Most ADU projects that go wrong go wrong before design — on a lot that couldn't support the plan, in a community whose rules didn't allow it, or on utilities that needed an upgrade nobody scoped. This is the checklist we run before a single floor plan is drawn.
1. Who has jurisdiction over your address?
The permitting authority depends entirely on where the property sits: an incorporated city's permit office, or — across huge parts of the Houston area — the county, usually paired with a municipal utility district. In some neighborhoods a further layer applies, like historic-district review on many blocks of the Heights. Confirming jurisdiction is step one because it shapes everything after.
2. What do your HOA or deed restrictions say?
In master-planned communities, the homeowners association's architectural review is often the real gatekeeper for a detached second structure — and in older neighborhoods, deed restrictions can play the same role. This is a document check, not a guess, and it happens before design money is spent.
3. Does the lot physically support it?
Lot coverage, setbacks, drainage, mature trees, and construction access all constrain what can be built. A generous suburban lot may take a full guest house easily; a compact inner-loop lot may point to a garage apartment instead — which is also one of the most common ADU routes.
4. Can your utilities carry a second dwelling?
ADUs typically extend water, sewer, and electrical from the main house, with separate metering as an option when the unit will be rented. On older homes, an honest scope sometimes includes a panel or service upgrade at the main house — better discovered in feasibility than mid-build.
If the checklist clears, the rest is a small custom home: foundation, framing, full kitchen and bath, its own HVAC. We run this feasibility review first and then price the complete project in a free itemized quote.
Planning a project? Get a free, itemized quote — no guesswork, no pressure.
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