The Design/Build Process That Every ADU Project Follows

Where do I start? How do I find the right people? How do I hire and manage them? What Design style is the best for my project? How will construction impact my property? How do I keep a project on budget and on schedule?

New Avenue’s mission is to answer these questions in one transparent process to take the stress and unknowns out of the typical delivery of ADUs, custom homes, and the development of missing middle style housing. Through our software and our experienced teams, we provide a clear process, transparent cost and historic data, and then we submit proposals and construction bids that are easy to understand and accurate. We understand that all projects are important and significant investments for our clients. This is why we believe that transparency, honesty, and quality are the most important values that we can provide.

Designing, permitting, estimating, contracting and building all offer their own unique pitfalls that risk to delay your schedule or break your budget. The whole process requires several different professionals and a great deal of knowledge and experience. Our job is to set our clients up for success, guide them through a systematic process and cover the right details at the right time to keep each project on track.

We have been designing and building accessory dwelling units and other residential projects for over 10 years now, and through this time we have learned a lot. We have also developed a 5-step process that we use for each project to make sure our clients understand what they will get and when key decisions need to be made. An average project will often span one or two years from the time you make a decision to start until you're totally done. Our process becomes the detailed roadmap that guides you from start to finish.

Our 5 steps:

I. Pre Design: We start each project with code and zoning research, creating a site plan documenting the existing conditions, and conducting a programming meeting with the clients to discuss goals, ideas, wants, and needs and documenting all of the information that will affect the design.

II. Schematic Design: This is the fun part where we work closely with you to define the look and feel of your project. Through a series of design iterations we will develop the size and shape of your home. This includes creating floor plans, elevations, sections, and 3D views to describe the design intent.

III. Construction Documents: Once we settle on a preferred design, we then produce the technical drawings required to obtain your building permit and for your contractor to follow when building the home. This is all of the construction details, material selections, coordinating with engineers as needed, and compiling the drawing set that combines all of the important information and documents all of the decisions made along the way.

IV. Permitting: Every project needs permission to be built. Our experienced team will guide your project through the review and permitting process for your local jurisdiction. We take care of the application forms, submittal of all the information, and follow up to respond to any checksheets or requests for information by the reviewers. We do whatever we can to make the approval process as streamlined as possible.

V. Construction: We are a design-build firm so we foster your projects through the construction process. Our builders will manage all of the subcontractors needed to complete the project and maintain an orderly and safe worksite. Meanwhile, our designers stay involved during the build phase to provide Construction Administration - coordinating the many aspects of building a home including signing contracts, including or denying change orders, tracking progress and administering payments.

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Adding an accessory dwelling to a home in Hollister, CA

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