Accessory dwelling units house aging parents, adult children, guests, or a tenant. They are also the single most zoning-dependent thing you can build, and the rules differ street by street across the Front Range.
Before Anything Else
Whether an ADU is permitted, how large it can be, whether it can be detached, whether it needs its own parking, and whether it can be rented are all set by your jurisdiction and sometimes by your HOA on top of that.
We answer those questions against your specific parcel before any design work begins. It's the cheapest stage to discover a constraint, and it's the difference between a project that gets built and drawings that sit in a drawer.
ADU eligibility confirmed for your parcel and jurisdiction first.
Size, height, and setback limits established before design.
Utility routing, and on rural parcels well and septic capacity, worth confirming early.
Full residential construction standards, because someone will live here.
What We Build
A separate small home elsewhere on the lot, with its own entrance, kitchen, and bath, designed to match the main house.
Turning existing garage space into a dwelling, or building living quarters above a new or existing garage.
An addition with its own entrance and facilities, sharing a wall with the main house but living independently.
A basement made into a legal dwelling, which turns on egress, ceiling height, and separate access.
Questions
It depends entirely on your zoning and jurisdiction, and rules across the Front Range have been changing. It is the first thing worth establishing, and we will tell you what we find rather than leaving you with a maybe that costs you money.
Some jurisdictions permit long-term rental, some restrict it to family, and short-term rental is often regulated separately. Your HOA may also have a view. We'll help you understand what applies before you build around an assumption.
Sometimes separate meters are required, sometimes shared service is fine. On well and septic properties, capacity is often the binding constraint rather than the rules.
Rarely, per square foot. A detached ADU is effectively a small house with its own foundation, kitchen, bath, and mechanical systems. What you gain is independence and rental potential, not a lower cost.
Usually, particularly where ADUs are permitted and in demand. How an appraiser treats it varies, so if resale value is the main motivation it's worth talking to a local appraiser as well as to us.
Related
We'll check the zoning on your parcel and tell you honestly whether an ADU is possible.
