Is your lot right for an ADU?

Start with the ground, not the floor plan

Most ADU projects that stall do so before framing ever starts. The floor plan is the easy part; the hard part is whether the lot can carry the unit at all. On a first walkthrough we look at setbacks, lot coverage, the location of the existing sewer or septic, the electrical service size, and how equipment will physically get to the back of the property.

Spending an hour on that before you commission drawings saves you from paying an architect to design something the site cannot support.

Utilities decide the budget more than finishes do

A detached ADU needs power, water, sewer, and usually gas. If the existing panel is already near capacity, you are looking at a service upgrade. If the sewer line runs the wrong direction or sits too shallow, you may need a pump. These are five-figure decisions and they are invisible on a floor plan.

We price the utility path early so the number you see at the start is the number you live with.

Access, grade, and what it costs to work back there

A backyard with a three-foot side yard, a mature tree, and a two-foot grade change costs meaningfully more to build in than an open corner lot, because everything gets moved by hand or over a protected path. Ask any contractor how they plan to get concrete, lumber, and a small excavator to the build area — the answer tells you a lot about whether their bid is real.

A short feasibility review is cheap insurance

We do an on-site scope review before you spend design money. You get an honest read on whether the ADU pencils out, roughly what range it lands in, and which local rules will shape it. If it does not work, we will tell you that too.