ADU West Coast

ADU West Coast Design + Build

We help convert garages and backyards into income producing rental units! We do cust

We also do large renovations and custom home development

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I look at a lot of multifamily ADU deals that pencil beautifully on paper and then die in month three. It is almost neve...
08/28/2026

I look at a lot of multifamily ADU deals that pencil beautifully on paper and then die in month three. It is almost never the thing the owner was worried about.

Here are the three that actually kill them.

Electrical service. Number one by a wide margin. Adding four units to a fourplex means four more meters, and plenty of these buildings from the fifties and sixties are running a service that cannot carry it. That upgrade is real money and it belongs in the budget on day one, not as a surprise in month four. Get an electrician on the property before you get excited about unit count.

Fire access. Cities lost parking as a reason to say no when SB 1211 took effect, so fire is where the real review happens now. Hydrant flow, turning radius, distance from the street to the farthest new unit. If a fire truck cannot already get to the back of your lot, start there.

The drive aisle itself, separate from the parking count. You can lose backup depth or trash enclosure access without noticing and find out at plan check. I watched a clean eight unit plan drop to five over an aisle nobody measured.

The law is not on that list, and that is the point. The entitlement side of multifamily ADUs is in decent shape right now. Site conditions decide these projects, and a two hour site visit would catch most of them.

Sacramento has six days left in session, and I am watching three ADU bills more closely than usual.SB 1117 is the one th...
08/26/2026

Sacramento has six days left in session, and I am watching three ADU bills more closely than usual.

SB 1117 is the one that actually changes my estimates. Right now a lot of cities charge full impact fees the moment an ADU crosses 750 square feet, which creates this dumb cliff where a 760 square foot unit costs thousands more than a 740 square foot one. I have redesigned units down to dodge it. SB 1117 makes the fee proportional to the square footage above 750 rather than hitting the whole unit. It has cleared both houses and is headed to the Governor.

AB 956 would let single family homeowners build two detached ADUs instead of one, and it takes a swing at HOAs blocking state compliant ADUs. Passed the Senate.

SB 1196 deals with electrical connection timelines. Least headline friendly of the three, and honestly the one I care about most. On multifamily ADU work down here, the utility connection is routinely the longest item in the schedule. Longer than plan check. Longer than framing. If that gets faster, every project in my pipeline gets faster.

The pattern across all three is worth noticing. The big fights over whether ADUs are allowed are largely settled. What is left is the unglamorous stuff: fee cliffs, meter timelines, HOA friction. That is usually the sign a policy is maturing rather than still being argued about.

Session ends August 31. We will see what gets signed.

Inside Unit B at Van Ness. 🔨This is the kind of transformation we work toward from day one.Behind these finished photos ...
08/19/2026

Inside Unit B at Van Ness. 🔨

This is the kind of transformation we work toward from day one.

Behind these finished photos are plans, permits, inspections, trades, problem-solving, and a lot of coordination to get every detail across the finish line.

For Unit B, the focus was the same as it is on every project we take on: use the available space well, keep the layout functional, and deliver a finished home that feels intentional.

Swipe through to see the details.

Built by ADU West Coast.

Van Ness — Unit A. 🏠Another look at one of the three completed units at our Van Ness project.When we build an ADU, we’re...
08/17/2026

Van Ness — Unit A. 🏠
Another look at one of the three completed units at our Van Ness project.
When we build an ADU, we’re thinking beyond just adding square footage. The layout needs to make sense, the finishes need to hold up, and the finished space should feel like a real home — not an afterthought.

Swipe through for a closer look at how Unit A came together.

Three units. One property. A lot of planning and work behind the finished result.

Thinking about what you could build on your property? Reach out to ADU West Coast.

Cameron Meredith is heading to San Diego for IMN’s Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) Conference on September 15–16, 2026.A...
08/14/2026

Cameron Meredith is heading to San Diego for IMN’s Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) Conference on September 15–16, 2026.

As Founding Partner and Director of ADU West Coast, Cameron will be joining industry leaders to talk about what ADU development actually looks like in the field — real projects, real numbers, and the capital strategies behind making these deals work.

If you’re building, investing, developing, or looking for a better understanding of where the ADU market is headed, this is an event worth being in the room for.

📍 San Diego, CA 📅 September 15–16, 2026

Use promo code REU2957SPK to save 20% on registration.

See you in San Diego.

07/29/2026

🏘️ Part 3 of 3 — the detached garage, reborn.

This is where the property went from 2 units to 3. Using SB-9, we converted the detached garage into a 356 sq ft studio — proof that even a small footprint can become a comfortable, fully functional home.

Garage conversions always bring surprises: foundations that were never meant for living space, no insulation, and slabs that need moisture barriers. But that's the trade-off — you're starting with an existing structure, which often keeps costs down compared to ground-up construction.

One single-family home. Three separate units. Three rental incomes from one lot. That's the power of today's California ADU laws.

07/27/2026

🏘️ Part 2 of 3 — the attached ADU.

This unit was carved out of a portion of the original front house. Attached ADU conversions like this are some of the trickiest work we do — you're separating utilities, adding sound and fire separation between units, and reworking a layout that was never designed to stand on its own.

The result: a fully independent 1 bed / 1 bath, 475 sq ft home with its own entrance — no wasted square footage, and a second income stream from space the owner already had.

Next up: the detached garage that became a studio under SB-9. 👀

07/24/2026

🏘️ Every ADU project comes with its own challenges — especially when you're working with existing structures such as this project we just finished. Once you start opening up walls, floors, and ceilings, there are always surprises. This was one of those jobs. Our team adjusted accordingly and did a great job transforming this property from 1 to 3 rentable units.

Unit breakdown is below:

🔹 SB-9 unit — built out of the detached garage | Studio | 356 sq ft
🔹 Attached ADU — built from a portion of the front house | 1 bed / 1 bath | 475 sq ft
🔹 Primary residence — 3 bed / 2 bath | 1,183 sq ft

Pictured here: the first unit, part of the original single-family residence.

07/14/2026

Before concrete is poured, everything has to be right.

At our Long Beach project, the rebar and forming stage is underway—building the framework that gives the foundation its strength, shape, and long-term durability. This isn’t the flashy part of construction, but it’s one of the most important.

Every measurement, every tie, and every form is checked before the pour because getting the foundation right sets the standard for everything that follows.

Solid homes start with solid foundations.

Follow along as this ADU continues to take shape.

📍Long Beach, CA

Address

13001 Seal Beach Boulevard #210
Seal Beach, CA
90740

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

(714) 794-9167

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