One “starting at” number for every unit
A garage conversion and a two-bedroom detached unit share a headline price, and both buyers book with the wrong expectation.
ADU COST CALCULATOR
An ADU builder estimate calculator: a cost range before feasibility.
The first thing ADU buyers want is a number, and the honest answer is a range with conditions. A calculator built from your past units gives them both.
- ADU Building
- Estimate calculators
Show me where I’m losing jobsFree 2-minute assessment · No pitch, no obligation
At a glance
- Who it’s for
- ADU Building contractors: detached backyard adus, garage conversions, attached adus
- What goes wrong
- One “starting at” number for every unit
- Site work left out
- Fees mixed into construction
- What we run
- Inputs an owner can answer
- Ranges from your units
- Separate lines for what varies
- A lot brief with the booking
- Judged on
- Calculator completion rate
- Calculator to booked feasibility call rate
- Range shown vs. first budget written
- Feasibility call to design agreement rate
- What it costs
- Ad spend is paid directly to Meta or Google, never through BlueSmith. Setup and monthly management are scoped on a strategy call after the free assessment.
WHERE IT BREAKS
Estimate calculators for ADU builders: what goes wrong.
Site work left out
Sewer runs, electrical panel upgrades, and tight access can move an ADU budget a lot. A range that ignores them looks dishonest later.
Fees mixed into construction
Design, permit, and city fees vary by city. Folded into one number, they make your build price look higher than it is.
WHAT WE RUN
Built for ADU builders. Run by us.
Inputs an owner can answer
Unit type, size range, bedrooms, distance from the house, and whether equipment can reach the backyard. No square-foot math required.
Ranges from your units
We build the math from your recent builds by type and size, and you approve every range before it goes live.
Separate lines for what varies
Design, permits and fees, and site and utility work each get their own note, so the build range stays honest.
A lot brief with the booking
Your project lead sees the address, unit type, and answers before the call, and can look at the lot first.
AN EXAMPLE WE WROTE
Example ADU calculator page outline and question set (written by BlueSmith, no prices shown)
- 01Top of page: “Price your ADU in two minutes. It’s a range, not a quote.”
- 02Q1: What are you thinking about? (Detached / Attached / Garage conversion / Junior ADU / Not sure)
- 03Q2: Size and bedrooms? (Studio / One bedroom / Two bedrooms / Not sure yet)
- 04Q3: Roughly how far from the house would it sit, and can a small excavator reach the backyard? (Yes / Tight / Not sure)
- 05Q4: Do you know if your sewer line or electrical panel needs work? (Yes / No / Not sure)
- 06Q5: Do you have plans already? (Yes, drawn / Working with a designer / Not yet)
- 07Result: [your build range for that type and size], plus separate notes for design, permits and city fees, and site work priced after a lot visit. Then the feasibility call calendar.
Judged on
- Calculator completion rate
- Calculator to booked feasibility call rate
- Range shown vs. first budget written
- Feasibility call to design agreement rate
Example written by BlueSmith to show the approach. Not a client ad or a result.
RUN YOUR NUMBERS
Booking rate calculator: how many of your leads actually book?
Leads don’t pay the bills. Booked estimates do. Find your booking rate and see what moving it a few points is worth.
Extra revenue per month at your target: $45,000
Extra revenue per month at your target$45,000
- Your booking rate today
- 30.0%
- Extra booked estimates per month
- 6.0
40 leads, 12 booked today, aiming for 45%, 30% closed at $25,000.
See what we’d build for these numbersStarts with example numbers. Change them to yours. Arithmetic only, not a promise of results.
STRAIGHT ANSWERS
Questions we hear.
Can a calculator price an ADU without seeing the lot?
It can give a starting range, which is all it should do. Lot conditions, utilities, and city requirements set the real number, and the result says so in plain words.
Why keep permit and city fees separate?
They vary by city and they aren’t yours. Listing them on their own line keeps your build range comparable and stops homeowners from blaming you for fees.
What if a homeowner picks “not sure” on everything?
They still get a broad range and a note on what narrows it. Their answers tell your team they need an early, educational call.
Should the calculator show a monthly payment?
Only if you work with a lender and the figures are labeled as estimates. Otherwise the range and a note on common payment methods are enough.
Your crew is ready for the next job. Is your calendar?
Seven questions. Two minutes. See the one part of your engine holding your projects back.
Show me where I’m losing jobsFree 2-minute assessment · No pitch, no obligationAvg response time 2.5 minutes