ADU Design Resources Round-up

The design stage is usually one of the most exciting for homeowners building new accessory dwelling units -- it’s the moment when the small home you’ve been dreaming up begins to finally take shape, at least on paper.

It’s also a key step in the ADU process because it entails hiring one of the most important professionals for your team -- the architect or designer who will help you take the first big step towards making your dream unit a reality.

The Napa Sonoma ADU Center has a number of resources for local homeowners regarding designing your accessory dwelling unit, and we’ve rounded them up for you in this blog post to make it easy for you to access all of them.

Check it all out, and let us know if you have any questions whatsoever!

And if you’re ready to hire your ADU design professional -- head right on over to our Vendor Registry for a list of folks who can help with your accessory dwelling unit here in Napa and Sonoma Counties.

First up, find ADU design inspiration on our website here, where you’ll find videos, photos and interviews with neighbors across Napa and Sonoma Counties who have successfully built ADUs. If you scroll to the very bottom of the page, you’ll find sample ADU floor plans -- and you can find even more floor plans at pages 56-57 of our ADU Workbook.

In fact, starting on page 43 of our ADU Workbook you’ll find a full chapter on ADU Design. This section will help you think about what you want your ADU to look like, inside and out. It walks you through some initial work to identify how your proposed addition fits in its environment as well as how it fits in relation to the yard, the main house, and your neighbors’ houses. It also helps guide you in how to hire and work with a designer or architect. By the end of the chapter, you will:

  • Have identified initial design goals, features, issues, and

  • considerations

  • Understand the design process and professionals involved

  • Be ready to hire and work with an architect/designer

 

We also have helpful tips from local designers and architects about how to efficiently design small spaces in our ADUs 101 Webinar (see minutes 37-50) and our Part II: ADUs in Healdsburg webinar, which is relevant to all jurisdictions, not just Healdsburg (see inspiration at minutes 16 - 38).

And finally, check out the on-demand recording of our Accessory Dwelling Unit Design Roundtable Webinar from earlier this summer, where two local designers and architects joined our ADU Expert to cover topics including: 

  • Picking the right designer

    • From your perspective, how should people find their designer? What resources are out there to find, vet and choose a designer? 

    • What are things you wish homeowners knew about the process of hiring a designer? 

    • Why is it important to have a general contractor involved early in the design process? 

    • What should a ‘typical’ design contract consist of? What is a typical scope of work?

    • What is a range for design costs? Clean sheet, ground up detached ADU? 

  • Process

    • How does the design process work?

    • What should a homeowner know when they start working with you?

    • What are the steps of the submittal process? 

  • As designers who completed ADUs, what are some of the design principles and creative solutions you’ve come up with for designing small spaces? 


Keep in mind that our team is always here to help you with your ADU questions, big and small -- and to kick start your process and set you up for success in designing an ADU that fits your budget, sign up right here for an ADU Feasibility Consult today!

ADU 101Renée J. SchompDesign, Architecture