Ask whether each number is confirmed, estimated, allowed, excluded, or still unknown.
Design and engineering
Site documentation, architectural work, structural and energy coordination, surveys or reports where needed, plan revisions, and construction-phase clarification.
City and agency items
Plan review, permit issuance, school-district or development-related fees when applicable, utility coordination, records, and other project-specific public requirements.
Utilities and site work
Sewer, water, power, gas if selected, drainage, trenching, access, demolition, grading, tree or landscape impacts, and restoration outside the building footprint.
Construction and finishes
Structure, enclosure, roofing, openings, systems, equipment, interiors, fixtures, appliances, exterior work, testing, cleanup, and closeout.
Contingency and decisions
A transparent reserve for risks that remain after reasonable investigation—not a substitute for defining foreseeable work.
Permit-cost search intent
There is no responsible permit-cost answer without a project
Anaheim’s own Express process says the Building Division provides information on applicable development-impact and/or school-district fees during review. The standard path can involve different plan, agency, utility, and document needs. That means a current fee calculation belongs to the actual address, scope, size, and review path.
Ask the City and relevant agencies for current written fee information. Separate those public charges from private design, consultant, utility-construction, and builder pricing.
Primary sources: Anaheim Building Division ↗ · ADU Express process ↗
Bid comparison
Normalize scope before comparing totals
| Question | Stronger proposal signal | Risk signal |
|---|---|---|
| Base documents | Names drawing version, reports, selections, and site assumptions | Prices a sketch or undefined “standard ADU” |
| Utilities | States routes, connection assumptions, trenching, equipment, and exclusions | Uses one lump sum with no route or capacity basis |
| Allowances | Defines quantity, quality level, tax and labor treatment | Lists allowance dollars without what they buy |
| Agency work | Separates included coordination from fees paid directly by owner | Uses “permits included” without boundaries |
| Changes | Describes documentation, pricing, authorization, and schedule impact | Leaves change handling to a verbal understanding |
A clearer budget
Keep allowances visible and unknowns actionable.
For every allowance, record the included product or work, quantity, installation assumption, and adjustment method. For every unknown, record who will investigate it and what decision follows.
Capture priorities and unknowns in the project planner →