ADU Design
In recent years, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) have gained popularity as a versatile housing solution, offering homeowners the opportunity to increase property value, generate rental income, or accommodate family members while maintaining privacy. If you're considering adding an ADU to your property, it’s important to get professional support in navigating the planning, design, permitting, and construction.
For that reason, we've compiled a guide to give you an overview of what the process looks like.
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FEASIBILITY AND PLANNING
Many homeowners turn directly to a General Contractor to find out what what can be built and to get a preliminary budget.
Typically, design and permit drawings are prepared by a Registered Architect who also coordinates constructability and budget with the Contractor.
Designing a new home can be a very enjoyable yet time consuming experience. Due to the potential complexity and to save time, we recommend obtaining a Feasibility Study for your project before committing to a full design timeline and fee. See what a Feasibility Study may look like here.
During the planning phase you will be able to get a better idea about what is allowed in your area as well as the specific site related restrictions.
Ideally, your architect would set up a preliminary meeting with the city to discuss questions that are specific to your project.
DESIGN
The planning phase will directly inform the design phase in that it provides critical information in terms for parameters such as square footage, footprint, setbacks and maximum height. Typically, the design starts with laying out quick floor plan solutions so you can brainstorm different ideas before making a decision. From there, 3D modeling has become the industry standard to ensure all the components of all the building and spacing are taking into consideration.
During this phase it’s also important to engage the Contractor and a Structural Engineer to maximize collaboration early on and avoid surprises. By the end of this phase, the Contractor should have enough information and drawings to provide you with a more detailed budget.
Visualization and rendering also play an essential role in allow you to visualize your design based on different levels or realism. See examples here.
PERMITTING
Most municipalities require a Registered Architect to stamp and submit drawings. However, the architect will also as a tecnhical expert and liason to deal with questions and comments from the City. It’s typical to get a round or two of comments and that allows for design tweaks, clarifications, and potential deviations from the City regulations.
CONSTRUCTION
After the building permit is issued, the Contractor will start construction. The architect can have different levels of involvement depending on the agreement. That ranges between answering questions, preparing additional drawings/details, and following the major construction milestones.
