ADU Marin - Free ADU Resources for Marin residents
ADU Marin is a new partnership between 10 local cities and towns and the county of Marin.
They’re launching a lot of free ADU resources to guide homeowners through the process of planning and building an Accessory Dwelling Unit.
As I understand, this was paid for with SB 2 grants from the state of California which explains why it’s free for you!
Please share with Marin-ites
This article and accompanying video contain tools that are very useful to anybody living in Marin county or one of the ten participating cities.
And even though San Rafael is notably missing from the list of participating cities, tools like the ADU Cost Calculator and free ADU plans are going to benefit everybody in the county, regardless of what jurisdiction their home is in.
And if you happen to know George Lucas, I’m just saying… I’ve got a few ideas for Skywalker Ranch.
Free ADU Tools
ADU plans for inspiration
The website features loads of ADU floor plans that other residents of the county have used.
These can inspire your own ADU projects.
You can start a pinterest board for ADU floor plans you like.
You can bring these to an architect to show the kinds of layouts you’ve been considering. Get a feel for what you like and dislike - and share that with you ADU professionals.
Free ADU webinars
They’re hosting a series of Accessory Dwelling Unit webinars in October and November, and presumably ongoing…
To introduce the new tools, webinars will be held on Oct. 26, Oct. 29 and Nov. 5. The webinars will take place from 6:30-8 p.m.
Oct. 26 – Belvedere, Tiburon, Sausalito, unincorporated Southern Marin. Register online.
Oct. 29 – Larkspur, Corte Madera, San Anselmo, unincorporated West Marin. Register online.
Nov. 5 – Mill Valley, Ross, Fairfax, unincorporated Central Marin. Register online.
Again, I know San Rafael is notably missing. Not sure if that’s a weird Marin thing or if they are just playing hard to get, but I’m sure you can sign up for one of the other webinars and get a lot out of it.
ADU Cost Calculator
I made a whole tutorial on how to use these cost calculators developed by Baird + Driskell Community Planning, this video embedded right here.
The Accessory Dwelling Unit cost calculator for Marin is a great tool that lets you estimate ballpark costs for an ADU based on a few important variables. It also tries to generate estimated rental returns and help you calculate your breakeven point based on expected expenses and return on investment.
It’s a wonderful tool to use if you’re just learning what sort of variables matter a lot when budgeting an ADU or JADU.
ADU Marin maintains a list of the ADU rules in each of the following jurisdictions:
Ross
San Anselmo
Sausalito
Novato
Mill Valley
Larkspur
Fairfax
Corte Madera
Belvedere
and unincorporated Marin County
To figure out which jurisdiction your property is in, use the County of Marin GIS public look up tool.
Real stories of other Marin homeowners
They produced a number of videos about other Marinites (Mariners?) who built their own ADUs.
It’s very inspirational stuff and it shows that real people are getting these projects accomplished.
There are adorable retired teachers making affordable housing for a new generation of teachers… all while avoiding having to move to a retirement home… what’s not to love?
ADU project costs, timing, sizes, locations and more…
I especially like that they’ve included the size and price of these ADUs in the video descriptions.
| Location | ADU Type | Size | Price | Year completed | Total time | Build time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corte Madera | Converted Garage | 576 square feet | $300,000 | 2019 | 13 months | 9 months |
| San Anselmo | New detached prefab | 544 square feet | $120,000 | 2019 | 2 years | |
| Mill Valley | Interior conversion | 200 square feet | $8,000 | 2000 | 1 year | 6 months |
| San Anselmo | Converted existing structure | 550 square feet | $120,000 | 2019 | 13 months | 9 months |
Workbook coming soon
Sign up to their ADU Marin mailing list and they’ll tell you when the Marin workbook launches. You can already download the workbook by the Napa Sonoma ADU Center or the San Mateo County workbook.
More information is available in the ADU Marin press release
Expect more!
More than 70 ADUs have been created in unincorporated Marin over the past two years and ADU adoption will speed up significantly as the local jurisdictions invest in tools like the ADU Marin webiste.
I think this website and a lot of the tools are from Baird+Driskell Community Planning.
That’s the same shop that made the websites, handbook, and other tools that you see in the county of San Mateo and the Napa Sonoma ADU Center.
If you want to stay abreast of all the latest ADU news, you can share your address with me and I’ll keep you in the loop.