ADU preparation mistakes to avoid
Most ADU setbacks start before drawings: a design chosen before the lot is understood, utilities assumed, or records not checked. Each mistake below comes with the check that prevents it.
Mistakes and checklists
Avoidable mistakes, and the check that prevents each.
Preparation checklists for ADUs and whole-home remodels, linked to the deeper guides on scope, allowances, change orders and handover.
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Checklists
Whole-home remodel preparation mistakes to avoid
A remodel's hardest problems usually trace back to preparation: scope that was never written down, selections made too late, or no plan for where the household lives. Each mistake below links to the guide that goes deeper.
Deeper guides on specific mistakes
- Manage changes before they become disputes
Pause, document the reason, compare options and record approval before changed work begins.
- Understand allowances and contingency
An allowance is a placeholder for a selection; contingency is a reserve for uncertainty. Neither makes an unspecified scope complete.
- Compare contractor scopes on equal terms
Ask every bidder to respond to the same written brief and disclose exclusions and assumptions.
- Make the construction handover useful
Walk through the scope, document open items and collect the operating information for the finished home.
Educational, not a service offer
These pages explain decisions in general. Service pages by community describe KB's work in a specific place; permit pages describe each authority. Nothing here confirms what applies to your parcel.
KB Remodeling · Greater Los Angeles
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