ADU/GUESTHOUSE

The final and most usable way to add room for people is the guestroom.

Guestroom: A single room within a dwelling unit which may be occupied by no more than two persons and which are not members of a family. A guest room may not contain any cooking facilities.

Family: A family is:

1. An individual or two (2) or more persons related by blood, marriage, or adoption, and usual servants, living together as a single housekeeping unit in a dwelling unit, or

2. A group of not more than five (5) persons, who need not be related, living together as a single housekeeping unit in a dwelling unit.

So with a guestroom, a single-family home could add or adapt rooms to house non-family members or additional roommates. Like the Guest House, it can have a full bathroom and space for sleeping. Unlike the Guest House, it may not contain cooking facilities and it must be located within the principle residence.

So, yes, Phoenix is not an ADU friendly city (yet), and its zoning ordinances are quite restrictive. But with some creativity, it is still possible to add more housing options, even in single family zoning. And someday, when Phoenix does allow for ADUs you could easily renovate these rooms and get a legal permit for that kitchen that you totally did not ask your electrician or plumber to wire and plumb for anyway. That kitchen that you absolutely didn’t install without a permit because you were waiting patiently. You can remove the door that provides interior access to the rest of the house that you left there until you were given permission to seal it.

Your Guestroom can become an ADU.

In this 2bd/2bt home, either of the rooms could be considered guestrooms. The master suite contains a full bathroom, no cooking facilities and is accessed from the interior. It is however not as private or independent as one might hope if it is to be a real housing option.

With some adjustments (items in Gold will need a permit, see section 3.2) the guestroom can be more independent while maintaining the letter of the law. The single window is turned to a door and the closet is opened to be a kitchenette (with no cooking facilities). Finally, furniture or other items can be moved in front of the interior door to hide it and make it inoperable.

This final step is for the time when Phoenix loosens up on regulations to expand access to housing choice. More windows can be added, the interior access door can be removed and sealed which, in this case, gives space for laundry, which before would have been shared. The kitchen could even become a small, but full kitchen.