ADU Pre-feasibility Report for
8 Emerald St
Newton, MA
REPORT HIGHLIGHTS
You are eligible for an in-home apartment!
This property meets the requirements for an In-home apartment.
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Convert an Existing Space: Within the existing building we estimate you can convert up to 416 square feet into a separate apartment by right.
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Build an Addition: We estimate this lot is eligible to build an addition of up to 1,196 square feet, and you’d qualify to convert 810 square feet into a separate apartment.
Ready to get started or need more information?
EXPLORE YOUR REPORT
Explore your report either by clicking the links below to navigate to specific sections or scrolling down.
We created your report based on public records and third-party data. While we try hard to give reasonable estimates, it’s not possible to give definitive answers without taking real-world measurements and conducting a full feasibility study.
PROPERTY SUMMARY
Gross Building Area
Lot Size
1,918 sq ft
4,234 sq ft
Living Area
Basement
1,260 sq ft
630 sq ft
Zone
Allowed FAR
MR2
0.58
Gross Floor Area
1,260 to 1,575 sq ft
Year Built
1900
Current FAR
0.3
BACKYARD COTTAGE
This section outlines which city criteria your property meets or does not meet to determine your eligibility to build a backyard cottage (detached ADU).
This property does not meet the requirements.
We estimate you can build a backyard cottage of up to 630 square feet by right. With a special permit you may be able to build up to 1500 square feet. These are the criteria we checked:
Property Type:
Detached Single Family Residence
ADUs are allowed in Newton for detached (i.e. free standing) single family homes.
Lot Restrictions:
Historic Restrictions Found
We identified a historic restriction on this property, which warrants further investigation. Preservation restrictions don’t automatically disqualify a property. However, further review and approvals may be required.
Building Capacity:
Building capacity of 630 sq ft, or up to 1,500 sq ft with a special permit
Newton sets FAR (Floor Area Ratio) limits for residential lots which dictate your lot’s capacity, or how much may be built. It’s not possible to definitively calculate your FAR without taking real-world measurements, so this is an estimate. We estimated your lot’s capacity based on available public records and used that to calculate how big of a backyard cottage you can build. The City Council may grant a special permit for up to 1,500 square feet. We estimated your habitable space; contact us if you’d like to learn more.
Read a full summary of the criteria here and how we estimate lot capacity.
Do you have an historic carriage house on your property? If so, you are eligible to convert that to an ADU. Contact us to find out more.
See Where a Cottage Might Fit
Select a footprint size and drag it around the map!
Here are a few common sizes to get you started. This is just the footprint—you can have a loft or half story for more space. One of our vetted partners can help design the perfect space for you!
Please note, the backyard cottage needs to be in the back or side yard, at least 7.5’ from the lot line, and at least 5’ from the main house.
Explore Cottage Floor Plans
These are for inspiration. One of our vetted partners can help design the perfect space for you!
IN-HOME APARTMENT
This section outlines which city criteria your property meets or does not meet to determine your eligibility to build an in-home apartment (Attached ADU).
This property meets the requirements! We estimate that you can build an in-home apartment of up to 416 square feet by right. These are the criteria we checked:
This property does not seem to meet the requirements. These are the criteria we checked:
This property meets the requirements! We estimate that you can build an in-home apartment of up to 416 square feet by right. These are the criteria we checked:
Property Type:
Detached Single Family Residence
ADUs are allowed in Newton for detached (i.e. free standing) single family homes.
Lot Restrictions:
Historic Restrictions Found
We identified a historic restriction on this property, which warrants further investigation. Preservation restrictions don’t automatically disqualify a property. However, further review and approvals may be required.
Building Capacity:
416 sq ft in-home apartment allowance by right, or up to 767 sq ft with special permit
Newton allows by-right internal ADUs of minimum 250 square feet, and maximum 1,000 sq ft or 33% of the total habitable space of the main house, whichever is less. We estimated your habitable space; contact us if you’d like to learn more.
Expansion Capacity:
Expansion of up to 1,196 allowed
We estimate your lot has capacity for a 1,196 sq ft addition, increasing your home to 2,456 sq ft, enabling an internal ADU of 810 sq ft. It’s not possible to definitively calculate capacity without taking real-world measurements, so this is an estimate.
Read a full summary of the criteria here and how we estimate lot capacity.
In-Home Apartment Gallery
These are for inspiration. One of our vetted partners can help design the perfect space for you!
NEXT STEPS
We combed through public records and cross-referenced all the regulations to provide you with this pre-feasibility report for your property. If you’d like more information or guidance on building an ADU, let’s dig in deeper!
We're here to guide you with:
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Estimating Cost to Build
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Financing Options
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Projecting Rent
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Validating Eligibility
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Designing a Space
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Hiring the Right Professionals
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Considering Pre-Fab (modular) Construction