HELOC
A line of credit against the equity you already have. Draw only what you spend, which suits a build that bills in stages. Rates are usually variable.
Starting point 8.25% · 20y · as of August 2026
Financing
Can you actually pay for it? Let's do the arithmetic.
Most people stall on an ADU not because the rules block them but because they can't tell whether the numbers work. Below is a calculator that shows the cost range, what it would cost you monthly, and whether the rent covers it — with every assumption on screen and adjustable, because an estimate you can't interrogate isn't worth much.
It gives you ranges, never a quote. Two lots on the same street diverge once utility runs, grade, and access come into it. The free site walk is where a range becomes a real number.
1 — What you'd build
Standard
2 — How you'd pay for it
A line of credit against the equity you already have. Draw only what you spend, which suits a build that bills in stages. Rates are usually variable.
Starting point as of August 2026 — type in whatever you've actually been quoted.
20 years
3 — What it earns
Your own research beats ours here — check comparable units near you and put that number in.
Held back out of rent for repairs and turnover — not a cost you avoid by ignoring it.
Estimate — not a quote. Every figure here is a range built on the assumptions you can see and change. Two lots on the same street diverge once utilities, grade, and access come into it.
Project cost
$333,483 – $383,506
Monthly payment
$2,841 – $3,268
Rent, after vacancy and maintenance
$2,185/mo
Net monthly position
-$1,083 – -$656/mo
At these settings the rent doesn't fully cover the payment. That is normal for a fully financed build, and it is not the whole picture — the unit is also adding permitted square footage to the property.
Rent covers the build in
12.7 – 14.6 years
Rent alone against project cost, before financing.
Want to go deeper? The full breakdown adds the rent you'd need to break even, what rate movement does to the payment, total interest over the term, and all four unit types costed at your settings — plus a copy in your inbox to keep.
Free. Everything above stays visible either way.
Sam and Brad walk the lot and replace every range above with a real, fixed number. Free, and no obligation.
Four ways people fund an ADU
Which one fits comes down to how much equity you're sitting on and what rate you already hold. Brad is a licensed broker and will talk this through honestly, including when the answer is "not yet."
Cash-out refinance
Replace your existing mortgage with a larger one and take the difference in cash. Only worth it if today's rate is close to the one you already hold.
Starting point 6.75% · 30y · as of August 2026
Construction / renovation loan
Lends against the property's value AFTER the ADU is finished rather than what it's worth today — which is what makes it work when there isn't much equity yet. Funds release in draws as work completes.
Starting point 7.5% · 30y · as of August 2026
Cash / savings
No payment and no interest. The trade is opportunity cost on the capital.
Rates shown are starting points for the calculator as of August 2026, not offers. Bayfront does not originate loans — we build the unit and can point you at people who do.
What a calculator can't tell you
A model works from square footage and averages. The things that actually move an ADU budget are physical, and none of them are visible from a form:
- How far the sewer lateral is, and whether it has the capacity — the single most common budget surprise.
- Whether the electrical panel has room, or the whole service needs upgrading.
- Grade and drainage. A sloped lot changes the foundation before it changes anything else.
- Equipment access. A narrow side yard can decide the entire approach.
- What's already standing, and what condition it's genuinely in.
Worth saying plainly
A fully financed ADU often doesn't cash-flow from day one, and any builder telling you otherwise is selling. What it does is add permitted, on-record square footage that follows the property, while the rent carries most of the cost of getting it.
Drag the numbers above until they reflect your actual situation. If the answer comes out "not yet," that's a real answer and we'd rather you got it here than three months into a set of drawings.
Turn the range into a number.
We walk the lot, find the things a calculator can't see, and give you a real fixed price — plus Brad's read on what the unit adds in rent and long-term value. Free, no obligation.