Find Your Professional Team in the NCBE Home Improvement Guide

Author: Co-authored by Renée Schomp, Director & Scott Johnson, ADU Expert for Napa Sonoma ADU Center

If you haven’t gotten ahold of it already, we highly recommend that you check out the North Coast Builders Exchange 2021-22 Fall/Winter Home Improvement Guide.

For a full PDF of the Guide, click here.

The guide walks you through a full directory of local professionals you can engage for home improvement and residential build work, from fire sprinkler professionals to solar to plumbing to interior design to roofing to wells to interior design and more.

It also includes questions to ask a designer/architect and what you need to know before hiring a contractor.

As a reminder, we have a Vendor Registry available right here – but this guide contains a comprehensive list of folks who can help with a wide range of pieces of your ADU project.

During our ADU Feasibility Consultations, we’ve been recommending to homeowners a couple of key professionals that we recommend you reach out to at the outset of your ADU project to ensure there are no costly deal breakers that arise later on in the course of your build:

Building Envelope

A major part of pre-development is figuring out where an ADU would make the most sense on your property. For some, this decision is fairly easy because there is limited space and only one option works for their desired size. For those who are trying to choose between different areas, or different types of ADUs, such as a detached ADU vs one built above your garage, it can help to get a consultation from trades people such as plumbers or general contractors to spot opportunities or challenges that aren’t readily apparent. Plumbers in particular can help in the decision process because for most ADUs where the sewer line can run will have a significant effect on where an ADU would work.

Utilities

In addition to figuring out how you’ll run the sewer line, the other utilities can often have significant design and scheduling impacts. Most homes will need to upgrade the main electrical panel and possibly electrical service to the property. This will involve both an electrician as well as coordinating with PG&E. Due to the demands on PG&E services, the upgrade process can take time and homeowners are often charged a $1,500 engineering fee for PG&E to begin the process. Additional fees may be charged depending on the condition and size of the electrical components running to the property. Water service may need to be upgraded as well, particularly if sprinklers are required such as when an ADU is built above a garage. The scale and cost of this work depends greatly on the age of the main house and the infrastructure provided by jurisdiction. It is important to determine if sprinklers will need to be planned for and get information on the water supply to your property early in the design and bidding process. That information is typically available from your Public Works or Engineering Department.

For more individualized support on your ADU project, sign up today for an ADU Feasibility Consult and we can answer all of your questions and give you a sense of the types of professionals you’ll want to engage for your specific ADU project.