Ready to Get Started

According to Accessory Dwellings website, the following are the some steps for planning, designing and permitting an ADU.

• • Brainstorm project goals and scope.
  • Talk to municipal zoning office about the project to determine feasibility. Try to uncover any major regulatory design/cost obstacles that you’ll have to overcome.
  • Rough sketch some ideas and think through your top design objectives
  • Identify architects, builders and sub-contractors. Ideally, you want to have identified a general contractor, as well as your plumber, mechanical, electrical subcontractors.
  • Architect and homeowner draw up schematics for consideration based on your rough sketches.
  • Meet with architect, builder, and subs to talk through objectives and schematics to get their input.
  • Architect refines schematics with homeowner and contractors. I’d recommend having your architect develop a 3D model in Sketchup.
  • Develop permit-ready drawings for zoning and building office.
  • Submit plans for permit. Pay permit fees. Go back and forth with permit office until the plans pass their planning/zoning code and building code criteria.
  • Permit issued and then you can break ground.

  Preparing for an ADU

  The design phase can take as little as a week or many years. 1-5 months is an average time frame for this phase unless you go with an ADU expert, like Brooks Gibbs at I Live in a Bank.

  This is a huge undertaking for many homeowners. At I Live In a Bank, we are here to help you navigate these steps and more! Our goal is to not only build an ADU, we will help you make it a success! We understand the process, we know the rules and regulations, we know how to work with the city, and we know what will work for a property once we see it. We want to make building your ADU as easy for you as possible.