Backyard Income: Unveiling StreamHome's Model ADUs

You Have Mentioned Your Model ADUs Several Times, What Are They Exactly?

Unlock the secret to maximizing your property's potential with accessory dwelling units (ADUs)! Join licensed general contractor Alex Kosley as he reveals everything Colorado Springs homeowners need to know about these versatile secondary dwellings.

A game-changing code revision hits Colorado Springs on June 30th, allowing ADUs on virtually all residential properties regardless of lot size. Alex breaks down exactly what makes a property ideal for ADU installation, from alleyway access to space requirements for these compact but mighty structures. Whether you're looking to generate rental income, house family members, or create flexible guest space, understanding these fundamentals is crucial before breaking ground.

StreamHome Construction has engineered four remarkable model ADUs designed for maximum efficiency and rapid deployment. From the compact 384-square-foot "Prospect" to their engineering marvel that somehow fits three bedrooms into just 748 square feet, these pre-designed units slash construction timelines dramatically. The most exciting advantage? Pre-approved master plans that can reduce permitting time from four-plus months to potentially just one month – getting you from concept to completion faster than ever.

The strategic location of your ADU matters tremendously for maximizing returns. Short-term rentals thrive near tourist destinations like Garden of the Gods, while mid-term rentals perform better near hospitals. Alex shares insider knowledge on how to match your property's location to your intended use, ensuring the best possible outcome for your investment.

Ready to explore whether an ADU is right for your property? Visit www.Yourstreamhome.com for a free consultation or call 719-644-6777 to speak with our team of experts who can guide you through every step of the process.

To learn more about StreamHome Construction visit:
https://www.YourStreamHome.com
StreamHome Construction
719-644-6777

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to the Stream Home Construction Podcast,
where we take your project fromconception to completion.
Hosted by Licensed GeneralContractor Alex Kozley, we cover
everything from accessorydwelling units to commercial
construction in the greaterColorado Springs area.
Whether you're dreaming of anew ADU, planning an office
upgrade or tackling a majorrenovation project, we've got

(00:26):
the expertise to guide youthrough it.
Let's get building.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
ADUs give homeowners a head start by offering smart,
pre-designed layouts that savetime, reduce cost and maintain
flexibility.
Welcome back everyone.
Skip Monty, here, co-host slashproducer, back in the studio
with licensed general contractorAlex Cozley.

(00:56):
Alex, how's it going?
I'm doing great, skip, how areyou doing today?
I'm doing just fine, doing justfine.
Pretty spring day.
I'm thankful for that.
I was wondering and I'm surethat some of our listeners have
been wondering about this aswell.
Several times, you've mentionedyour model ADUs on the podcast.
What exactly are ADUs?

Speaker 3 (01:14):
Yes, skip.
So ADUs are accessory dwellingunits which are basically a
secondary dwelling.
Consider your main house, yourprimary dwelling.
An ADU would be typicallysmaller.
Second dwelling can be used torent out short-term rental, to
rent long-term to house lovedones, to guest house, a flex
space.
There's a lot of differentoptions available.

(01:36):
But, as core, an ADU is just asecond dwelling that you would
have on your property where youhave an existing dwelling
already.

Speaker 2 (01:43):
So like a mother-in-law kind of building.

Speaker 3 (01:48):
Mother-in-law suite, granny flat, casita there's like
a hundred different names kindof used in different places
across the country.

Speaker 2 (01:56):
Granny flat.
That's a new one on me.
I haven't heard that.
Well, what type of propertiesare best suited for installing
an ADU?

Speaker 3 (02:06):
So well.
In Colorado Springs, with thenew code change it's going to in
effect June 30th Most everyresidential property will allow
an ADU.
The most ideal conditions foran ADU would be having, like,
alleyway access is typicallypreferred.
Then you can have a separateentrance and separate parking on
the backside of your property,even put a fence in between and
have really two independentproperties.

(02:27):
Not always the case, so youideally like to have.
You really need some room forsome extra parking and at least
a pathway from the front of thehouse to the back.
If you don't have alleywayaccess or if maybe if you're on
a corner lot, you may not, thatmay be ideal as well.
Without an alleyway, oftentimesyou can build a curb cut to
build a driveway to the ADU on aside street.

(02:49):
So definitely want to bethinking about your parking and
access for vehicles and peoplewho will be using the ADU Lot
size.
There's no restrictions fromthe city on lot size any longer,
but I mean you're going to needat least a 16 by 24 footprint
would be our smallest ADU modelfootprint and then you typically
want about at least nine by 20feet for a parking space and we

(03:11):
do offer the models we'redesigning with garages under
that can accommodate the parkingspace in the same footprint as
the ADU.
So, yeah, you want to haveplenty of size.
Ideally you'd have enough powerat your house already to tie
into or overhead power linesthat we can tap into, and yeah,
but then we also are looking foraccess to the site.

(03:31):
We need at least ideally atleast six feet of clear space on
the side of the house to get toa backyard.
If there is no alley access,just for excavation equipment to
come and materials in and outeasily.
So those are all really thingsthat we're looking for.
And then just geographically,depending on, if suited to your
ideal purpose, your use of theADU.
If you want to do a short-termrental, you probably want to be

(03:53):
somewhere where a short-termrental market is stronger, near
the airport or near Garden ofthe Gods or Old Colorado City or
some tourist destinations.
Mid-term rentals typically wantto be close to a hospital or an
urban area.
Long-term rentals can reallyvary, but yeah, so those are
just several factors to keep inmind when looking for
ADU-friendly property.

Speaker 2 (04:14):
Now you mentioned your models.
How many model ADUs do youcurrently offer and what makes
them different or unique?

Speaker 3 (04:20):
So, yeah, we're super excited about our models.
We just we're just kind of inthe thick of getting those built
, designed, let me say, and thenrolled out to be marketable to
our clients.
We have four models that are indesign right now.
Our first model, which we'vebeen calling Model 1, we've been
calling a Model 1, 2, 3, 4.
We have just recently adopted anew naming convention so we're

(04:43):
going to start naming them afterstreets in Colorado Springs.
So we've named model one.
Now we're calling it theProspect for a couple of reasons
One kind of fits it's a smallmodel, kind of a glimmer of hope
, a prospect for the ADU futurein Colorado Springs.
But also our office is onProspect Street and we're in the
middle of securing a piece ofland.

(05:04):
That's on South Prospect Streetwhere we're going to build the
Model 1 as a model thatcustomers will be able to see
and actually sell that property.
We're going to end up buildingthree of our models on that
property.
So Model 1 is the first, theonly one with a name so far, and
it's a 384 square foot, one bed, one bath ADU.
Then Model two is a 572 squarefoot, two bed, one bath ADU, and

(05:30):
both of those are reallydesigned to become the most
efficient.
One bed and two bathroom unitsthat we can build for the lowest
possible price Work great forhigh efficiency rental or just
needing to get the mostcost-effective kind of apartment
in your backyard, whether it'sfor a mother-in-law or guests or
whatever your purpose is.
And then we have model three,which is a 704 square foot, two

(05:51):
bed, two bath.
It's the most kind of cozy, hasthe most kind of, the most
spacious of our first fourmodels and yeah, so two beds,
two baths, two full baths insideof that, definitely bigger
kitchen and living room comparedto the other models.
And then model four is a 748square foot, three bed, one and

(06:12):
a half bath, and so that's asuper high efficiency rental
unit for an investor.
You can get really good returns, even on a long term rental
using that unit.
So the first four three of themare really designed to just be
the most efficient one, two andthree bedroom units that we can
design that we think are stillusable and they the reason that

(06:32):
they're all under 750 squarefeet is Colorado Springs
planning requirement.
Basically, on any lot you canbuild as long as you have space,
you can build up to a 750square foot ADU, regardless of
the size of the primary dwelling.
So that's why we've, at leastin our first four models, really
stuck to keeping them all underthat size limit.

Speaker 2 (06:52):
And how many bedrooms was number four?

Speaker 3 (06:54):
Number four is three bedrooms, one and a half
bathrooms, squeezed into 748square feet.

Speaker 2 (07:00):
Wow, Wow.
Three bedrooms that's crazy manIn 748 square feet.
Well, I thought I heard that atsome point that having your
model ADU can help simplify thepermitting process.
Is that the case?

Speaker 3 (07:14):
Yeah, and that's one of the big reasons that we're
moving towards the models is toreally expedite our design
timelines, pre-constructiontimeline.
So we're creating what arecalled master plans here in our
building department jurisdictionso we can draw up the plans.
For model one.
We have several, a couple ofdifferent options on that plan
set.
We get it to the buildingdepartment and they basically

(07:34):
pre-approve that so we can buildit on any different building
site as once we get the planningapproval that's site-specific.
So that's a big reason and thatcan cut down our timelines on
pre-construction from four ormore months down to potentially
like one month in order to get acontract signed and start
construction.
So it can really expedite thetimelines on that.

(07:54):
And then the models alsoexpedite the process.
They're designed to be veryquick and efficient to be
installed, minimal waste,everything's like on two foot
dimensions.
So less cutting, less waste,just faster installs all around.
We're hoping in the long run toget our model builds down to

(08:16):
three months for like model one,maybe three and a half months
for the larger models.

Speaker 2 (08:19):
Wow, so now are they pre-constructed and you move
them there, or how does thatwork?

Speaker 3 (08:27):
Yeah.
So these are actually going tobe all stick built on site.
We are considering in thefuture depending on what kind of
volume that we see and demandpotentially panelizing the units
so that we would be buildingthe wall panels in our shop and
then transporting them to thesite where they'd be installed
to save some time on framing.
But that probably won't make alot of sense till we have higher

(08:50):
volume of units and then wekind of turn into more of like a
factory to some degree.
So for right now everythingwill just be stick built on site
.
The way they're designed.
Again, they can be framed upreally fast.
So this isn't like building a4,000 square foot custom home
and you've got weeks of framing.
Most of these are going to beframed in one or two to three
days kind of at the most.

(09:10):
So we don't have majordisadvantages.
Of course, framing outside doesmake you more susceptible to
weather, of course, andpotential weather delays.
But with the framing timelinebeing so short on these models,
we're not super concerned thatthat will gain us a big
advantage to be framing theseinside at this time.

Speaker 2 (09:29):
Wow.
Well now, how do the modelunits compare in cost?
Can you customize an ADU?
If you have a model you cancustomize it.

Speaker 3 (09:39):
Yeah.
So our models, they'reminimally customizable,
especially right now.
We're just trying to get themrolled out in a pretty basic
with a couple of options, acouple of finished packages.
We're not going to allowstructural changes, at least
right in the beginning, andwe'll prioritize people who want
to build them as design, partlyjust to get the wheels moving

(09:59):
and get projects going, partlyjust to get the wheels moving
and get projects going.
Because, yeah, again, justmaking one small change can add
a couple of months to theprocess pretty easily, just
because then it has to go backto the building department, go
through that cycle, and that caneasily add a month or two
months, depending on thecircumstances.
So we're trying to avoid that.
But we do want to give clients achoice.
We'll have two pre-made finishpackages you can pick, like the

(10:21):
brush nickel finish package orthe matte black finish package,
and those would be like twooptions that you could just
check.
They're already selected, we'regood to go.
We'll also we'll give clientsthe opportunity to pick all
their own selections if they'dlike to do so, and they'll just
have to do it within a prettytruncated time period near the
beginning of the project to makesure everything's in order.

(10:41):
So we have kind of the spaceshuttle plan and we're ready to
launch without making decisions,once the project is commenced.

Speaker 2 (10:47):
Gotcha.
So they can customize to anextent, but there's a price to
pay.
It's going to take longer andmaybe cost a little bit more.

Speaker 3 (10:56):
Yeah, it will cost more, for sure.
It will take longer, yeah, andwe do plan to make them more and
more customizable as time goeson.
But we just are prioritizinggetting them out, rolled out and
available to buy and reallyfocusing on those model designs.
So it won't have a lot ofbandwidth to go in and be making
small tweaks to individualmodels at this time, but in the

(11:17):
future we want to make thisprogram flexible and accessible
and make sure it's meetingmarket needs.
So we'll stay tuned to what themarket's saying and what
feedback we're getting on themodels to make sure we're
providing a product that reallymeets what consumers want and
gives them some flexibility toadjust that as needed.

Speaker 2 (11:36):
Awesome.
Well, Alex man, this has beensome very useful information on
ADUs and especially with thetiming in Colorado Springs,
Perfect timing.

Speaker 3 (11:46):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (11:46):
Thanks so much, man, and appreciate it.
Appreciate your time today andwe'll catch you in the next
episode.

Speaker 3 (11:53):
Sounds great.
It's great talking to you, Skip.
See you soon.

Speaker 2 (11:57):
All right, great talking to you too, man, have a
great one, all right.

Speaker 1 (12:01):
Great talking to you too, man.
Have a great one.
That's a wrap for this episodeof the stream home construction
podcast.
Ready to bring your vision tolife?
Snag a free onsite consultationby visiting our website at
wwwyourstreamhomecom, or call ortext us at 719-644-6777.

(12:24):
Until next time, let's keepbuilding your residential and
commercial dream in the greaterColorado Springs area.