Passed council last week
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Included in the latest newsletter from in situ architecture studio is this little update on the City’s “Fast-Track ADU Program,” meant to make it easier for people to build ADUs in the city by pre-approving designs and making the plans available for purchase. Sounds like two designs from in situ will be among the first set available:
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I don’t know who that is, but no slumlord is going to build brand new ADUs. That’s a higher level of investment than any slumlord would want.
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Hope they have some better designs than this. That is kind of bland.
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Sweet. In Situ is one of the best residential design firms in the Southeast, also probably the most acclaimed from the Triangle in recent years. Amazing for them to be involved in this.
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There’s only so much you can do with an 800 ft² building, and adding sub gables or extra exterior features just drives the cost per foot up. If I built one I would match the style of my house which is a 3:12 pitch front facing gable with lap siding and double hung windows, but this probably works for a lot of folks.
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I don’t disagree, but in their defense:
- we haven’t seen the other side. Could have a cool carve or massive window.
- I’d think this initiative aims to have designs with the widest appeal. A simple gabled form that sort of fades away into someone’s backyards and could work with with both historic and contemporary houses without competing is a smart choice.
- The vast majority of folks would be shocked at how expensive construction is these days. (My parents are actually in design for a simple modern house that’s coming in at $450-500/sf construction costs only.) I’ve no doubt that cost makes ADUs a complete non-starter for most people. If the aim of this initiative is to simplify the process and make ADUs accessible to more people, the designs need to be simple, modest, and cheap. If someone wants further customization or a “louder” design, they can engage the architect. I think that’s a really cool part of the initiative.
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Yeah I get it. Maybe the barely any windows was an attempt to control costs. I agree with what they are trying to do, just this example doesn’t do much for me. Maybe form the other side or with some inside renderings it will be different.
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May I ask where your parents are? Are they in the Triangle or in a more expensive market? $450-$500 a foot just seems unreal to me. Then again, I know that many builders will often price modern designs higher because it’s not what they are used to building. Still!!!
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I know, it’s crazy! They’re local – northwest Raleigh. The contractor does mostly modern homes, and this was the cheapest contractor the architect works with… even he was shocked at the price though and has advised my parents to wait to see if the pricing cools off in a few months. I’ve spoken to some of my colleagues in the residential market though and they’ve told me it’s pretty rare to see architect-designed modern homes for less than $400/sf these days.
I think the price in their case came in a bit higher because it’s a small house (just under 2200 sf) so a lot of the site work and expensive line items like the kitchen make up a higher percentage of the construction cost than they would for a larger house. There’s also a pool, but it’s not even custom - it’s a very small fiberglass pool, ~60k installed. Everything else is pretty standard – hipped asphalt roof, fiber cement siding, nothing extravagant or out of the ordinary.
When I was a kid, we had a family of 6 in a house just under 2200 ft2 in north Raleigh. How times have changed.
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I was trying to price out a garage addition last week and Carolina Custom Builders (headquartered in the city of Raleigh) told me they no longer build in city limits due to the permitting process taking 6+ months vs. other places only taking a week. Did something change recently?
Looking for builder recs if anyone has any. I’m not really looking for an ADU but more of an attached bonus space for gym/office/workbench/etc.
Interesting - I was talking to a builder a couple weeks ago and all of his complaints were about Chatham County being super slow on their permitting. Growth has everyone feeling understaffed, I’d think.
Cary’s mayor’s blog mentions that town staff are looking at new ADU language. The town’s 2021 housing plan recommended modernizing the existing language (adopted in the 1990s?), and it was mentioned by a few Town Council candidates this year. Whether it’ll allow detached ADUs is unknown, but he does mention a parking-minimum reduction and 800 sq ft max size.
Anyhow, having more Triangle lots eligible for ADUs is great. As California has seen, a bigger market for ADU builders makes economies of scale possible, and can spur exponential growth in ADU construction.
ahem @evan.j.bost
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Thanks for the info and tag @paytonc
Currently my company specializes in larger custom home projects, with remodeling/small additions/accessory structures reserved for past clients and full home remodels. However, that market is softening and we may need to broaden to other types of projects.
Also, my application for GC license is pending approval at the NCGCLB, so I may be taking on smaller projects in the near future.
@Straggler - I’ll send you a DM.
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Any updates on the status of the ADU Fast Track program?
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Raleigh has massive staff vacancy ~15% as lack of pay is killing them. ADU permitting ends a check list with things (address for RPD, RFD and utilities) resolved before submitting for permits. Now almost 100% of ADU are turned down but last I check they had the addressing resolved before permits submitted.
By coincidence, I had my ADU plan review approved today and it looks I should have my permit issued shortly. For anyone curious the Plan Review fee is $224 and the Permitting Fees are $1100. 
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Curious how big is your ADU going to be and how big is your backyard? If you don’t mind sharing. I’m hoping later next year to buy a property around Raleigh, with hopes that I can also build an ADU on the lot.
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