A-du Insights
Guides, updates, comparisons, and opinions on building, renting, and managing accessory dwelling units across the markets we serve.
Looking for something older? Browse the full archive, or meet the yard, the cast of our Los Angeles posts.
LA Said No to ADU Condos. Its New Draft Says Yes.
LA's draft ADU ordinance would let owners sell a backyard unit as a condo and add up to six ADUs near transit, but only with a lender's consent. The public hearing is October 1, and none of it is law yet.
September 28, 2026
Seattle Picked 15 Pre-Approved ADU Plans. One Is a Sixplex.
Seattle chose 15 designs from 110 entries to rebuild its pre-approved ADU catalog, from a backyard cottage to a stacked sixplex. Permits should take 2 to 8 weeks once the plans go live in January 2027.
September 25, 2026
Six Inches Kept This SF In-Law Illegal. The Fix: Over $1 Million.
San Francisco demands 7 feet 6 inches of ceiling in habitable rooms, six inches over state code. A pending ordinance would drop it to 7 feet, and owners facing $1 million fixes to legalize in-laws are watching.
September 23, 2026
This LA ADU Cost $89,430. Being Your Own Architect Is Why.
When a Highland Park architect built a backyard ADU for his in-laws, the line items totaled $89,430. That number is real, but it hides the two salaries he never paid: his own, as both architect and general contractor.
September 16, 2026
Renting a Washington ADU? The Landlord Can Live Anywhere.
Washington bars cities from making ADU owners live on-site, so your backyard-cottage landlord may be miles away. The Landlord-Tenant Act still guarantees repairs, your deposit, and 90 days' notice before a rent hike.
September 14, 2026
Two Homes, One Arch: An LA ADU Stacks Up on 1,500 Feet
A Los Angeles studio stacked two accessory dwelling units in arched steel, fitting two full homes into a 1,500-square-foot footprint on a lot shared with a main house. A sharp answer to a narrow lot, with the price still unpublished.
September 11, 2026
California May Charge ADU Fees Only on the Space Over 750 Feet
California already waives impact fees on ADUs of 750 square feet or less. A bill now on Governor Newsom's desk, SB 1117, would charge the fees on a larger unit only for the square footage above 750, not the whole thing.
September 9, 2026
Washington Lets You Sell the Backyard Cottage. The Land Stays Put.
Washington's HB 1337 forces most cities to let a homeowner sell a backyard cottage as a condominium, separate from the house in front. The land stays with the original owner, and the open question is who lends on it.
September 7, 2026
California Is About to Allow 2 Detached ADUs. HOAs Lose Their Veto.
AB 956 cleared the California Legislature on August 27 and now sits on Newsom's desk. It doubles the detached ADUs a city must approve to two, and strips HOAs of their power to block compliant units.
September 4, 2026
A $210K Highland Park ADU Chose Light. Inland LA Charges for It.
A Highland Park couple added a $210,000 glass-walled Cover ADU for all-day light. In an inland California climate zone, that same glass drives the summer cooling bill, unless the design fights back first.
September 2, 2026
Oregon Cities Give Away ADU Plans. Portland Borrowed Eugene's.
Portland, Eugene, Ashland, Bend, and Salem now hand homeowners free pre-approved ADU plans, and Portland's four came straight from Eugene. The blueprint is the cheap part. The site work and the fees it skips are not.
August 30, 2026
This Couple Built Their Own Portland ADU. The Waiver Costs 10 Years.
An architect and a construction engineer built a 624-square-foot home in their Portland backyard for $221,580. Oregon let them build by right; Portland waived the fees, if they skip short-term rentals for 10 years.
August 29, 2026
A Los Feliz Studio Tops the Garage for $220,722. Watch the Stairs.
An LA family stacked a 350-square-foot studio on top of their detached garage in Los Feliz for $220,722. The build reads simple until the staircase, the fire-rated floor, and the noise from below each ask for a say.
August 28, 2026
In San Diego, the City Rewards Affordable ADUs. The County Doesn't.
Inside San Diego city limits, one affordable ADU can earn bonus market-rate units. In the unincorporated county, that lever disappears: same state floor, no bonus program, and a different permit counter entirely.
August 27, 2026
LA County May Limit ADUs on Split Lots. Altadena Is Watching.
Los Angeles County is drafting rules that could limit accessory dwelling units on subdivided lots, even as Eaton Fire survivors in Altadena lean on lot splits and ADU-first permits to rebuild. No hearing is scheduled.
August 26, 2026
Your 2026 California ADU Needs Rooftop Solar. Unless It's Small.
Starting January 1, 2026, a new detached ADU in California is a brand-new home to the energy code: rooftop solar, a heat-pump water heater, and HERS testing, unless it is small enough to be exempt.
August 25, 2026
As of August 17, Your NYC Basement ADU Needs a Radon Certificate
New York City just added a step to below-grade ADU permits: as of August 17, a basement or cellar unit in an Alteration-CO or New Building filing in DOB NOW must carry a certified radon and vapor test before it can reach a certificate of occupancy.
August 24, 2026
California Taxes Your ADU Rent Up to 13.3%. Washington Doesn't.
Rent out a California ADU and the income is taxed as ordinary money, up to 13.3 percent at the state level. Depreciation quietly shields part of it, while a Washington landlord across the state line owes zero state tax.
August 23, 2026
This 800-Square-Foot Seattle DADU Was Built to Rent, in 2017
Seattle overhauled its ADU rules in 2019, dropping owner-occupancy and letting one lot hold two rentals. A Central District architect saw it coming: an 800-square-foot backyard cottage, built in 2017 purely to rent out.
August 22, 2026
Your NYC Basement Can Stay Rented. The Sprinkler Clock Is 2 Years.
New York's basement pilot lets a pre-2024 unit stay rented while you legalize it over ten years. The catch is the required sprinkler system, due early, which redesigns a finished basement more than any permit does.
August 21, 2026
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