Concept & Feasibility
Lot review, zoning fit, and layout direction before you commit to a full set of drawings.
ADU & Residential Design
Thoughtful ADUs and custom homes. Accessory dwelling units and residential concepts designed for modern living, flexibility, and long-term property value.
No. 1532 · Backyard ADUFour ways we work.
Whether you're adding space, renovating, or building from the ground up, we provide architectural design tailored to your goals.
Custom ADU Design
Detached and attached units designed as real homes, integrated and not bolted on.
Residential Design
Custom homes designed around how you actually live.
Spec Home Design
Buildable home plans with efficient layouts and construction costs in mind.
How we work.
01
Discovery
A relaxed call to understand your goals, your property, and what you want the space to do.
02
Site & Goal Review
We review your lot, zoning, and budget to confirm what's buildable and worth pursuing.
03
Concept Design
First plans and massing, where the layout, light, and character take shape around your priorities.
04
Design Development
We refine the concept into a resolved design: materials, dimensions, and the details that matter.
05
Permit-Ready Set
Builder-ready permit drawings, with support through contractor handoff and permitting.
- 01
Discovery
A relaxed call to understand your goals, your property, and what you want the space to do.
- 02
Site & Goal Review
We review your lot, zoning, and budget to confirm what's buildable and worth pursuing.
- 03
Concept Design
First plans and massing, where the layout, light, and character take shape around your priorities.
- 04
Design Development
We refine the concept into a resolved design: materials, dimensions, and the details that matter.
- 05
Permit-Ready Set
Builder-ready permit drawings, with support through contractor handoff and permitting.
Tell us about your project.
Answer six quick questions (about a minute), then pick a time. We'll come to your free feasibility check already knowing your lot and your goals, so we can tell you what's buildable, what it costs, and whether it pencils out.
Step 1 of 6
First, how can we reach you?
Name, email, and phone, so we can follow up about your project. No lists, ever.
Book a first session.
Prefer to just talk? Grab a time below, no forms first. A relaxed 30-minute feasibility call, no obligation: bring your address and your goals and we'll give you an honest read on what your lot can do.
R30 min
Rivas Haus
30-minute consultation
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Free feasibility call · 30 minutes · no obligation
Send Sharon a note.
Not ready to book a call? Send a message with whatever's on your mind and Sharon will write back herself, usually within a day or two.
Prefer to talk? Book a call →
The Plan.
512 ft² conditioned · 1 bed · 1 bath · covered patio
Living & Kitchen268 ft²
Bedroom142 ft²
Bath48 ft²
Closet, Laundry & Entry54 ft²
Covered Patio184 ft²
The studio
Designed by Sharon.
“Good design isn't about square footage. It's about how a home holds the life inside it, and every house, large or small, deserves that kind of care.”
Sharon RivasFounder & Principal Designer
Rivas Haus is the work of Sharon Rivas, a designer who started this studio around a stubborn belief: that a home should be designed around how people actually live, not just the square footage it happens to have. After years watching backyard units get treated as afterthoughts, she set out to draw small homes with the same care most architects reserve for big ones.
She works hands-on with every homeowner, from the first conversation about your lot to the permit set your contractor builds from, pairing design that feels intentional and elevated with a real understanding of budgets, zoning, and how things get built.
Sharon Rivas · Founder, Rivas Haus · Home Design
FAQ
Questions, answered.
We're a design studio, not a contractor. We take you from first idea to a complete, permit-ready set of drawings, then hand off to the builder of your choice and stay available through permitting and construction. If you don't have a contractor yet, we can point you toward ones we trust.
Yes. Florida requires permit drawings prepared by a licensed Professional Engineer or Registered Architect, and every package we produce is made to that standard and coordinated with licensed engineering, so what your contractor submits is a set the jurisdiction can actually approve. More on Orlando's rules →
In Central Florida, ADU construction commonly runs about $120–$400 per square foot. Very roughly $75k–$150k for a garage conversion and $150k–$300k+ for a new detached unit, plus design and permit fees. Design is a separate line item that pays for itself in a tighter, more buildable plan. See the full cost breakdown →
For a large share of Orlando-area homeowners, yes, but it depends on your jurisdiction (City of Orlando vs. Orange County), your zoning, lot size, and setbacks, and there's often an owner-occupancy rule. Confirming all of that for your specific parcel is the first thing we do. Read the Orlando ADU rules →
Our part, from discovery through a permit-ready package, typically runs a couple of months, depending on the project's complexity and how quickly decisions get made. Permitting and construction are handled by your jurisdiction and contractor after that. We'll give you a realistic timeline up front so it feels like a path, not a maze.
In a rental market like Orlando's, a well-designed unit often does, through monthly rent, the value it adds to your property, and the flexibility of housing family without a move. The math depends on your build cost and local rents. Run the numbers →
Plenty. One small building can live many lives. Homeowners use them for rental income, a guest house or in-law suite, multigenerational living, a home office or studio, added property value, or simply flexible space that adapts as needs change over the years.
Across Orlando and Central Florida: Baldwin Park, College Park, Winter Park, Audubon Park, Conway, Maitland, Windermere, Lake Nona, and the surrounding communities. If you're nearby and not sure, just ask.
A complete permit set: dimensioned floor plans, exterior elevations, the building sections and details a contractor builds from, and coordinated structural engineering stamped to the Florida Building Code. Everything needed to pull a permit and start construction with confidence.