First, you need to know, what is an ADU? It is an Accessory Dwelling Unit or a ‘Granny Flat’ in local parlance that helps a home or a family get access to new space within an existing property. Simply, by the way of carving out extra space via a garage conversion or a new home construction, adjacent to the existing house. It can be used to accommodate your elderly parents or grandparents, thus the name Granny Flats. Else, it can simply be used to earn additional monthly income by renting it out. The choice is yours. Whether you want to convert it into a master family suite or a personal office space. The bottomline is, to get additional living space, without having to buy a new apartment or home.
As a homeowner, you practically don’t have to do anything. Just sit back & relax, and give the ADU design & construction contract to a local builder like K Remodeling that knows everything about it. In a city like Santa Ana, there are a few notable ADU builders that build smart living units within the premises of a small home. Why I’m particularly referring to the word ‘small home’ is because they are the ones that actually require extra dwelling space to live comfortably and spaciously. You only need to sign a contract with the local home remodeling contractor, and see the new construction and home exterior transformation take place in front of your eyes.
Everything, starting from obtaining local authority permission to the clearing of debris on the project site, is well taken care of by one such professional general contractor. They manage all the renovation and construction needs, as per the new ADU design and space requirements.
The most common ADUs are garage conversion ADUs, above-the garage ADUs, attached & detached ADUs. But, as the needs of homeowners have grown over the years, there has also been an increase in the variety of ADUs. Now, you can construct two different ADUs on a single-family residence. If there’s less space available at a home, go only for a Junior ADU (JADU) in the size of 500 sq. ft. Else, a Regular Accessory Dwelling Unit of 750-1200 sq. ft. is good enough to house 4-5 new family members. It can be built in the courtyard or backyard, or wherever your garage is located inside the premises.
Just like new home construction, a garage to ADU conversion in Santa Ana, CA, would have to go through all the legal hurdles like floor plan, layout design, permits, approvals, building codes, blueprint, architectural style, etc. When you convert a garage into an ADU, it is carried out by our team of expert ADU builders, comprising structural engineers, interior designers and other tradesmen.
On the other hand, modular homes are like prefabricated structures that are constructed somewhere else, transported by trucks and placed at a site where it needs to be installed. Therefore, it is much lower in cost compared to an ADU, but with little customization available. Since they are mass produced in a factory, it comes in only limited styles and designs. Thus, there’s no chance of customization. Overall, it takes much less time to install. So, there are pros & cons to it.
After an ADU has been constructed, rent it out on a monthly basis, either to a family or to an office. It can be a self-sufficient family suite with a master bedroom, living room, dining, kitchen and bathroom that is perfect for an average family. Else, it can be a large single hall like structure that can be used as an office floor. In this way, you can earn extra monthly income to the tune of $1000 – $2500, depending upon the size.
Certainly Yes! As a property gets new rooms and additional space via an ADU construction, it definitely has an impact on the resale value after some years. When you think of selling it, there’s a huge price appreciation. This is because an ADU guarantees additional space and functionality to a property that was seriously lacking in these two fundamental aspects. So, why not think about one such new construction at home, if there’s a serious need.
