226 - ADUs: How to Pivot & Increase YOUR Space! with Paul Dashevsky

Curious about what it takes to have an ACU - Accessory Dwelling
Unit - right in your own backyard? Paul Dashevsky, partner and
co-founder of GreatBuildz.com, works with clients who want to
build an ACU for all kinds of reasons, from office space to
rental unit. Listen in to hear how people are increasing their
income (and their property value!) with ACUs and learn why it’s
so important to make sure you work with the best, pre-screened,
and pre-vetted contractors to reduce unexpected costs and
unnecessary headaches. 


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Time Stamped Show Notes:


00:20 - Introducing Paul Dashevsky and today’s topic: ADUs
(Accessory Dwelling Units)

00:55 - We have an inventory crisis and a lack of
affordable housing; ADUs are a solution



01:10 - Paul is partner and co-founder of GreatBuildz.com;
where they match homeowners with the best, pre-screened,
pre-vetted contractors

02:15 - 50%+ of the calls they get are for ADUs

02:55 - Even Kanye West has trouble getting a contractor
to get things done 



03:30 - On ADUs

03:45 - They work primarily in California where the laws
on ADUs have really changed

03:53 - ADUs are a small home/unit in your backyard; in
CA it can be up to 1,200 square feet

04:50 - It can be used as a living space for aging
parents, a home for older children, detached office space,
for rental income, or to live in to rent out the main house



06:45 - Zoning and regulation

07:05 - It’s specific to town, county, city, state; go
the the city planning department or talk to a local architect
and find out the rules



08:45 - The biggest benefit of having ADU; income, increased
property value

09:50 - The biggest issue; people not wanting to be in a
dense environment, privacy

11:05 - ADU costs: It’s more expensive in CA and costs more
to build small than big

12:10 - You still need all the appliances



12:35 - People’s biggest fear: the expense, the 6-month
process, the “nightmare remodel”; you have to make sure you have
a good contractor

13:30 - Why clients go to GreatBuildz.com; they want
factory-built ADUs down to custom built ones but it’s important
to consider all the costs both ways

14:35 - Sometimes the pre-fabricated quoted price doesn’t
include craning, site work, running utilities, etc; make sure
to double check



15:20 - On neighborhood issues

15:35 - Laws passed in CA in 2020 that HOAs and CCNRs
couldn’t restrict building ADUs



17:35 - Paul’s CSIRE story

18:05 - When he was flipping homes, they bought REOs and
short-sales; a couple times they’d walk into a house and the
family pet would be left behind

19:15 - One October, a contractor tore off the roof of a
house and canceled the next day when he was supposed to put
the new one back on

19:40 - That weekend, it rains on his house that doesn’t
have a roof; thousands of dollars and headaches later,
they’re 99% done

20:19 - Then the water heater leaks and they have to do
it all over again; that’s his “house with two floods” story



20:50 - How to reach Paul: email paul@greatbuildz.com, visit
www.GreatBuildz.com, and check out the blog there for resources
and education



3 Key Points
ADUs bring new inventory to the market.  ADUs can increase
income and property value. Professionals are responsible and
transparent.