Interview with United Dwelling Founder Steven Dietz

Hey Steven! What makes United Dwelling different?

"We're a Los Angeles-based housing innovation company that partners with local property owners to transform their under-utilized backyards and garages into small, affordable, modern, and zero net carbon homes (Accessory Dwelling Units/ADUs). United Dwelling helps property owners turn their under-utilized space into supplemental income while increasing their property value.

What differentiates United Dwelling from other companies in the ADU industry is our scalable production strategy. We build the units in a factory but, more importantly, we are also a licensed contractor and use proprietary technology to demolish the old garage, connect to utilities, build foundations, install the units without a crane and finish them at ½ the cost a traditional contractor must charge.

The result is we can cost effectively install rental units in low and middle income communities. According to LADBS data, United Dwelling has installed five times more units in LA than the next largest ADU contractor."

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How do you think about the future of prefab?

"Major cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco have reached a point where building large, single-family homes is virtually impossible. We simply don’t have the land to build housing like that anymore. As we think about the future of large cities, we have to look at new and innovative ways to house our growing population in a smaller, more energy amd space efficient footprint.

Prefab is a part of that future because we’re streamlining the construction of these homes, cutting costs and therefore the price, and scaling them in a way that will make a significant impact on our housing crisis. The key to building at scale is mastering the process and prefab construction allows us to do that."

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What are some common misunderstandings about prefab, and how should people think about them instead?

"Quality differences are non-existent. Units are built and inspected to the same building codes as traditional construction. Boring style, look like a box is old thinking. Prefab units today can be multi-level, have curves and lots of glass. It all depends on what the owner wants to pay for.

Prefab construction allows us to break away from the traditional building model (and all of the inefficiencies and red tape that comes with it), to build homes that are scalable, affordable, beautiful and modern. We’re working with the small space we’re given and using it to our advantage. That’s what makes prefab so innovative.

In the traditional building model, it can take several months, if not years, to complete a home. With prefab, permitting can be much faster and once started, the construction time will be months quicker with prefab."

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What should customers expect from United Dwelling?

"People can expect high-quality, innovative, affordable, beautiful homes from United Dwelling. We offer studio (360 sq. feet), 1 bedroom (328 sq. feet), and 2 bedroom (647 sq. feet) ADU options. We also have a 2 story duplex that will be the perfect way to maximize the value of an SB-9 lot split.  All of them fully equipped with an A/C unit, washer/dryer, stove, microwave/convection-oven and a solar water heater. We also include outdoor lighting fixtures, recessed indoor lighting and durable flooring, countertops and outdoor paneling.

On the pricing side, people can expect transparency, efficiency, and affordability. We are one of the few ADU companies that offer a fixed price without hidden costs or fees. The entire process of working with us is streamlined to include permitting, construction, installation, and all the modern fixtures and appliances."

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United Dwelling is a prefab home manufacturer. They ship from their shop in California across the state. Get in touch with their team at www.uniteddwelling.com‍

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