Compare Seattle ADU Teams on the Same Assignment

ADU companies work in different ways. Some handle design and construction. Others are led by an architect, price completed plans, sell factory-built units or plan only one stage. Decide which service you are buying before ranking prices.

Issue one project brief

Give each team the same site facts, goals, dated plans and reports. Include the finish level, owner-bought items, access limits and schedule. Require bidders to flag every departure from that package.

When design is not complete, use a common assumptions sheet. It should be updated as unknowns close.

Verify the business behind the presentation

Ask for the exact legal company and Washington registration number. Use the Labor & Industries Verify a Contractor tool to check the current public record. Confirm insurance, needed licenses and the site supervisor.

This check is a point-in-time check, not a guarantee. Repeat it before signing and retain the record with the contract file.

Ask for evidence from comparable work

“We build ADUs” is too broad. Ask for projects that match the unit and its hardest site issue. Useful examples include a tight DADU site, old garage, occupied house or difficult utility route.

Speak with recent clients. Ask how early prices compared with final work and how changes were recorded. Check whether the named supervisor was available and what remained at final approval. Also ask what the company learned from a difficult project.

Break every price into the same packages

Create rows for design, experts, permits and public fees. Add site setup, foundation, shell, systems, indoor work, utilities, outside repairs and owner costs. Move each quote into those rows and keep all allowances and exclusions.

Then ask the bidder to confirm the normalized view. Differences may reveal better value. But they may also reveal a missing trench, a lower finish allowance or design work billed elsewhere. Use the complete cost guide for the account list.

Examine preconstruction depth

Strong teams explain how they will check lot lines, current buildings, utilities, foundations, drainage and access. Ask which unknowns they will resolve before giving a fixed price. List any risk that remains with the owner.

For design-build, state what the owner receives at each early payment. Check whether the owner gets usable plans and may ask another builder for a quote if the relationship ends.

Find who performs each role

List the project lead, designer, permit lead, estimator, site supervisor and main trade partners. State whether each is an employee, subcontractor or hired by the owner. Ask how facts pass from sales to design and from pricing to the site team.

A polished first meeting has limited value if the people responsible for drawings and field choices never see the site.

Compare management systems

Ask for sample schedule updates, choice logs, site questions and change orders with private details removed. Check how often the team meets and reports progress. Ask how it stores photos, budgets and plans.

Discuss protection of the occupied home, site security, dust, noise, deliveries and neighbor communication. For a backyard project, logistics are part of execution quality.

Review the agreement as carefully as the design

The written contract should match the selected plans and work. Get legal or other expert advice when needed. Review payments, allowances, changes, delays, disputes, warranties, insurance, cleanup and final approval.

Never rely on a verbal promise to cover excluded work. Put the agreed result in writing before signing.

Use a weighted selection table

Score each company against criteria chosen before quotes arrive. A practical table could weight:

• directly relevant project evidence.
• completeness and clarity of work.
• site and utility review plan.
• price transparency and budget control.
• named team and supervision.
• references and communication systems.
• schedule credibility.
• contract and final approval clarity.

Add an evidence note to every score. Price remains important. But it sits beside the risk and deliverables attached to it.

Warning signs that deserve a pause

• reluctance to identify the legal company or registration.
• pressure to sign before receiving a detailed list of work.
• large undefined allowances or missing site work.
• a guaranteed permit date controlled by an agency.
• references unrelated to the planned project.
• unclear ownership of design documents.
• cash or payment requests inconsistent with the written agreement.
• no named field supervisor. or
• refusal to put an important representation in writing.

One concern may have a fair explanation. A pattern is a reason to pause.