Before You Spend Thousands on ADU Plans, Know What Your Property Actually Allows
Most ADU mistakes happen before the first plan is drawn.
Get a property-specific ADU Clarity Report — what your lot may support, what could block your project, and what to know before you spend a dollar on plans.
The Red Flags Most Homeowners Find Too Late
Most ADU projects get expensive before construction starts.
That usually happens when a homeowner moves forward with a layout, designer, or contractor before the property has been checked.
One missed size, placement, parking, utility, or setback issue can force the plan to change after money is already in motion.
Plans drawn in the wrong order aren’t a setback. They’re a sunk cost.
ADU Projects Can Quietly Lose $5,000 to $50,000 Before Construction Ever Starts
It happens one assumption at a time.
If the property cannot support the size you assumed, the entire plan may need to change — layout, bedroom count, rental income, and project value.
The wrong placement can create problems with setbacks, privacy, access, windows, utilities, fire access, or usable yard space. If this is caught late, the design may need to be redrawn.
Water, sewer, gas, and electrical paths can change a project fast. A utility issue that looks small on paper can become trenching, panel upgrades, service changes, or expensive rerouting.
Every month the ADU is stuck in redesign, permit corrections, or back-and-forth is another month without rental income, family housing, or the financial outcome you planned around.
The safer move is to review the property before plans, layouts, and contractor bids.
Six Answers Every ADU Project Needs — Before the First Plan Is Drawn
Your Clarity Report reviews your specific parcel against your city’s actual rules and state ADU law, under the supervision of a licensed California contractor. You get clear answers on:
It all comes in an 8-page property report with your findings laid out page by page — yours to keep, print, and put in front of any contractor or architect you ever talk to. When someone quotes your project, you’ll be the homeowner holding the answers, not the one hoping they’re right.
When Your Property Checks Out, You Get More Than a “Yes”
If your property qualifies, your report shows you exactly what you’re working with — how large a unit your lot supports, where it can sit, and your realistic path to a permit. The guesswork that stalls most homeowners for months, gone in 48 hours.
And if your property has a problem? You’ll know while it still costs $195 to find out instead of $25,000. Either answer puts you ahead: one hands you the safer path forward, the other shows you exactly what stands between you and that rent check — and whether it can be solved.
The homeowners collecting ADU income today aren’t the ones who guessed right. They’re the ones who knew what their property allowed before a dollar went to design.
A Simpler Way to Avoid Expensive ADU Mistakes
Secure checkout — then we take it from there.
Your parcel is checked against your city’s actual rules, state ADU law, and the issues that usually create delays.
Plain-English findings, your safer next move, and a 15-minute review call to walk through it.
What Homeowners Caught Before They Spent
“I thought I could build an 800 sq. ft. two-bedroom ADU, but the report showed my usable area was tighter than I expected. It helped me plan around a smaller one-bedroom instead and gave me a more realistic budget.”
“I assumed I could place the ADU close to the back fence, but the report showed the fire-code setback could push it farther into the yard than I pictured. That helped me rethink the size and placement instead of designing around the wrong spot.”
“Before ordering the report, we weren’t sure if our lot would work for an ADU or where the unit could actually fit. The report gave us a clear answer, showed us the likely placement, and helped us move into permitting with a lot more confidence.”
Find your surprises before they cost you — not after.
A note from the contractor behind your Clarity Report
Choose the Right First Step Before You Spend More on Plans
Most homeowners start with the 48-hour report. If you are closer to moving forward and want the lot reviewed in person, choose the Site Walkthrough option.
Questions Homeowners Ask Before They Spend Money on Plans
Why should I do this before talking to a designer or contractor?
Because you should know what your property may allow before anyone designs around assumptions. The report helps you understand the lot constraints first, so you can avoid paying for plans or bids that may need to change later.
What do I receive?
An 8-page, property-specific PDF report reviewing your parcel against your city’s rules and state ADU law — eligibility, size and placement, setbacks and constraints, utilities, fees, and your safer next step — plus a 15-minute expert review call to walk through it. Yours to keep, print, and put in front of any contractor or architect you talk to.
What do you need from me?
About 10 minutes. After checkout you complete a short intake form — your property address and what you’re hoping to build. We handle the rest.
How fast do I get the report?
Within 48 hours of your completed intake — or the report is free.
What is the difference between the $195 and $495 options?
The $195 Clarity Report is a 48-hour review of your parcel, your city’s rules, and state ADU law. The $495 option adds an in-person site walkthrough by a licensed CA contractor team — red flags caught on the ground, on-site photos and notes, and a next-step roadmap. Most homeowners start with the $195 report.
Can’t the city tell me this for free?
The city can tell you what code theoretically allows — generic to your zoning. Your report tells you what’s actually buildable on your specific lot: your address, your site conditions, your utility situation, and the constraints that reshape projects. That’s the difference between a rule and an answer.
What if the report says I can’t build what I want?
Then you found out for $195 instead of thousands in plans. Your report shows exactly what stands in the way, whether it can be solved, and your safer next step — move forward, adjust the idea, or pause before committing more money.
What is your refund policy?
Your report is delivered within 48 hours of your completed intake — or it’s free. Full details are in our Refund Policy, linked in the footer.
Before You Spend Thousands, Spend 48 Hours
Every month spent planning around a wrong assumption is a month of rent you’ll never collect — $2,000 to $4,000 in most California markets. The answer takes 48 hours.
Get Your Clarity Report — $195Still deciding? Get the free guide first.
3 ADU rights most homeowners miss— and why California law is more in your favor than you’d think. No cost, no obligation.
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