The Queen City ADU Grant Program
Up to $80,000 in forgivable, interest-free financing from the City of Charlotte. Here's how the program works, who qualifies, and how to apply.
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Design, permit, and build your accessory dwelling unit with the Charlotte area's ADU specialists. Serving Mecklenburg, Iredell, Gaston, and Cleveland counties.
Pick the path that fits you today. You can always come back for the others.
Pick a model, answer a few questions about your lot, and see a real up-front price — not a "we'll get back to you." Built from actual Charlotte-area build costs.
Tell us your address. We'll check zoning, setbacks, overlays, utility hookups, and septic notes, then send you a clear yes-or-no on whether an ADU works — and what type fits best.
The same guide, decision workbook, and planning tools I hand to my own clients. A 30-page ADU handbook, a 49-page decision guide & checklist, and three interactive calculators for financing, rental cash flow, and construction budget.
The City's program offers up to $80,000 in matching, forgivable, interest-free financing for eligible owners who rent the ADU at an affordable rate. Applications are closed between rounds, and the waitlist is open.
Tell me your property address. I'll personally pull your zoning, setbacks, overlay districts, utility hookups, and septic notes — then email you a one-page yes-or-no on whether an ADU works, and which type fits best.
I built this bundle because 9 out of 10 homeowners who call me haven't run the numbers yet. Now you can — in an afternoon, on your couch, for the price of a pizza.
The full playbook — ADU types, homeowner use cases, energy-efficient and smart-home construction, HELOC vs. construction loan financing, rental strategy, and a Charlotte-specific chapter you won't find anywhere else.
Side-by-side compare a HELOC, construction loan, cash-out refi, and hybrid stack. See your real monthly payment, total interest, and break-even in seconds.
Model rent, expenses, vacancy, and appreciation. Get a 10-year pro forma that tells you if your ADU is a hobby or a real asset.
The same line-item budget structure I use on live jobs — so you walk into every builder meeting knowing what things actually cost.
Every meaningful decision you'll make on a new ADU — 25 sections, 248 decisions, three budget tiers per line item, and a sign-off page that locks your baseline before framing. The single workbook that keeps "transparent pricing" from turning into six-figure surprises.
Not every homeowner has enough equity — or wants to touch it. Through our financing partner, HFS Financial, qualified Queen City ADU clients can fund their ADU or home addition with a personal loan that doesn't require any home equity, appraisal, or refinance.
Cover your contract plus a built-in cushion for change orders and upgrades during the build.
Personal loan structure — approval is based on income and credit, not your equity position or existing mortgage.
See your rate without any impact to your credit score. Funding can arrive in as little as one to two business days after approval.
Fixed rates and no prepayment penalties — pay it down early with rental income if you choose.
Financing provided by HFS Financial, an independent third-party lender. Rates, terms, and approval are determined by HFS Financial and their partner lenders. Queen City ADU / Pharos Construction is not a lender and does not originate loans.
The City of Charlotte's Queen City ADU Grant Program helps property owners build a new ADU or convert existing space (a basement, garage, or workshop) into a legal living unit, in exchange for renting it at an affordable rate. We work alongside the program to help our clients prepare, apply, and build to its requirements.
We confirm your lot works for an ADU and fits the program's requirements before you invest time in an application.
We help you prepare the plans, pricing, and project details the application asks for, using a City-provided plan or a custom design.
We build to program standards. Funds are released to the contractor as inspections verify progress, with up to 10% available up front for soft costs.
The Queen City ADU Grant Program is administered by the City of Charlotte. Eligibility, award amounts, and approval are determined by the City. Queen City ADU / Pharos Construction does not award or guarantee program funding.
A lot of our clients build ADUs to run as short-term rentals. Rather than send you off to figure out pricing, listings, cleaning, and guest management on your own, we partner directly with MyTripify — the Charlotte-area STR operator we trust to run our clients’ units.
MyTripify runs 50+ short-term rentals across Charlotte and Lake Norman with an 80% average occupancy and 4.9★ guest rating. Their free Revenue Calculator uses AirDNA and proprietary market data to project the gross revenue your ADU can generate in your specific ZIP — no guesswork, no sales call.
MyTripify is an independent short-term-rental management company and Queen City ADU’s referred STR operator. Queen City ADU / Pharos Construction is not a property manager and does not operate rentals; rental performance is determined by MyTripify, market conditions, and local regulations.
The build gets you a great unit. The design is what makes people want to live in it or book it again. For layouts, finishes, and full interiors, we partner with McSwain Interior Designs, a design firm that specializes in short-term and furnished rentals.
McSwain Interior Designs creates custom layouts, finish selections, and complete interiors for residential homes, vacation homes, model homes, and commercial spaces. For ADU owners planning a short-term or furnished rental, they design spaces that photograph well, hold up to guests, and feel finished from day one.
McSwain Interior Designs is an independent interior design firm. Design services are provided under a separate agreement with McSwain Interior Designs. Queen City ADU / Pharos Construction does not provide interior design services.
Alaina Park Clubhouse · Spring Hill, TN
Gulf Shores Beach House Makeover
Vibe Nashville · Vacation Home
1109 Leigh Ave · Charlotte, NC
Photography courtesy of McSwain Interior Designs.
We update this map as new projects break ground. Approximate locations only — we don't share client addresses.
I'm Brandon McSwain — licensed North Carolina general contractor and founder of Queen City ADU. I've spent the last several years focused almost exclusively on one thing: helping Charlotte-area homeowners create more space on the property they already own.
Most contractors in this market do a little of everything — kitchens, decks, an occasional addition, maybe one ADU a year. That's fine work, but it means every ADU they build is essentially their first. My approach is the opposite. Queen City ADU is built around one specialty: accessory dwelling units and residential additions in the greater Charlotte market. That focus is why I can quote you an up-front price in 60 seconds instead of dragging out a 3-week bid process, why my Feasibility Reports catch zoning issues most builders miss, and why my clients don't get the mid-project surprises that plague this industry.
Before construction, I spent a decade in recording-studio design and live production — audio, lighting, and video systems for large-format events. Different craft, same discipline: complex systems, tight timelines, zero tolerance for improvisation. For the last ten-plus years I've been building in the Charlotte market — new construction, flips, additions, long-term rentals, and short-term rentals — on my own properties and for clients. That means when we talk about your ADU's cash flow, financing stack, or resale value, I'm not guessing. I've done it on my own property, with my own money, and I've watched clients do it on theirs.
Queen City ADU operates under Pharos Construction LLC — the parent construction company I founded. Everything you see here, from the Price Tool to the Blueprint Bundle to the ADU we build in your backyard, is built on the same principle: transparent pricing, disciplined delivery, and treating your project like it's the only one on the schedule.
In-depth guides on financing, permitting, design, and Charlotte-specific programs. Written by a licensed contractor, not a marketing team.
Up to $80,000 in forgivable, interest-free financing from the City of Charlotte. Here's how the program works, who qualifies, and how to apply.
Property value, rental income, financing options, and design flexibility — a Charlotte homeowner's practical guide to why ADUs make sense.
Financing your ADU with a HELOC. Iredell vs. Mecklenburg vs. Gaston ADU rules. Detached vs. attached vs. garage-conversion. Real project cost breakdowns.
Get on the list →Straight answers on cost, timing, financing, and process — the kind of information most Charlotte builders make you sit through a 30-minute sales call to hear.
An accessory dwelling unit (ADU) is a secondary residential unit on the same lot as a primary home. It has its own kitchen, bathroom, and separate entrance. Charlotte's UDO (Unified Development Ordinance) allows ADUs on most residential lots, subject to setback, size, and lot-coverage rules. Iredell, Gaston, and Cleveland counties each have their own rules — our free Feasibility Report tells you exactly what applies to your address.
Every project is different, but most Queen City ADU builds land somewhere in the $140,000 to $350,000 range. Where yours falls depends on size, finish level, site conditions, utilities, and whether you're building new construction or converting existing space. Rather than guess, our Price Tool gives you a real number for your specific project in 60 seconds — no email required.
Our standard timeline is 4 to 6 months from signed contract to certificate of occupancy — roughly 6-8 weeks for design and permits, then 12-16 weeks of construction. Complex sites or custom designs can extend that; conversions of existing space (basements, garages) often run faster.
No. Most Queen City ADU clients start with either the Price Tool (which uses our pre-designed model plans) or the free Feasibility Report. From there, we produce all the required design, structural, and permit-set drawings in house. If you already have plans, bring them — we'll build to them.
Yes. The most common financing paths for Charlotte ADUs are a HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit), a construction-to-permanent loan, a cash-out refinance, or a hybrid stack combining them. Don't have enough equity, or don't want to touch it? Our financing partner offers personal loans that fund up to 120% of the project with no equity, no appraisal, and no lien on your home. Our Blueprint Bundle also includes an interactive Financing Comparator that models the traditional options side-by-side.
Not right now. The City of Charlotte's Queen City ADU Grant Program offers up to $80,000 in matching, forgivable, interest-free financing to eligible property owners who commit to renting the ADU at an affordable rate, but applications are currently closed between rounds. Join our waitlist and we'll email you when the next round opens, or read our full guide to the program.
We start by confirming your lot works for an ADU and fits the program's requirements. Then we help you prepare the plans, pricing, and project details the application asks for, and we build to program standards once you're approved. Funding decisions are made by the City of Charlotte, not Queen City ADU.
We build across the greater Charlotte metro: Mecklenburg, Iredell, Gaston, and Cleveland counties. We occasionally take on Cabarrus and Union County projects — call us to check.
Yes. Queen City ADU manages the entire permit process — architectural submission, structural review, MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) coordination, and all field inspections through certificate of occupancy. You never file a permit yourself.
We offer feasibility reports and design services as standalone products. If your existing builder isn't a specialist, we're often brought in to prepare the plan set and hand it off — or to advise mid-project when issues surface. Call us to discuss.
I am a licensed general contractor (NC GC License) — Queen City ADU operates under Pharos Construction LLC. The difference is focus: we build ADUs and residential additions and almost nothing else. That specialization means faster permits (we know which reviewer catches what), better prices (we buy the same materials at scale), and a delivery process that's actually tuned for compressed builds instead of adapted from full custom home construction.
Yes, subject to local rules and any HOA restrictions. Charlotte allows short-term rentals on most residential properties, and our feasibility check will flag any restrictions specific to your neighborhood. Most Queen City ADU short-term rental clients see 60-75% occupancy and $110-$180 nightly rates.
Our Feasibility Report tells you honestly — including whether an addition, garage conversion, or above-garage apartment might work instead. About 15% of the lots we check don't support a full detached ADU. In those cases we usually have another option that gets homeowners most of what they wanted.
