Hello,
I've been doing a lot of reading on this forum, but this is my first time posting. I am in the planning stages of building an ADU in the attic of my new detached garage (built 2 years ago). It's 28x30, but the ADU in the attic will be 12x30. There are no issues with my local ordinances, I meet all the requirements.
My biggest problem at the moment is the fact that I'm on a septic system. It's a 3br system, and a 3br house. So I can't just add another br/apartment without either installing a new septic all together or adding on to the one I have, depending what the poo engineer comes up with. Since our system is about 20 years old, I'm pretty sure the only way it's happening is to replace the whole thing. Another problem is that it's an elevated sand mound (wet area) so it's not a cheap system to replace. If I have to spend 20k for a new septic that will probably not justify the extra rent income.
A friend mentioned that it might be possible to reduce the bedroom count in my house to enable me to add the ADU. Since I'm not planning on selling anytime soon I don't really care if my house is classified as a 2br, if it would be as simple as removing a door and closet to get it "reclassified" as a 2br... Anybody ever done this? I'm in rural Maine, so our local code is about as relaxed as you can get. It's only me in the house, and at most I could have two cozy people in the apartment, so it's not like I'll be risking overloading the septic in any way.
Thanks!
I've been doing a lot of reading on this forum, but this is my first time posting. I am in the planning stages of building an ADU in the attic of my new detached garage (built 2 years ago). It's 28x30, but the ADU in the attic will be 12x30. There are no issues with my local ordinances, I meet all the requirements.
My biggest problem at the moment is the fact that I'm on a septic system. It's a 3br system, and a 3br house. So I can't just add another br/apartment without either installing a new septic all together or adding on to the one I have, depending what the poo engineer comes up with. Since our system is about 20 years old, I'm pretty sure the only way it's happening is to replace the whole thing. Another problem is that it's an elevated sand mound (wet area) so it's not a cheap system to replace. If I have to spend 20k for a new septic that will probably not justify the extra rent income.
A friend mentioned that it might be possible to reduce the bedroom count in my house to enable me to add the ADU. Since I'm not planning on selling anytime soon I don't really care if my house is classified as a 2br, if it would be as simple as removing a door and closet to get it "reclassified" as a 2br... Anybody ever done this? I'm in rural Maine, so our local code is about as relaxed as you can get. It's only me in the house, and at most I could have two cozy people in the apartment, so it's not like I'll be risking overloading the septic in any way.
Thanks!