BuildX · ADU Projects · Duxbury, Massachusetts
A 900 Square Foot Duxbury ADU, Built for Beth and Joe
A real accessory dwelling unit BuildX is building on the McCarthy family's Duxbury property: one bedroom, one bath, the X15 plan that Beth and Buz worked out together on Zoom, and a retirement that lands next door to the grandchildren instead of on the Cape.
as told by Beth and Joe McCarthy, Duxbury homeowners
“Better the devil you know than the devil you don't.”
Joe McCarthy, on why they never got a second quoteWhy are the McCarthys building an ADU in Duxbury?
Joe describes it as a look at the future. Get rid of the larger property, use some of the equity, and keep equity left over for later in life. The first version of the plan was a retirement house on the Cape or near the coast in Plymouth. Then their daughter and son-in-law moved from Hingham to Duxbury, onto a decent piece of property, and driving down to visit, right off Route 44, Joe and Beth kept passing a BuildX sign.
Beth looked into it and the plan changed. An ADU on their daughter's property instead of a separate house puts them where the kids are and where the grandchildren are starting to arrive, close enough to help with child care when it is needed. It does away with most of the costs of the home they are leaving, and it keeps the family on one lot.
Why did they choose BuildX without a second quote?
Beth looked online for competitors and other companies doing something similar, anywhere, and kept coming up against BuildX as the one everyone recommended. Joe says that on money like this you normally get a second or third quote, and they did not, because the professionalism came through from the start. Better the devil you know. The more they talked with Buz and the crew, the more comfortable they got.
Beth's other note is quality. Countertops, cabinets and flooring were better than she expected going in. Joe adds that modular looks inexpensive at first and then the pieces that are not in the package add up, so once you break it down it was all going to cost about the same, and what they saw at the BuildX tours was work worth paying for.
How did the plan get through the town?
There was pushback in Duxbury and the plan had to change in a few places. BuildX went through the town meetings and walked the family through every step, which Beth says mattered because they did not know how the process works and it varies from town to town. The team was comfortable with what they were presenting, and it showed.
“I have actually heard stories and talked to other people who had to do that on their own, and it's really hard when you don't know exactly how it works in every town.”
Beth McCarthy, on the town meetingsWhat is the X15 plan?
It is the McCarthys' plan. Buz spent a lot of time with Beth on Zoom, moving walls, working out the stairwell entrance and the garage under, and trying the front porch three ways, half, three-quarter and full, then rendering each one so they could look at it together. Buz says the best BuildX plans come from exactly that kind of live feedback, and the X15 is now the McCarthy plan.
What has the process been like so far?
Every Friday the McCarthys get an update on where the build stands. Casey has been helpful, Harry has been helping them, and other members of the team have reached out on their own. Joe's word is professional: they look it and act it, which gives a homeowner comfort that this is not a contractor with a hoodie over his head. Beth's addition is innovative. BuildX is educating people that this option exists at all, whether or not they end up building.
What changes once the ADU is done?
Beth and Joe retire next door. Their daughter gets help with the grandchildren without a phone call and a drive. The larger property is sold, the equity is kept, and the house they live in from here on is new, single-story and sized for two.
Can an ADU be a retirement plan?
Yes, and the McCarthys' math is the common version of it: sell the big house, build small on a child's land, keep the difference. If your retirement plan currently involves buying somewhere near the family, bring that plan to the first call and compare it against building on the family's own lot.
Thinking about an ADU in Duxbury?
This home went from first shovel to finished in the town where you are thinking of building yours. Start with Duxbury ADU rules, costs and permits, then see what an ADU really costs in Massachusetts.
Read the full McCarthy family story for the long-form version, in the family's own words.
Every project starts the way this one did: a conversation about what you actually need. No pressure, either way.
Meet the builder
Buz Artiano
"My name is Buz Artiano, owner of BuildX. At BuildX we're more than a home builder. While building is what we do, the relationships that are created in the process are what drives our passion to transform your dream into a reality. That is why we strive to give a first-class experience to our clients by listening to their vision and then building their trust with a custom home design that matches their taste and lifestyle."