Thanks to Emmanuel Ley, an Estimator from DS Construction, for his contribution to this post.

Thinking about building a granny flat on your property? But concerned about entering into the foreign world of construction? Well, you have come to the right place!

We have worked with many homeowners in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and San Diego to start the process of building their granny flat. In collaboration with Emmanuel from DS Construction here are some tips on how to avoid some of the most common construction mistakes that people make.

#1: Not using the right team for your ADU Construction

Homes are one of the largest financial investments we make in our lifetime, if not the largest and it’s important to hire someone who has experience and will do a quality job.

Not hiring the right team can lead to major frustrations and lots of additional expenses. There are a variety of reasons that people do not end up picking the right team. Number one reason is probably cost.

It’s easy to compare bids based off cost, but while the cost is absolutely important it shouldn’t be the only factor you take into account.

At first glance, the first estimate that you get from whatever contracting company you find may seem like a great option. Maybe their prices are low or maybe there was some other reason they were very convincing. But it is important to get estimates from multiple contractors so that you have options, and it will also give you a better idea of what people think it will take to complete your project.

We recommend getting at least three bids for a construction project prior to selecting a contractor.

Not sure where to start? Contact Maxable for a Site Evaluation. We have a network of contractors and architects that we can connect you to based on your personal project!

Top 6 ADU Construction Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

#2: Not advocating for yourself with contractors

Once you have gotten bids or estimates from contractors, your due diligence does not stop there. Communicating with your contractor and checking their reputation is very important.

Check the references when they are given to you

Many contractors will give you references to call who have already had worked with that contractor. And according to Emmanuel, people just don’t call the references enough. He estimates that out of every 10 people they create bids for maybe one person will call one reference.

References are given to you so you can have a sense of what the experience is going to be like and if their past clients are satisfied with the work. If references are not given to you, you should ask for them.

Check the civil records on your bids

Checking civil records is a way to know if the contractor you are hiring has any open cases or lawsuits being filed against them. You can do this by going online and looking up the owner of the company and the license number of the general contractor.

We spoke last week with a homeowner doing a major addition to her Palo Alto home. After her general contractor passed away suddenly they hired his brother to take over and he swindled them out of nearly $100,000. It was a heartbreaking story. Turns out, he has several lawsuits open against him.

Don’t keep quiet when you have concerns

It may seem a little intimidating to ask your contractor a lot of questions, or bring up concerns that you have about your project. While they may be the experts in their field, you are the one who will have to live with the end result. So, it is important to advocate for yourself.

If something doesn’t feel right or you wish something had been executed a little differently advocate for yourself and speak up!

Top 6 ADU Construction Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

#3: Not optimizing the space

When building an ADU, how you utilize the limited space you have is critical. Far too often homeowners regret decisions they make when building.

Below are some tips to ensure your space is properly utilized, but you can also call Maxable for a free ADU Planning Phone Call to discuss your possible options and get the best solutions for your property.

Go Vertical

Increasing the ceiling height can make small spaces feel huge and spacious. If you’re building a stand-alone ADU from scratch go taller if possible!

More bedrooms mean more value

If you are building your ADU with the intention of renting it, you can charge more rent if there are more bedrooms. Also, when you sell your property, bedrooms add more value to your ADU and property.

Orienting the building to take advantage of natural light and airflow

Natural light will make the ADU feel more spacious. Adding skylights can also increase the amount of natural light into the unit.

Heating and cooling any building can be expensive, orienting an ADU to take advantage of cool breezes in the summer can help cut cooling costs.

Top 6 ADU Construction Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

#4: Not being clear about your budget and goals

It is important to define your goals at the beginning of the design and construction and design process, if you don’t you will get upsold and struggle with decision making.

When contractors create bids, their allowances for finishes and fixtures are typically for contract grade material meaning that it is a low level of material and most homeowners will want it to be better quality. It is hard to know the exact cost for things like finishes and fixtures, but you should check with the contractor you decide to work with about what grade materials they were estimating for. This way you won’t be surprised if your end bill is more expensive than what was originally bid for.

When it comes to your own personal budget it is important to include a 10% contingency to “expect the unexpected” so to speak. Take a look at an example:

Lynn made a huge decision, to invest $16,000 and put solar on both her ADU and main house. Solar would decrease her energy bill to essentially $0. After she had signed contracts with the solar company and had put her deposit down they discovered her roof was in poor shape and needed to be replaced prior to the install. Ouch. That wasn’t part of the initial plan. It’s good to have some padding in your budget for unexpected line items.

To learn more about Lynn’s garage conversion, click here.

#5: Installing a smaller HVAC size than needed

It is no myth that heating and cooling your home is really important to keep your home life comfortable. Some homeowners think that they can save money by installing a smaller unit. But, that is not true. While the unit itself may be cheaper during the building process, you will pay for it in energy bills and comfort.

Top 6 ADU Construction Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

#6: Not having change order agreements in your contracts

Having a change order agreement with your contractor is crucial. A change order agreement requires that there be a contract change order every time a change to the contract needs to be made, such as cost, requirements, amount of material, or time that it will take.

Without a change order agreement, contractors can charge you whatever they want at their liberty. Emmanuel says that not including one is a way contractors try to “win the business.”

By making sure you have a change order agreement, you protect yourself from unnecessary charges and keeps you in the know of all changes being made to your project by your contractor.

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