During the pandemic, housing became more important than ever. Your home was not only where you lived, but now, where you worked. College students were moving back home. Elderly relatives no longer felt comfortable in assisted living homes. In addition, California is facing the biggest housing crisis in the nation. We believe that ADU’s can be our contribution towards a solution. So, ADU Duo was created to address this problem; with Steven adding ADU expertise and Rebecca, a REALTOR®, becoming an accredited ADU Specialist; linking the real estate and construction industries through her certification.
There's a common misconception that garage conversions are much less expensive to build than a new structure. This is oftentimes untrue. When you're taking an existing uninhabitable space and making it livable, there may be issues with foundations and framing that need to be remedied.
An attached ADU can be up to 50% of the size as the main dwelling. A detached unit cannot exceed 1200sf. Although, a local ordinance may impose a max size restriction of no less than 800sf. All residential zoned properties (single or multi-family residences) allow for ADU builds.
If you are converting existing dwelling space into an ADU, there is no maximum size dictated by the state.
If you’re creating a rental unit to generate income, housing a younger or older relative, providing housing for a full-time caretaker or looking to downsize after kids move out, then our answer is “yes!” If you’re looking to general income through short-term rentals such as VRBO or AirBnB, then we would advise against it.
A homeowner can receive permits and build an ADU in any city in California as long as it’s no more than 16′ in height, 800sqft, and is setback 4′ from the rear and side property lines.
A city ordinance can limit the maximum size of an ADU, but not less than 850sqft for a studio or 1 bedroom and 1000sqft for a unit with more than 1 bedroom.
Depending on the size of the ADU and level of finishes desired, a garage conversion can start at $150k and a detached unit can be anywhere from $200k-$350k.