A one-family detached house, a lot bigger than most in the city, and a deep rear yard. On paper, a promising ADU candidate. But running a Staten Island family's property through the basic decision checklist — property type and zoning, proposed location, ceiling height and egress in the basement, rear-yard depth and utility runs for a backyard unit — reframed the whole conversation. They came in asking "Can we build an ADU?" and left asking a sharper question.

Most homeowners assume an ADU gets financed like a renovation, but the money question is really about which asset the lender is underwriting. Cash, home equity, construction loans, and renovation mortgages each carry different costs and timelines, and the one that fits depends more on your equity position than on the project itself.

An ADU can create rental income, but the rent number alone won't tell you whether the project works. The smarter question compares likely rent against total project and ownership cost, and the gap between what a homeowner imagines and what it really takes can be larger than expected.

Most homeowners begin with one question: "Can I add an apartment?" A better question is: "Which type of ADU best fits my property?"

There are five common ADU types to consider.

If you received an ADU Readiness Score, you have taken an important first step. The score can indicate whether your property has some of the basic conditions needed for an accessory dwelling unit — but it is not a final determination.

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