access needed for ADU construction?

[Russell Howes]

I'm under contract for a duplex (in Salt Lake) and the zoning rules allow me to add another unit of up to ~500-600 square feet.

Unfortunately, the house is on a narrow lot and is pretty close to the neighboring buildings in both directions. The gate is about 4-5 feet wide; not wide enough to let a car into the backyard, let alone a construction vehicle. Is this a dealbreaker for building an ADU? Is it likely to make construction slower and more expensive?

[Will Fraser]

Hi @Russell Howes, congratulations on the potential investment in SLC!  It's hard to come by deals that make sense from a cashflow perspective in this stellar city and you're working hard and thinking creatively about it!

You'll definitely be looking at a more costly construction on the ADU if it is possible at all. You'll want to take into account all easements and build restrictions (in addition to zoning) that may be in play that would limit your ADU size or location. In the end, if you have the space for it then you know that the crews are going to have to hand-do a lot of things that would typically be machine aided, which will add to the bottom line, but perhaps not enough to bust the concept.

One thing to be mindful of here is parking. Typically something that can cause a lot of churn with Plexs any way, and triply so when you add an ADU, is strained parking. If parking is scant or ill-defined it is bound to be a pain-point for your tenants (and you) and something that fuels their turnover more than is good.