ADU questions, answered in plain language

An accessory dwelling unit is additional housing on the same property as a primary home. The proposed type and existing property matter when deciding what can be built. Start with the overview if you are still comparing a detached unit, an addition or a conversion.

Describe who will use the space and what you want it to provide. Bring the address and any photos or records you have to an experienced ADU Contractor. Ask what needs to be checked before choosing a design or relying on a price.

A useful estimate needs a proposed size, design and scope, plus assumptions about the site and services. Ask for the construction price and the other project costs separately. An unexplained online square-foot rate is not enough to set your total budget.

If you want a packaged service, ask a Contractor exactly which design help it includes. If a particular layout or individualized design is central to your idea, a designer may help define it first. Either route needs clear service and drawing-use terms.

Use an estimated total project cost and annual rental income after realistic operating costs and vacancy. Test less favorable assumptions too. Simple payback is not a complete investment return and does not account for every financing or tax effect.

Confirm the jurisdiction for the exact address or parcel. Do not assume the mailing City or the name of the County establishes the permitting authority. The rules directory links to official starting points.

No. Ask the team what can be reused and what needs investigation. The quote should show its assumptions about the existing building instead of treating all conversions as the same work.

Ask each provider about the proposed arrangement. Distinguish measuring use, separate billing, service capacity and physical connection work. A proposal saying “utilities included” should explain which of these it covers.

Explain the equipment you want and ask the project team to compare the design, connection work and applicable requirements. There is no universal price or approval answer for every property.

It helps the team identify a question that can affect the proposed fire-protection work and related scope. Have the designer or authority confirm the requirement rather than deciding from existing equipment alone.

Ask for separate expectations for design, approvals, construction, utility work and final handover. Identify what starts each estimate and what remains uncertain. An agency review deadline is not a promised move-in date.

Ask about comparable work and the company’s role in it. Check the business and license identity, included services, references and who would run your project. A photo or a project count is not enough on its own.

They may cover different design, site, utility or finish work, or use different area assumptions. Compare inclusions and excluded costs before judging the rate. The bidding guide includes a hypothetical comparison.

No. For a defined lump-sum ADU, focus on a consistent quote basis, included work, exclusions, allowances and how changes are priced. Each company can keep its own proposal format while answering the same important scope questions.

It is an amount included for a defined item that will be settled under the agreement. Identify the covered costs and supporting bill, and agree how an overage or unused amount becomes an adjustment. An allowance is not extra contingency money.

You can propose that arrangement, but agree who checks the model, orders it, receives delivery and installs it. Confirm whether the bid excludes only the purchase or also the installation and connections.

Make sure the scope documents agree and you understand the price, payment terms, responsibilities and change process. Get important promises into the written agreement. Seek qualified legal advice for unclear terms or your specific rights.

Connect the amount to the contract milestone, approved changes and allowance adjustments. Review previous payments and ask about unexplained differences. Keep the invoice and payment evidence together.

Identify the added, removed or revised work, its price or agreed calculation, the schedule effect and approval. Make clear whether a message requests a price or authorizes the work.

Do not treat it as an automatic request to pay twice. Keep the notice and clarify the sender’s role with your Contractor. The guide explains notices and payment records. A lien or disputed payment requires prompt, project-specific legal advice.

No. PrepareToBuild.info explains what the documents mean. It does not act as your project accounting system or store invoices. Use the record-sharing arrangement you and your Contractor agree on.

Collect the final approval and handover records applicable to your project, reconcile the balance and resolve remaining work. Check the agreement’s payment conditions and any applicable release questions before treating the last invoice as settled.

Specific incomplete or corrective work, with the location and agreed follow-up. Keep new upgrades separate from work already required by the agreement. Photos can help identify an issue without a long description.