Questions homeowners ask us

ADU Made Simple is a website that walks California homeowners through building a backyard home, step by step. It has four steps, which we call checkpoints: Dream It, Plan It, Build It and Live In It. Each one tells you what to do next in plain English.

ADU stands for accessory dwelling unit. It is a second, smaller home on the same lot as your house. It can be a separate backyard cottage, an addition attached to your house, or a garage turned into living space.

A junior ADU is a smaller unit, up to 500 square feet, made inside your existing home.

We work only in California. Today our local rules cover 138 cities and county areas in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties.

If your city isn't covered yet, California state law still applies to you, and we show that first.

No. Most steps are tap-to-choose. You pick from cards, sliders and buttons instead of typing. The text is large, and we explain each term the first time it shows up.

No. Anyone can use Dream It without signing up. You only need a free account when you want to save your project.

You answer a few questions about size, bedrooms, bathrooms and how you plan to use the space. We show your three best-matching floor plans, and you can see the full list too.

Some cities offer floor plans they have already reviewed. Using one can make getting a permit faster and cheaper.

A pre-approved plan usually counts only in the city that approved it. Your city still checks your lot, such as how far the unit sits from the property line and how it connects to utilities.

Each picture is a bird's-eye view of the floor plan, furnished in an interior style. There are four styles ready today: Organic Modern, Scandinavian Hygge, Modern Farmhouse and Relaxed Coastal. More styles are on the way.

Yes. You can use every Plan It tool without an account. To save your numbers, create a free account.

It's a range, not a price. We build it from construction cost data for your area and your city's fees, and we update it as building costs change. Your real price comes from contractor bids.

Things like a sloped lot, long utility runs or custom finishes can push the cost higher.

The calculator shows your loan payment, possible rent, and how long it could take for the unit to pay back its cost. It always shows the costs and risks next to the upside.

The rent figure is an estimate. It is not a promise of what a tenant will pay.

State law sets the starting point for every city in California, so we show that first. Then we show where your city adds its own rules. Our research team reads city and county codes to find them.

If something looks wrong, tap "Report an inaccuracy" on that page and we'll check it.

No. You pick a range instead of typing an exact number. If you haven't signed in, your numbers stay on your device until you choose to save them.

Build It is part of the Founding Member and Founding Pro plans, which open in November.

Founding Member includes one active Build It project at a time. Founding Pro includes up to three.

When you're ready, you publish your project to contractors in our marketplace. You upload your plan set first, so they price the real job. Contractors can bid on the whole project or on single trades, like electrical or roofing.

Each contractor sees only their own bid. We line the bids up side by side so you can compare them fairly.

Every marketplace contractor applies with their California contractor's license number. A "CSLB verified" badge means our team checked that license with the state.

You should still look up any contractor yourself on the Contractors State License Board website, cslb.ca.gov, before you sign.

Yes. You can invite them to a free account that covers only your project. They can post daily updates and photos and keep change orders on their contract. They can't bid on other jobs unless they join the marketplace.

Yes. Your contractor can post short daily updates and photos. City inspections show up as steps on your schedule, and you keep a fix list of anything to correct before the job is done.

No. Live In It ends when your project is closed out. We don't offer rental or upkeep tools.

Nothing is deleted. Build It and Live In It lock until you subscribe again, and then everything is back as you left it. Contractors working on your project keep their access, so the build can keep going.

Free, $0: Dream It, Plan It, and saving your projects.

Founding Member, $9.99 per month: adds Build It and Live In It.

Founding Pro, $14.99 per month (regular price $19.99): adds more active Build It projects and our AI tools as they arrive.

Your founding price stays the same for as long as you stay subscribed.

Founding Member and Founding Pro open to everyone in November. Dream It and Plan It are free today. Tap "Tell me when it opens" on the pricing section and we'll email you once, on the day they open.

Founding Pro adds up to three active Build It projects and our AI tools: a chat helper, AI summaries, and a Realistic Floor Plan of your own layout.

The AI tools aren't ready yet. They're marked "Coming soon" until they are.

Yes. Cancel from the billing page in your account. Your plan stays on until the end of the month you've paid for. If you switch from Founding Pro to Founding Member, that change also starts at the end of the month.

Email us at hello@blakeisolutions.com. If you spot a mistake in our rules or numbers, use the "Report an inaccuracy" button on that page.