A-du Insights
Guides, updates, comparisons, and opinions on building, renting, and managing accessory dwelling units across the markets we serve.
NYC's First ADU Plan Library: 11 Designs and Up to $395K in Financing
NYC launched its first pre-approved ADU plan library in March 2026, offering 11 DOB-reviewed backyard cottage designs and up to $395,000 in Plus One ADU financing. The application round closed June 12.
June 17, 2026
How California's Ministerial ADU Approval Works in Practice
California's ministerial ADU permit process gives local agencies hard deadlines: 15 business days to determine completeness, then 60 days to approve or deny. Here is how the clock works after SB 543.
June 16, 2026
A-du Is Now Live in New York City!
A-du, the marketplace built around California's ADU boom, is officially live across all five boroughs of New York City as of June 15, 2026, with rentals, builders, services, and managers wired in.
June 15, 2026
California's Pre-Approved ADU Plans: City Programs, Side by Side
Los Angeles, Riverside, San Jose, and San Mateo County each run a pre-approved ADU plan program. What is in each catalog, what it costs, and how A-du's plan map helps you find yours.
June 15, 2026
HELOC vs. Construction Loan vs. Cash-Out Refi for Your California ADU
California homeowners financing an ADU build in 2026 have three main options: HELOC, cash-out refi, or construction loan. Rates run 6.25 to 9 percent. Here is the decision tree to find the right fit.
June 13, 2026
Polyhaus's 540 SF Mass-Timber ADU in San Diego: $300K in 12 Weeks
University of San Diego professor Daniel López-Pérez built a 540 SF cross-laminated timber ADU in his San Diego backyard in 2024 for $300,000, using a patented system of 64 repeating CLT panels.
June 12, 2026
California ADU Kitchen Layouts: Galley, L-Shape, and Single-Wall
The kitchen is the hardest room to get right in a California ADU. In a 600 to 1000 square foot unit, one wrong decision wastes feet you cannot recover. Here is what each layout delivers.
June 11, 2026
What Tenant Law Actually Says About Renting a California ADU
Renting a California ADU or JADU is not the same as renting a regular apartment. Here is what AB 1482, AB 1154, and state ADU law actually cover, and what they do not, from rent caps to just cause eviction.
June 10, 2026
SB 1117 Would Cut ADU Impact Fees for Units Over 750 Square Feet
California's SB 1117, introduced in February 2026, proposes a new impact fee formula that charges ADU builders only on square footage above the existing 750-square-foot exemption line.
June 9, 2026
Detached, Attached, or JADU: Cost, Timeline, and Rental Yield Compared
California homeowners choosing between a detached ADU, attached ADU, or JADU face real differences in build cost, permit timeline, and rental yield. Here is how the three types compare under state statute.
June 8, 2026
California JADU and Owner Occupancy: What AB 1154 Means for Renters
AB 1154, signed October 2025, limits JADU owner-occupancy rules to units sharing a bathroom with the main house, and requires all JADU leases run longer than 30 days statewide. Here's what renters need to know.
June 7, 2026
Los Angeles ADU Permits: GPMS Fee Surcharge Rising to 10% on June 9
The City of Los Angeles raises its General Plan Maintenance Surcharge from 7% to 10% on June 9, 2026, affecting every LADBS building permit including ADU plan checks, permit issuance, and inspection fees.
June 6, 2026
California's Free ADU Plans: When the Catalog Beats a Custom Architect
AB 1332 required every California local agency to publish a pre-approved ADU catalog by January 2025. LADBS and Riverside DWELL show what good ones look like and when the free plan wins over a custom architect.
June 5, 2026
California Coastal ADU Guidance: What SB 1077 Means for Your Project
The Coastal Commission's final ADU guidance under SB 1077 is due this month. Here is what the bill requires, what changes for coastal property owners, and what to watch when it drops.
June 4, 2026
How 16 Los Angeles Architects Solved the 1,200-Square-Foot ADU Limit
Sixteen completed LA ADUs from Assembledge+, ORA, and others, ranging from 245 to 1,178 square feet. Dwell's roundup shows what good design looks like inside California's 1,200-square-foot cap for detached units.
June 3, 2026
CalHFA's ADU Grant: What the $40,000 Covers and Why It's Paused
CalHFA's $40,000 ADU grant covers pre-development costs like permits, engineering, and impact fees, not construction. The program is fully exhausted as of May 2026 and not accepting new applications.
June 2, 2026
HOA vs. ADU in California: What AB 956 Changes for Condo Owners
A San Diego judge ruled in April that California's ADU law doesn't protect condo-owners from HOA bans. AB 956, amended in the state Senate last week, would close that gap for 1 in 3 California households.
June 1, 2026
What It's Like to Live in a California ADU: Real Household Stories
A Dwell feature profiles three California families in their ADUs, from a retiree's 360 SF Berkeley conversion to a 600 SF Santa Cruz garage build, with candid detail on storage, tradeoffs, and what surprised them most.
May 31, 2026
In San Diego County, Your ADU Can Now Be Sold as a Condo
San Diego County's Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted an AB 1033 ordinance on March 4, 2026, letting homeowners in unincorporated areas sell their ADU separately as a condominium starting April 4.
May 30, 2026
Pre-Approved ADU Plans in Los Angeles: The Catalog, Updated for 2026
The LADBS Standard Plan Catalog lists more than 90 pre-approved ADU designs for Los Angeles, from 200 to 1,200 square feet. One design, the 455 sf YOU-ADU, is provided by the city at no cost.
May 29, 2026
California's 2026 ADU Handbook: Permit Clocks, Fee Caps, JADU Changes
California's 2026 ADU Handbook dropped on April 7 with updates covering SB 543's 60-day permit deadlines, AB 462's coastal approval window, and new JADU owner-occupancy rules under AB 1154.
May 28, 2026
Warren Techentin's Ivan Hill ADU Floats Over a Silver Lake Slope
Warren Techentin Architecture's Ivan Hill ADU in Silver Lake stacks two cantilevered pods over a hillside terrace, a reflective blue tile cube and a stepped greige volume, completed 2024 and recently featured on ArchDaily.
May 22, 2026
Byben's Offset ADU Turns a Mar Vista Garage Into 890 Square Feet
Byben replaced a one-car Mar Vista garage with an 890-square-foot, two-story ADU whose upper level cantilevers around a rear power line. The build sits on the original garage foundation and walls.
April 6, 2026
Samara Installs Its First Factory-Built Wildfire-Rebuild ADU in Altadena
Samara, Joe Gebbia's factory-built ADU company, lowered its first wildfire-rebuild unit into Altadena last week. 950 sf, two-bed two-bath, free to a fire-displaced family via Steadfast LA. First of a planned 2026 series.
January 28, 2026
AB 1154 Narrows the JADU Owner-Occupancy Rule for LA Landlords
AB 1154, signed October 10, 2025, narrows the JADU owner-occupancy requirement so it only applies when the JADU shares sanitation with the main house. JADUs with their own bathroom can be rented without an owner-occupant.
October 17, 2025
AB 462: Urgency ADU Bill Unlocks Fire-Rebuild and Coastal Permits
AB 462, signed October 10, 2025 as an urgency measure, took effect immediately. It lets fire-rebuild detached ADUs get a certificate of occupancy before the primary dwelling, and forces a 60-day clock on coastal ADU permits.
October 14, 2025
SB 543 Just Put LA on a 15-Day Clock for ADU Permits
SB 543, signed October 10, 2025, forces LADBS to determine ADU permit completeness in 15 business days. Miss the deadline and the application is deemed complete by operation of law.
October 12, 2025
Build Back Better LA
In recent years, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) have surged in popularity across California, offering a viable housing solution to the state’s mounting affordability crisis. With the median home price in California r…
February 27, 2025
2024 AIA|LA ADU Design Winners
The AIA|LA Chapter has chosen its favorite ADU designs of 2024. Click here to read the full press release.
December 21, 2024
A-du Manage: Simplified Rental Management
Managing rental units can become a complex task for homeowners, especially when juggling tenant communications, payments, and maintenance requests. But most landlords don't need a property manager when their rental un…
November 21, 2024
List Your ADU Standard Plans with A-du Build
November 13, 2024
A-du Rent: LA's ADU Rental Marketplace
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are rapidly transforming the housing landscape in Los Angeles, earning the moniker of "the future of LA housing." These small, self-contained units—often built on single-family lots—off…
November 13, 2024
Which ADU Is Right For You?
While different types of ADUs serve various functions, the right type of ADU for you may vary depending on your design preference, the size & shape of you property, and your location's zoning regulations. Already know…
November 3, 2024
Why Build An ADU in Los Angeles?
It's no surprise that a majority of Angelenos would prefer to live in a walkable neighborhood offering transportation options and close to jobs, shopping, schools, entertainment, and parks. But for many, access to the…
October 29, 2024
ADUs and LA's Remote Workforce
October 25, 2024
Young Professionals and Retirees Are Turning to ADUs
In the ever-shifting landscape of Los Angeles real estate, accessory dwelling units (ADUs) are gaining traction as a practical and trendy solution for homeowners and renters alike. For young professionals seeking affo…
October 16, 2024
Meet Your Match with A-du Build
Enhancing and supporting the ADU revolution, A-du Build simplifies what can otherwise be a complex and frustrating journey of constructing your ADU. A-du Build keeps the process as simple as possible: simply pick a de…
October 15, 2024
Cover Architecture's Moongate ADU Frames Altadena Through a Circular Aperture
Cover Architecture's 620 sf Moongate ADU in Altadena, designed by principal Mike Wang for his mother and her partner, uses a sloped partition wall with a circular aperture to mediate between street and dwelling.
September 22, 2024
Building A-du
A series from the founder on how A-du got built.
