What Decades in the Trades Taught Me About Building ADUs in Eugene

Most contractors will tell you they build ADUs. Fewer will tell you they started their career pulling wire in Michigan winters before most of their clients were born.

I became a certified electrician in Michigan — my home state — and spent years after that working the trade in Maine before eventually making my way to Oregon. By the time I put down roots in the Willamette Valley, I had seen the inside of more walls, panels, and crawl spaces than I could count. I understood how buildings actually work — not just how they look when they're finished, but what's running behind every surface and why it matters.

That background didn't go away when I transitioned into general contracting and building. It became the foundation of everything I do.

Why an Electrician Sees a Building Differently

When most builders look at a property, they see the structure. When I look at a property, I see the structure and the system running through it. The electrical load. The panel capacity. The pathway for a subpanel. The way a garage conversion will interact with the existing service to the main house.

That matters more than most homeowners realize — and more than many contractors will admit. Electrical is consistently one of the most expensive surprises in an ADU project when it isn't planned for from the beginning. I've taken over projects where a homeowner was weeks from finishing their ADU and discovered their main panel couldn't support the additional load. That's a costly fix that should have been identified on Day One.

Because I've spent decades as a working electrician, I identify those issues before the first permit is pulled.

Oregon Isn't Michigan or Maine — And That's a Good Thing

Every state has its own building codes, permit processes, and climate realities. Michigan taught me to build for cold. Maine taught me to build for cold and wet. Oregon — and Eugene specifically — has its own set of considerations: seismic requirements, a wet winter season, and a permitting landscape that has evolved significantly as ADUs have become a priority for the state.

I've been building in the Willamette Valley for decades now. I know Lane County's permit office. I know what inspectors look for and what gets flagged. I know the local soil conditions, the utility connection requirements, and the zoning nuances that vary neighborhood by neighborhood within Eugene.

That combination — decades of trade experience from other states, layered with deep local knowledge — is what I bring to every ADU project.

What This Means for You

When you hire Red Umbrella Home and Garage Contractors, you're not hiring a general contractor who subcontracts the electrical and hopes the two scopes of work coordinate themselves. You're hiring someone who understands both — and who has spent a career making sure they work together.

ADUs are not simple projects. Done right, they add lasting value to your property, generate income, and serve your family for generations. Done carelessly, they create expensive problems that are difficult and disruptive to fix.

I've spent my career learning the difference. That's what I bring to your project.

Ready to talk about what an ADU could look like on your Eugene property? Contact Red Umbrella here.