Tiny Houses in Backyard

[Alex Chau]

Hi all,

I live in the bay area and I was wondering if I was able to put a tiny house in my backyard. The property is zoned for SFH. My plan is to use it sparingly as an airbnb rental and a "guest house". My perspective is what is stopping me from building a "tree house" and renting it out through airbnb. Any thoughts?

[Adam M.]

Not getting in the actual laws but I'd be concerned about the HOA (if there is one) and maybe annoying your neighbors with its presence/traffic. Just a thought.

[Steve B.]

You live in the strictest parochial centrally controlled city on the west coast. If you think the city is just going to let you build on your own property without putting you through the ringer good luck

[Alec B Calzada]

Alex Chau x
If you're in the Bay Area, please visit your local Planning department. Two reasons, you may not be allowed to actively use a Tiny Home on your property without proper electrical and sewer hookups (may only be able to store it, unoccupied). Secondly, there may be a "Bed Tax", even with AirBNB (San Bernardino required a 10% tax for any hotel type business including AirBNB). California housing restrictions and rules are some of the most strict in the nation and unfortunately the Bay Area is no exception. You can get all of your questions answered though with Regional Planning or Land Use Department.

[Arlen Chou]

@Alex Chau what you are considering building is called an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) or often times called an in-law unit or granny flat. In Daily City, you must live on the property and you must have a total of 4 parking spaces on the lot. If either of those are not met you will not get a permit. But if you do meet those requirements, then the process should be pretty straight forward.

Good luck to you!

_Arlen

[Sean Walton]

As @Arlen Chou mentioned if you are in Daly City read up on this http://www.dalycity.org/Page187.aspx

[Matt Sanford]

@Alex Chau  

Here are the steps I would follow:

• Hire architect, have them draw basic plans
• send architect to the PLANNING department to further refinement of design
• get plans approved
• hire a contractor to build home and get inspections
• Decide how to best capitalize on your Additional Dwelling Unit (ADU).

[Alex Chau]

Thanks for the info guys!!! The idea came about suddenly and I thought it would be an interesting concept since my family isnt really using the yard.

[Ethan Cooke]

@Alex Chau - A few people in my neighborhood in San Francisco have done this in their back yards and it seems to be working well for them. Please keep us posted!

[Katrina Razavi]

I'd def go to your local planning board or call them up and see what is involved with doing that. I know that in SF (in the city) things like this could require neighbor approval, permits and be a year long process but it depends on where in the bay area you live. I def wouldn't start construction until you sort this out. Good luck!

[DAn L.]

I would apply the Fair Housing Act and give the city the bird.  They will lose.  

[Spencer Hsu]

Many have suggested it but do it the right way especially as these homes are not cheap to build. Simply search ADUs and many companies do a full service setup (design, permit, construction). You can reach out to me if you want contacts.

[Nat C.]

@Alex Chau

I had read that San Fran, whilst maintaining strict zoning laws, were rather friendly about ADUs due to the huge housing costs, high demand and lack of supply. Hence, ADUs are an excellent way of increasing supply and helping with affordability.

However, your answer can’t easily be answered here because you haven’t provided enough details about your property size, set backs, parking and so forth. The city is definitely the body you need to speak to.

I will throw in one work around if you have restrictions with your property. Tiny houses on wheels, which can be easily moved off the property, can sometimes be a solution. I’m not up to scratch with the laws in your county though.

[Pavan Sandhu]

@Alex Chau in CA we use the term ADU. There could be a few options for you depending on how much you are hoping to spend in terms of cost and time.

[Spencer Hsu]

Tiny homes on wheels is not valid but ADU laws have been a lot friendly. However, it's still costly to build and difficult for construction costs to go down.

[Patrice Pominville]

Not sure if you can legally airbnb an ADU in San Francisco. For short term rentals in SF you have to reside in the unit. The ADU is considered a separate unit, so you would probably only be able to lease it out for more than 30 days legally.

[Lawrence Leung]

Assuming it is in San Francisco and not Daly City @Patrice Pominville is correct in that in order for you to get approved for your ADU application and permit you would have to acknowledge that ADUs are not permissible for short term rentals. More info on ADu's can be found here.