Backyard ADUs

Backyard ADUs started in late 2019 when real estate developer Chris Lee realized that Massachusetts had quietly legalized backyard homes and that there was genuine demand from families needing housing options. The company found its first client through a neighbor referral and has since built multiple projects across western Massachusetts and Maine, making the multi-phase design-build process transparent and predictable. Located at 17 Spring Street in Easthampton in the Pioneer Valley, the firm represents a direct response to the region's housing affordability challenges by offering modular and site-built ADUs that cost significantly less than traditional construction while maintaining quality and code compliance.

The company's core team brings complementary expertise. Chris Lee leads design and development with his real estate background. Austin Gregory serves as Chief of Operations with structural engineering credentials and professional engineering licenses across six states. Aaron Gregory, board member and entrepreneur, brings broader business leadership from his construction company experience. This combination means the projects aren't just designed competently but engineered to last and budgeted reliably from the outset. The firm's approach reflects a straightforward principle: homes built for actual people with actual needs, not speculative or cheaply finished afterthoughts.

Backyard ADUs works through three distinct phases, each clear and separate so clients understand exactly what they're paying for and when. The Evaluate phase involves an on-site assessment where the team reviews the property, understands local zoning rules, checks utility connections, evaluates grading impacts, and identifies site access issues. This feasibility study starts around $1,000 and directly answers whether your property can accommodate an ADU legally and what it would realistically cost. The Plan phase begins with a deposit around $8,000 toward the final construction price and includes zoning review, permit navigation, customized lot designs, and specification finalization. Critically, clients receive a guaranteed fixed-price construction contract at this stage, eliminating cost overrun surprises that plague so many residential projects. The Build phase is where components are ordered (typically 6 to 7 months), site work happens over 1 to 2 weeks, delivery and assembly occurs in just 2 days via crane, and finish work takes 4 to 8 weeks. The total timeline from initial contact to move-in typically runs 9 to 15 months, though this can compress significantly if you're flexible with timing around component manufacturing.

The company offers several design paths, with the S-Line and Square designs appearing most frequently in completed projects. Their portfolio includes a 2-bedroom, 1-bathroom modular unit in Portland, Maine that's 804 square feet, designed specifically to accommodate multigenerational living with a shared garage and integrated office space. Recent Massachusetts projects include homes in Leeds (using their adapted Square model), Harwich (another Square design built for aging in place), Weymouth (an S-Line build serving as an in-law suite), and Easthampton (with client testimonials praising the quality). In Maine, they've completed projects in South Portland and Topsham. The variety of purposes is telling: one client built a home explicitly to create workspace while maintaining flexibility for other uses; another designed a unit to support a best friend while keeping both households independent. These aren't speculative ventures but homes solving specific family situations.

A recurring strength in their project descriptions is an emphasis on net-zero-ready construction, meaning homes designed and built to perform at or near net energy use when paired with on-site solar. One Maine client reported modest annual property taxes after adding solar to their new ADU, illustrating how well-designed small homes with solar offset their operational costs considerably. This isn't marketing speak from Backyard ADUs, it's what actual clients are reporting about actual homes. The firm's design packages allow for customization within their core models, so a unit can be adapted to a property's unique constraints, sunlight exposure, or the owner's specific needs. The modular component of their process (designing homes for partial prefabrication off-site before assembly) keeps costs down without sacrificing quality, because the controlled factory environment produces better results than traditional site-built work for the standardized parts, while on-site finishing ensures the home integrates perfectly with its specific lot.

Pricing isn't advertised as a simple dollar figure, which is appropriate because ADU costs vary significantly based on site conditions, customization, and local labor rates. Instead, Backyard ADUs invites clients to contact them at (413) 779-8377 for Massachusetts or (207) 721-2347 for Maine, or to use their feasibility study process ($600 initial investment) to get actual numbers grounded in their property. The structure is transparent: a defined fee for evaluation, a defined deposit leading to a fixed construction price, and a timeline you understand. Many builders hide pricing behind a "contact us" wall; Backyard ADUs does make you inquire, but they frame it as providing clarity rather than mystery, and the feasibility study process gives you real information before major commitment.

The firm operates across three states, with headquarters in Massachusetts but significant Maine presence. Their showroom model ADU sits at 247 Coombs Road in Brunswick, Maine, which prospective clients can view to see build quality and interior layout firsthand. This matters because prefab homes exist in a sometimes-doubted category; seeing an actual completed example quiets skepticism. The company's work has received coverage in major outlets including the Washington Post, Boston Globe, and NBC Boston, reflecting growing media interest in ADUs as a practical solution to regional housing constraints. This visibility is earned rather than purchased; reporters are documenting actual homes built and occupied, not prototype announcements.

For those in western Massachusetts (Pioneer Valley, Berkshires) or eastern New England who need affordable, environmentally responsible housing added to their property, and who value transparency and engineering-backed design over the cheapest possible option, Backyard ADUs offers a proven approach grounded in real buildings, real clients, and real process.

The company represents a direct solution to Massachusetts's housing shortage, arriving exactly when state law (legalized in February 2025) opened the door. Rather than experimenting or learning as they go, they've built multiple completed projects that clients actually live in and testify to. Their emphasis on net-zero capability, fixed-price contracts, and modular efficiency addresses cost, predictability, and sustainability simultaneously. For property owners in Massachusetts willing to consider their lot as part of the solution to their own housing needs, Backyard ADUs can turn a yard or raw land into a productive, affordable dwelling.