Glossary
Garage, ADU & addition terms, explained.
Plain-English definitions of the words that come up when you build in Eugene — so nothing in your project is a mystery.
- ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit)
- A secondary, self-contained home on the same lot as a main house — its own kitchen, bath, and entrance. Can be detached, attached, or above a garage.
- DADU (Detached ADU)
- A detached accessory dwelling unit — a standalone backyard cottage, separate from the main house. The most private and most rentable kind of ADU.
- JADU (Junior ADU)
- A smaller ADU, typically up to 500 sq ft, created within the existing walls of a house, often sharing some facilities with the main home.
- Garage conversion
- Turning an existing garage into finished living space — a room, a suite, or a full ADU — reusing the existing slab, walls, and roof.
- SIP (Structural Insulated Panel)
- An engineered panel of rigid foam insulation between two sheets of OSB. Strong, fast to erect, and energy-efficient — about R-3.8 per inch.
- Stick framing
- Traditional construction where walls, floors, and roof are built piece-by-piece on site from dimensional lumber like 2×6s.
- Egress
- A code-required emergency exit — usually a window or door of minimum size — from a bedroom or living space.
- Setback
- The minimum distance a structure must sit from your property lines, set by local zoning.
- SDC (System Development Charge)
- A one-time city fee on a new dwelling unit for water, sewer, stormwater, and transportation infrastructure.
- CCB (Construction Contractors Board)
- Oregon's agency that licenses and regulates contractors. Red Umbrella is licensed CCB #210412.
- Owner-occupancy
- A rule — now removed in most Oregon cases — that once required a homeowner to live on a property that has an ADU.
- R-value
- A measure of insulation's resistance to heat flow. The higher the R-value, the better the insulation.
- Slab / stem wall
- Foundation types: a slab-on-grade sits directly on the ground; a stem wall is a short foundation wall on a footing.
- Footprint
- The ground area a building covers. Building “up” adds space without enlarging the footprint.
- Bump-out
- A small addition that extends one room outward a few feet — a budget-friendly way to gain space.
- Permit
- City or county authorization to build, with inspections at key stages. Red Umbrella pulls and manages your permits.
- Bonded
- The contractor carries a surety bond, giving homeowners a claim process if work isn't completed properly.
- Master Electrician
- A top-tier licensed electrician qualified to design and supervise electrical work. Red Umbrella has one in-house.
- Primary suite
- A bedroom with a walk-in closet and a private en-suite bathroom — formerly called a master suite.
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