Should a person have no heat or water and something happens you can be sued into the ground. 

I can tell you the garage (ADU) you talked about building will cost at least $15K > probably closer to $20K with heating and AC installed.

Electrical, Heating, Plumbing, etc.), I doubt landscaping is one of the trades they prioritize a license for.Regarding your situation, that still does not make it right. 

Real estate also takes some time to feel the heat so it might be couple of months before we really start seeing the impact.3.

The party claiming adverse possession bears the burden of proving each element.

Our 1st renovation we did not mess with the heat and ac, all the new tenants have supplied their own.

Not saying that's definitely the case here, but the story does have some of the same elements. 

Have I lost my mind or has Trulia removed or hidden it crime heat maps?

More sun and less humidity and heat than Austin, proximity to mountains, and a solid job market (or what used to be a solid job market.

For A/C, summer months will use more energy and less in the winter, and vice versa for heat, but you can spread the average across all months, similar to the programs energy companies manage so users don't have large swings in their bills season-to-season, and add this to the monthly rent for each unit based on square footage, # of occupants, etc.