Felida ADU Builder

An ADU is its own building, and the site work sets the pace

An ADU is a real building with its own kitchen, bath, and utilities, which is why the site work and connections drive as much of the cost as the walls do. JDI Construction is a family-owned, Vancouver-based design-build remodeler, and we treat an accessory dwelling unit as a second, independent home — so we begin by confirming what your specific Felida property actually allows before we design anything. That's a good fit for this part of the county: Felida is an established, unincorporated neighborhood in northwest Vancouver near Vancouver Lake, with settled homes on larger lots that often have the room a detached unit wants.

Our designers and trades work as one team, so the unit you approve is grounded in what the site and the code actually permit — we don't hand a hopeful floor plan to a separate crew and find out later it won't pass. Here's the range of ADUs we build, what decides what's possible, and what to expect on cost and timeline.

What decides what you can build

A few factors settle what's possible on your lot long before design starts:

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   Zoning & size limitsWhat your lot's zone allows for a second unit — in size, height, and placement.
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   Setbacks & coverageHow close to property lines and how much of the lot a unit can occupy.
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   Parking & accessWhether parking is required and how the unit is reached from the street.
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   Utilities & feesSewer, water, and power connections, plus the system development charges that come with them.

A few decisions worth making early

The choices that make or break an ADU come well ahead of design. The first is feasibility: ADU rules — size limits, setbacks, height, parking, and fees — are jurisdiction-specific, and because Felida is unincorporated, those rules come from Washington and Clark County rather than a city code, and they differ from Portland's across the river. We confirm what your specific parcel permits before drawing anything. The second is type and use: a garage conversion, a basement unit, an attached addition, and a detached cottage carry very different costs and site demands, and Felida's larger, established lots frequently make a detached unit a natural fit. Whether the unit is a rental, family housing, or a workspace also shapes the layout. The third is budgeting for the parts you can't see — the sewer, water, and power connections and the system development charges that come with adding a dwelling, which can run farther on a larger lot. We work through all of it up front.

What Felida homeowners build ADUs for

The ADUs we're asked about in Felida usually serve one of a few roles: a rental for income, a private space for aging parents or adult children, or a home office or studio kept separate from the main house. Each steers the design its own way — a rental toward durable finishes and its own entrance, a multigenerational unit toward single-level, step-free living, a workspace toward light and quiet.

Because Felida is part of unincorporated Clark County, the governing rules are Washington's and the county's, which differ from Portland's across the river — a reason we confirm what your parcel allows rather than assume. On the established, larger lots common near Vancouver Lake, a detached cottage is often the natural choice. Whatever the use, we design the compact footprint to live larger than its square footage, with the light, storage, and ceiling height that keep a small home from feeling small.

What does an ADU cost in Felida?

ADU cost starts with type: a garage or basement conversion that reuses an existing structure generally costs less than a detached cottage built from the ground up. After that come size and finish level, and then the piece homeowners most often underestimate — the site and utility work, which tends to carry more weight on Felida's larger lots. Running sewer, water, and power to a new dwelling, handling grading and access, and covering connection fees can be a meaningful share of the budget, which is why we scope them early. With design and trades both in-house, we give you an itemized estimate once we know what your lot allows and which type fits, so the number reflects your project rather than a generic per-square-foot figure.

How long does an ADU take to build?

An ADU runs on three clocks: feasibility and design, permitting, and construction. Permitting for a second dwelling can take longer than a remodel because it involves zoning and utility review, so we build that time into the plan rather than promising a quick turnaround. Once permits are in hand, construction depends on the type — a conversion is faster than a ground-up cottage, and a detached build on a larger Felida lot can add site-prep and utility-run time. We give you a realistic schedule after the feasibility check, handle the permitting, and keep you updated through our client portal as the unit comes together.

Why homeowners in Felida choose JDI

An ADU rewards a builder who understands the rules as well as the construction, because the project can stall at the permit counter long before the first wall goes up — and unincorporated county review has its own particulars worth knowing. As a single accountable design-build team, we handle the feasibility, the design, the utility connections, and the build under one roof, so nothing gets lost between a zoning question and the crew on site. We manage the permitting, keep you informed through our client portal, and stand behind the work with a five-year workmanship warranty. Felida is right in northwest Vancouver, minutes from our base, so we stay responsive throughout a project this involved.

JDI Construction — "Built by family. Trusted by neighbors." Design-build remodeling and ADU construction based in downtown Vancouver, WA, serving Felida, greater Vancouver, and the surrounding Clark County area since 2007.