In recent years, the popularity of tiny homes or dwellings has grown with the general public. Some have chosen to live in a tiny home as their primary residence. And others may seek to add one to their property — either for their family, household employees, or to rent. This is called an accessory dwelling unit (ADU). If you’re in the process of deciding whether an ADU is right for you and your home, we’re here to help answer your questions about ADUs in Florida.
What Is an Accessory Dwelling Unit?
An accessory dwelling unit, also known as an additional dwelling unit, is a secondary housing structure built on the property of a main dwelling place or home. The second structure can attach to or detach from the main house. People more commonly refer to them as “guest houses” and often consider them a place to house aging parents. ADUs allow these guests to remain nearby while maintaining their independence (though ADUs have many more uses.)
As defined in Florida, an ADU is “an ancillary or secondary living unit that has a separate kitchen, bathroom, and sleeping area. An ADU exists either within the same structure, or on the same lot, as the primary dwelling unit.” Most commonly, ADUs will house about one or two people away from the primary residence but can house more depending on your needs.
ADUs and Florida
If you’re a Florida resident and wondering if you can build an ADU, the answer is, generally, yes. There are not any state-wide restrictions on whether or not you can have an ADU on your property; however, you may be restricted by other regulatory bodies.
To determine if any restrictions apply to you, you’ll first want to contact your homeowner’s association (HOA) if your home is a part of one. Even if your local government and zoning would allow an ADU on your property, your HOA may not. If you’re currently looking for a home and know you’ll want an ADU in the future, checking for these restrictions with a potential house’s HOA may be something you’ll want to consider.
If you don’t have an HOA or if your HOA allows ADUs, you’ll next want to check with your local city government. They can explain any zoning or housing restrictions that may be in place surrounding building an ADU on your property. For example, some counties in Florida do not allow ADUs on your property. Mainly for the purposes of renting or to people who are not family or employed by the household. For zoning purposes, they may have square footage requirements for both your property lot and the ADU that you’ll want to follow. To see some of the requirements for the more populous areas in Florida, refer to this guide here.
Options for Accessory Dwelling Units
When considering adding an ADU to your property, you have a couple of options available. Some people opt to build an ADU from scratch by hiring contractors and other workers.
However, one option you may not know about is buying a manufactured home for your property to act as an ADU. With plenty of choices for manufactured homes under 900 square feet, they make for perfect ADUs. When you go with Prestige, you’ll be able to customize your ADU to exactly your vision. By choosing a manufactured home as an ADU, you’ll save the time, money, and aggravation. Oftentimes, with other ADU options, you will be sacrificing quality or luxury, while also spending more.
Get Started on Your ADU with Manufactured Homes
We at Prestige are experts at designing, building, and delivering manufactured homes. We’re more than happy to help you start your ADU journey. We can help you find the perfect fit for an accessory dwelling unit for you and your home! Here at Prestige, we offer full customization so that you’ll get exactly the results you want for your property. To get started, take a look at our different floor plans below 900 square feet.