What Is It Like to Build an ADU in Marshfield? (The Copeland Family Story)

By Buz Artiano, BuildX | March 2026

Watch: Why We Built an ADU for Our Autoimmune Daughter

When you are thinking about building an ADU for a family member, a million questions come to mind. Will the builder actually listen to what we have to say and what we need? You want to know if they will even show up every day or if they will finish the project in time. Will the whole thing be worth the stress when it's all said and done? You want proof that someone else in your area has built an ADU and that they're super happy they did it.

My name is Buz Artiano, I'm the founder and CEO of BuildX, and we've built dozens of these ADU projects across Massachusetts, mostly around South Shore and Plymouth County. For every project we handle everything: the design, permitting, and construction under one roof. This way you only have to work with one team from the first conversation to the day you move in. We deal with all the septic evaluations, lot coverage constraints, and by-right permitting under the Affordable Homes Act as part of our standard service.

Dean and Alice Copeland are BuildX clients. We built their 900-square-foot detached ADU in Marshfield, Massachusetts, for their daughter Christina, who has autoimmune diseases that require a chemically clean living environment. Christina needed her independence, but she also needed to be close to her parents. The Copelands interviewed several builders before they picked us.

Of course we want to share stories from families who had a great experience with us. We are sharing the Copelands' story because they did their homework, talked to other contractors, and chose us after sitting down at their kitchen table with us and walking through every detail of what their daughter needed. What they have to say is going to be more useful to you than anything we could say about ourselves.

What Was It Actually Like for the Copelands to Build an ADU in Marshfield?

From the first phone call to move-in day, the Copelands' experience was exactly what we promised them. Alice actually works in the construction industry herself, so she had something to compare us with, whereas most homeowners don't. She knew what good communication looked like, and she knew what silence from a builder was like as well. She told us, "I have customers calling me saying, I haven't seen the builder in two weeks. Somebody was here every single day."

The project started with a kitchen table conversation. By the end Alice was giving Buz a hug at the final open house because she felt like she was losing a friend. That really tells our story.

Watch: Building Independence for Our Daughter | The ADU Solution

Why Did the Copelands Choose BuildX Over Other Builders?

The Copelands spoke to several contractors before calling us. Alice told us that her conversations with other builders were frustrating. She said, "We talked to a few companies, and a lot of them were so automated that you couldn't even get somebody on the phone." Other contractors they spoke to handled everything electronically or over the phone. None of them offered in-person consultations.

When the Copelands called BuildX, we called back the next day. We drove to their house, sat at their kitchen table, spread out papers, and spent about an hour talking about all the things they wanted for the ADU, what they needed, and what their concerns were. Alice told us, "It was kind of a gut feeling, like, this is our guy."

Maybe you're experiencing the same thing right now, talking to builders and getting voicemails or automated systems instead of having a real conversation with a real person. The Copelands were in the exact same position, but everything changed for them when a builder actually showed up, sat down, and listened.

How Did BuildX Handle Christina's Autoimmune Needs?

Christina's autoimmune conditions meant standard construction materials were not an option. Particle board, standard plywood subfloor, conventional insulation, and typical adhesives all off-gas chemicals that could trigger her immune response. The Copelands explained their daughter's needs at the first meeting, and Dean laid out all the details. He said, "We didn't want any particle board. We had to be very careful of adhesives, low VOC paints."

What happened next is what made BuildX really stand out over other builders. We didn't just follow instructions, we took it even further. Dean said, "He even took it one step further in eliminating a lot of adhesives in the ADU and using natural pine boards to reduce off-gassing from any adhesives that would affect our daughter."

We used a lot of material substitutions like rockwool insulation, which is mold-resistant and mildew-resistant. Instead of regular plywood subfloor, we used natural pine boards to eliminate adhesive off-gassing. Any and all paint we used were low-VOC formulations, and adhesives were reduced or eliminated wherever possible.

We deal with health-sensitive builds the same way we do septic evaluations or permitting constraints: we solve it before it becomes a problem. If someone tells us their daughter reacts to adhesive off-gassing, we don't wait to find out during the first summer. We find the right materials to substitute before the framing starts, then test our assumptions against real research, and build an ADU that's completely clean from day one. As we told the Copelands, "When we put your daughter in this home, we don't want to find out two years down the road that she can't live in it." That way of thinking is why we carefully choose every material on a health-sensitive project like that.

We're extremely happy to report that this ADU was built for Christina. Everything about it, the low VOC, the low adhesives, the off-gassing considerations, everything was built for her. She's very comfortable. She's had no issues since she moved in.

Watch: A Home Built for Health: An ADU Designed for Our Daughter's Needs | Customer Testimonial

What Does Daily Communication Look Like During an ADU Build?

One of the biggest fears people have when it comes to a construction project is the disappearing contractor. It happens all the time: work starts, and then nobody shows up for a week. The Copelands expected the worst. Alice said to us, "This guy's a worrywart and usually up all night. And I figured this was going to be like the worst three months of my life."