A detached garage with independent living space above—giving you useful garage space below and a complete living space above.

Keep family close without sacrificing independence. A well-designed DADU gives aging parents or adult children the privacy of their own home — right on your property.

Use your DADU as overflow guest space, a creative studio, or a dedicated home office. Build for now — the optionality remains yours forever.

A well-designed, professionally built DADU adds usable square footage and long-term flexibility to your property—an improvement that can add meaningful value to your home.

Maybe — and honestly, more Nashville properties qualify now than most homeowners realize. In many neighborhoods across East Nashville, Inglewood, Sylvan Park, The Nations, and other parts of Nashville’s Urban Services District, DADUs are allowed by-right as long as the property has residential zoning and meets basic lot requirements.

Every property is a little different, though. Things like setbacks, easements, alley access, historic overlays, and lot size can all affect what’s possible. At Myers & Beck, we’ll help you figure that out early by reviewing your property and explaining what can realistically be built before you spend money on plans or engineering.

DADU costs can vary considerably depending on size, design, site conditions, utilities, finishes, and more. There’s really no one-size-fits-all number.

Let’s jump on the phone or grab a coffee so we can understand your property and what you want to build. We want to help you establish a realistic budget early—before you spend significant money on plans and engineering.

Yes — every DADU in Nashville requires permits, whether it’s a brand-new structure or converting an existing garage into living space. Metro Codes typically requires building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits, along with inspections throughout the project to make sure everything is built safely and up to code.

The good news is you don’t have to navigate that process alone. At Myers & Beck, we handle the permitting process from start to finish — including plan review, applications, inspections, and coordination with Metro Codes — so homeowners aren’t left trying to figure it out themselves.

In most cases, yes. Properly permitted DADUs in Nashville can typically be used as long-term rentals, which is one of the biggest reasons homeowners choose to build them. Many people use them for rental income, aging parents, adult children, or guest space.

Short-term rentals like Airbnb are more restricted and depend heavily on your zoning and the type of DADU being built. That’s why it’s important to understand the rules before designing the project. At Myers & Beck, we help homeowners sort through those details early so there are no surprises later in the process.

Most DADU projects in Nashville take around 6 to 8 months from the time contracts are signed to final completion. A big part of that timeline is permitting and plan review through Metro, which can vary depending on the property and how busy the city is at the time.

Once construction begins, most builds take roughly 4 to 5 months depending on the size and complexity of the project. At Myers & Beck, we provide a realistic timeline upfront and keep homeowners updated throughout the process so expectations stay clear from day one.

A home addition expands your existing house — adding square footage directly onto the main structure. A DADU, on the other hand, is a completely separate living space built on the same property, usually in the backyard or above a detached garage, with its own entrance and independent living area.

The right option really depends on your goals, budget, and property layout. Some homeowners want extra space connected to the main house, while others want privacy, rental income, or flexible living space. At Myers & Beck, we help homeowners figure out which approach makes the most sense for their property and long-term plans.

Maybe — and this is something a lot of homeowners overlook early in the process. Even if Metro Nashville zoning allows a DADU on your property, your HOA or neighborhood covenants may still have their own restrictions on detached structures, guest houses, or rentals.

That’s why it’s important to check both city zoning and private neighborhood rules before moving forward. At Myers & Beck, we help homeowners review HOA restrictions and property limitations early so you can understand what’s realistically possible before spending money on plans or permits.

If your home is located in one of Nashville’s Historic Overlay districts — like parts of East Nashville, Germantown, or Edgefield — your DADU project will usually need an extra layer of approval before permits can be issued. That process involves review by the Metro Historic Zoning Commission to make sure the design fits the character of the neighborhood.

While that can add some time to the process, it’s very manageable with the right planning. At Myers & Beck, we help homeowners navigate historic approvals, design requirements, and permitting so the process feels clear and organized from the start.

Usually, yes. Because a DADU adds livable square footage and overall value to your property, Davidson County will typically reassess the home after construction is complete, which can increase your property taxes.

That said, many homeowners find the increase is relatively reasonable compared to the added value, flexibility, or rental income a DADU can provide. At Myers & Beck, we encourage homeowners to factor this into their planning early so there are no surprises down the road.