A 900 Square Foot Plymouth ADU, Built for Rick and Susan

Why are the Welkers building an ADU in Plymouth?

The Welkers' beach house came with an extra lot behind it, valuable land on a back hill that had never had a use. When the state's ADU regulations came out, Rick says a light bulb went on. He and Susan figure they will need to downsize at some point, and the plan is to try living in the ADU for a while: a new house, new appliances, everything new, and very little maintenance for years to come.

The first months went badly. A surveyor, a contractor and an architect gave conflicting answers about what the lot could take. One contractor who had done an ADU before started listing what Rick could not do, and some of it was wrong. Then Rick's daughter-in-law saw a BuildX open house advertised on Facebook. Rick wanted to get this one right, and BuildX seemed to specialize in exactly this.

How did BuildX solve the steep lot?

Buz came right over and was enthusiastic from the start, which Rick had been waiting months to hear from anyone. Buz looked at the beach house and the hill and came to the next meeting with plans already laid out, in a design the Welkers had not thought of and could not have. It was detailed at every step, which told them BuildX had done enough of these to have thought of everything. Rick's first question was when it could start.

The hard part was septic on a steep grade. A couple of times along the way it looked like it might not be doable. Rick's read is that another contractor would have called it too challenging and walked. BuildX kept pushing and came up with an answer on something that seemed almost impossible.

What has the process been like for the Welkers?

Rick's word for it is one-stop shop. He does not deal with four or five different people, or go to the town for permits, which he says would have been too much. Even with a premium for that, it was worth it to him. The first meeting at BuildX to go through material choices, cabinets included, was something he expected to struggle through on his own. Tom, the project manager, has been responsive on every question and his knowledge has given the family confidence.

Rick has spent enough time around contractors to expect the usual: you stay on them, they are busy, sorry I did not get back to you, it has been two weeks. The responsiveness here, he says, has been super all along.

Why is the lot the story?

Because the family had the land and nobody could figure out what to do with it. The value was sitting there. The obstacles were the grade, the septic, and the number of people who each owned one piece of the answer. A single company that owned the whole answer, and that had a concept for a steep hill in mind before the first meeting ended, is what turned a back lot into a house.

Does 900 square feet work for downsizing?

That is the plan. Rick and Susan intend to live in it for a while and see, with the beach house right in front. Everything in it is new, so the maintenance list is short, and at 900 square feet it is sized for the two of them.

What changes once the ADU is done?

A lot that had no use becomes the house the Welkers downsize into, on land they already own, next to the beach house they already love. Rick's advice to anyone thinking about an ADU is short: contact BuildX. And remember, just build, baby.

Can an ADU go on a difficult lot?

Often, yes, and this is the build that shows it: a steep grade and a septic problem that two people said could not be done. The answer depended on one company handling the survey, the design, the engineering and the town together instead of three professionals disagreeing. If you have land you have been told is unusable, bring the lot to the first call before you believe it.