The Ellery ADU Studio Upland Guarantee
Every ADU we design, permit, and build in Upland comes with one thing you won’t find on every contractor’s letterhead: a promise written down before we break ground. Since 2015, we’ve delivered 900+ ADU projects - garage conversions in North Upland, detached units near San Antonio Heights, junior ADUs in the historic downtown core - and every one started with a written price and ended with a documented photo record. We’re not guessing at what “quality” means. Under the Haven Standard, it’s defined in clauses, backed by Nadia Ellery’s signature, and measured against the permitted drawings, not our mood the day of final inspection. If the finished ADU doesn’t match what was approved by the city and agreed to in your contract, we make it right. That’s not a slogan. It’s Clause 3.
What’s Covered
- Workmanship to the permitted set. We build what was drawn, drawn what was approved, and your final inspection passes against that specific plan set - not a “close enough” interpretation. If a wall is out of plumb or a utility rough-in doesn’t match the MEP sheets, we rework it at our cost.
- Parts and material handling with full traceability. Every fixture, fastener, and finish specified in your scope arrives tagged and photographed. If we substitute - say, a different window brand due to lead times - you’ll know before it ships, with the price impact in writing, not after it’s caulked in place.
- Site condition on departure. Our crews leave your Upland property broom-clean daily and fully cleared at project close. The photo record from your final visit shows the slab, the landscaping, and the access path - evidence, not a checklist we filled out from the truck.
- Schedule accountability with real dates. We don’t quote “6-8 weeks” and vanish. Your contract carries milestone dates: permit submission, rough inspection, final walk. If we miss a date we control - not city backlog, not rain we couldn’t work through - the remedy is specified in writing.
- Honest pricing locked at signing. Under Haven Standard Clause 1, the price you sign is the price you pay. No “we found rot” surprises that double the bill. If we missed something in our site walk, that’s our miss, not your change order. The words “call for a quote” do not appear anywhere in our process because the quote is already written.
Our Satisfaction Promise
If something’s not right, we don’t debate whether it “bothers you enough.” We look at the permitted drawings, we look at what we built, and we fix the gap. Here’s how that works in practice.
First, you call (840) 212-3065. A live person answers - no voicemail queue, no callback promise that doesn’t materialize. You describe the concern. Within 48 hours, Nadia Ellery or a senior project lead is on your Upland property with the original permit set, the photo record from construction, and a notepad. We don’t send a junior tech to stall while we figure out our position.
Second, we diagnose against the contract. Is the issue a deviation from the approved plans? A material substitution you weren’t informed of? A workmanship defect visible in the photo record? We name it specifically. “The kitchenette vent termination is 18 inches below the code-required height” - not “we’ll make it right” without saying what “it” is.
Third, we remedy. Under the 365-Day Done Right Promise, if the finished ADU is not built to the permitted drawings, Ellery makes it right - in writing, before the project starts. That means a written scope of the fix, a written timeline, and a written price of $0.00 for our error. The remedy itself gets photo-documented and added to your project record.
If the concern falls outside warranty scope - say, a finish you selected and approved, now regretted - we’ll still quote the change honestly. But the Done Right Promise covers our work against our word, not your evolving taste. We’ve found Upland homeowners respect that clarity. It means when we do promise something, it means something.
Licensed & Insured Backing
A guarantee is only as solid as the entity standing behind it. Ellery ADU Studio Upland is licensed and insured, with coverage structured for design-build ADU work - not a handyman policy stretched to cover structural framing and electrical panels. That matters because your Upland permit inspector will verify our license status at application; if we can’t produce it, your project stalls before it starts.
Insurance follows the same logic. Our general liability and workers compensation coverage protect your property and our crews through excavation, rough construction, and finish work. If a subcontractor damages your existing sewer lateral during a garage conversion in the Upland Hills, our policy responds. If a crew member is injured on your steep driveway near Cable Airport, workers comp covers it - not your homeowner’s policy, not a GoFundMe.
We don’t publish a license number you can’t verify. We provide it on every page, on every proposal, and on the permit application the city reviews. You can cross-check it with the California Contractors State License Board the same afternoon. That transparency is part of the guarantee too. Nadia Ellery has operated this way since 2015 because a guarantee you can’t test isn’t a guarantee - it’s marketing copy.
How the Haven Standard Protects Your Investment
The Haven Standard isn’t a feel-good framework. It’s five clauses that govern every Ellery ADU Studio project in Upland, and three of them directly affect what you’re protected against.
Clause 1 - Written Price Before Any Work Starts: Your proposal lists every line item: design hours, permit fees, site prep, utilities, finishes. The total is the total. We don’t “allow” $3,000 for electrical and then bill $7,500 because the panel was further than we thought. We visit your Upland property, we measure the actual distance to the main panel, and we price the actual job. If we’re wrong, we absorb it.
Clause 5 - No Surprises: The scope is locked at signing. No door-side upsells when you’re vulnerable mid-project. No “while we’re here” expansions unless you request them in writing and we quote them separately. The photo record on every visit proves what was in scope and what wasn’t - for you, for us, and for any dispute resolution.
Clause 3 - Done Right Promise: Already described above, but worth restating: one year from completion, if it doesn’t match the permitted drawings, we return and correct. Not a credit. Not a referral to someone else. We fix it, document the fix, and warrant the fix for the balance of the term.
Free Second Opinion: Test Our Guarantee Before You Hire Us
If you already have a written estimate from another Upland ADU contractor, we’ll review it against the Haven Standard at no charge. We’ll flag what’s missing: permit costs buried in “allowances,” no fixed completion date, no photo documentation commitment, no written workmanship promise. Sometimes the other estimate is fine. Sometimes it’s a liability waiting to become your emergency. Either way, you’ll know what you’re actually buying before you sign.
Call (840) 212-3065 to schedule your free estimate - or bring us your existing quote for that second opinion. Estimates are always free, always written, and always include the full Haven Standard clause set before you commit.
Written by Nadia Ellery, Owner at Ellery ADU Studio Upland, serving Upland since 2015.