Build Journal
September 3, 2026
Does an ADU need its own water and sewer connection? Post Falls' answer changed.
In July the city told me an ADU has to share the main house's water and sewer. In August Tisha Gallop, a city permit tech, told me that isn't true. Separating runs about $11,000, and there's a cheaper way I didn't know about.
September 1, 2026
The young man who knocked on my door selling pest control
A young man in his mid-twenties knocked on my door selling pest control. He wants to own a home, and he's thinking about leaving Idaho to afford one. Same math my own sons are doing.
August 6, 2026
Does an ADU need its own gas and electric meter? I called Avista.
Avista quoted about $1,000 to $2,000 to trench for electric and nothing for gas. Then I asked about my other lot in the same city and almost none of it applied.
August 4, 2026
The arguments against more housing, including nine I can't answer
I've been making the case for building more homes in Kootenai County. So I wrote down every serious argument against it, including the ones I lose. Nine of the twenty-two are still open.
July 30, 2026
What does it cost to permit an ADU in Post Falls? I asked the city.
The city's fee schedule pointed at $13,000 in water and sewer hookups. For an ADU on a lot that already has a house, the real answer is $1,000 to $2,000 and no connection fee at all.
July 28, 2026
What hermit crabs know about the housing shortage
Hermit crabs line up by size to trade shells, and one new shell moves the whole line up. People do the same thing with houses. Why one more small home helps a family who will never live in it.
July 23, 2026
Why am I doing this?
Why I'm building an ADU from zero. It starts with my own sons, who can't reach a home of their own, and the same weight a lot of us are carrying right now.
July 13, 2026
The Post Falls build now has a live tracker
Every question the build needs answered, a cost ledger with real numbers, and a time ledger for the whole project, on one page that updates as answers land.
July 8, 2026
Four free, pre-approved ADU plans sitting on a Kootenai County website right now
The Housing Solutions Partnership publishes four free ADU plan sets, already reviewed by building departments across Kootenai County. Here's what's actually in each one.
July 6, 2026
Every question an Idaho ADU builder needs answered. What did I miss?
Every question I could think of that an Idaho ADU builder needs answered before they spend a dollar, sorted into four buckets. Now I want to know what I missed.
July 4, 2026
Happy 250th, and the gap between Idaho's new ADU law and the Post Falls code
On America's 250th, a side-by-side read of the new state law and my city's code, and the three places they don't agree yet.
July 1, 2026
Day 1: Starting From Zero
The first post. The day Idaho's new ADU law takes effect and the day I start documenting the whole build from zero.
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