The Idea
You build an ADU once. Design it to last.
An accessory dwelling unit is one of the largest, most permanent additions you will ever make to your property. Unlike paint or furniture, the decisions made at the design stage — where it sits, how it’s laid out, how it meets the septic system, how it ages with you — cannot be undone cheaply later. Good design isn’t a luxury layered on top of construction. It is the single factor that determines whether your ADU quietly succeeds for twenty years or becomes a costly compromise. This is where it pays to work with people who have done it many times before.
Why It Matters
What good design protects
Every design decision either compounds in your favor or quietly works against you for the life of the building.
Your money
Smart siting and layout can cut the cost of utility runs, foundation work, and septic upgrades dramatically. The right early choices often save more than the design itself costs.
Your income
A well-designed unit rents faster, rents higher, and turns over less. Privacy, light, storage, and durable finishes are designed in — they can’t be bolted on afterward.
Your future
Single-level living, a no-step entry, and a wider bath cost little to plan now and are nearly impossible to add later. Design is how you build for the life you’ll be living in ten years.
Our Experience
The most experienced ADU designers on the Lower Cape
We have spent years designing accessory dwelling units specifically for the eight Lower Cape towns — not generic plans dropped onto a Cape Cod lot, but designs shaped by the septic, zoning, historic, and coastal realities of this exact stretch of the Cape. That experience is the difference between a plan that sails through permitting and one that stalls.
- Licensed Massachusetts Construction Supervisor (#CS62739)
- Deep familiarity with all eight Lower Cape building departments
- Title 5 septic constraints designed around, not discovered late
- Historic-district and coastal/flood-zone experience built in
One property. Many possibilities.
The same lot can support very different ADUs depending on your goals and its limits. Design is how we find the version that fits both — the income, the lifestyle, and the land working together.
Explore the Process
Three ways to think about your design
Design flows from purpose, building type, and process. Start wherever fits your question.
Start With Your Goals
Rental income, downsizing, aging in place — or all three at once. Your purpose drives every design decision that follows.
See the goal scenarios 02Considerations by Type
A standalone cottage, garage, basement, and attic each have their own make-or-break design factors. Know them before you commit.
Compare the four types 03Our Design Process
How we work: we listen first, study your property and the rules, then design toward your goals — minimizing cost along the way.
Walk through our processComing Soon
Example designs as food for thought
We’re preparing a small gallery of real ADU design concepts to spark ideas for your own project. In the meantime, the pages above show how we think about design — and the best example will always be the one we draw for your specific property.
Let’s Talk
Good design starts with a conversation.
Tell us about your home and what you’re trying to accomplish. The first consultation is free, and you’ll have a preliminary design in hand before any estimate — no obligation, no pressure.
Start with a Free ConsultationVern Hatt · Licensed Construction Supervisor #CS62739 · Home Improvement Contractor #177590