Detached accessory dwelling units, or DADUs, have gone from a curiosity to one of the most common requests we get. They house a parent nearby without housing them down the hall. They give an adult child somewhere to land. They work as a studio, an office, or a rental.
Start with the lot, not the plan
The most expensive mistake is designing the cottage you want before establishing what your lot will allow. Zoning, setbacks, lot coverage, height limits and how the utilities run all constrain what is buildable, and they vary considerably across the city. We check that first, because it is far cheaper to find out early.
It is a small house, not a big shed
A DADU needs foundations, insulation, mechanical systems, plumbing, electrical and a building envelope that performs. Built properly, it should be as comfortable as the main house. Built cheaply, it becomes the coldest, loudest building on the property and nobody wants to stay in it.
Small plans are unforgiving
In a small building every decision is visible. Where the storage goes, how high the ceiling is, where the light comes from, whether you walk through the living space to reach the bathroom. Time spent on the plan is worth more here than in any large house.
Permitting takes as long as it takes
Design, planning and permitting are a real phase of the project, not a formality before the interesting part. We work through it with you so the timeline you are given at the start is the one you actually get.
