BTW when doing the plans there is no 'bedroom' in the basement. The room is a study, or a library, or a theater room, or a game room, anything other than a bedroom. That helps w/ septic system requirements and may help w/ taxes but I am not sure of that. Finishing off part of the basement will be less expensive than adding to your shop.
Bylaws. Check yours.
I can put a substantial addition on my house, legally, but disallowed from making a garage apartment, cottage/cabin, guest-house, etc. Even a shop washroom can't have a shower.
Of course, if you don't ask any authorities, and nobody complains... you can do whatever.
Inspection is over so I'll do whatever I want now too.... but there was a fight over having the bathroom rough-in before concrete.
The other bylaw matter was a very tight limit on detached building (interior) square-footage.
Exactly - if you don't know the rules, you can't play the game (very well).
In our area, any room larger than 70 sq ft that also has a window larger than 3.3 sq ft (roughly 20"x24" opening) is considered a bedroom,
unless the doorway is larger than 60" wide, or it opens into a garage, or.... the list goes on. So as pointed out above, if that "bonus room" shown on your hypothetical plans has a 60" wide opening for some nice French doors, then it's not a bedroom. No window? Not a bedroom. Etc.
To answer OP's original question: If I were single, I'd be looking at a barndo-type setup, with large garage below and living space above. Maybe a loft in an old aircraft hanger in some "quiet" corner of an airport...
As I am decidedly not single, we're building a bedroom on the first floor for "aging in place" or aging visitors, etc. No steps up from the front door to that bedroom, a curbless shower with blocking for grab bars, doorways wide enough for a wheelchair, etc. Unnecessary? I hope so... But much like our tools, I'd rather have it and not need it than the opposite. YMMV.
