ADU Projects

ADU Projects

An ADU is a second, self contained home on land you already own: same lot, same driveway, its own front door.

People build them for three reasons: a parent who should not be living alone any more, an adult child who cannot afford to move out, or rent that pays the mortgage down faster. The build is the same in all three cases. An ADU is a small house, and a small house needs everything a big one needs: footings, framing, insulation, a kitchen, a bathroom, heat and its own utilities.

The part that catches people out is not the building, it is the lot. Setbacks, lot coverage, septic capacity, parking and a legal second means of egress all get looked at, and every town reads its own bylaw slightly differently. We check what your lot actually allows before you spend money on drawings, and we carry the permit set and the inspections through with you.

Why an ADU gets concrete walls

A small building loses heat faster than a big one. It has far more outside surface for the space inside it, so the wall matters proportionally more than it does on a house. That is the first reason an ADU goes up in insulated concrete form rather than stick framing: continuous insulation on both faces, with nothing bridging through it. And because the footprint is small, the extra cost over stick framing is a smaller number here than it would be on a whole house, while the monthly saving lands on a unit somebody is heating year round.

The second reason is noise, and it runs both ways. An ADU usually sits close to the main house or to a property line, and a concrete core between the two is the difference between a tenant hearing your television and not. The third is fire separation, which is exactly what the setback rules start asking about once a second dwelling goes near a line. We are certified Nudura installers, so the wall does not go out to a subcontractor.

How the job runs

1. Check the lot first Setbacks, lot coverage, septic capacity, parking and a legal second means of egress all get looked at before you spend money on drawings.
2. Drawings and permit set Once the lot is clear, the unit is drawn to what your town's bylaw allows and the permit set goes in.
3. Footings and slab Excavation, footings and the slab go in the same way they would for any house, because that is what an ADU is.
4. Walls and roof The insulated concrete form walls go up and the roof goes on, and the unit is dried in before any inside work starts.
5. Its own utilities A separate entrance, heat, water and electric are run to the unit so it stands on its own and not off the main house.
6. Fit out and inspections The kitchen, the bathroom and the finishes go in, and the inspections close the job out.

What the job includes

• Detached backyard units
• Garage and breezeway conversions
• Basement and above garage apartments
• Full kitchen and bathroom fit out
• Separate entrance, heat, water and electric
• Zoning check, permit set and inspections