Cottage ADU

We worked with Cottage to build our backyard ADU and they were excellent. We chose a design that was already pre-approved by the city of Los Angeles in order to streamline the permitting process. Cottage handled everything with the city and the various utilities. They connected us with a fantastic contractor, DeSisto Construction, who built our ADU quickly and were also a pleasure to work with. While Cottage recommended certain finishes, we were able to customize everything according to our personal style which was really nice. We are so happy with Cottage and the service they provide.

Our experience with Cottage was excellent. We laid our our concept for the stand-alone ADU and they helped with visually the design and incorporated the changes we requested - so design was very collaborative. Cottage interfaced with developing the plans necessary to submit for permitting. They connected us with a builder that we appreciated. Cottage helped us during a very trying time (COVID impacted our county's staffing). We had minor hiccups (which, honestly, I think everyone experiences in construction projects.) Cottage was excellent in resolving any issues. Cottage was very open to suggestions to help the overall process. In general, homeowners should be aware that during construction, most of the interface will be with the contractor, but again, Cottage really helped connect us with an affordable and nice construction company.

Absolutely the biggest waste of time and money. I should have gone directly through the builder (who I do recommend) instead of through Cottage. I am well versed in remodels, but wanted to safe myself time and headache and go through a one-stop shop to manage it for me. Bad choice. My ADU is not cheap and I feel like I'm doing all of their project manager and designer's work. Their "designer" recommendations was a spreadsheet with broken links, missing finishes, more than 30% of zero recommendations at all. It was garbage. I ended up having to make 100% of my own selections because their choices made no sense (25" sink in a 36" kitchen cabinet, 24" vanity copied and pasted where 30" and 42" should go... inappropriately sized matte black lights and gold/brass faucets, recommendations over allowance for the most generic things like faucets and sink, missing appliances, no appliance recommendation, etc.). Even from the start there were red flags - they are not experts and it resulted in a complete redesign months into the process. They admitting outsourced parts of the design and forgot about it until I followed up a month later after not hearing from them. They gave me 1 day with the final permit set, when I had signed off on the final design months before. They did not explain the architectural designs they took the liberty of making decisions on before submitting the permits, but told me that if I did not sign off then we would have to wait months more since the city process was taking so long. In the first meeting after the permit was approved (5 months after they submitted), I'm told I have to spend another $10k... the re-design was useless and their engineer designed my ADU foundation to be able to off a cliff (I'm in the suburbs, completely flat on a small lot). Cottage didn't think it was something that needed to be run by me or the contractors to get an updated estimate before proceeding. I really don't understand how they have 5 stars because besides the sales guy and the CAD guy, I have nothing good to say about Cottage.

We had an excellent experience working with Cottage for our ADU. We had an idea of what we wanted in order to have it fit well in our backyard; Cottage took our vision and their designers made it come to life. The Cottage team was easy to work and communicate with in making sure the design would fit what we were looking for. Along the way in the building of our ADU there were road bumps, as there always are in construction projects, and we were amazed by the way Cottage handled these issues with transparency and a positive approach toward making things right. The cottage team helped us bring our dream of a backyard ADU-office space and guest room-to life and we love the result. Thanks, Cottage!

We were one of Cottage's first customers, and have had our ADU was finished almost two years ago. The finished cottage is even nicer than we had envisioned! Before we signed with them, I had contacted several ADU contractors evaluate our project. Other ADU builders wanted to do what THEY wanted to do, not what we wanted. They wanted to cannibalize our beautiful and private back garden to build a standalone structure which would be the only thing we saw from our family room windows. Others wanted to install a prefab that looked like a shipping container, plus they would need to crane it over our two story house, also to go in the back yard. Some wanted to convert our garage, which we wanted to keep, and would only do that kind of build. Only Cottage had a design team who would and could design what we were interested in building: Converting our useless carport into a compact but spacious-feeling guest cottage with soaring 16 ft. ceilings, a full kitchen, and a spa-like bathroom. Their architects are real architects, not drafts people, and their design esthetic really shows. They also integrated the same style of roof, windows, interior trim work, all finishes, so that our new ADU looks like the rest of our house and that it has always been there. It takes a real architect to do this, and a very skilled and experienced contractor to realize it. Cottage has it all.

We worked with Cottage and their partner contractor, Integrum, to build our backyard ADU. We are thrilled with the results. Cottage / Integrum came in on-budget and on-time. We had done renovations in the past and found that in general, those projects were a bit disorganized and not well planned which always resulted in delays and higher cost in the end. What makes Cottage unique is their upfront process of planning and scoping, which enabled us to get to a firm bid with enough project details before we signed the contract. Better upfront planning made all of the differences in our experience.

The Cottage team is truly exceptional and we at Goldman Property Group value the work they put into our project. The evaluation process was by far and away beyond what comparable companies offer. The sophistication with which they operate was immediately apparent during the site visit. They know the codes better than the city planners which means they are one step ahead maximizing efficiency before they even begin with a design. As a client you're trying to maximize your space and use, a less sophisticated company would meet the client's demand but spend valuable time revising in plan check to meet the codes and constraints of the city. Cottage starts with the codes and constraints and builds around them. What that leads to is a remarkably fast design process that maximizes utility, livability and design appeal, while delivering on a fantastic space that's achievable. The design process is by far and away the most exciting part. The time from site evaluation to design is lightning fast. The layout, the design ethos, the thoughtfulness behind the space made it stand out. The design team is clearly well experienced and creative; creative with the space, the flow and maximizing livable space, comfort and importantly storage. Revisions were in real time so when we had suggestions they materialized before our eyes in the meeting not weeks later. It was the most engaging design process we have been apart of to date. The permitting process is uneventful and that's how it should be. It goes back to that site evaluation where the constraints and codes are built into the original design so corrections and revisions are minimal if not nonexistent. We found plan checkers and planner to be very receptive and encouraging around their design choices and respect to the constraints and codes, making the process seamless and quick. Cottage's process from evaluation to permitting is so well thought out, it's client focused, it's engaging and it's really a pleasure. We are grateful to the team at Cottage and look forward to future opportunities and projects with them.

I cannot recommend Cottage more for an ADU project. Their process is very well-organized, and takes all the guesswork and hassle out of what can be a really confusing process. We'd been working with an architect, but between all the potential consultants and information needed from the city (since he wasn't as experienced with ADUs) we were close to giving up. Then, we got connected with Troy and Cottage and they really helped us get our project going. I was blown away by their skill in managing the process, communication, friendliness, and the general experience. They really go out their way to make the project work for you, which is a rare thing in the design/build world.

I have been so very impressed with Cottage and their superior customer service. Cottage takes a process that seems so complicated and makes it easy to plan, permit and build an ADU. I live in Los Angeles City where I believe this jurisdiction has the toughest standards for building approvals and to date Cottage has taken complete control of all aspects of the job and make it very, very non-stressful. I have recommended Cottage to several friends and family. If you are in the market to build an ADU, there is no better partner than Cottage.

They seemed like a really great option for a turn key ADU builder, communicative, transparent and reasonable prices. The team was really attentive, however after signing the contract the team's communication slowed and eventually halted after the permit submission. The team submitted the permit to the county 4/5 months after signing the contact, however Design was finalized a month into signing. We were unaware of all the permits we needed to pay, and our application sat with the county for months before I realized we were missing a permit. At this time cottage was not returning any of my emails and calls. After the permit was approved, we then worked with the contractors directly to make selections for ADU. When we signed with cottage we were informed that it could take up to 9 months to complete permitting and build, it has been 1 year 4 months and we now only have a half built ADU.. I guess you get what you pay for, but I should have went with my instinct and stuck with a local ADU builder from my city.

My wife and I are looking to have an ADU in our Oakland backyard. I've done months of research, always coming up short on the different companies I looked at and interviewed: either they were pushing something, or they were using less-than-great materials and plans, or they were not truly interested in finding out what we are looking for and need. After hearing about Cottage ADU I did some more research. From the very first interaction with CottageI was impressed: they took the time to find out what we were looking for, they answered all my questions, I loved the quality of their designs and attention to details. The first visit they made to our home— to see the site and listen to what we're looking for was so impressive--no pushing, very patient, and open to exploring creative ideas. I have a lifetime of work directing and producing professional theater and opera. I know what it takes to plan and build something from scratch. While we are just at the beginning of this process with Cottage, I feel moved to post this review for anyone looking for the right company. Cottage is it.

The Cottage team has been been a great pleasure to work with. They consistently kept me in the loop throughout all aspects of designing, planning, and permitting for my ADU. During our periodic design check-in meetings the team was attentive to all of my concerns and responsive to all of my questions and concerns. Although my project is relatively small, I have felt valued like a client-customer with a major budget. Thanks to the folks at Cottage I am confident that my backyard ADU will meet my needs with a reasonable budget. My ADU is currently in the process of being built so I can't wait to see the finished product. I can say that working with the builder that Cottage provides has been an excellent experience as well!