A-du Insights
Guides, updates, comparisons, and opinions on building, renting, and managing accessory dwelling units across the markets we serve.
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, any new basement or cellar unit filed 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
LA County Finished 10,230 ADUs Last Year. It's Still 687,000 Short.
USC's second SOLACHAN report tallies 10,230 accessory dwellings certified in LA County last year, 37.5% of the county's new housing. The 687,000-unit gap did not blink; ADUs are the whole story.
August 20, 2026
In Oceanside, a $732K ADU Became a Home the Family Can't Sell
Outbid repeatedly on the coast, an Oceanside couple spent about $732,000 turning a garage on his parents' lot into a two-level home. California law lets the finished ADU be rented, but never sold on its own.
August 19, 2026
Built an Unpermitted ADU Before 2020? California Offers Amnesty
California's AB 2533 lets homeowners legalize an unpermitted ADU or JADU built before January 1, 2020 without impact fees or code penalties, unless a real health or safety hazard is at stake. Here is the walkthrough.
August 18, 2026
Your SF Landlord Wants to Add an ADU. You Have 30 Days.
When a San Francisco owner adds an ADU under the city's Local Program, every tenant gets a sworn notice first and a 30-day window to object at the Rent Board. Here is what the paperwork protects, and what it leaves out.
August 17, 2026
LA Pre-Approves 20 ADU Designs. Picking One Is Still on You.
Los Angeles pre-approves about 20 ADU designs from 14 firms, which can cut plan check to a single day. The free catalog picks your structure, not your lot, and the site sheets are still yours to draw and pay for.
August 16, 2026
A Silver Lake ADU Traded Its Backyard for a Roof Deck
Building a full ADU on a Silver Lake lot meant losing most of the backyard, so the architects stacked it two stories and put the lost yard on the roof. Going vertical is a second project, not a space-saving hack.
August 15, 2026
Who Pays the ADU Power Bill? In California, the Meter Decides.
Renting out a California ADU means deciding who pays for water, gas, and power. If the unit shares a meter with the house, state law forces a written arrangement, and an over-billed tenant can sue to get the money back.
August 14, 2026
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