Have you been wondering how much it would cost to build an ADU on your property in Sacramento? We're here to help you find out!
Now, before we really dive in, I would like to get one thing out of the way. The short answer to this question is that it really depends on your specific property and area, but I’ll do my best to break down all of the numbers here, so you can get an idea of what type of numbers you’ll most likely be looking at. Read below to get the full breakdown!
The largest cost that contributes to the building of an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) would be the construction expense. There are a few different ways you can have an ADU built depending on your interests and needs. These differing factors in how you choose to build your ADU will ultimately determine the total cost and overall experience of your build. So, let’s break down those options for you!
The first option you have for building an ADU is to purchase what we call a prefab ADU. Prefab ADUs are built in a factory and then placed on your property afterward. The ease of this option is certainly appealing, but oftentimes these units can seem cheaper on the front end as you are typically only seeing the cost of construction and site preparation, so be wary of transportation and access costs. These additional charges can really rack up the total cost of your ADU build and leave you questioning in the end if it was really the best option. In many cases, there are additional transportation costs such as craning fees which can hike up the price up to as much as $60,000 extra.
Another point to consider is that many properties are unable to have a prefab ADU placed due to obstacles such as bad positioning of the main home and/or power lines. However, if you have a property with no access issues and you choose to work with a contractor that gives you all costs upfront, this route can be a very affordable and quick option!
Alternatively, your other option would be to have an ADU built on your property, otherwise known as “Stick-built”. Stick-built ADUs are constructed at your property like a primary home. This process allows just about any property the ability to have an ADU structured on-site since access is rarely a problem.
Building a stick-built ADU also removes any possibility of additional access or transportation costs that may be incurred considering the project is fully built according to the space provided. Additionally, this option is great if you wish to customize the floor plans for your unit. But don’t worry, if that isn’t your style, many companies, like ourselves, offer pre-designed floor plans created to fit the needs of most of our customers.
These floor plans can range anywhere from a studio to a three-bedroom, and there are typically many options to choose from. However, no matter which option you choose, prices manage to stay fairly similar. This means you will be looking at paying anywhere from around $120,000 – $350,000 for the completed unit with foundation and finishes, depending on the sizing and materials you choose.
The second largest cost in the ADU build process is permitting. Permit fees are typically broken down into 2 categories based on the size of your unit. One category is for units under 750 sq. ft and the other is for units over 750 sq. ft. One thing to note is that once you break that 750 sq. ft threshold, you are usually charged impact fees which can dramatically increase the cost of permitting for your ADU. What does that mean? Let’s break it down.
Typical permit fees for this size range from around $2500 – $12,000 on average but they tend to vary depending on several variables. Some of these variables include the specific size of your unit as well as what your city or county charges to approve everything, some areas are more expensive than others. These numbers do fluctuate, so we won’t claim to know for certain, but most of our builds in this size range have come in at this price.
Permit fees for units larger than 750 sq. ft can fluctuate in pricing even more. These larger builds have impact fees, such as school and road fees, added on which increases the cost. The reason for this increase is due to the fact that once your build exceeds the general size cutoff of 750 sq. ft, cities begin to add on fees in order to fund the infrastructure needed to support new housing.
These additional fees can cause those permit prices to jump quite a bit from the $2,500 – $12,000 range to a much greater scale of $25,000 – $60,000 on average. As you can see, that is quite a big increase and is definitely something to keep in mind as you consider what size ADU to build on your property!
The next item that goes into the total cost for your ADU build is hooking up utilities to your unit. This means getting your ADU connected to the utilities on the property including water, sewer, electric, and sometimes gas. In order to do this, we have to dig a trench from the location of your ADU to the closest connection accessible as well as any upgrades needed to your current system. In many cases, this includes digging through anything that may be in that direct path, such as concrete. When this is needed, many companies will have a crew take care of the removal and replacement of the concrete, usually at an additional cost that is added to the overall price of the project.
That overall price is going to significantly depend on the length in which the trench will need to be dug, the additional work that is required to do so (concrete removal/replacement, etc), and any utility or panel upgrades that may be necessary for completion. Since many aspects filter into the total pricing for this, the cost is not always fluid.
Although this cost can vary, on average the price of hook-ups will cost you around $12,500 – $25,000 respectively. The best way to get a better idea of the pricing for your build would be to set up a site visit with one of our ADU Experts.
Most new ADUs builds will need solar, but not all of them require it. This is something that becomes known once plans are sent to permitting. Due to this uncertainty, we always submit similar plans with every one of our permit packages. If solar is required for your new ADU build, there are a couple of ways to get this hooked up.
The cheapest and often easiest option is adding additional panels to an existing system on your primary home. This will typically save you a significant amount of money considering that you’ll only need to add to your solar package, rather than start from the beginning with solar. However, if your primary home does not already have solar, a new system will need to be added to your ADU. The cost for this is very dependent on the size of your build but is usually around an average cost of $6,000 to $12,000.
Set up a FREE, no-obligation property analysis and estimate. An Anchored Tiny Homes ADU Expert will come out to your property, take a look to ensure you can build an ADU in your Sacramento area, measure out your hookups, check for any obstacles, and give you a firm estimate to add an Anchored ADU on your property! Contact us today!