Experience converting single to multi family

[Dan Miklosz]

Hey BiggerPockets family,

I live in an expensive market, Chicago, where the numbers are difficult to make things work for a house hack.  The latest BP podcast got me thinking about converting a single family house into a small multi-family.  David mentioned simply putting up drywall but I have to image more is involved.  

Does anyone have experience converting a basement into a separate unit - construction/permits/zoning?  

Any tips would be appreciated!!

Dan

[Samuel Pavlovcik]

@Dan Miklosz, I'm an Architect based out of Chicago and I am actively working on (2) projects that are exactly as you have described. There are a lot of varying circumstances on a per-lot/per-project basis that can either make or break the opportunity to add a unit. The 1st thing to check is definitely the Zoning for the property. That alone can give you a very strong sense of the possibility of being allowed to add a dwelling unit. After the Zoning, there are additional concerns; many of which can be resolved with good Architectural design and communication with the building department. As @Dan Weber mentioned, depending on the number of units, it can have an effect on the code requirements to be met; however, in Chicago the change doesn't happen until switching from 1-3 units up to 4+ units (Changing occupancy from R-5 to R-3). The City does tend to be relative flexible with these building code constraints when you are only looking to add 1 unit to the property. Additionally, there have still be talks about the upcoming ADU ordinance in Chicago which will open up the opportunity of adding an additional dwelling unit for many more properties which would have otherwise been constrained by the Zoning Ordinance with the only option being pursuing a Zoning change which is timely, expensive, and not guaranteed to work. Feel free to reach out if you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to provide some more detailed input.