In past years, it became slightly popular to establish extra housing right on the same lot as the main home. For some Sonoma County dwellers, it may be surprising to know that their residential property can be not only expanded but also produce extra income. However, all these features are united by one structure called an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU).

Accessory dwelling units are small residence constructions located on the same lot as the main dwelling unit. Also referred to as ADUs, they may have various names throughout Northern California, including granny flat, in-law units, secondary suite, accessory dwelling, and casita.

Establishing the building process implies several requirements, but it is still easy to set the new construction on your living space. However, the majority of homeowners do not succeed in avoiding pitfalls during the development process. In this article, we will accompany you to the ADU of your dream, even if you have never considered its project. Stay with us for broader instruction on how to set the ADU, where to find the contractor and builders, and what are the purposes and benefits of building Accessory Dwelling Unit  Sacramento.

Vineyard ADU Builders

Building and constructing any structure, including accessory dwelling units, requires a big working experience. The builders of A+ are mentioned by local journalism numerous times because of the friendly pricing policy and example of the hard and polite work with residents.

Depending on your budget and lot size, we will estimate the possible parameters, exact cost, and design of the new housing. Since granny flats are a popular kind of additional living space, our masters have a great experience in building such constructions.

No matter whether you are only thinking about establishing your first ADU or planning to add a new level of the same property, we will help you to create the best variant of ADU for the least money and time expenses!

ADU Contractor Vineyard

Searching for a trustworthy contractor even in the San Francisco area is not an easy deal. Nevertheless, there is always A+ Construction and Remodeling for you available in Sacramento and California’s wine country. Being one of the oldest and most reliable companies in the remodeling market, we guarantee to provide our customers with the best realization of their project. Throughout the entire process, our employees will examine the construction and the documentation on compliance with the legislation.

Each step, starting with explaining the desires, making the design, and projecting the floor plans, until the last brick in the wall will be accompanied by A+ licensed builders and professional designers and architectors. An impressive amount of thankful reviews and a number of constant customers is the guarantee of the trustworthiness of our company. For us, your satisfaction is the first priority.

Moreover, we provide the building permit application and receipt done only by the employees, so the owner does not have to worry about the documents, yet every step of the process will be approved by them. The projects and the layouts are understandable for people new to the building field.

So, if you have already started thinking about secondary units but are afraid of the possible payments, enter your ZIP (95829  for Vineyard) to know the possible costs for the area. After considering the expenses, you can send a request on our website, and the A+ manager will contact you for a further ADU discussion!

ADU Unit Construction Vineyard

Now we are ready to move further into West Sacramento accessory dwelling units building details. Further, you can find the legal requirements for ADU projects in Sonoma County.

Types of ADU allowed.

Depending on the basis of the ADU construction, there are several types of such property distinguished:

• The attached ADU is a part of the primary residence. For example, you can add a new part to the existing building so that attached ADUs will share some rooms, or in contrast, will have separate entries with the main house.
• Detached ADU is a small separated housing located near the primary residence that has its own bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen, plumbing, and heating systems, if any.
• A converted ADU is an old unused building on the lot (e.g., studio, shed, or garage) converted into dwelling detached ADUs.
• Junior ADU is, same as an attached ADU, a part of the main house. However, its distinction is that it shares the bathroom with the primary building.

In California, it is allowed to build ADUs of any type, so you are free to choose which one is the most applicable for your residence. Choosing the type is exactly a starting point of launching the building project.

Number of ADUs allowed.

California state law has a distinction between single- and multi-family housing in this topic. So, for a single-family residence, it is allowed to have one accessory property and one junior ADU on the lot. For multi-family homeowners, it is allowed to have one ADU per every four residents.

Fortunately, in West Sacramento, there are no regulations for the minimum lot size for having an additional unit built. That is why ADU is considered to be affordable housing. It can fit any lot size and type of the main house.

ADU parameters.

However, unlike the previous features, the size of each ADU is strictly regulated by state law. So, you also need to check whether the initial footage of your lot will suit these requirements. The professionals can help you to estimate the project depending on the free space on your land property.

The minimum possible size of any type of ADUs is 150 square feet. The maximum footages of ADUs in California are as follows:

• no more than 500 square feet for a one-bedroom ADU;
• no more than 850 square feet for two-bedrooms ADU;
• no more than 500 square feet for junior ADU.

Note that the total lot coverage of the ADU must be no more than 1200 square feet. Otherwise, the building permit for your project cannot be obtained.

For any ADUs type, the maximum height of the construction is 16 feet. The units should be no less than one story.

Setback requirements.

State law of Sacramento County singles out many requirements towards the location of the accessory dwelling unit on the lot. There should be a certain space conformed to each part of the lot and the primary residence. The new construction must be situated 60 feet away from the front property line. A two-story detached ADU must meet the 4-feet yard setback requirements.

Note that ADUs converted from a garage or other old constructions do not meet the setback requirements!

Design of the ADU.

Although the interior design is a private deal, the outside appearance of an accessory dwelling unit should conform to the style of the primary house. It would seem that for property owners, it should not be a tricky matter. However, it is better to ask an architect or a designer to make the development of the ADU project so it would correlate with the main style of other units.

Nevertheless, each owner should care about the general appearance of their property and their own comfort, so it is better to use the same materials as the main housing. You can specify the ADU’s purpose by choosing specific wood, stone, or metal equipment.