At the beginning of this year, I shared that Bud and I decided to build an ADU in our backyard in Portland, OR for my Mom. We also decided to expand the square footage of our home to add some much needed additional home space above the ADU. We could not be happier with the process so far. I thought I would take a moment and catch you up on all that we have been doing to prepare for the eventual build.
Meeting with ADU Expert, Kol Peterson
We kicked off the project by first consulting with Kol Peterson. Kol is one of the most knowledgeable people in Portland about ADUs. He is accessible and incredibly down to earth. Bud and I have each taken his ADU class for Realtors, and we have also attended the Portland ADU tours he has put together. If you are considering building an ADU, I encourage you to consult with him up front before you have thought about architects, builders, designers, etc. He is an excellent first stop on your learning route. He is a resource to put you in touch with the right people, as well as to help you understand the process.
After meeting with Kol, we had a site survey completed to make sure we knew our exact property boundaries. Not much else to say here – basically unsexy but necessary math and measurements.
Selecting and Architect
We next decided that we needed an architect. This is a step in the process that I found most interesting. It was surprising to me just how many people tried to convince us we could skip this step and expense. We went with our gut, however, and after a series of interviews, we selected Hunter Williams of Lyons Hunter Williams : Architecture LLC. He came highly recommended from one of my college alums, also an architect. What can I say? The Wellesley network is strong and supportive, and they have never steered me wrong. We could not be more happy with our selection of Hunter.
He met with us at the beginning of January to get a sense of the space we were trying to create for Mom as well as the office space we need for our real estate business. He took detailed notes about the lot, the light, our yard needs for the dogs and entertaining guests. Bud and I fielded detailed questions designed to further understand how we expected to use the space, and how we could maximize use of the space.
In March 2020, we reconvened via Zoom, and Hunter presented us with three different schematics for our ADU. We reviewed each of the three options in detail. There were positives and drawbacks for each. In the end, “Option B” was our clear favorite. So we are now in the process of further refining the plans he presented for Option B. Check out the photos below for the first draft of what will become Mom’s home, and our future additional home space. You can click on the photos to enlarge.
Timeline Altered due to COVID19
It’s important to note that our timeline for this build has shifted in that we do not exactly know what the timeline will be. We are in the midst of the COVID19 pandemic. The City of Portland has all but stopped any residential permit reviews, which is fine with us because we still have to sell Mom’s home in Florida in order to fund the build. I am thankful that we have some extra time with the design phase so that we can really dial in our options and think through our decisions. But I’m also eager to charge forward.
So that’s my update for April. We are deep in design phase right now. We have no idea when Mom’s home in Florida will hit the market or sell. And we have no idea when the residential permitting process will be back up and running in Portland. But we do hope that we will be extra prepared when it does open back up. I will update again when I have news worth sharing. Thanks for taking the time to read and follow along with our ADU project.
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Danni Duggan and Charles “Bud” Garrison | Oregon Brokers | Premiere Property Group, LLC | Licensed in Oregon | 503-719-2279 | danni@dannipdx.com
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