09-30-2012, 12:33 PM
Just checked online. Chapter 5 of the county code, revised 8/1/2012, Article 3, Section 5-71, Subsections 310-3-7 and 310-3-8 seem to cover what we are looking for. They are as I remembered them. An efficiency dwelling must have a living area of not less than 220 sf. It must also have a sink, cook top, a refrigerator, and a closet. There is no separate minimum square foot area for the kitchen but each appliance must have 30" clear in front of it. There must be a separate bathroom. Again, no specific minimum area is listed but there are minimum clearances around fixtures. For example the space for the water closet must be 30" wide and there must be 24" clearance in front of it.
If not an efficiency dwelling, I could not find where it was specifically stated how many rooms were required, only that one room must be 120 sf and other habitable rooms (not kitchen or bathroom) had to be minimum 70 sf and no room with less than 7' as one dimension. It stands to reason that you would have to have a living room and at least one bedroom, one at 120 sf and the other at 70 sf. That adds up to only 190 sf. Smaller than an efficiency dwelling? I doubt it. Hallways, room to swing a door, etc will eat up any savings.
Assuming a 5' x 7' bathroom (you might squeeze it smaller but not by much) and something like 3' x 7' for the kitchen counters, you get Dee's 274 sf. It is hard to see how you could get by with less. In my case, the container is 8' x 40' on the outside. It is only 7' 8" wide inside and that is without any wall treatment, so figure no wider than 7 1/2' by 39 1/2' inside. Then subtract 4" for each wall and I was left with only about 300 sf to work with. It could be done but in the end it would leave a lot to be desired as a house. As a storage/work space with a few amenities it will be fine. As for sleeping, it is a darn sight better than my car, which I have done many times.
If not an efficiency dwelling, I could not find where it was specifically stated how many rooms were required, only that one room must be 120 sf and other habitable rooms (not kitchen or bathroom) had to be minimum 70 sf and no room with less than 7' as one dimension. It stands to reason that you would have to have a living room and at least one bedroom, one at 120 sf and the other at 70 sf. That adds up to only 190 sf. Smaller than an efficiency dwelling? I doubt it. Hallways, room to swing a door, etc will eat up any savings.
Assuming a 5' x 7' bathroom (you might squeeze it smaller but not by much) and something like 3' x 7' for the kitchen counters, you get Dee's 274 sf. It is hard to see how you could get by with less. In my case, the container is 8' x 40' on the outside. It is only 7' 8" wide inside and that is without any wall treatment, so figure no wider than 7 1/2' by 39 1/2' inside. Then subtract 4" for each wall and I was left with only about 300 sf to work with. It could be done but in the end it would leave a lot to be desired as a house. As a storage/work space with a few amenities it will be fine. As for sleeping, it is a darn sight better than my car, which I have done many times.