Model by A+ Construction & Remodeling
City and county approved plans, our own standard models, or a custom design drawn for your property. And when the project is bigger than an ADU, ground-up construction of a primary home.
Design, engineering, permits, utility companies, inspections, construction and final sign-off. You make the decisions that matter and we deal with everything in between.
We visit the property and work out what you actually need. What the lot can take, what suits how you plan to use it, and whether the project makes sense at all.
No cost, no obligationA full written bid, walked through with you line by line. You will know what is included and what is not before you commit to anything.
Typically 20+ pagesDesigns and renderings, so you can see the finished unit before anyone breaks ground. Changes happen here, on paper, where they are cheap.
You approve the drawingsYour design becomes a full set of construction documents: structural engineering, Title 24 energy compliance and everything else the city will want to see.
The plans that get submittedSubmission, plan check, corrections and approvals with your city or county, and with the utility companies. The part most homeowners dread, and the part you will not have to touch.
We deal with the agenciesFoundation prep, framing, utilities, finishes, and every inspection along the way. Scheduled, managed and inspected by us.
Inspections handledWe are there for the final walkthrough. Once the city signs off and the certificate is issued, the unit is legally yours to live in or rent.
Keys in your handA short bid leaves room for surprises, and the surprises are never in your favor. Ours breaks the job down line by line, so you can see exactly what is included, what is not, and where your money goes before you sign anything.
Harder to produce. Harder to hide behind. That is exactly the point.
You will see it at step twoWhat you build from mostly changes one thing: how long it takes. Here is the honest trade-off.
Plans your jurisdiction has already reviewed, so they clear permitting fastest. The catch is that you cannot change them at all, and some include design features that cost more to build than a simpler plan would.
The next fastest route, because we are working from something rather than a blank page. Most clients start with a model and change it to suit them. Timeline and cost still vary by city, since the same model can permit and build differently in different jurisdictions.
Starting from a blank page, with every detail worked out together. It takes a little longer because we want to get it right, and how quickly we move through design depends on how quickly you can give us decisions.
A selection of standard ADU plans, already drawn and already built many times over. Starting from a standard plan cuts design cost and shortens the permitting process, and any of them can be adapted to suit your lot.
All models and photography courtesy of A+ Construction & Remodeling, my building partner, serving this region since 1997.
Open-plan living with a full kitchen and bathroom. The cheapest way to add a legal unit, and every one of these sits under the 750 sq ft line where development impact fees are waived.
A separate bedroom behind its own door. The size most people picture when they think of an ADU, and the easiest to rent.
Room for a couple with a child, or two tenants sharing. All of these stay within the 1,200 sq ft detached maximum that applies in most of the area.
A proper house in the back yard. Suits a family member moving in permanently, or the strongest rental return a lot this size can produce.
Several local jurisdictions run pre-approved ADU programs. The plans have already been through plan check, so permitting is faster and cheaper than starting from scratch.
Three free city plans from a studio to a two bedroom, plus a separate published list of private designer plans.
Sacramento CountyFive free county plans from 460 to 1,184 sq ft. Unincorporated areas only, and the larger three require solar.
Placer CountyThe county reviews and publishes plans drawn by private designers. You buy the plan from its author.
Elk GroveCity pre-approved plans for detached units, with a faster review than a custom submittal.
Nevada CountyA regional plan set shared with five neighboring jurisdictions. Works as an ADU or as a primary home.
StocktonPre-approved plans, plus a route to legally permit an ADU built without permits before 2020.
Yuba CountyFree county plans organized by size, with several elevation options and a county ADU handbook.
Citrus HeightsFree city plans designed with wider doorways and hallways, each with a choice of roof lines and finishes.
RocklinCity-reviewed plans from private designers, with a commitment to decide within 30 days of a complete application.
RosevillePlans reviewed and approved by the city for construction in Roseville, under the state pre-approval law.
San Joaquin CountyFree county plans at 350, 500, 750 and 1,200 sq ft, with a published design manual and processing guide.
Don't see your city or county?Send me your address and I’ll check the program in your area, then send you the available plan information.
Not every project is a unit in the back yard. Some start with an empty lot and nothing on it.
If your existing home is small, it may qualify to be designated as the ADU while you build a new primary home on the same lot. Sacramento County's standards expressly allow converting an existing dwelling to an ADU alongside development of a new primary dwelling.
The point of doing it that way: the new house is a primary dwelling, so it is not held to ADU size limits. You keep the original home as a rentable unit and build the house you actually want, rather than adding a unit capped at 1,200 square feet.
Whether it works on your property depends on lot size, setbacks, the size of the existing house and your local ordinance. It needs checking before you count on it, and that check is free.
A new house built from the foundation up, on an empty lot or on land you already own. We can help you find the lot as well as build on it, which most builders cannot.
More room without moving. A bedroom, a suite, a second storey, or a whole wing on the back of the house.
California may allow more units on a property that already has multiple units, up to the number you already have. Restrictions apply and rules differ by area.
Turning a structure you already own into a home. Usually the cheapest route to a legal unit.
If it involves drawings, permits and a licensed contractor, it is worth a conversation. Ask.
Set the size, the type and the conditions on your lot, and get a realistic range rather than a single number designed to get you on the phone. The five cost buckets are broken down on your own figures.
What can you actually use one for?Thirteen reasons people build one, from housing a parent to the option almost nobody considers: moving into the ADU yourself and renting the main house out.
Send me the address and I'll tell you what your lot can take, which designs fit, and roughly what each would cost.
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