How To ADU/Backyard Breakthrough Coursework

  • $1,999

Backyard Breakthrough Coursework

  • 24 Lessons

Backyard Breakthrough Coursework is the Core Content of the program. Do you want to build an ADU, but you don't know where to start? Planning and building an ADU is an overwhelming process with 100+ steps. By asking the right questions, it teaches you where to start and how to move forward as you decide on the right answers for you. Discussing this coursework within the community it will make it simple.

Contents

What to expect

Thank you so much for becoming a Founding Member.


This course will be the main place where I deliver my advice, tools and resources. Having said that...

Most of the benefits of being a Founding Member come from belonging to a community of like-minded people who can help you through your ADU journey.

So what you can expect here is advice from Ryan and some tools and tips.

But the big difference will come when you visit your Private Facebook Group "Backyard Breakthrough"  or our community forum and share your experience applying this advice to your own project. 

Or pop into those pages and see what other people are experiencing. You'll learn a lot from their projects too...

First steps

Okay, in this next section, I'm going to go over the broad first steps for a project.

You'll get access to a new section every day.

If your project is farther along, and you want to unlock future lessons, you can write to casey@how-to-adu.com and we will unlock the future stuff for you right away. 

The reason I don't do that right off the bat is because I don't want to scare you away if you're just starting! ADU can be overwhelming! Smart people like you get help like this!

We'll make it simple

Even when I talk to homeowners with VERY complicated challenges, the project always boils down to TWO things:

  1. Why are you thinking about ADUs? 

  2. What can you do legally?


These sound so simple you might be thinking this course is fluff. I promise it's not.

For example, there will be a 50+ page PDF related to "what can you do" and I'm going to teach you how to look up not just YOUR property, but the addresses of every ADU that has ever been permitted in your city and county.



But it's important to start with the two core concepts before we dive into the complicated details.

So are you ready to tackle these two simple concepts?

Welcome to the Course - Watch this First!
Introduction
Preview
And what can I expect after that?
Preview
Glossary of ADU-Related Terms
Preview

WHY are you thinking about ADUs

Why are you thinking about ADUs?
Will you get everything you want?
But what about...

WHAT can you do?

The first steps
Can you build an ADU at all?
The local planning department
What's your jurisdiction?
Do a bit of homework
Reach out to the planning staff
Evaluate the planning staff
The state rules
The State Rules Handbook
2023 Changes

The next big steps...

Now for the really fun part...

Summary so far: What can you do?
What to do next...

Grant-related Material

This is where I'm storing the Grant-related material we've collected.

Remember the process is evolving around the grant so a lot of this material shows us how it WAS working in the past, but not how it WILL work in the future.

It teaches us how to think about the grant process - it's not a road map of what we do moving forward.
1. My 40k Grant Timeline.pdf
2. HPP CARES process - Happy path.pdf
HPP CARES grant process.zip

Specific Resources you may need

This section for other resources some people need along their ADU journey.

How to request technical assistance HCD (form and instructions)
ADU Finance Breakthrough Getting Closer (as of 4-2-23)