What are ADUs?
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are known by many names: granny flats, in-law units, backyard cottages, secondary units and more. No matter what you call them, ADUs are an innovative, affordable, effective option for adding much-needed housing in California.
For more info, see the California Department of Housing and Community Development's Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and Junior Accessory Dwelling Units (JADUs)'s Handbook.
What are the benefits of ADUs?
- ADUs are an affordable type of home to construct in California because they do not require paying for land, major new infrastructure, structured parking, or elevators.
- ADUs can provide a source of income for homeowners.
- ADUs are built with cost-effective wood frame construction, which is significantly less costly than homes in new multifamily infill buildings.
- ADUs allow extended families to be near one another while maintaining privacy.
- ADUs can provide as much living space as many newly-built apartments and condominiums, and they’re suited well for couples, small families, friends, young people, and seniors.
- ADUs give homeowners the flexibility to share independent living areas with family members and others, allowing seniors to age in place as they require more care.
The state of California’s new ADU ordinance requires local building departments to adopt their own ADU regulations which are in compliance with the states ADU ordinance. If they do not, they will be required to use the state’s ADU ordinance. The state ADU ordinance allows each jurisdiction to be more restrictive on the size, height, number of stories, architectural style and location of an ADU on your property.
Since the passage of the new state regulations easing the barriers local jurisdictions placed on the construction of ADU’s in the past, we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of ADU projects.
Capital Designs has been designing Additional Dwelling Units (ADU) since 1983 throughout the Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. We have never seen a better time in California to add a rental unit (ADU) onto your single family residential property.
*Through November 1, 2017. **2015/2016 Los Angeles data are for ADU construction permits; staff did not collect data on ADU applications prior to 2017. Data are through November 8th, 2017. ***San Francisco data is only through Q3 2017.
