City of Orange Accessory Dwelling Unit

City of Orange Accessory Dwelling Unit

Looking to build a City of Orange Accessory Dwelling Unit?  Then let us welcome you to Superior ADUs, an Orange County, CA accessory dwelling unit building company.  We are a team of real estate agents and brokers, architects, draftsmen, designers, engineers, contractors, and project coordinators, who work together to design and build accessory dwelling units.

City of Orange Accessory Dwelling Unit

An accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, is a secondary dwelling unit that can be rented out separately from the main residence.  There are many types of ADUs, such as attached, detached, or over an existing structure.  

Junior ADUs are secondary dwelling units that are built within the existing square footage of a primary residence.  An example of a Junior ADU is converting an attached garage into a living space with a full kitchen and its own external entrance.  Part of the primary residence can also be sectioned off to create a Junior ADU.  However, a Junior ADU can be no more than 500 square feet.

Why Build an Accessory Dwelling Unit?

  • Increase the value of your property
  • Rent out the ADU, or move into the ADU and rent out the main home
  • Financial Advantages
  • Tax Benefits
  • Ease of financing
How to Build: City of Orange Accessory Dwelling Unit

Unfortunately, building a City of Orange Accessory Dwelling Unit is not always simple.  There are state laws and codes that must be followed, in addition to the City of Orange’s laws and codes.  It’s also important to check and be sure that you are actually located in the City of Orange’s jurisdiction.  Just because your property address says, “Orange, CA,” that doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re located in the City of Orange’s jurisdiction.  Certain areas of Orange, CA are actually located in the County of Orange’s jurisdiction.  If you’re in the County of Orange’s jurisdiction, then you’ll need to follow the County’s ADU building laws and regulations, not the City’s, which are different.  Because of these complicated rules and regulations, it is often best to reach out to a company that specializes in building ADUs specifically.  

The first step for you or any company you hire is going to be reaching out to your local planning department to determine their laws and codes relating to ADUs.  As previously mentioned, ADU codes, size and height requirements, among other technicalities, differ based on whether you are located in the City of Orange’s jurisdiction vs. the County of Orange’s jurisdiction.  Because of this, it’s extremely important to check to see which jurisdiction you’re in, as well as what is and is not allowed.  Once you have that information, you can approach your project with a realistic expectation of what you can build.

Once you know what’s allowed to be built and the basic requirements that must be followed, you’ll then need to acquire ADU Plans.  ADU plans can be drawn up by an architect or qualified draftsman and vary highly in cost and quality.  In order to complete the ADU plans, an electrical engineer and often a structural engineer will also need to be hired to perform certain calculations necessary to ensure structural safety and integrity.  

Completed plans will then need to be approved by the city in order for permits to be issued.  The city does charge for permits, and the price varies.  Once plans are approved and permits are in hand, construction of the ADU can then begin.  Usually, a general contractor handles construction of an ADU, but it’s also good to have a project manager overseeing the process. You may also want to consult with an interior designer about what type of finishes should go in the ADU.

At Superior ADUs, we do all of this for you.  We handle the entire process, which includes communicating with your city, drafting and engineering ADU plans, design, construction, and project management throughout.  You can either choose to build one of our ADU Models, where the plans are already complete, or you can choose to have a Custom ADU designed specifically for you.

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