BuildX · ADU Projects · Mattapoisett, Massachusetts
A 720 Square Foot Mattapoisett ADU, Built for John and Daphne
A real accessory dwelling unit BuildX designed and built on Alison Bradford's Mattapoisett property: one bedroom, one bath, a full basement, an estimate that held, and a way to bring her parents six hours closer.
as told by Daphne, John and Alison Bradford, Mattapoisett homeowners
“There's nothing we can cut out of this. Everything is exact. It is very well done.”
John Bradford, reading the BuildX estimateThe Full Story“The BuildX team has been top notch since the very beginning of the project to post project. My Mom, Dad, and I are very pleased with how our little ADU came out. Buz, Kevin Healey, Stevie, Erin, and all of the subcontractors were well-versed and responsive to our questions and our needs about anything from financial to technical. I highly recommend them!”
Why did the Bradfords build an ADU in Mattapoisett?
John and Daphne Bradford lived in Maine. All of their children lived in Massachusetts. As the two of them got older, their daughter Alison kept doing the math: six hours away is not good, and it gets worse. She did not want to wait until they were 90 and stuck in a home or a hospital she could not reach. She wanted them back.
Buying land in Massachusetts was out of reach. Building on land the family already owned was not. Daphne says an ADU was simply the most economical way to do it. She wanted a granny flat. Alison wanted her parents. The ADU gave both.
How accurate was the BuildX estimate?
The number came with sticker shock, and John, who spent his working life as a carpenter, went through it page by page looking for something to remove. He found nothing. Everything was exact and well done. On the first call Buz had told them he bids high on purpose, so a customer is never chewing their nails over an overrun, and that he would rather lose a job or two than be wrong on the low side.
“He said, I bid high. Some people don't like that and I may lose a job or two, but I'd rather estimate high. And he was about right.”
Alison Bradford, on the first call with BuzTwo items ended up outside the scope, and Alison says they did not add up to more than about $2,000 between them. One was water. The lot used to be a swamp, and when the foundation went in the basement filled like a swimming pool, then froze into a sheet of ice over the winter. Alison joked with Kevin Healy that she was going to sell skating tickets. BuildX did everything it could, and Buz called to say a sump pump and a fan were needed. That was the extent of the surprises.
What was construction like for the Bradford family?
Alison had only dealt with Buz until the build started, so when she started working with Kevin Healy on the build she had to decide whether to trust a second person. It took about one conversation. He is personable, spot on, and gets things done, and she says she kind of misses having him around. Stevie was great. The subcontractors, Kenny Day and Paul Perry the plumber among them, were professional, courteous and fun to have on the property.
John's verdict carries weight because he looks at a house the way a carpenter does. Everything was done the way it should have been done, and it was done on time.
What is it like having a full basement under a 720 square foot ADU?
It doubles the footprint for storage and mechanicals, which is why the family chose it, and it is also why the wet lot mattered. The foundation went in on ground that had been a swamp, the water came, and a sump pump and fan solved it. Once dry, the basement gives a one-bedroom house the storage of a much larger one.
Does 720 square feet feel small?
Daphne's answer is that it is all modern, there will not be much upkeep, and she can clean it quickly. For two people who left a full house in Maine, that is the point. John says the overall dwelling was an excellent result. Both of them say they are happy here.
What changed once John and Daphne moved in?
Alison sees her brother pull up and stop in for a visit on the way by, something that never happened when their parents were a day's drive away. Everyone in the family is excited that John and Daphne are back. The distance that had been six hours is now the length of the yard.
Can an ADU bring aging parents closer?
Yes, and this is the build that shows how, including the money. Alison's advice is to spend it up front and do it right, because you are going to spend it one way or the other. Daphne's is that an ADU was the most economical path they could find to land they could not otherwise afford. If your parents are a long drive away and land is the problem, bring it to the first call.
More from the family
Thinking about an ADU in Mattapoisett?
This home went from first shovel to finished in the town where you are thinking of building yours. Start with Mattapoisett ADU rules, costs and permits, then see what an ADU really costs in Massachusetts.
Read the full Bradford 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."