Editorial policy

Everything we publish should help you make a better ADU decision — and contain something you couldn’t get from a generic summary.

What every page must include

Before a guide or article is published, it must contain at least one original element, and preferably two:

• First-party data from our own projects — costs, rents, appraisals, timelines
• First-hand construction experience — what worked, what failed, what we’d do differently
• An original tool or model, with its methodology explained
• A synthesis of primary sources, such as statutes, codes or government data
• Original photos, plans or diagrams
• A decision framework that helps you choose between options

Sourcing

We cite primary sources wherever we can: government data, statutes, municipal codes and peer-reviewed research. Figures from our own projects come from project records, anonymized for privacy. If we can’t verify a figure, we don’t publish it.

Expertise and its limits

We are builders. We write about design, construction, cost and the practical realities of building and owning an ADU. Where a topic crosses into medical, legal, tax or lending advice, we say so, keep our guidance general, and point you to the right professional. Where we add expert review, the reviewer is named on the page.

How we use AI

We may use AI tools to help draft, organize and format pages. Every published page is reviewed for accuracy by our team, and the substance — the data, the experience and the judgment — comes from our own work. We don’t publish mass-produced pages.

Updates

Each article shows the date it was last updated. We revisit pages when costs, rules or our own experience change, and correct errors promptly — see our corrections policy.

Independence

ADU Insights is written by the team behind Origin ADU, and we disclose that relationship. We don’t accept payment to mention products, lenders or companies.