Resources
Everything you need to plan an ADU, in one place.
Free tools and articles, local rules where we maintain them, real project case studies and the planning guides.
Check a property
Free toolExplore your propertyLot lines, rules, buildable area, designs that fit and a preliminary site plan.Local rulesADUs in Grand Junction, COCheck any Grand Junction lot for a backyard ADU: lot lines, setbacks for your zone, the 900 sq ft cap, buildable area and which plans fit — plus the city’s ADU rules by district.Local rulesADUs in Mesa County, COBuilding an ADU in unincorporated Mesa County — Clifton, Orchard Mesa, the Redlands, Whitewater? Check your lot, the setbacks and size limit for your zone, and which ADU sizes fit.MethodologyData sources & coverageWhere the data comes from, how current it is, and what results can and can’t tell you.
Run the numbers
Plan for the people who’ll live there
TopicADUs for aging parentsHow to plan, design and build an ADU that keeps a parent close and independent — the decisions that matter most, what it costs compared with senior living, and the construction details to get right.TopicADUs for in-home careHow to plan a care-ready ADU for a loved one who needs help now — when home care is right and when it isn’t, what to ask the care provider, and the design details that make care safe and sustainable.TopicRental ADUs for investorsHow to evaluate, finance and build a rental ADU on land you already own — fully loaded underwriting, the 1% rule, BRRRR with an ADU, second-mortgage financing, and a tenant-first design.ArticleADU vs. assisted living: cost, privacy and long-term valueHow a purpose-built ADU compares with assisted living on monthly cost, independence, family connection and long-term value — with a worked example, a free calculator, and when an ADU is not the right choice.ArticleAre ADUs good investments? The honest mathWhy an ADU on land you already own often beats buying another rental: cost to build vs. cost to buy, the 1% rule, fully loaded cash flow, equity at completion — and when an ADU is a poor investment.
Learn from real projects
Case studyFrom a nursing home to a backyard ADUHow one family moved a grandfather out of an $8,000-a-month nursing home into a 650 square-foot, care-ready ADU in their backyard — the design decisions, and what it did for him and for them.Case studyBuy, renovate, build: a $174K ADU that appraised at $230KAn investor bought a dated property, renovated the front house to force equity, then used that equity to build a backyard ADU that appraised about a third above its cost. The numbers, and what to take from them.
Planning guides
Guide · $129The Age-in-Place ADU GuideFor families building a home for a parent — or for themselves — to age in place.Guide · $129The In-Home Care ADU GuideFor families caring for someone who needs help now — with mobility, daily living, or a caregiver.Guide · $129The Investor’s ADU GuideFor owners and investors adding a rental unit on land they already own.CompareWhich guide is right for you?All three for $199, one-time, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.