ADU builder marketing: what to film at each stage of a build

An ADU is a big project in someone’s own backyard. Before they call a builder, most homeowners are stuck on one of these questions:

• Can I build one on my lot? Lot size, setbacks, where the unit would go.
• What will it cost? And what’s included in the number they’ve seen online.
• How long do permits take? And who deals with the city or county.
• Can I rent it out? Or is it only for family?
• Can I turn my garage into one? Junior ADUs and units built inside the house.
• Are there free or pre-approved plans? And whether using them saves time.
• Who will be in my backyard? For months, next to their kitchen window.

Every ad you make should answer one of them. Worry ads name the question in the homeowner’s words. Proof ads show the answer on a real build. People ads show who will do the work.

Many of those questions have published answers. If a hook or a caption names a rule, quote it the way the source puts it:

• California’s Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) notes, in its April 2026 ADU fact sheet, that an ADU application must be approved or denied within 60 days under Government Code section 66317, and that SB 543 (2025) requires a decision on whether an application is complete within 15 business days. (Source: California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD))
• HCD’s fact sheet says a local ADU ordinance may not set a minimum lot size, may not require rear and side setbacks over four feet for a new-construction ADU, may not limit the number of bedrooms, and may not cap size below 850 square feet (1,000 square feet with more than one bedroom). (Source: California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD))
• HCD says jurisdictions may not charge impact fees on ADUs under 750 square feet or on junior ADUs (JADUs). Larger ADUs can be charged only in proportion to their floor area compared with the main house. (Source: California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD))
• HCD defines a JADU as a unit built entirely within the walls of an existing or proposed single-family home, including an attached garage. It may not exceed 500 square feet, and only one is allowed per single-family lot. (Source: California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD))
• HCD says jurisdictions may limit ADUs as short-term rentals, and that for certain ADUs and for JADUs, state law requires any rental to be for more than 30 days. It also says AB 2533 (2024) helps legalize unpermitted ADUs and JADUs built before January 1, 2020. (Source: California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD))
• The City of Sacramento runs a Preapproved ADU process under AB 1332. Preapproved detached ADU plans still need site-specific design and permit approval, including planning and zoning approval, before a building permit is issued. (Source: City of Sacramento)
• Sacramento County offers free “Shelf Ready” detached ADU plans for unincorporated areas only: a 460 sq ft studio or one-bedroom, an 870 sq ft two-bedroom, a 1,000 sq ft two-bedroom and a 1,184 sq ft three-bedroom. Exterior color and all interior finishes are up to the homeowner. (Source: Sacramento County)
• Abodu, a prefab ADU company, publishes Sacramento pricing: homes from $234,800, with “an expected all-in from $298,800” covering design, permits, factory build, delivery and installation. (Source: Abodu)

Two cautions. State law limits what cities and counties can require, but each one has its own ordinance and process, so check the rules where the homeowner lives before a hook names a number. And a state deadline isn’t a promise about your timeline: never tell homeowners how fast their permit will come through.

Homeowners comparing builders will also see published all-in prices like the one above. If you build on site, a proof ad that walks through what your quote includes answers that comparison without naming anyone.

An ADU takes months, so the footage builds up over a project. Plan a visit at each stage instead of one day at the end, when the dirt and the framing are long gone.

1. Site prep. The empty backyard, the footprint marked on the ground, the excavation or the foundation pour, and a drone shot that shows the house, the yard and where the new unit sits. Opening line: “Four-foot setbacks: here’s what that looks like on a real lot.” Check the setback the homeowner’s city actually allows before you use it.
2. Framing. Walls going up, the rooms taking shape, the builder walking through and pointing out where the kitchen and bathroom go. The rough frame inspection makes a good milestone to film. Opening line: “The walls are up. Here’s where your kitchen goes.” If you build from Sacramento County’s shelf-ready plans, every model except the 460 sq ft ones needs its solar (PV) plans approved and issued before that inspection, which is worth explaining on camera.
3. Finishes. Cabinets, tile, flooring and fixtures going in, and the homeowner choosing them. On the County’s shelf-ready plans, exterior color and interior finishes are the homeowner’s choice, so film the choosing. Opening line: “Same plan. Your finishes.”
4. The finished unit. A slow walk-through in daylight, every room, the path from the main house, and the drone pulling back to show the unit in the yard. Opening line: “What 750 square feet looks like, and why that size matters.” Under 750 square feet, state law doesn’t allow impact fees.
5. The owner walk-through. The homeowner shows you around in their own words: why they built it (a parent moving in, a grown kid, a rental) and what the process was like. With their permission, never scripted, and never an actor. The best opening line usually comes from them.

Get the truck while you’re there. A shot of your truck with the company name and license number on the door is useful B-roll, and CSLB requires your business name and license number on every commercially registered vehicle anyway.

This is how we build every Ad Batch: 3 ads from the same shoot, each taking a different angle. Here’s what that looks like from one framing visit:

• The worry. Open with the homeowner’s question, in their words, then answer it on a real job. Opening line: “Can I even build one on my lot?”
• The proof. Show it done: the build from bare dirt to framed walls, the plans, what the quote covers. Opening line: “Here’s everything that goes into an ADU before the walls close.”
• The people. The owner or the site lead on camera, in front of the work. Opening line: “I’m the one who’ll be in your backyard for the next few months.”

Keep each ad 15 to 35 seconds, with the hook in the first 2 seconds. Film vertical (9:16), make a 4:5 version too, and keep captions on, because many people watch with the sound off. Run all three, see which one people stop for, then film more ads like it at the next stage.

Not every clip belongs in an ad. The rest makes regular posts on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or YouTube, so a homeowner who finds your page sees builds in progress and the people behind them:

• A progress update at each stage. Same backyard, a few weeks apart.
• One question per video. Setbacks, garage units, rentals, pre-approved plans: the builder answers on site, in under a minute.
• The finished unit tour. A longer walk-through for YouTube, cut down for vertical.
• The team. Who runs the site, who handles permits, who the homeowner calls.
• The homeowner’s story. In their own words, with their permission.

IMKAT Homes, a Sacramento ADU builder, is one example: over our work together we’ve made 30+ ads and 50+ pieces of organic content for them. Read the case study.

Check every ADU ad and post against this list before it goes out:

• Your license number, in every ad and post. CSLB’s advertising guidelines say licensed contractors must include their license number in all forms of advertising, including “any website or post that solicits business on the Internet.” Put it on an end card and in the caption.
• Never say “bonded.” CSLB’s guidelines don’t allow contractors to say they’re bonded in advertising.
• Stay inside your classification. Don’t advertise work outside your license classification. “A” and “B” licensees may advertise as general contractors.
• Only claims you can back. Permit times, rent figures, energy savings: if you wouldn’t put it in writing, leave it out. CSLB says false, misleading or deceptive advertising used to obtain improvement contracts is a misdemeanor.
• The homeowner’s words stay theirs. Film real customers with their permission, never script what they say, and never use actors posing as customers.

ADU ads can fall under the housing rules that ad platforms apply, which can limit who sees them. Whether they do, and how the ads are set up, is up to you or whoever runs your ads. We make the ads; we don’t run them.

So let the video do that work. Name who it’s for in the first two seconds: “Sacramento homeowners with a backyard,” “Thinking about building for your parents?” or “Can I even build one on my lot?” The homeowner it describes knows it’s for them, wherever the ad runs.

If you plan to pitch an ADU as a rental unit, check with whoever runs your ads before you film that angle. Our guide to advertising for contractors covers the channels themselves.

Base015 films and edits video ads and monthly social media video for contractors in the Sacramento region, ADU builders included. We don’t run ads or manage your accounts. Every shoot day comes with at least one Ad Batch of 3 finished ads, scripted with you and approved before we film, and finished within 7 days of the shoot.

• Half-day shoot: $600, up to 4 hours on location.
• Full-day shoot: $1,000, up to 8 hours, for more scripts, people or stages.
• Ad Batch: $900 for 3 finished ads: the worry, the proof and the people, with 2 rounds of revisions.
• Ad pack: from $1,500 (a half-day shoot plus one Ad Batch), delivered within 7 days of the shoot.
• Monthly video (The Sacramento Trust Engine): from $2,500 a month, with a 3-month minimum, for one company per trade in the Sacramento region.

Travel is included in Sacramento, Roseville, Folsom, Elk Grove, Rocklin, El Dorado Hills and Davis, and shoots elsewhere add $150 (see service areas). Drone shots are flown by our founder, who holds an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. See ADU builder video ads, all prices or what a videographer costs. Questions go through the contact form.