Kickoff Summer with These Cool Casita Concepts
Man Caves or She Sheds? Kickoff Summer with Game Viewing Concepts
Kickoff the unofficial start to summer with cool ideas for a man cave, modern media room, versatile casita or She Shed. Officially known as ADUs or Accessory Dwelling Units, these freestanding rooms equipped with full kitchens and bathrooms can be an All Pro choice this fall for watching the World Series, college football or NFL games in comfort and style. Think superstar walls of high definition televisions teamed with comfortable armchair QB furniture and portable bars accented with your favorite San Diego Chargers or LA Dodgers memorabilia.
But don’t think only men have a game plan for their ultimate game viewing room. Women like to win, too!
Consider this:
Of the NFL’s 185 million fans, 45% are women
Women comprise 34% of ESPN’s audience
One in three fantasy football players is a woman totaling an estimated 17 million
Ladies are moving away from DIY home renovation, yet still make the majority of remodeling decisions
Trending She Sheds are equally popular for women who like to cheer their favorite teams with fellow female fans or challenge themselves in yoga or the ultimate test of simply unwinding. Hear these and other creative uses, firsthand, from RBC Construction’s Project Coordinator Ken Bertwell on the Coachella Valley’s sports leader Team 1010 and 102.7 KXPS. Thank you to “She’s a Gamer” host Cristina Walters for the interview.
ADU Reform Means Affordability
Affordability is an added benefit to ADUs, as they don’t require paying extra for the land on which they’re constructed. In fact, California’s recent legislative changes further allow ADUs in both single-family and multi-family zones to address myriad affordable and housing inventory needs throughout the state.
In 2016, California passed statewide ADU reform in SB 1069, later modified in 2017 by SB 229 and AB 494. These laws require cities to:
Permit one ADU per single-family home
Streamline ADU permitting by using a ministerial rather than discretionary process
Set utility fees in proportion to the burden of the ADU and reduce them for ADUs built inside the main house
Waive parking requirements for ADUs located within a half-mile radius of a transit stop or within a block of a car-share; for ADUs built inside the existing primary house that don’t involve additions; and for ADUs in historic districts.
Otherwise require no more than one parking space per ADU, and allow that space to be tandem
Waive requirements for “passageways”—a commonly required ten-foot-wide, open walkway from sidewalk to ADU
Allow zero setbacks for existing garages converted ADUs, and five-foot side and rear setbacks for ADUs above garages
Cap ADU floor space to 1,200 square feet for detached ADUs (backyard cottages); 1,200 square feet or 50 percent of house size, whichever is less, for an attached ADU that involves an addition to the main house; and no size limit for ADUs built entirely inside existing houses.
Evidence of their practical and creative uses is the fact that California led the nation in ADUs built in the first half of 2018, a result of forward-thinking legislators that have streamlined the construction process. Local leaders in Indio, Palm Desert and La Quinta have amended their respective ADU policies to reflect the state’s, paving the way for further construction by local ADU experts in the Coachella Valley.
RBC Construction is a third-generation, California home builder and innovative remodeler, providing a complete range of construction services from kitchen/bath remodels to room additions and total home remodels. The company’s commitment to be straightforward and transparent, ensuring that a project is on time and within budget, is what drives its passion for perfection in turning a client’s dreams into reality.
