The YardPod Process – 10 Steps To Your New YardPod

We understand that while designing and building a YardPod can be exciting and fun, it can also be intimidating and sometimes a little scary. Our start-to-finish process helps ensure that your experience is exciting but predictable.

Finally, balancing between desires and cost, our experience and expertise will help you make well-informed decisions, which will allow you to have your dream YardPod in no time at all (6-8 weeks).

Start by contacting your local Planning and Building Department, gathering all information about your site including:

• Lot size (area and dimensions)
• Size of existing property
• Zoning and special zoning (and HOA) requirements
• Setbacks, size limits, height limits, Floor Area Ratio, etc.

Do this yourself, or let us do it for you with a Site Assessment (fee-based).

• Select the Architectural style you like.
• Tell us how large you want the YardPod.
• Advise us about the ground where it is to be built.
• Tell us your preferences for what you would like to include.

Arrange a free telephone call with our designers to discuss your project and to ask any questions you might have about the process, or the design of your YardPod.

San Francisco Bay Area Only

• Order a Site Visit and Consultation (fee-based)
• Schedule the visit

YardPods will send a Consultant to visit you and:

• Inspect the site and advise on placement
• Discuss design and construction options.
• Advise if a Consulting Engineer is required to design the foundations and/or retaining walls.

Based on your requirements and site, YardPods will deliver Preliminary Design Drawings for you to review.

You can:

• Accept as is, or
• Request that we modify the drawings as required.

If required, we can work with you to design a unique custom YardPod, or we can modify one of our existing designs. Alternatively, you can select an existing design without modification and go straight to Step 7.

We will prepare dimensioned drawings and a Specification which can be used to send to Contractors to obtain bids.

Optionally, we can also prepare wall, floor and roof framing drawings and a Bill of Materials (fee-based).

YardPods will send the drawings to you for review and approval.

We can often recommend licensed contractors that we have worked with, but you are free to select any contractor that you want. Contractors should visit you to meet you and to review the site before submitting a bid. This is the time to discuss additional work such as decks or steps.

We recommend that you obtain bids from at least three licensed contractors.

The Contractor will submit a Bid directly to you to build the YardPod.

• You will review and either accept or ask the builder for changes.
• YardPods is happy to provide support during this process (fee-based)
• Once a contract has been agreed and signed, the builder will schedule construction.

• There will be a lead-time before construction can start to allow the builder to order and receive materials and components.
• The builder will generally take about 3 weeks to construct a YardPod from foundations to hand-over of keys.
• All construction is on site, nothing is prefabricated.
• YardPods is happy to provide support during this process, including Site Supervision (fee-based).
• The owner should advise the builder of any concerns during the process and should also inform YardPods.
• All warranties are provided by the contractor.

Please call or email to discuss your requirements.

We look forward to designing a custom YardPod for you.