ADU builder & advisor · Greater Boston's dense neighborhoods
ADUs for the lots the catalog builders can't touch.
Basement, garage, backyard, or addition — on the tight lots of Greater Boston's densest neighborhoods, there's no one-size ADU. I'll tell you which path your property can actually support, and build it. No prefab catalog. No boilerplate.
Four paths to a unit
Every dense lot has an ADU strategy. The question is which one.
Prefab boxes need a wide-open suburban yard. City lots need judgment — the right approach for your structure, setbacks, and access. These are the four I work across:
Basement conversion
The lowest-cost door in — the unit is already under your roof. If ceiling height, egress, and moisture check out, this is often the fastest path to income.
Existing-structure conversion
Dense neighborhoods are full of preexisting nonconforming garages and carriage houses — grandfathered structures sitting where a new build could never be permitted today. Conversion unlocks them. It's the play prefab can't run.
Backyard new build
Ground-up on a small urban lot — designed around setbacks, fire separation, and access from day one, not squeezed in after the fact.
Attached & interior
An addition or a carve-out of the main house — the answer when the lot has nothing left to give but the house does.
Who I work with
Whoever you are, the lot decides — and I'll read it straight.
Three kinds of people call me about ADUs in the inner core. All three get the same honest feasibility read.
Add space, income, or family
Whether it's rental income or housing a relative, I'll walk you through cost, feasibility, and permitting before you spend a dollar — and tell you honestly whether it's worth it.
Get started
Dense-market units that actually pencil
Inner-core rents are what make ADUs work — but only on the right lot with the right approach. As a broker and investor myself, I'll model the deal with you straight, and tell you when it doesn't pencil.
Run the numbers
Buy a property that pays you back
Looking for a home with an ADU to offset your mortgage? I spot the conversion-ready properties others walk past — the grandfathered garage, the high basement — and know the zoning that unlocks them.
Start your search
The difference you can't fake
Hi, I'm Tyler — I build ADUs where the catalog can't go.
Prefab ADU companies sell a box that works on a suburban half-acre. Greater Boston's dense neighborhoods are a different sport: nonconforming lots, tight setbacks, no crane access, century-old structures, undersized utilities. That's the work I specialize in — and it's where ADUs are needed most.
Why I can advise across all four paths: I'm a licensed Construction Supervisor and general contractor through LVL Builders, so I know what's actually buildable on a tight lot. I'm a licensed broker through Peak Realty Advisors, so I know what a unit does to value and rent. And I've been investing in dense-market housing since 2013, so I know when the numbers work — and I'll tell you plainly when they don't.
Right now I'm documenting a live one: a Somerville garage-to-ADU conversion — a preexisting nonconforming structure, exactly the kind of grandfathered footprint this work is all about. No stock renderings, no AI cottages. A real project on a real city lot.
How it works
One honest path — from "is this even possible?" to keys.
No pressure, no black box. You'll always know the real numbers and exactly what the next step is.
Advise
A free consult to see if an ADU fits your property, your goals, and the zoning. If it doesn't make sense, I'll say so.
Your MA ADUEstimate
Real feasibility: cost to build, rent comps, ROI, and the permitting timeline for your specific town.
Your MA ADUBuild
If you want to build, my licensed GC company handles it end to end — permits, construction, inspections, C of O.
LVL BuildersOr acquire
Rather buy a property primed for an ADU? My brokerage finds it, runs the deal, and lines up the conversion.
Peak Realty AdvisorsThe honest-broker promise: Because I'm also a broker and investor, I have no reason to talk you into a build that won't pay off. I'll run your numbers straight — and if an ADU isn't right for you, I'll tell you, or point you to someone who fits.
Follow along · live project
Watch a real MA ADU come together — stage by stage.
A Somerville garage — a preexisting nonconforming structure, grandfathered into a spot where nothing new could be built today — becoming a two-bedroom ADU. I'm documenting it in plain terms: what each phase involves and where things stand.
Feasibility & design
Confirming the property works and shaping the unit layout.
Plans & engineering
Drawings finalized and prepped for the town's review.
Permitting
Working through the town's by-right ADU review.
Construction
The ground-up build, start to finish.
Completion
Final inspections, certificate of occupancy, and move-in ready.
Figures reflect current MA law and typical local market ranges. Every property is different — book a consult for numbers specific to yours.
Local ADU rules by town
State law set the floor. Your town fills in the details.
ADUs are by-right statewide, but setbacks, parking, and design rules still vary locally. Find your town's rundown:
Common questions
ADUs in Massachusetts, answered honestly.
Can I build an ADU in my town?
How big can an ADU be?
What does an ADU actually cost to build?
Do I have to live on the property?
My garage sits right on the lot line — can it still become an ADU?
Will you tell me if an ADU isn't worth it for me?
Let's talk
Get a free, no-pressure ADU consultation.
Tell me about your property and your goals. I'll give you the honest read — whether you build with me, buy through me, or just leave with a clearer picture.