Most ADU projects that go wrong go wrong before construction: a plan that the jurisdiction will not approve, a lot with a hidden constraint, a utility issue discovered after purchase. The Engineer Review exists to catch exactly those problems — before you have spent thousands.
What a $349 Engineer Review includes
- Property-specific feasibility analysis by a licensed Professional Engineer — your lot, your structures, your rules, not generic advice.
- Buildability determination — what can realistically be built or converted on your property, and in what configuration.
- Risk flags — setbacks, utility connections, access, and other jurisdiction-specific issues that would surface later at the permit counter.
- A clear permit path — which drawings, engineering, and submissions your project needs, and in what order.
- Recommended next steps matched to your goals — rental income, family housing, or a garage conversion.
Who performs it
Licensed Professional Engineers — the same professionals who prepare and stamp the engineering behind permit-ready plan packages. The review is engineering due diligence, not a sales call.
Why it comes before plans
Plans are designed for constraints. If the constraints have not been verified, the plan is a guess. For less than 20% of the cost of a plan package, the review de-risks the entire purchase — and because the $349 is fully credited toward your permit package, continuing with QuiPlans makes the review effectively free.
Who should get one
- Anyone whose free assessment came back "promising but not confirmed"
- Anyone building on a small, sloped, or oddly shaped lot
- Anyone with septic, well, or older utility infrastructure
- Anyone about to spend thousands on plans without professional confirmation
The bottom line
The Engineer Review is the cheapest point in the entire ADU process to find out something is wrong. That is its entire job — and if nothing is wrong, you proceed with the fee credited toward your package.
