The Upwell System
What Sets Our Builds Apart
The Upwell System is a process driven approach to building compact homes with commercial-grade sequencing, hotel level finish discipline, and real world jobsite logic. It’s designed to save time, reduce mistakes, and deliver better results faster.
Why We Built This System
Most ADUs are built like one-offs. Layouts shift mid-build. Specs change during framing. Trades step on each other. We created the Upwell System to eliminate those breakdowns and deliver a better product every time.
It’s built from hotel construction sequencing, commercial service logic, and field-tested finish strategy. Nothing is done for show. Every step has a reason.
What Makes It a System
This isn’t theory. It’s built-in structure:
Construction sequencing that prevents overlap
Standardized service paths for plumbing, electrical, and HVAC
Finish palette control that eliminates substitutions
Trade coordination based on proven order-of-operations
Layout rules that improve light, flow, and livability
Not everything is fixed. But everything is thought through.
How the Upwell System Works — Phase by Phase
The Upwell System is structured to eliminate delays, reduce risk, and improve performance while aligning with industry standards and San Diego’s permitting realities. Here's how it works, start to finish:
Pre-Construction Setup
Before breaking ground, we finalize layouts, finish specs, and permit sets. All structural and MEP decisions are resolved up front, minimizing rework and ensuring compliance with San Diego’s ADU development standards.
Site Prep & Layout
We pre-survey the grid, verify elevations, and plan utility stub-outs to ensure accurate slab prep. This reduces slab correction delays and sets a clean baseline for framing and utilities.
Slab & Foundation
We use a monolithic slab foundation with embedded footings for faster install, fewer trades, and better performance over time. This aligns with best practices in compact slab-on-grade construction.
Utility Rough-In (Sub Slab)
We lock in all drain, sewer, and conduit runs before inspection and pour. This ensures proper slope, future access, and coordination with plumbing and electrical paths based on California Plumbing Code standards.
Framing
Framing is guided by the finish plan not the other way around. Blocking is pre-mapped for fixtures, tile transitions, lighting, and millwork. Weather-resistant barriers (WRBs) and roof detailing follow guidance from sources like JLC's flashing and WRB detailing playbook.
Utility Routing (Above Slab)
All above-slab MEP paths are centralized: one wet wall, one electrical chase, and clean HVAC runs. This minimizes penetrations, reduces service failures, and improves inspection outcomes.
Inspections
Each stage includes a documented checklist for trade sign-offs and field photos. Our sequencing helps pass inspections on the first attempt, aligning with city workflows and third-party inspectors' expectations.
Finishes
Finishes are sequenced and staged before install: tile → plaster → trim. No last-minute changes, no substitutions. Wet area finishes follow TCNA (Tile Council of North America) installation guidelines for durability and code compliance.
Fixture Set & Punch
Lighting, hardware, and plumbing are installed in one coordinated pass. Trades are scheduled in sequence to avoid jobsite stacking. We verify every element against a site-specific punch checklist.
Orientation & Owner Materials
Clients receive a digital handoff package with labeled zone maps, service access diagrams, finish specs, and care instructions so future repairs, upgrades, or resale are simple, not chaotic.
Built-In Flexibility Without the Chaos
The Upwell System is flexible where it matters. We adapt to real sites and client needs without compromising structure, coordination, or timelines.
Here’s how that plays out:
Lot compatibility: Our plans support San Diego’s most common conditions and are adaptable to narrow side yards, rear setbacks, and challenging access routes, including flag lots, shared driveways, and gently sloped terrain.
Layout selection: Choose from one-bedroom or two-bedroom formats, each built on a consistent core shell that protects schedules, mechanical routing, and finish sequencing.
Outdoor space options: Covered porches, integrated patios, and breezeway layouts are designed into the system, offering more usable space without blowing out the footprint or triggering major site revisions.
Coordinated finish sets: Our Stillwater, Baja Hearth, and Adobe Luxe packages include pre-selected tile, lighting, fixtures, and hardware so you're not chasing specs or scrambling mid-build.
The Outcomes You Get
Builds completed 30% faster than average
Fewer change orders and scope delays
Permits that clear faster
Service paths that make future repairs easy
Guest-ready homes that hold up and photograph well
Where Most Builders Break Down
Spec changes during construction cause delays and confusion
Disjointed trades create site conflicts and rework
Service runs cut through finished walls, leading to callbacks
Design drift leads to misaligned finishes and missed details
We prevent these issues by sequencing everything up front, coordinating trades through structured schedules, and limiting mid-build decision making.
How the System Was Built
The Upwell System wasn’t created in a marketing meeting. It was built one jobsite at a time and reverse engineered from inspections, callbacks, punch lists, and field fixes. Everything we’ve standardized came from solving a real problem.
Start with Certainty
If you're building an ADU or compact home and want clarity from day one, not just craftsmanship, but predictability, we’d love to show you the system in action.
