the ADU and rent their primary residence. ADUs can also support more cohesive family structures, with adult children moving in or for elderly parents that need extra care. They can even provide housing for on-site care staff or be designed with limited mobility in mind. Renters get the opportunity to live in a space that more closely fits their needs and budget while building community around them.
Costs
ADUs supply a lot of answers to the housing problems Whatcom County faces but there are still major hurdles homeowners face when it comes to building an ADU. The principle being cost; there is no getting around that ADUs are an investment. They can easily cost close to as much as building a new house, because in essence it is building a new home. The costliest rooms in a home to construct are generally the kitchen and bathrooms. In an ADU these rooms are a larger portion of the structure’s total square footage. This also means that the price per square foot of an ADU is higher than the square foot price of a similarly constructed home that is larger.
Basic services that need to be extended to the new ADU including, but not limited to water, sewer and electricity can uncover some unexpected costs. To limit water consumption, the City of Bellingham is paying much closer attention to each home’s water meter size and water fixtures count. In our experience, we have found many homes are out of compliance as they are. When a homeowner adds a new ADU with multiple sinks, a toilet, a shower or tub, a clothes washer and possibly a dishwasher, it may result in an increase to the size of their water meter. This is a significant expense that should be planned for in many cases. An electrical sub panel will need to be installed for the ADU, and the existing panel may need to be increased as well. Looking beyond the basic services a homeowner should budget for design, engineering, permit fees and tax as well as basic cost of construction. It becomes evident why the square foot price for an ADU is high. If you’re looking for a general idea, think in terms of $600 per square foot.
Lot Capacity, Design Considerations
After studying the costs, if it is in your budget, adding an ADU can provide an immense amount of flexibility around living arrangements and increase the value of your property. There are still other things to consider when it comes to the construction of the ADU. The primary concerns are if your lot can accommodate an ADU and what the structure will look like. Depending on if you live in Whatcom County these requirements differ. Please refer to this chart for municipal specific requirements.
Within Bellingham city limits it is important to note that if you want to build a DADU over a structure like a garage, that existing square footage is calculated into the square footage of the DADU. This can very quicky exceed the maximum 800 square-foot limit — which would require a conditional use permit, as well as the ADU and general building permits. A conditional use permit requires the homeowner to host a community meeting for comment and all properties within a 500-foot radius be notified. Depending on one’s neighbors this can be an easy check box or one of the biggest challenges of the project.
Architectural considerations also must be considered; each municipality has its own guidelines, but generally, the look of the ADU/DADU must closely match the main residence and look subordinate to it. All municipalities require the ADU to have a dedicated parking space, and the lot must account for that within its setbacks. Height restrictions can also preclude DADUs over existing structures and may even limit the roof design on a single story DADU.
Timeline
The last aspect of building an ADU is the timeline. Depending on the necessary permitting and the complexity of design and construction the time from initial contact with a builder/ architect to a completed structure can be two years or more. This is as long or longer than building a new home. If you have made it this far in the article and are still considering an ADU, for one; I commend your determination—it is something you will need to see an ADU project to completion. I would also like to congratulate you on being one who not only improves your property but creates an infill dwelling for others in our community.
A project like this also requires flexibility, the constraints on an ADU are tight and may be a major driver of design. An 800-square-foot or even 400-square-foot ADU can have a kitchen large enough for a serious cook and a bathroom that feels luxurious. What one loses in an ADU is storage space for “stuff” that a larger home affords. That is a serious conversation to have with yourself, members of your household or potential tenants. (Here’s how one A1 client approached it.)
The housing market in Whatcom County has driven many residents to be flexible and find unique living situations to be able to stay in this beautiful area. An ADU can be a great way to supplement one’s income, downsize, or afford fellow community members to stay our community members. For many, an ADU provides everything one needs in a dwelling -- but that doesn’t mean they will work for everyone in every situation. If you decide it is right for you, our team at A1DesignBuild shares a determination to maximize utility in small spaces to increase the flexibility and value of an ADU/DADU while aligning with our organization’s goals to create a sustainable community.