Who Do You Need for an ADU?

An ADU takes a team. Not a huge one — but each member exists for a reason, and knowing the roster prevents both gaps ("wait, who handles the energy report?") and redundancy ("do I really need both?"). Here's everyone, in order of appearance.

The designer or architect (Modules 8–9's author). Turns your goals into the plan set: concepts, floor plans, elevations, coordination of everyone below. Your longest professional relationship on the project. Lesson 11.2 sorts the architect-vs-designer question.

The structural engineer (lesson 9.3's hero). Foundations, framing, seismic. Joins during design development — ideally as a standing partner of your designer (lesson 9.7's whole argument), not a stranger found later.

The Title 24 consultant. Runs the energy model (lesson 9.4). Small role, mandatory output; almost always subcontracted by your designer. You may never meet them. That's fine.

The surveyor and geotechnical engineer (lessons 9.5–9.6). As-needed specialists: boundaries and topography; soil and slopes. Your designer determines whether your project triggers them.

The general contractor (GC). Builds the thing: hires and schedules all trades, owns the site, manages inspections, delivers the building. The most consequential hire of the project — lessons 11.4 through 11.10 exist because of it. The alternative (you playing GC) is lesson 11.11.

The trades. Foundation crew, framers, plumbers, electricians, HVAC, roofers, drywallers, painters — hired and managed by the GC (or by you, owner-builder). You generally don't hire trades directly on a GC job, but you'll learn their sequence in Module 12.

The city inspector. Not your hire — but on your team in a real sense (Module 12.11): they verify construction matches the stamped plans at each milestone. Projects run best when the GC treats inspectors as colleagues, not adversaries.

Who's optional: interior designers (nice for finish selection, rarely essential at ADU scale), landscape designers (the yard-repair line from Module 6.8 might justify one), and project managers separate from the GC (mostly for owner-builders).

The one-stop alternative: design-build firms (like GatherADU) put designer, engineer coordination, permitting, and construction under one roof — one contract, one accountable party, no handoff gaps. The trade-off conversation (control and bid-shopping vs. integration and speed) is honest, and lesson 11.4 gives you the questions to ask either way.