Why I Started OneBuild, and What to Know Before You Build a Backyard Home in the Hudson Valley

By Spenser McCoy

Most homeowners who contact us ask the same thing first: does my lot even qualify?

It's a fair question. The honest answer is almost never a simple yes or no. The distance between that question and a real answer is why I started OneBuild.

The question with no single owner

Say you own land in the Hudson Valley. A parent is getting older, or an adult child wants to move home, and a second dwelling on your property starts to make sense. So you start asking around.

The Town can tell you what's allowed and what kind of review it needs. The health department might be able to tell you whether the ground will take a septic system for another household. A manufacturer can tell you about its units. A builder can give you a number to build if you have construction drawings already. And a designer can draw you an option.

Each is paid for their own step. None is paid to hold the whole project together. Homeowners were left to close that gap themselves, usually without knowing which questions to ask or in what order.

When it goes wrong, it rarely looks dramatic. It looks like design money spent on a layout the septic can't support, or a unit chosen before anyone read the setback section of the code.

What OneBuild does

We coordinate. We are not a general contractor and we don't build your ADU. We run the process from the first question to the Certificate of Occupancy, and you contract directly with the builder and the manufacturer.

Three things shape how we work.

We start with what's verifiably true. Before you commit to design or construction spend, we confirm what your Town allows and what your site will take. That's the feasibility study.

Our fees are set up so the advice can follow the facts. They're flat, defined by scope, and agreed in writing before work begins. We take no commission from manufacturers or contractors. We don't mark up construction or pass-through costs. You pay those parties directly. Because nothing we earn changes with which builder or manufacturer you pick, we can tell you when a different model, or no unit at all, fits your lot better. That includes telling you a site shouldn't be built on. We recently studied a lot that failed on three independent blockers, and the client got a clear answer, and advice toward selling, at the feasibility stage.

We go first. We read zoning codes town by town, including the setback relief that sits in a different section from the setback table. We're working through wetland delineation and agency review on a live project right now. What we learn on a hard project carries to the next one.

There is a limit worth stating plainly. We can't guarantee permits or approvals. The Town decides. Our job is to make sure you walk in with the right questions answered.

Five questions to answer before you pay for design

You can start on these without us.

1. What does your Town allow, and through what review? ADU rules vary a lot from town to town: size limits, owner-occupancy requirements, setbacks, lot coverage. So does the type of review. In one code we read, an ADU goes through site plan review rather than a special use permit. Knowing the exact term changes who you talk to and how long it takes.

2. What will the land support? Septic and well capacity are the usual swing factors, along with slope and soil. In Ulster County, for example, the County Health Department's sign-off is part of the path before a building permit. Septic upgrades can be a major cost variable, so find out early.

3. Which agencies sit between you and a permit? Wetlands, watershed rules, and county review each add steps that don't appear on a site plan. Ask which apply to your parcel before you choose a layout.

4. Which programs and exemptions actually apply to your project? Eligibility often turns on whether you're converting existing space or building new and detached. We've caught a case where a tax exemption did not apply to new detached construction, and nothing in the program's materials flagged it. Read the eligibility terms for your exact project type.

5. What does the budget number include, and who are you contracting with? Ask for scope in writing. Separate the service fees from the pass-through costs, such as the manufacturer, site work, and engineering. You should know who you're paying directly and for what.

If you'd like help with the answers

The first step is a free 30-minute Discovery Call with me. No obligation. We talk through your property, your goals, and the constraints I can already see.

If it makes sense to go further, the next step is a Feasibility Study: a written answer on what your property can support. It's credited toward a Build Package if you move forward. You pay for the study whether or not you build, because sometimes the useful answer is no.

Book your free Discovery Call today!

One Team. One Process. OneBuild.