Yes, if you live in a residential zoning district, however, you must also meet the local zoning set back requirements. In addition, your community may require the house you install to conform to the appearance of the main home on the property.

Begin by asking yourself what do you need the ADU for? A family member, rental, or extra space? Then consider how soon you would like it and your budget. From there, you can begin to determine if you need to consider upgraded finishes and other amenities. If your property is not flat or has other unique aspects, then hiring an architect to design the ADU may be the most beneficial. We can answer these questions during our free virtual property evaluation.

The placement depends on many factors. Provided that the placement of the house meets with zoning code requirements, we can place it where ever you would like. We’ll work with you to determine which placement is legally allowed while meeting your needs.

The size depends on your local zoning laws. Call your local Planning or Building Department. Typically, the ADU sizes range between 250-1200 square feet.

If that’s what you want. In fact, local building codes often require your ADU to look like the main home on your property.

Most communities allow for one detached living space (ADU) and one within the existing structure of the primary dwelling (JADU) per property. However, some communities make exceptions or have different rules. You can find out for sure by checking with your local planning department.

If you hire a general contractor they will coordinate with the city or county. However, it will be the homeowner’s responsibility if they are acting as the Owner Builder, or doing any phase of construction themselves.

Yes, your ADU home can have a tile roof. In fact, if your primary home has a tile roof, then we will likely be required to match that material on your ADU home.

Yes, you can perform parts of the installation yourself. We incorporate a Start to Stop method, meaning you can decide where you’d like us to stop and from that point you’d be responsible for any further inspections and coordinating the rest of the construction. Keep in mind it’s important to hire a qualified licensed contractor to set the home and create connections inside the property.

Definitely. However, it’s important to consider your relative’s construction experience and qualifications before asking them to perform the sensitive parts of the home installation. Many contractors have no experience installing such a product on a property. Make sure the person you’ve asked to help you is qualified to do the work.

Yes, your ADU home will affect your property’s value. Depending on where you live and how your home is appraised, it will be treated like an addition to the first unit, or a whole other “second unit” on your property. This increases the square footage of your property, and thus affects your property’s value.

This depends on the rules at your local assessor’s office. This also depends on the size of the house. You can find out by checking with your local planning department.

Most communities only allow one additional living space per property. However, some communities make exceptions or have different rules. You can find out for sure by checking with your local planning department.

The most popular options are Home Equity Lines of Credit, also called HELOCs. Cash-out refinancing is another. Getting a construction loan is another option. Be sure to ask your lender if they are familiar with ADUs.

The most popular construction method conforms to the state of California’s Building Codes and your local jurisdiction, as well as the energy efficiency standards required with Title 24. Manufactured/Modular/Factory Built/Prefab are other methods of construction and are very commonly misused. It is critically important that you understand exactly to which code an ADU is built.

Mixed-Used Construction is a relatively new situation, and one where a homeowner purchases and installs an ADU built to a different code than the primary home. Having mixed-use construction can create problems with appraisals or possibly selling your home.