The ADU Wizard: ADU Planning Workbook
Most homeowners start planning an ADU the same way: a Google search, a few YouTube videos, maybe a call with a contractor who gives them a number that seems either too low or terrifyingly high. They piece together information from a dozen different sources (Stop piecing together advice from Reddit threads), none of which quite fit together, and none of which were written by someone who has actually sat across the permit counter.
I have. And that's exactly why I built the ADU Planning Workbook.Why You Should Trust to Me and Buy my ADU Planning Workbook PDF
I'm not a blogger who got curious about ADUs. I'm a credentialed urban planner with a degree from Western Washington University's Huxley College of the Environment, one of the top sustainability and land use programs in the Pacific Northwest. Before I started consulting independently, I worked as an Associate Planner at a county planning department, where I processed land use entitlements, conducted environmental review under SEPA, and staffed public hearings.
That means I've sat on the other side of the counter from the homeowners submitting ADU applications. I know what makes a permit sail through and what makes it bounce back for corrections twice. I know which questions to ask at a pre-application conference, what contractors get wrong about the inspection process, and where projects quietly hemorrhage money before a single wall goes up.
I've seen well-intentioned homeowners lose $10,000 or more to entirely preventable mistakes bad contractor contracts, missed permit requirements, and timelines that nobody told them to plan for.
The ADU Planning Workbook is what I wish every one of those homeowners had read first.
What the Workbook Covers
It's eight sections, built to be worked through in order. You start by getting clear on your goals, because the right ADU for a long-term rental looks very different from the right ADU for an aging parent, and you end with a final pre-construction checklist that covers every single thing that needs to be confirmed before money starts moving.
In between, the workbook guides you through:
- Assessing your site and choosing the right ADU type for your lot and budget.
- A zoning and permit checklist drawn from real planning department experience.
- A line-item cost estimation worksheet with regional ranges across the U.S.
- A plain-English financing comparison so you can choose the right funding vehicle.
- A phase-by-phase project timeline with every common delay risk flagged by name.
- A four-step contractor vetting process, including the questions most homeowners never think to ask.
It's not a reading assignment. It's a working document with fields to fill in, boxes to check, and space to record your actual bids, contacts, and dates. By the time you finish it, you have a real project plan, not just a vague sense of how ADUs work.
The Mistakes This Workbook Helps You Avoid
I'll be direct. The ADU process has a handful of moments where homeowners consistently get hurt financially, legally, or both. The workbook addresses all of them without pulling punches. Things like what your contractor contract absolutely must include. What happens if you start construction without a permit in hand. The one utility-related delay that almost nobody plans for and that can stall your project for months after construction is complete.
These aren't edge cases. They're the norm for unprepared homeowners. And they're almost entirely avoidable with the right information up front.
At $5.99, this workbook costs less than a cup of coffee at the airport. One avoided mistake, one change order you negotiated properly, one permit correction you didn't have to pay an architect to redo, pays for it a hundred times over.
Who This Is For
If you're still in the planning stage, if you haven't hired an architect or signed a contract yet, this workbook is exactly where to start! It's designed for homeowners who want to walk into every professional conversation informed, prepared, and impossible to take advantage of.
If you've already broken ground, some sections will still be useful. But the real value is in what you do before the first shovel hits the ground.
Get the ADU Planning Workbook
Eight sections.
Written by a credentialed urban planner.
Just $5.99 — and it could save you thousands!