Hiring a General Contractor for My $180,000 Project Was the Worst Mistake
What I learned from building a $180,000 ADU project
I wanted to build an Accessory Dwelling Unit, or ADU, in the backyard — something I’d been excited about for a long time.
I hunted for a general contractor to give me a quote.
One guy was a perfect fit: low cost and fast turnaround — everything I wanted to hear.
So, I decided to hire him.
As the initial drawing phase started, the architect told me it needed a larger footprint, which required us to alter the contract. That’s when the first red flag came up: he changed the contract and asked for extra money.
However, I ignored it, thinking, “Okay, be flexible. It might be normal in the construction world to iterate on these things.”
It took a surprisingly long time to finalize the blueprints and drawings.
Then, he told me that the city requires topography, which costs $5000 to accomplish. I asked him, “Can you give me the name of the company and the receipt regarding the costs of this?”
He wouldn’t tell me.
The second red flag presented — he wasn’t upfront about the project cost. Every step was shrouded in…
