What is an ADU?
ADU stands for accessory dwelling unit. Other names include mother-in-law units, casitas, and guest houses. Each accessory dwelling is considered a secondary housing unit independent from the main single-family house, meaning you can rent them out separately. There are different types of ADUs, such as garage conversions, detached or attached ADU’s, Pre-fab ADUs, along with many others, each meant to serve different purposes.
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Why Build an ADU?
Rental Income
Rent out the ADU, or move into the ADU and rent out the main house.
Ease of Financing
Use the equity in your home to build the ADU, rent it out, and make additional income.
Multi-Generational Family Living
Allow family members to stay in the ADU, keeping them close, while giving them independence.
The Benefits of having an ADU
An ADU adds value to your property. You are essentially adding square footage to your residence at a cost that is less than the value you’ll gain. New laws have recently passed in California allowing homeowners to build an ADU and a Junior ADU on their property. This means that you could rent out the main residence or ADU to one family and the Junior ADU to someone looking for a studio apartment. You could potentially have multiple rental incomes from one property! Whether you plan to live in the ADU or not, the potential for rental income makes having an ADU, or two, worth it.
An ADU adds square footage! You are essentially building a second home onto an existing property, creating room for elderly parents, adult children or extended relatives. Many of our ADUs are built with universal design in mind to provide easy access for the elderly and those with disabilities. Adding an ADU also benefits remote workers who need an office or meeting space at home.
The Ease of Building an ADU with Superior ADUs
Schedule a Free Consultation
Schedule a Site Visit
- The Superior ADUs team, along with a skilled architect, will personally visit your property to measure, assess, and talk about your options with you.
Formal Presentation
You Select Which ADU is Right for You
Plans are Submitted to Your City for Approval
Upon Approval, Construction Begins
Building Continues
Finished ADU
Why Choose Superior ADUs?
Superior ADUs is here to help anyone who desires to have an ADU built on their property. We have pre-designed a series of ADU Models in a variety of sizes, floor plan configurations, and architectural styles. The architectural plans and engineering for our ADU Models are already complete, which saves you time and money. We also offer three different pre-designed finish material packages – transitional, modern, or contemporary. You simply choose what you want, and we take care of the rest.
You can also choose to have Superior ADUs design, develop, and build a Custom ADU on your property. The benefit of this option is the flexibility you have with the placement, size, orientation, and layout of the Accessory Dwelling Unit. A Custom ADU also allows homeowners the option to attach the ADU onto the main dwelling or garage. However, the Custom ADU process will take longer, since your ADU will be custom-designed from scratch to fit you, your needs and your property.
All of our ADUs are built from the ground up on your property, also know “stick-builds”. We do NOT offer pre-fabricated ADUs, as they tend to be challenging to pass through cities in our area, as well as costly to transport. Stick-build ADUs allow us the freedom to alter the design, if needed, in order to meet city standards, HOA regulations, site parameters, and client needs.
| ON YOUR OWN | WITH SUPERIOR ADUs |
|---|---|
| DESIGN: 2 – 3 MONTHS Find & hire an architect. Initial to final design. | DESIGN: 2 – 4 WEEKS Our pre-designed plans shorten the design-phase. |
| PERMIT: 2 – 3 MONTHS You must communicate with the city and handle requested revisions. | PERMIT: 2 – 6 WEEKS Our experience & relationships with the cities help us navigate the system faster. |
| BUILD: 4 – 6 MONTHS Find & hire a contractor. Start to finish. | BUILD: 2 – 3 MONTHS Our experienced contractors are ready to go! |
| TOTAL TIME: 8 – 12 MONTHS | TOTAL TIME: 3 – 5 MONTHS |
| ON YOUR OWN | WITH SUPERIOR ADUs |
|---|---|
| DESIGN: 2 – 3 MONTHS Find & hire an architect. Initial to final design. | DESIGN: 2 – 4 WEEKS Our pre-designed plans shorten the design-phase. |
| PERMIT: 2 – 3 MONTHS You must communicate with the city and handle requested revisions. | PERMIT: 2 – 6 WEEKS Our experience & relationships with the cities help us navigate the system faster. |
| BUILD: 4 – 6 MONTHS Find & hire a contractor. Start to finish. | BUILD: 2 – 3 MONTHS Our experienced contractors are ready to go! |
| TOTAL TIME: 8 – 12 MONTHS | TOTAL TIME: 3 – 5 MONTHS |
| Phase | ON YOUR OWN | WITH SUPERIOR ADUs |
|---|---|---|
| DESIGN | 2 – 3 MONTHS Find & hire an architect. Initial to final design. | 2 – 4 WEEKS Our pre-designed plans shorten the design-phase. |
| PERMIT | 2 – 3 MONTHS You must communicate with the city and handle requested revisions. | 2 – 6 WEEKS Our experience & relationships with the cities help us navigate the system faster. |
| BUILD | 4 – 6 MONTHS Find & hire a contractor. Start to finish. | 2 – 3 MONTHS Our experienced contractors are ready to go! |
| TOTAL TIME | 8 – 12 MONTHS | 3 – 5 MONTHS |
Frequently Asked Questions
“Generally, you can have two ADUs – one primary and one Junior ADU – on a single-family residential lot. The Junior ADU must be within the existing home’s footprint. For multi-family lots, it is usually best to reach out to your local city to find out these requirements, as many cities interpret the laws differently.”
Typically, your primary ADU can be 1,200 SF. Some Jurisdictions restrict your ADU size. Always check with your Local Jurisdiction for restrictions. Junior ADU’s are allowed to be 500 SF. However, this ADU needs to be within the existing footprint of your home. A Garage Conversion is a perfect example of a Junior ADU.
The State is allowing a 4’ setback off of property lines. However, there can be other restrictions on each individual site. Always check with your local Jurisdiction for any restrictions placed on your site, or call Superior ADUs, and we will provide you with that information.
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