Typical cost in Millcreek
Owners of Millcreek houses who want a second living space under their own roof can bring it to Millcreek Basement Finishing. In Utah’s terms it is an internal accessory dwelling unit, and Millcreek layers a Planning and Zoning application, entry-door placement and parking rules over the building code.
We work in Millcreek and in nearby Holladay and Cottonwood Heights. The page is for owners, not for people looking for a unit to rent, and it leaves out detached units and garage conversions. A kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and living space are priced and planned together, and estimates are free.
An internal accessory dwelling unit is a habitable unit inside the footprint of a house that is a detached single-family home occupied by its owner. In areas zoned mainly for homes, state law makes one internal unit a permitted use and stops a city from setting limits on its size relative to the house, on the lot size, on street frontage or on whether it connects inside to the main house, apart from the exceptions the statute lists.
State law lets a city require a permit or license to rent an internal ADU and lets it bar rentals shorter than 30 consecutive days. Millcreek’s ADU FAQ says rentals of 30 days or longer are allowed in all ADUs once the owner has an ADU compliance letter and a business license, and that internal and attached ADUs may operate short-term rentals with an ADU application and a business license, while detached ADUs may not. Whether a unit used only by relatives counts as an ADU is a question for Planning and Zoning.
Detached units and garage conversions are other projects. The unit must also meet the building, health and fire codes that apply to a home.
Millcreek’s Planning and Zoning page sets these rules for an internal unit: ADUs are allowed only in R-1 (single-family residential) or A (agriculture) zones; internal and attached units have no lot-size minimum but follow the underlying zoning; an exterior door to the unit must be on the side or rear of the house; at least one off-street parking stall is required and no ADU parking is allowed on the street; and the lot must be owner-occupied, with the city recording a notice on the property title once the application is approved.
The order matters. An ADU application with Planning and Zoning has to be completed before a building permit can be applied for, and anyone who wants to rent the unit must also have a Millcreek business license. The city’s ADU page says the ordinance has changed since its 2021 adoption and that the city’s ADU rules are the best source, so confirm the current wording with Planning and Zoning before you commit to a plan.
A unit below the main floor is inspected against a short list drawn from Utah’s code. The escape opening comes first. Alarms follow, smoke and carbon monoxide, placed as in a new dwelling. Separation between the two homes is third: gypsum board of at least 1/2 inch on each face of the dividing walls and the underside of the floor assembly satisfies the state exemption. A disconnect exception exists for ADU occupants, and your inspector can tell you how it plays out at your panel. Sizes for the opening are on the egress window installation page.
The board on a separating wall counts as fire-resistance work, so the building official looks at it once it is hung and before the joints are taped. Schedule drywall finishing around that visit. This page does not cover separate entrances, sound separation, heating separation or utility metering; settle those with the city.
The price follows the floor area, the kitchen and bathroom, the entrance and the fire separation, plus whatever turns up once walls are open. We write the estimate after seeing the basement.
State law lets a city bar rentals under 30 consecutive days. Millcreek’s ADU FAQ allows rentals of 30 days or longer in all ADUs with an ADU compliance letter and a business license, and says internal ADUs may operate short-term rentals with an ADU application and a business license. Confirm the current rule with Planning and Zoning.
Yes. Utah’s text names accessory units alongside new bedrooms as the cases that must have an escape opening when they are created in an existing basement. The openings are sized on the egress window installation page.
Millcreek says ADUs are only eligible on lots with owner-occupied dwellings, and the city records a notice on the title. Confirm what applies to you with Planning and Zoning.
Two pieces of an apartment have pages of their own: the escape window (egress window installation) and the kitchen (basement kitchen and wet bar). For the wider list, use the home page.
Describe the basement and the unit you have in mind: size, whether it needs its own entrance, and who will live there. Mention whether you own the house and live in it. We'll get back to you soon with an estimate or any questions we have. Estimates are free and there's no obligation.
Call (385) 417-4099