Add a backyard home (ADU) to your property.

We help California homeowners add a backyard home (ADU). Check your lot free: in about two minutes we run a 12-check property screening from public records and test every ADU option the lot allows, ranked by the value each adds for every $1 you spend. Or design an ADU in the free designer. When you're ready to build, we match you with licensed partner designers and builders and coordinate the project with them.

Free: the lot check (your best option with its estimated cost, value added and rent) and the ADU designer (one set of 4 pictures, a live 3D model and an estimate). Paid: the $49 full lot report, the $19 Design Pack (25 credits, each a set of 4 pictures or one design's interiors) and the $59 Project Bundle (the pack plus one full lot report). Professional design, permits and construction are priced per project by licensed partners after a free consult; our coordination is included with partner projects.

See what it costs

The Best-Return Plan: every option ranked by return, cost vs value ranges and monthly cash flow for each, and 3D concept floor layouts and site plan drafts with clearances for every option that fits. You also get the full property screening (all 12 checks with sources), what to do next and what each step costs, and a starting brief for your designer or architect. It's a one-time payment per property, made through Stripe, and the report unlocks right after you pay.

No. Licensed partner designers and builders design and build, and the partner builder holds the construction contract with you. We check the lot, give you a starting brief, match you with partners and coordinate the project with them. Design, permits and construction are priced per project after a free consult.

From the $49 full lot report, the design packs in the ADU designer, and referral fees: licensed partners may pay us a fee or other benefit when a homeowner we introduce works with them. Referral fees never change how options are ranked in your report.

Read the terms of service

In some of the California areas we cover so far, and we're adding more. Anywhere else, ask for a free consult anyway: we take the request and tell you plainly whether we can match you with a licensed designer and builder.

Because the report is digital and delivered right away, purchases are non-refundable, except where the law requires otherwise. If your report fails to load for your address and we can't fix it, write to us at hello@lotupside.com within 14 days for a refund.

Read the terms of service

The City of Sacramento, the City of San Jose, unincorporated Sacramento County, the City of Los Angeles, the City of Citrus Heights, the City of Elk Grove, the City of Folsom, the City of Rancho Cordova, the City of San Diego and the City of El Monte for now. Other addresses, including the other cities in those counties (such as Galt, Sunnyvale, Culver City or Santa Monica) and unincorporated areas outside Sacramento County, get a partial check because we haven't loaded their local rules yet, and you can ask us to look at the lot by hand for free.

Neither. It's a screening from public records, not professional advice, and not a survey, soils report, appraisal, loan offer or permit; every number is an estimate. The concept floor layouts and site plan drafts are a starting point: a licensed designer or architect confirms the final plan, and your city or county gives final approval.

Public sources such as the U.S. Census geocoder, county parcel and assessor maps, city zoning maps, CAL FIRE fire zones, FEMA flood maps, the California Geological Survey, the USDA soil survey and USGS elevation, plus Google imagery and Microsoft building outlines. No AI guesses: the checks follow fixed rules, so the same records give the same answer every time.

That's up to you. Take it to any designer you like, or ask for a free consult: we match you with a licensed partner designer and builder where we have them and coordinate the project, and you only move ahead if the numbers work for you. The builder holds the construction contract with you. We may receive a fee or other benefit from partners we introduce, and it does not change how options are ranked in your report.

We send only the address you enter, never your name or contact details, to the services that hold the data. Report links are private and kept out of search engines, and we don't sell your information. We may publish totals and averages across reports, or show one as an example with its street address removed, never with your name or contact details.

Read the privacy policy

Email hello@lotupside.com, or use the form at the bottom of this page.