{
"item_title" : "Nobody Taught Me How to Add an ADU",
"item_author" : [" Chris Thompson "],
"item_description" : "INCLUDES THE PREMIUM DIGITAL PACKAGEThe paperback includes a complete set of digital planning tools designed to help homeowners research, budget, compare options, organize decisions, and manage an ADU project from the first idea through completion. The Premium Digital Package includes the complete 170-page digital edition of the book, the 50-page Expanded ADU Digital Companion, printable and fillable companion versions, 49 numbered worksheets, calculators, checklists, research forms, and trackers, plus a 220-page combined linked book-and-companion edition. Building an ADU can create rental income, provide housing for aging parents or an adult child, add flexibility to your property, or help you make better use of land you already own. But an accessory dwelling unit can also become an expensive mistake when zoning, site conditions, utilities, financing, design choices, permits, or construction costs are misunderstood. Nobody Taught Me How to Add an ADU is a practical, plain-English guide for homeowners considering an accessory dwelling unit, backyard cottage, in-law unit, garage conversion, or other small secondary dwelling on their property. Instead of starting with floor plans and finishes, this book helps you answer the bigger questions first: Can you build it? Should you build it? What might it really cost? How will you pay for it? And what problems could derail the project before construction even begins? WHAT YOU'LL LEARN How to define the purpose of your ADU before choosing a designHow to research zoning, setbacks, access, parking, size limits, and other local requirementsHow to evaluate your lot, utilities, septic or sewer, electrical capacity, drainage, and site constraintsHow to build a realistic ADU budget that includes soft costs, utility work, permits, construction, and contingencyHow to compare financing options and understand how project cost affects the financial decisionHow to compare stock plans, architects, design-build firms, prefab options, and other design pathsHow to evaluate contractors, bids, contracts, allowances, change orders, payment schedules, and project riskHow to track permits, inspections, construction progress, punch-list work, warranties, and final project recordsHow to think through long-term use, including rental income, family housing, aging parents, adult children, and future flexibility An ADU is more than a small building. It is a major property, financial, and lifestyle decision. Whether you are considering a detached backyard ADU, garage conversion, attached ADU, or another accessory dwelling unit, this guide helps you investigate the project in the right order before making expensive commitments. It is designed for homeowners who want to understand ADU costs, permits, financing, utilities, contractors, construction, rental possibilities, and the practical realities that are easy to overlook when the project still exists only as an idea. If your goal is rental income, multigenerational housing, a place for aging parents, housing for an adult child, or simply more flexibility from your property, this book gives you a practical framework for deciding whether an ADU makes sense and how to move forward with fewer surprises. Paperback buyers will find Premium Digital Package access instructions inside the book. The Kindle edition contains the digital reading edition only and does not include the paperback Premium Digital Package.",
"item_img_path" : "https://covers2.booksamillion.com/covers/bam/9/79/817/550/9798175502689_b.jpg",
"price_data" : {
"retail_price" : "14.99", "online_price" : "14.99", "our_price" : "14.99", "club_price" : "14.99", "savings_pct" : "0", "savings_amt" : "0.00", "club_savings_pct" : "0", "club_savings_amt" : "0.00", "discount_pct" : "10", "store_price" : ""
}
}
Nobody Taught Me How to Add an ADU : A Practical Homeowner's Guide to Planning, Permits, Costs, Design, and Avoiding Expensive Mistakes
Overview
INCLUDES THE PREMIUM DIGITAL PACKAGE
The paperback includes a complete set of digital planning tools designed to help homeowners research, budget, compare options, organize decisions, and manage an ADU project from the first idea through completion. The Premium Digital Package includes the complete 170-page digital edition of the book, the 50-page Expanded ADU Digital Companion, printable and fillable companion versions, 49 numbered worksheets, calculators, checklists, research forms, and trackers, plus a 220-page combined linked book-and-companion edition. Building an ADU can create rental income, provide housing for aging parents or an adult child, add flexibility to your property, or help you make better use of land you already own. But an accessory dwelling unit can also become an expensive mistake when zoning, site conditions, utilities, financing, design choices, permits, or construction costs are misunderstood. Nobody Taught Me How to Add an ADU is a practical, plain-English guide for homeowners considering an accessory dwelling unit, backyard cottage, in-law unit, garage conversion, or other small secondary dwelling on their property. Instead of starting with floor plans and finishes, this book helps you answer the bigger questions first: Can you build it? Should you build it? What might it really cost? How will you pay for it? And what problems could derail the project before construction even begins?
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
An ADU is more than a small building. It is a major property, financial, and lifestyle decision. Whether you are considering a detached backyard ADU, garage conversion, attached ADU, or another accessory dwelling unit, this guide helps you investigate the project in the right order before making expensive commitments. It is designed for homeowners who want to understand ADU costs, permits, financing, utilities, contractors, construction, rental possibilities, and the practical realities that are easy to overlook when the project still exists only as an idea. If your goal is rental income, multigenerational housing, a place for aging parents, housing for an adult child, or simply more flexibility from your property, this book gives you a practical framework for deciding whether an ADU makes sense and how to move forward with fewer surprises. Paperback buyers will find Premium Digital Package access instructions inside the book. The Kindle edition contains the digital reading edition only and does not include the paperback Premium Digital Package.
The paperback includes a complete set of digital planning tools designed to help homeowners research, budget, compare options, organize decisions, and manage an ADU project from the first idea through completion. The Premium Digital Package includes the complete 170-page digital edition of the book, the 50-page Expanded ADU Digital Companion, printable and fillable companion versions, 49 numbered worksheets, calculators, checklists, research forms, and trackers, plus a 220-page combined linked book-and-companion edition. Building an ADU can create rental income, provide housing for aging parents or an adult child, add flexibility to your property, or help you make better use of land you already own. But an accessory dwelling unit can also become an expensive mistake when zoning, site conditions, utilities, financing, design choices, permits, or construction costs are misunderstood. Nobody Taught Me How to Add an ADU is a practical, plain-English guide for homeowners considering an accessory dwelling unit, backyard cottage, in-law unit, garage conversion, or other small secondary dwelling on their property. Instead of starting with floor plans and finishes, this book helps you answer the bigger questions first: Can you build it? Should you build it? What might it really cost? How will you pay for it? And what problems could derail the project before construction even begins?
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
- How to define the purpose of your ADU before choosing a design
- How to research zoning, setbacks, access, parking, size limits, and other local requirements
- How to evaluate your lot, utilities, septic or sewer, electrical capacity, drainage, and site constraints
- How to build a realistic ADU budget that includes soft costs, utility work, permits, construction, and contingency
- How to compare financing options and understand how project cost affects the financial decision
- How to compare stock plans, architects, design-build firms, prefab options, and other design paths
- How to evaluate contractors, bids, contracts, allowances, change orders, payment schedules, and project risk
- How to track permits, inspections, construction progress, punch-list work, warranties, and final project records
- How to think through long-term use, including rental income, family housing, aging parents, adult children, and future flexibility
An ADU is more than a small building. It is a major property, financial, and lifestyle decision. Whether you are considering a detached backyard ADU, garage conversion, attached ADU, or another accessory dwelling unit, this guide helps you investigate the project in the right order before making expensive commitments. It is designed for homeowners who want to understand ADU costs, permits, financing, utilities, contractors, construction, rental possibilities, and the practical realities that are easy to overlook when the project still exists only as an idea. If your goal is rental income, multigenerational housing, a place for aging parents, housing for an adult child, or simply more flexibility from your property, this book gives you a practical framework for deciding whether an ADU makes sense and how to move forward with fewer surprises. Paperback buyers will find Premium Digital Package access instructions inside the book. The Kindle edition contains the digital reading edition only and does not include the paperback Premium Digital Package.
This item is Non-Returnable
Customers Also Bought
Details
- ISBN-13: 9798175502689
- ISBN-10: 9798175502689
- Publisher: Independently Published
- Publish Date: September 2026
- Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.36 inches
- Shipping Weight: 0.51 pounds
- Page Count: 168
Related Categories
