Building an ADU

So, you’re thinking of building an accessory dwelling unit for rental income, or to provide housing flexibility for yourself?

Or maybe you need a place for your aging parents to move nearby?

But you’ve got questions and you don't know where to start. You might even have some anxiety about the whole ordeal. You've never developed a housing unit before… and you're starting to realize there's a LOT to it.

This is exactly how I felt when I built my first ADU. I wanted to have someone who had been through the process walk me through it step by step. Well, that’s why I made this course and the Building an ADU website. I’m Kol Peterson, and I’m here to help you learn how to build your dream ADU.

Course Curriculum

Introduction to ADUs

The first part of the course introduces what ADUs are and describes what a jurisdiction legally defines as a housing unit. Understanding how a municipality thinks about housing development is key to figuring out how to develop a property. We also cover why ADUs are emerging as a phenomenon right now across the United States.

Module #1: Zoning and Development Regulations

Before you begin your journey, you need to fully understand the landscape. This module deals with common regulatory issues that you’re likely to confront when you start down the pathway of ADU development: parking, owner occupancy, conditional land use reviews, lot size issues, setbacks, ADU size limitations, height requirements, and more. Then, we discuss how to work creatively with these regulatory constructs, as well as using clever (and legal) loopholes.

Module #1 will equip you with the language and terminology that city planners and zoning officials use in development regulations so you'll better understand the rules of the game - and the best ways to play it.

Module #2: Cost and Financing

Having a vision for your ADU is one thing - paying for it is another. Knowing how an ADU would benefit your life and having an idea of what it would look like on your property is a great start, but you still need to figure out how to pay for it. Module #2 explains how much ADUs cost to build and provides some general guidance to help you understand how to manage those costs.

If you’re surprised to learn how much an ADU costs, don’t worry: we also cover the common ways homeowners pay for them. I know that everyone wants to build their ADU for as little money as possible. I can’t promise that you’ll be able to build your ADU cheaply, but I can equip you with the tools you need to fund its development.

Module #3: Design Build Process

ADUs are a special and rare form of urban infill housing. In addition to the particular nuances of ADU planning, there are many best practices to understand about small space design in general. In Module #3, we’ll cover everything from utility connections to space-efficient design. We also go over the basics of building science (green building) so that you know the right questions to ask your designer and builder.

Lastly, we’ll walk through the whole development process step by step to tie the whole curriculum together.

When you sign up for the course, you’ll gain access to:

• 20 classes covering every facet of ADU development, including ADU costs, financing, design, permitting, construction, and rental management approaches

• 40+ quick tips from “out in the field” covering ADU-specific building information

• 6 Interviews with ADU owners who have recently gone through (or are going through) the ADU development process themselves

• 5 walking tours of ADUs

• Tips and advice on where to access additional resources to help you through the ADU development process

Think of this course as an on-ramp to the process of designing and building an ADU. This course will open your eyes to the spectrum of possibilities that you’ll manage and execute as you design and build your ADU. This course is intended to make the whole process easier by helping you understand the entire ADU journey from blueprint to drywall. This is the course I wish I had when I started!

By the end of the course, you will understand the design/permit/build process, which will save you significant time and money. Your end result will be a better product - an ADU designed and built for your unique situation.