Talk:Accessory Dwelling Unit

merge

This is already mentioned at Secondary suite, could be a redirect. Hairhorn (talk) 18:16, 23 January 2012 (UTC)

The term secondary suite is never used for this type of structure. There are many pseudonyms, but secondary suite is not one of them. Accessory Dwelling Unit is the proper name (in the United States) because it is the term that is used by zoning and planning and building officials.

Whoever thinks "secondary suite" is a proper term should be responsible for identifying citations that verify that this is a term that is used by zoning and planning and building official to describe this type of development. --KPeterson (talk) 18:33, 23 January 2012 (UTC)

The entry Secondary suite claims otherwise, and uses some of the same synonyms that you list here. Perhaps you can find some sources to back up your position that this is a separate topic. Hairhorn (talk) 18:36, 23 January 2012 (UTC)

Sure, here are example of code language that uses "Accessory Dwelling Unit". Please find official code language for this term "Secondary suite". It is not a real term. No one is this field uses this term.

http://www.portlandonline.com/bds/index.cfm?a=68689 "ADU DEFINITION The Zoning Code defines an Accessory Dwelling Unit as a second dwelling unit created on a lot with a house, attached house or manufactured home. The second unit is created auxiliary to, and is smaller than, the house, attached house (rowhouse) or manufactured house."

http://www.mrsc.org/publications/textadu.aspx "ADUs are most commonly understood to be a separate additional living unit, including separate kitchen, sleeping, and bathroom facilities, attached or detached from the primary residential unit, on a single-family lot. ADUs are usually subordinate in size, location, and appearance to the primary unit.

Attached units, contained within a single-family home, known variously as "mother-in-law apartments," "accessory apartments," or "second units," are the most common types of accessory dwelling units. Accessory apartments usually involve the renovation of a garage, basement, attached shed, or similar space in a single-family home."

http://www.mass.gov/envir/smart_growth_toolkit/pages/mod-adu.html "In Brief: An ADU is a self-contained apartment in an owner occupied single-family home/ lot that is either attached to the principal dwelling or in a separate structure on the same property."

Please do not redirect to this "secondary suite" page until you can verify that this is a real term that is used by code officials or a broadly used term. The only book that has been written on this subject, "In-laws, Outlaws, and Granny Flats", http://www.tauntonstore.com/in-laws-outlaws-and-granny-flats-michael-litchfield-071302.html , also refers to these units as "Accessory Dwelling Units". --KPeterson (talk) 18:45, 23 January 2012 (UTC)

I do not pretend to be an expert, but a quick Google search shows lots of documents using both terms, eg: ("A secondary suite is a self-contained, accessory dwelling unit"),, (a secondary suite is ..."a dwelling unit accessory(secondary) to an existing primary dwelling unit."). There are many more. Further, you use the same synonyms that appear at Secondary suite. So this doesn't seem at all clear cut to me. Even if the terms were not identical, they are so closely related that they probably belong on the same page. The same applies if this is simply a US-only term for the same thing. Hairhorn (talk) 19:10, 23 January 2012 (UTC)

I think you'll find that "secondary suites" or "backyard cottages" are referred to as types of "accessory dwelling units" within most codes, such as the first link that you provided. But, you're right the language does vary from city to city. Perhaps the term "secondary suites" is used Canada, but in the US, these units are most commonly referred to "accessory dwelling units". --KPeterson (talk) 21:05, 25 January 2012 (UTC)