Mangrove Bay Design

Here we are post Covid 2021 in Florida and the housing market is still on fire. Some agents feel that the tide may be turning over the next couple of years to be more of a buyers market. We are blessed to live in an area where people come to vacation in paradise.

With all the area has to offer, many home owners are adding to their property accessory buildings for several purposes. Property owners are building for their aging parents, as health care for family members is utterly outrageous and many would rather spend a fraction getting a space for the relative ready with accessibility and safety, rather than spend every last penny on a facility they have no control over the level of care loved ones receive. We are one of those families. When it is needed our family will have a space to come and feel cared for and safe. I suggest working with a design professional who is well versed in Universal design code Check it out

They are also building to take advantage of the amount of people visiting our area with building or renovating to allow for long term or short term vacation rentals. Zoning here is the first issue. Before you do anything, check with the zoning department of your municipality to be sure you are even allowed to rent property. This can be a real windfall for a family if they are able to make some extra cash renting to visitors if only a few months a year.

Still others may just want some extra space for a studio or a home office. This is totally reasonable considering how we are all living under one roof again with our aging children and parents as the cost of owning a home gets further out of reach for or kida out of college.

No matter what your reasons are for wanting to add an accessory building to your property, the first place you need to start with your idea is your local building department. They will be able to tell you what you are allowed to do based on your zoning qualification. They can tell you about setbacks as well as any other constraints you need to consider. Be sure before you hire a design professional that you have a clear understanding of what you can and cant do. You will need your survey of the property in the very beginning as well. I am linking our New Smyrna Beach Municipal Code here so you can look for yourself what is allowed and not. One of the biggest hang ups is the lack of a 220 amp breaker for an oven, they generally don’t allow for a “full kitchen” in an accessory building. I’m still digging in to the reasoning for this.

Once you know what you are allowed to build, then I suggest collecting on Pinterest or Houzz your favorite spaces and build your story boards and idea books to share with your design professional. The more you have worked out in your own mind, the faster and easier you can communicate this to your designer. This is give you the best space possible within your budget of course.