Backyard ADUs

My experience with Backyard ADUs was a two year nightmare . I found Chris Lee to be very personable in the beginning but ended up having to go to Construction Dispute Mediation more than a year into the building of the house, and even then he did not follow through on the agreement for several months, had to be pressured into doing the work, and never did do all of it. I ended up selling the house and lost over two hundred thousand dollars. The original price quoted was raised several times and the date of completion moved backwards continually, although the original promise was to be able to have confidence that I would know the price and the move- in date from the beginning with no surprises. After they had all my money, the work slowed down dramatically and limped on and on. They felt no urgency to finish it, and were very unresponsive. One worker would come for a few hours and then nothing more would be done , sometimes for long stretches of time. Although the workers themselves were good people, we lived through two years of incredible stress because of the constant uncertainty and the poor management of the project. Two independent inspectors found significant problems with many aspects of the house, with the ground on all sides of the house sloping downward towards the foundation, greatly increasing the chances of future water problems. They both stated that the house was poorly built and expressed pity for me as the owner, never a reassuring thing! I wanted to feel happy with the house, but the whole experience was an ordeal. I wish I’d chosen a different and more experienced contractor, and one who takes more pride in their work. I was quite naive, never having built a house before. I’ve decided to write this review because I notice their own website has only 5 star reviews and I wish someone had warned me in advance and that I could have avoided this huge financial loss and very difficult life experience. I am writing this, not with a desire for vengance, but simply to give an honest review of what transpired. I hope that Chris Lee has learned something from this process, but I am not sure, given his unwillingness to follow through on promises and defensiveness throughout. I do think he genuinely wants to provide a good service.

Backyard ADUs did a very good job building our home this past year. Our building project used modifications of their standard offerings. They constructed the house to the specifications we requested, and in the time frame that was originally discussed. We love it, and talk about how we never want to leave the property anymore. The Backyard ADU crew was terrific. They were all interesting, very polite and as we were on site for a portion of the job, they took the time to leave the house and area around it in a state that took our needs into consideration. They were navigating what seemed to be a crush of project volume as their company grows, and some staffing problems which was a common situation across the industry. They were able to tend to everyone, though at times it felt like they were juggling a lot of pins. Building a home requires patience, and we discovered that the modular process is not immune from the same types of delays and shifts that the traditional building process can create. As with any new build, there are small issues that have appeared. I would be confident that if I need assistance correcting them, they would do what they can to help without any conflict. I will comment about how important it is that contractors have clear plans for the subcontracted trades to execute and be accountable to. BYADU may benefit from spending more time following up with subcontractors, as a way to confirm that they are achieving the standard of work that is expected. My experience with construction and renovation work, leads me to believe there were some decisions left up to subcontractors and not a project manager who would have a bit more invested in the final product. We think this company has a solid crew and many years ahead of them to continue building high quality, efficient homes.

So much thanks to Tim O’reilly. Tim was a pleasure to work with. He was honest and attentive to our needs. When we ran into difficulties with some subcontractors he stepped right in to solve the situation. We had signed up with the do-it-yourself option, which was a relatively new approach for the company. We were pleased to have the opportunity to take advantage of it. It lowered the cost of our ADU substantially. It is true that the cost was higher than we originally anticipated but that was our choice because towards the end of the project we ran out of patients with some of the subcontractors and we renegotiated the contract with the company. So we ended up paying more than we intended, but that was our choice. We appreciated the flexibility and responsiveness of the company in general and Tim in particular. We are thrilled with the outcome of our 540 ft.² ADU. It is perfect for one person. Backyard ADU produces a backyard ADU produces a great structure With good craftsmanship and attention to detail Everyone who comes by to see it says “we need to build one of these“. All the touches are lovely And everything works well. The team who set the building and finished, it was professional, and clearly took pride in the work they were doing. It was anThe team who set the building and finished, it was professional, and clearly took pride in the work they were doing. It was a pleasure to have them around our property. Again, if you have the opportunity to work with Tim, I would highly recommend that you choose him as your go to person.

We're just getting our occupancy permit today on our new 750 sf ADU in Cotuit, Mass. While the quality of the build was great, the best part of this experience has been the attention to detail and responsiveness from the entire BackyardADU crew, from start to finish. Any issue, no matter how minor, was addressed quickly before it became a problem. In a nutshell, this was the most stress-free way to build a home I've ever experienced and I've had many other building projects. Also, important is that it came in a bit under budget – which is something else I've never experienced while building on expensive Cape Cod. I'd do it again. BackyardADUs is a great company committed to a quality product and positive buyer experience, as I can attest to.

Backyard ADUs did a wonderful job creating a custom house for my spouse and I within our budget during the pandemic. Despite staffing shortages and rising construction costs, we were able to stay on budget and our house ended up being appraised at exactly what Backyard ADU's had estimated its value at. Both Chris and Austin helped us to obtain financing from a lender, and were transparent and honest about deadlines. I would definitely trust this company to build for us again in the future.