ADUs vary in cost from person to person. Your ADU is likely not to cost the same as your neighbors. The same way that your homes likely do not cost the same. That is why we have put together this ADU cost calculator to help you figure out how much your ADU will cost.
Design And Planning
Your design and planning stage should cost around $6,000 – $14,000. As you can see, this range is rather large and that is due to your specific design requirements. If you are not worried about having a highly detailed ADU, you will be on the lower end of this range. However, if the design is very important to you, this will land you on the higher end of this range.
City Feesw
City fees will vary from city to city. Depending on whether your city is trying to promote ADUs or discourage them will determine how much your city fees will be. They often fall within the range of $3,000 – $11,000.
Construction Labor and Materials
Construction labor will depend on the contractor you hire. Remember, you don’t want to hire the cheapest contractor because they will cost you in the long run with their mistakes and hidden fees. Be sure the ADU professional you hire is fully licensed and insured, as well as a list of references you can contact to determine how easy they are to work with.
Materials will be based on how good of a deal you can get with a supplier. Often if you work with a local contractor, they can get you a good deal with local suppliers they work with often.
On average, construction labor and materials costs anywhere between $175 – $300 / Sqf.
Finish Materials
Finish materials are completely dependent on your design tastes. They can get quite expensive if you want the very best windows, doors, flooring, etc. On average though, they can cost you anywhere from $50 – $75/Sqf.
Total Cost Examples
To give you a better idea of how much your ADU is going to cost, we have provided the average costs of a few examples for you.
A new construction 499 SQ ft unit costs anywhere from $163,200 – $200,625. Whereas a 2 car garage conversion costs anywhere from $92,000 – 121,000.