Every ADU is priced to the project. Ground-up construction depends on your lot, utilities, foundation, size, and scope — so we don't give a per-square-foot number over the phone that would be wrong for your property. After a free site evaluation and a 3D design, your Project Manager gives you one firm price for the work in a one-page contract. Site preparation, utility hookups, permit and engineering fees are itemized line by line, so nothing is buried.

No. Our price covers the work only — labor and the trades that build your ADU. Materials are always purchased separately and are never included in our price, so you see exactly what the work costs and exactly what the materials cost. We specify what your ADU needs and your quote lists the work clearly.

Once permits are in hand, a garage or basement conversion typically takes 1–2 months, a new detached ADU 3–6 months, and a custom addition or custom home 6–12 months. Design, engineering, and city permit review come before that, and your city sets the review time. Your Project Manager gives you a realistic first-call-to-move-in window up front.

It depends on your city or county, the type of ADU, and whether your lot has complications such as steep slopes or critical areas. Review times are set by the city, not by us, and corrections can add time. We prepare complete drawings, respond to review comments quickly, and tell you the realistic window before you commit.

Often, yes. Washington law requires cities in urban growth areas to allow up to two ADUs per lot — attached, detached, or a conversion of an existing building. Your city and county still set the details (size, height, setbacks, lot coverage), and some lots have limits such as septic, steep slopes, or critical areas. We check feasibility on the free site visit, before you spend anything.

ADU is the general term — a second, self-contained home on your lot. A DADU is a detached ADU: a separate backyard cottage. An attached ADU is built onto your house or over a garage, and a conversion turns a garage or basement into a unit. Conversions usually cost less and build faster; detached units give the most privacy and design freedom.

In many cities, yes — state law has cities allow two ADUs per lot in any combination of attached and detached. Existing legal units count toward that limit, and an existing unpermitted unit usually has to be brought up to current code and legalized. We review what's already on your property on the first visit.

In most of Washington, no. State law doesn't allow cities to require you to live in the main house or the ADU. Some older recorded covenants can still apply, so we check your property records before you start.

Your city sets the limits, but state law says cities can't cap an ADU below 1,000 square feet. Height, setbacks, and lot coverage also vary by city and zone. We confirm your exact limits first and design the best-laid-out unit your lot allows.

Small lots and corner lots often have extra setback rules, and critical areas — steep slopes, wetlands, streams, floodplains, shorelines — add review and can limit where, or whether, you can build. A few areas don't allow ADUs at all. That's exactly what the free site evaluation checks, so you know before you pay for design.

This is often the biggest swing in the price, and it's different on every lot. The ADU needs water, sewer or septic, and power. The distance to the connection points, trenching, your panel capacity, and — on septic lots — drain-field capacity and county health approval all matter. We map this on the site visit and price the work into your quote, so it isn't a surprise.

Yes. An ADU needs land-use review and a building permit, and often engineering and utility approvals. We handle all of it — applications, plans, corrections, inspections — and itemize the fees. State law also limits impact fees charged on ADUs to no more than half of those for the main home, though your city sets the actual amounts.

No — you hire one team. We prepare complete architectural drawings, coordinate structural engineering, and manage the permit process. Some jurisdictions require stamped plans for certain designs; when they do, we coordinate it so you don't manage separate designers.

No. A detached ADU is built outside your home. For attached units or conversions, we protect your living areas and tell you ahead of time about any short interruptions like power or water shutoffs.

Yes — as a long-term rental, an in-law suite, a guest house, or a home office. Rental registration and short-term-rental rules (Airbnb-style stays) differ by city, so we tell you what applies to your property before you design the unit.

Sometimes. State law says a city can't ban selling an ADU as a condominium just because it was built as an ADU, but the process, lot requirements, and costs vary by city. If that's your goal, tell us at the first visit so we design and permit with it in mind.

An ADU generally increases your property's assessed value, so taxes can rise — your county assessor sets the amount. Whether it pays off depends on local rents, your total project cost, and how you finance it. We don't promise a return; we give you an accurate price for the work so you can run your own numbers.

Included: design coordination, engineering, permits, foundation, framing, roof, exterior, interior work, kitchen and bath installation, systems, and utility connection work — all listed in your one-page contract. Not included: materials (always purchased separately), appliances, furniture, and landscaping beyond the construction area. City, utility and impact fees are itemized in your quote.

Nothing. The site evaluation and 3D design are free and carry no obligation. You commit only when you sign the one-page contract — and we walk you through exactly what it says first.

That's normal, and it's what the free site evaluation and 3D visualization are for. We look at your lot, walk you through the options — conversion, attached, or detached — and show you the ADU in 3D on your property before anything is built.

Yes. We don't lend money ourselves, but we help you get financing — we work closely with banks and lenders and know this process well, so we move fast. Once your financing is in place, we work directly with your lender and handle the paperwork on our end.