December News from the Napa Sonoma ADU Center
2021 brought its share of tribulations to our community, and yet each day we hear from new homeowners like you who are ready to invest in building an accessory dwelling unit that will provide a roof over the head of a friend, family member, or neighbor in need of a home.
Five Stages of the ADU Journey
When homeowners first embark on their accessory dwelling unit journey they often ask us for an overview of the process and rightly explain, “I simply don’t know what I don’t know!”
Building ADUs in Napa & Sonoma Counties Webinar
For those of you who missed our webinar, “Building ADUs in Napa & Sonoma Counties Webinar” — we’ve got the whole thing recorded and available right here for you on-demand! This accessory dwelling unit webinar is relevant to building ADUs in all 16 jurisdictions (aka all cities and the two unincorporated county regions) across both Napa & Sonoma counties.
How to Finance Your ADU Webinar
If you’re curious to hear about all of the options for how to finance your accessory dwelling unit — you’ve come to the right place! This is the place to view our latest webinar, How to Finance Your ADU (for Homeowners in Napa & Sonoma Counties).
How to Build an ADU in Sebastopol Webinar
Join us here to catch up on a recording of our webinar, How to Build an ADU in the City of Sebastopol!
Part I: How to Build an ADU in Healdsburg Webinar
Join us here to catch up on a recording of our webinar, Part I: How to Build an ADU in the City of Healdsburg!
Part II: How to Build an ADU in Healdsburg Webinar
This Part II webinar was in collaboration with local nonprofit Healdsburg 2040 and featured local homeowners and housing professionals who have successfully built ADUs in Healdsburg. This content is relevant to homeowners outside of Healdsburg as well!
Accessory Dwelling Unit Design Roundtable Webinar
Join us here to catch up on a recording of our webinar, ADU Design Roundtable Webinar with Local Experts!
Checked out our Vendor Registry yet?
As we’ve noted before, your ADU professional team is critical to your project success (aka you get what you pay for, so — don’t skimp on your professional team!) To kickstart seeking a professional team for your accessory dwelling unit project, check out our Vendor Registry.
Top 6 Tips to Reduce Your ADU Costs
Accessory dwelling units are big projects, but they are well worth it. But even though building an ADU is a big project, you can make choices that help keep costs down from the get-go.
April News from The Napa Sonoma ADU Center
It can be hard to know where to begin with our accessory dwelling unit plans, and sometimes that means that the process turns into a bit of a project management morass. After all, where do you even start with such a big (and exciting) project?
The Casita Coalition’s ADU Finance Guide for Homeowners
Check out this extensive dive into ADU financing in the State of California developed by the Casita Coalition!
May News from The Napa Sonoma ADU Center
We’ve talked about this before, but it’s worth talking about again — accessory dwelling units are no small financial investment, and many folks wonder where to even begin with financing their ADU. Add to that the fact that many of us have some teeny tiny “mental blocks” — as you might call them — when it comes to money, and things can get tricky pretty fast!
The North Bay Business Journal on ADU Trends
Check out this article by Jeff Quakenbush from The North Bay Business Journal on the 2020 ADU trends, quoting our very own ADU Expert Scott Johnson!
The North Bay Business Journal on ADU state laws
Check out this article by Jeff Quakenbush from The North Bay Business Journal on the 2020 ADU state law changes that make it easier than ever to build an ADU, quoting our very own ADU Expert Scott Johnson!
Guidelines for Garage Conversion ADUs
Check out this extensive dive into guidelines for building garage conversion ADUs in the State of California!
Part II: How to Build an ADU in Healdsburg
Key ADU Design & Modular Tips from a Sonoma County Designer
Building an ADU is essentially a jewel box home — and so good design has a huge impact. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “A place for everything, everything in its place” — this is my ADU design motto.
Green Building Strategies for ADUs in California
This blog post is a light overview of green building strategies for accessory dwelling units in California. It should be helpful to you in thinking through design and building decisions for your ADU on the front-end of your project. Feel free to use it as a guide when you speak with your professional team about your hopes and dreams for your ADU!
June News from the Napa Sonoma ADU Center
As we head into summer – also known as build season! – a lot of us here in Napa and Sonoma Counties are thinking about how to harness the sun’s energy to make our accessory dwelling units green, sustainable, and eco-friendly. Or, alternatively, how to use shade effectively to accomplish the same goal!
What is Title 24 Energy Efficiency?
If you’re here, you are most likely weighing your options for adding an accessory dwelling unit to your property. That prospect comes with several code requirements that are mandatory for an ADU permit submittal such as structural engineering calculations, electrical diagrams, and site grading/paving plans.
8 Key Sample ADU Building Inspections
Here is a list of 8 sample key inspections that will likely be required for your traditionally constructed ADU project, just like in a regular home build project.
ADU Professionals to Hire for Your Team
Throughout your ADU journey, you will find yourself in need of professional services to help you complete your ADU project. This post offers a brief description of the most common professions involved with building an ADU, listed in rough order of their involvement in a project.
5 Hidden ADU Costs You Should Know About
The folks over at Maxable put together a great blog post on this subject, and we’re sharing the most relevant sections here.
July News from the Napa Sonoma ADU Center
We’re in the heart of building season here in Napa and Sonoma Counties, and the Napa Sonoma ADU Center is here to set you up for success with the building stage of your accessory dwelling unit journey.
ADU Building Roundtable Webinar
Join us here to catch up on a recording of our webinar, ADU Building Roundtable Webinar with Local Experts!
August News from the Napa Sonoma ADU Center
Starting in preschool, we’ve all heard it repeated many times in many settings: “teamwork makes the dream work.” And, it’s never more true than in the ADU building process. One of our nonprofit’s primary goals is to make sure that you know that you’re never alone in your journey to building an ADU.
