Prefabricated Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)

Accessory dwelling units are becoming popular in California’s South Bay and Santa Clara areas. Since housing prices have increased, you might consider alternative housing solutions to maximize your home’s square footage.

Choosing the most suitable ADU for your home depends on several factors. The dwelling unit type, purpose, drawbacks and benefits are all considerations when comparing them. These factors will determine the right fit for your home.

The Growing Need for Accessory Dwelling Units

Families grow, and dynamics change, so space sometimes becomes a problem. Before moving to their own homes, adult children and young married couples can gain a sense of independence in an accessory dwelling unit. You can look after your aging parents while they live on your property. The ADU offers privacy without distance from the main house, which is convenient for all parties involved.

If you do not intend to house family members or guests, you can transform your ADU into an office or yoga studio for leisure. Renting it out can also generate extra income. An ADU’s versatility lets you adapt the space to your changing needs.

Types of Accessory Dwelling Units

Accessory dwelling units include preapproved, custom and prefabricated types. Property size, home type and location will impact the best design, style and type for your property.

Preapproved Accessory Dwelling Unit Plans

Renovating and building comes with a lot of red tape and headaches. The paperwork, including permits and other building compliance adherence requirements, is daunting. With preapproved ADUs, you will receive standardized construction plans. The city issues prior authorization for these, saving you time and effort compared to obtaining them yourself. It is a viable option if you are working on a tight schedule.

This flexible option is also the quickest because you can choose from a selection of existing designs. If the city has received and approved your building location and site-specific documents, you could receive a building permit within a week to meet your project deadline.

Custom Accessory Dwelling Units

A custom ADU is ideal if you envision one that seamlessly complements your home. Whether you prefer a cottage style or a simple building, you can design and build an ADU unique to your property. The project manager will organize and manage every building aspect, from architect and builder to plumber and electrician. If they offer comprehensive customization services, they will handle the permits and related paperwork so you do not have to.

Custom accessory dwelling units are costlier but are often worth the investment if you sell your home or highly value aesthetics.

Prefabricated Accessory Dwelling Units

Another option is factory-built or prefab ADUs. These structures are built on-site in a factory and shipped to your home. They include everything you need except interior furnishing and other trimmings but have limited customization opportunities.

Prefabricated ADUs are affordable but prove more expensive in the long run. In addition to acquiring the unit, you must consider hauling, foundation, utility and other costs to install and make it liveable. Small prefab ADUs may cost less but require additional expenses, so size has minimal influence on the price you could pay for one.

Advantages of Custom ADUs

Custom ADUs have several advantages that set them apart from the others.

Design Flexibility

No two custom ADU designs will look the same. Your design is tailored to your home’s infrastructure, integrating with your property’s aesthetics and increasing curbside appeal.

Quality and Sustainability

Building your custom accessory dwelling unit gives you control over the building material and overall construction quality. You can incorporate energy-efficient materials that are sustainable and contribute to lower bills.

Long-Term Value

Better construction quality increases your home’s resale value. The more the ADU blends in with the rest of your property and main home, the more you can expect when you sell. The dwelling has the potential to generate additional income sources, so your home appreciates in value.

Benefits of Preapproved ADUs

Obtaining preapproved ADU floor plans is beneficial for various reasons:

• Streamlined approval process: With preapproved permits from the city, you experience fewer delays and build your dream design faster.
• Cost-effectiveness: Budgeting is easier with preapproved accessory dwelling units because design and approval costs are lower than they are for custom ADUs.
• Quality assurance: Preapproved plans comply with local building codes, reaffirming the ADU’s outstanding safety and quality.

Drawbacks of Prefabricated ADUs

Compared to custom and preapproved ADUs, prefabricated ones have certain drawbacks:

• Limited customization options:  Prefab ADU builders construct them according to preset specifications. These units offer fewer customization options and may not suit your home’s style.
• Potential quality concerns: Since they are built off-site in a factory, you have limited insight regarding the materials and construction quality. Prefab ADU installations are not as straightforward since they must be shipped to your property at the risk of being damaged in transit.
• Long-term value: When you sell your home and prefab ADU, you may not receive a big return on your investment as with custom or preapproved ADUs. Getting financing for prefabricated ADUs might be harder, and insurance might not cover them, so you could run a loss if anything happens to the building.

Choose Valley Home Builders for Your Accessory Dwelling Building Project

Prefabricated accessory dwelling units are convenient and affordable but incomparable to custom and preapproved ADUs in terms of quality, long-term value and design flexibility. Consider your long-term goals and needs when choosing the right ADU for your home.

Valley Home Builders specializes in remodeling, expansion and ADU construction projects in California’s South Bay and Santa Clara areas. We pride ourselves on our high-quality craftsmanship and outstanding customer service. Our service sets us apart from competitors because we believe in finding solutions to your problems, not just offering our products.

We are confident in our work, but if, for any reason, you decide to back out after phase one, you may take your paid blueprint elsewhere without feeling obligated to us. If you choose Valley Home Builders to build a custom or preapproved ADU, we will be transparent and collaborative from project start to completion.

If you are ready to discuss your accessory dwelling unit ideas with us, schedule a free consultation by completing your project details. This form will help us understand your needs before we contact you to discuss your ADU plans further.