Curious about what it takes to have an ACU - Accessory Dwelling Unit - right in your own backyard? Paul Dashevsky, partner and co-founder of GreatBuildz.com, works with clients who want to build an ACU for all kinds of reasons, from office space to rental unit. Listen in to hear how people are increasing their income (and their property value!) with ACUs and learn why it’s so important to make sure you work with the best, pre-screened, and pre-vetted contractors to reduce unexpected costs and unnecessary headaches. 

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Time Stamped Show Notes:

• 00:20 - Introducing Paul Dashevsky and today’s topic: ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units)
  • 00:55 - We have an inventory crisis and a lack of affordable housing; ADUs are a solution
• 01:10 - Paul is partner and co-founder of GreatBuildz.com; where they match homeowners with the best, pre-screened, pre-vetted contractors
  • 02:15 - 50%+ of the calls they get are for ADUs
  • 02:55 - Even Kanye West has trouble getting a contractor to get things done 
• 03:30 - On ADUs
  • 03:45 - They work primarily in California where the laws on ADUs have really changed
  • 03:53 - ADUs are a small home/unit in your backyard; in CA it can be up to 1,200 square feet
  • 04:50 - It can be used as a living space for aging parents, a home for older children, detached office space, for rental income, or to live in to rent out the main house
• 06:45 - Zoning and regulation
  • 07:05 - It’s specific to town, county, city, state; go the the city planning department or talk to a local architect and find out the rules
• 08:45 - The biggest benefit of having ADU; income, increased property value
• 09:50 - The biggest issue; people not wanting to be in a dense environment, privacy
• 11:05 - ADU costs: It’s more expensive in CA and costs more to build small than big
  • 12:10 - You still need all the appliances
• 12:35 - People’s biggest fear: the expense, the 6-month process, the “nightmare remodel”; you have to make sure you have a good contractor
• 13:30 - Why clients go to GreatBuildz.com; they want factory-built ADUs down to custom built ones but it’s important to consider all the costs both ways
  • 14:35 - Sometimes the pre-fabricated quoted price doesn’t include craning, site work, running utilities, etc; make sure to double check
• 15:20 - On neighborhood issues
  • 15:35 - Laws passed in CA in 2020 that HOAs and CCNRs couldn’t restrict building ADUs
• 17:35 - Paul’s CSIRE story
  • 18:05 - When he was flipping homes, they bought REOs and short-sales; a couple times they’d walk into a house and the family pet would be left behind
  • 19:15 - One October, a contractor tore off the roof of a house and canceled the next day when he was supposed to put the new one back on
  • 19:40 - That weekend, it rains on his house that doesn’t have a roof; thousands of dollars and headaches later, they’re 99% done
  • 20:19 - Then the water heater leaks and they have to do it all over again; that’s his “house with two floods” story
• 20:50 - How to reach Paul: email [email protected], visit www.GreatBuildz.com, and check out the blog there for resources and education

3 Key Points

1. ADUs bring new inventory to the market. 
2. ADUs can increase income and property value.
3. Professionals are responsible and transparent.