Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
This concept was mentioned in a previous thread and I'm giving it some serious thought. My plan would be to rip down my garage and on that part of the lot I'd build a 2 car garage with a 1 BR apartment on the 2nd floor. I've looked at the zoning part of the Minneapolis website and it appears that I'd need to gain approval to do this. My curiosity is if this would be allowed in my neighborhood and if so, what would I need to gain approval? Also, what would be the effect on my property tax? Finally, does anyone have a ballpark what it would cost to do this? I imagine it could present possible issues for getting water and sewage connected? Would a basement be required?
This concept was mentioned in a previous thread and I'm giving it some serious thought. My plan would be to rip down my garage and on that part of the lot I'd build a 2 car garage with a 1 BR apartment on the 2nd floor. I've looked at the zoning part of the Minneapolis website and it appears that I'd need to gain approval to do this. My curiosity is if this would be allowed in my neighborhood and if so, what would I need to gain approval? Also, what would be the effect on my property tax? Finally, does anyone have a ballpark what it would cost to do this? I imagine it could present possible issues for getting water and sewage connected? Would a basement be required?
Perhaps the lot could be subdivided? The Minneapolis planning commission is fairly progressive. As long as your plans are tight and reasonable I'm sure you could pass with it.
If you have a contractor do all the work and depending on the plumbing/gas/water lines and if you have to put in a full slab, it's about $10,000 for the garage and at least that much for the apartment. One thing to consider, if you are really building something for a parent, stairs can and will be an issue down the road. She may be fine now but what about 5 years from now. I would see if there is a way to build the apartment at ground level, maybe an addition to your house vs the garage?
When I casually called the city to ask about this a few years ago (we were considering buying a place, and wanted to know what the possibilities of getting a variance for such a project in the future) they were very encouraging. Talk to the Ventura Village people if you haven't already; they've already drawn up several plans for Minneapolis-approved "carriage houses," which would, I assume, be both much cheaper than doing up your own, as well as would presumably make it a bit easier to quickly and easily get through the zoning process. Their website says their houses cost around $65-$70k. I've seen these in various neighborhoods in the city, and I think as long as you're not removing parking you're unlikely to run into problems. You may even be able to get some sort of grant or assistance with getting one built, so check with the city, your neighborhood, and the Housing Resource Center to see what kind of loans or outright grants may be available.
This concept was mentioned in a previous thread and I'm giving it some serious thought. My plan would be to rip down my garage and on that part of the lot I'd build a 2 car garage with a 1 BR apartment on the 2nd floor. I've looked at the zoning part of the Minneapolis website and it appears that I'd need to gain approval to do this. My curiosity is if this would be allowed in my neighborhood and if so, what would I need to gain approval? Also, what would be the effect on my property tax? Finally, does anyone have a ballpark what it would cost to do this? I imagine it could present possible issues for getting water and sewage connected? Would a basement be required?
We were thinking of doing something similar here in St. Paul. Our garage needs to be rebuilt at some point and when the time comes we may make it a carriage house the can be used as either a studio apt or office/workspace. Since the bottom is a garage on a slab a basement wouldn't be required.
Location: Cleveland bound with MPLS in the rear-view
5,509 posts, read 11,883,459 times
Reputation: 2501
I'm pulling for your success on this endeavor!
I would love the option to live in a carriage house as a starter home with a family of 3. If they were fully functional and we could share the backyard, it'd be a superb way to introduce young families in pricier urban areas.
Yes, this is another possibility I have thought of doing. The problem with this idea is that it would take out most of our backyard which would be kind of a drag. Also, the 2nd house would be built where our garage currently sits and as a result our house would be left without a garage. There may be a way to add a 1 car garage to our house but what little yard that was left would be eaten up by this. I'm not going to eliminate this as a possibility but at this time I'm not sure it could be pulled off.
Quote:
Originally Posted by golfgal
One thing to consider, if you are really building something for a parent, stairs can and will be an issue down the road. She may be fine now but what about 5 years from now. I would see if there is a way to build the apartment at ground level, maybe an addition to your house vs the garage?
Hmm, another possibility. She's still pretty young relatively speaking so I don't think stairs would be an issue for a while but yeah, eventually it may be a factor. I think what attracts me to the garage addition is that it wouldn't result in much of a sacrifice to my already small city-lot. Also, it would create two physically independant living spaces, which is huge. Not only would this lead to privacy, but it would also create a rental income opportunity on my property. I agree that the stairs could be an issue if the unit goes on top of the garage and I'm not sure what the best solution to that would be...adding an elevator maybe? Might get a little expensive though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist
When I casually called the city to ask about this a few years ago (we were considering buying a place, and wanted to know what the possibilities of getting a variance for such a project in the future) they were very encouraging. Talk to the Ventura Village people if you haven't already; they've already drawn up several plans for Minneapolis-approved "carriage houses," which would, I assume, be both much cheaper than doing up your own, as well as would presumably make it a bit easier to quickly and easily get through the zoning process. Their website says their houses cost around $65-$70k. I've seen these in various neighborhoods in the city, and I think as long as you're not removing parking you're unlikely to run into problems. You may even be able to get some sort of grant or assistance with getting one built, so check with the city, your neighborhood, and the Housing Resource Center to see what kind of loans or outright grants may be available.
This is certainly encouraging. When I have more time to investigate this more in-depth (probably when I finish school later this year) I'll contact these resources and talk to my neighborhood organization. I do have a little bit of fear that I won't get the same level of openness in my neighborhood than one would get in a more dense neighborhood like Ventura Village, but who knows, maybe I'll get surprised. My neighborhood has a housing/land use committee that I would likely need approval from. I'll definitely need my ducks in a row and a good plan of what I'm doing before I stand before them though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by StanleyVegas
We were thinking of doing something similar here in St. Paul. Our garage needs to be rebuilt at some point and when the time comes we may make it a carriage house the can be used as either a studio apt or office/workspace. Since the bottom is a garage on a slab a basement wouldn't be required.
Yes, it's nice to see others have similar aspirations on their city lots! Have you looked into zoning regulations or seen what kind of approval this would require yet or are you also in the planning/dreaming stage?
Quote:
Originally Posted by west336
I'm pulling for your success on this endeavor!
I would love the option to live in a carriage house as a starter home with a family of 3. If they were fully functional and we could share the backyard, it'd be a superb way to introduce young families in pricier urban areas.
My vision is something very similar to this. I think it'd be a cute living option for an individual, couple or small family who is looking for an affordable apartment in a unique setting and still have access to a small yard for grilling out, etc. I think it'd rent well since these types of set-ups aren't really common yet around where we live. Something else I was thinking of including in it would be a little walk out porch/deck overlooking the street....now that would be pretty cool.
Last edited by Cruz Azul Guy; 12-27-2011 at 08:51 PM..
Location: Cleveland bound with MPLS in the rear-view
5,509 posts, read 11,883,459 times
Reputation: 2501
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slig
Yes, this is another possibility I have thought of doing. The problem with this idea is that it would take out most of our backyard which would be kind of a drag. Also, the 2nd house would be built where our garage currently sits and as a result our house would be left without a garage. There may be a way to add a 1 car garage to our house but what little yard that was left would be eaten up by this. I'm not going to eliminate this as a possibility but at this time I'm not sure it could be pulled off.
Hmm, another possibility. She's still pretty young relatively speaking so I don't think stairs would be an issue for a while but yeah, eventually it may be a factor. I think what attracts me to the garage addition is that it wouldn't result in much of a sacrifice to my already small city-lot. Also, it would create two physically independant living spaces, which is huge. Not only would this lead to privacy, but it would also create a rental income opportunity on my property. I agree that the stairs could be an issue if the unit goes on top of the garage and I'm not sure what the best solution to that would be...adding an elevator maybe? Might get a little expensive though.
This is certainly encouraging. When I have more time to investigate this more in-depth (probably when I finish school later this year) I'll contact these resources and talk to my neighborhood organization. I do have a little bit of fear that I won't get the same level of openness in my neighborhood than one would get in a more dense neighborhood like Ventura Village, but who knows, maybe I'll get surprised. My neighborhood has a housing/land use committee that I would likely need approval from. I'll definitely need my ducks in a row and a good plan of what I'm doing before I stand before them though.
Yes, it's nice to see others have similar aspirations on their city lots! Have you looked into zoning regulations or seen what kind of approval this would require yet or are you also in the planning/dreaming stage?
My vision is something very similar to this. I think it'd be a cute living option for an individual, couple or small family who is looking for an affordable apartment in a unique setting and still have access to a small yard for grilling out, etc. I think it'd rent well since these types of set-ups aren't really common yet around where we live. Something else I was thinking of including in it would be a little walk out porch/deck overlooking the street....now that would be pretty cool.
My cousin lives in a carriage house in Chicago and it has a deck/patio portruding into the backyard of the house it sits behind, and it looks perfectly normal. However, it does NOT face the alley and it shouldn't, IMO.
My cousin lives in a carriage house in Chicago and it has a deck/patio portruding into the backyard of the house it sits behind, and it looks perfectly normal. However, it does NOT face the alley and it shouldn't, IMO.
Agreed, not overlooking the alley, but we could have it overlook the street here since we live on a corner lot.
I'd have it overlook the area of your yard with the most privacy- so facing the yard or the back of the house.
You might want to check out The Longfellow Planbook- Longfellow Community Council : The Longfellow Planbook (http://www.longfellow.org/resources/longfellow-planbook.php - broken link). I can't find evidence of this on the website, but I could have sworn there was a plan or two focused on additions above garages for mother-in-law apts, but I could be wrong about this- you could call and ask.
Everything I've heard makes it sounds like the city encourages plans like yours as it keeps homeowners in place in their current homes and potentially adds more to the tax base. That said, my experience renovating most of a 100 year old house (new kitchen, new bath, whole-exterior remodel, and multiple other improvements) with the City of Mpls hasn't always been positive re: permits, inspections, etc., so yes- you'll want to do your homework and have solid, architecturally appropriate plans for whatever you decide to do.
When daydreaming about adding some more footage to our home (something that's become more common now that we have a new addition to the family), I go back and forth between the garage+ mother-in-law apt idea and adding onto the actual home itself. Pros and cons to both scenarios...
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
. That said, my experience renovating most of a 100 year old house (new kitchen, new bath, whole-exterior remodel, and multiple other improvements) with the City of Mpls hasn't always been positive re: permits, inspections, etc., so yes- you'll want to do your homework and have solid, architecturally appropriate plans for whatever you decide to do.
