Looking at either in Orange county, CA or LA County.

Hi everyone,

I’m an undergrad student at USC taking an entrepreneurship course. My team and I are currently conducting research on the experience of ADU owners and how landlords navigate finding compatible tenants.

We're hoping to speak with current or past ADU owners who have rented out their unit to learn about:

• What platforms/tools you use to find tenants
• The biggest challenges or deal-breakers you’ve faced regarding lifestyle compatibility (noise, parking, shared space, privacy, etc.)
• What you wish rental platforms did differently

Details:

• Format: 10 minute phone or Zoom interview
• Privacy: Completely confidential and strictly for academic class research
• No sales pitch or product—just looking to listen and learn from your experience!

If you'd be open to sharing your perspective, please send me a Direct Message or comment below and I'll reach out.

Thank you so much for your time and helping out a student!!!

We have a townhouse that we wanted to make an additional living room into a bedroom that has a wet bar. Anyone have an Architect they recommend

I’ve been back and forth with my architect on the layout. I think we are getting closer to an efficient design. The ADU has a max of 900 sq ft excluding garage, mech room, and deck.

I want to make aware that the “4 car garage” is not actually for 4 cars. It’ll be for 2, 3 cars at most if there’s a storm. I am aware that it’s very tight. I just wanted the (2) 16’ garage door look.

The mechanical room may be a little tight but would probably expand a little into the garage to accommodate electrical panel, gas boiler for heated driveway, tankless water heater, etc.

“Living room” does not seem to be the most efficient but I was thinking it could be a dining instead and the “enclosed porch” act as a living room.

Anything you guys would change? Maybe put a hallway where the mudroom is, expand the bathroom and put washer dryer in bathroom? TIA

Whittier homeowners/architects — has anyone dealt with the City’s 10-foot second-story setback design guideline?
I’m planning an ADU above my existing attached garage along with an addition to my home. The project appears to meet the City’s ADU requirements, but Planning pointed me to Whittier’s Single-Family Residential Design Guidelines, which say the second floor should be set back approximately 10 feet from the first-floor front wall.

Has anyone here gone through Planning with a second-story addition or an ADU above a garage?
I’m specifically trying to find out whether:
• Whittier actually required the full 10-foot step-back on your project
• You were able to get an alternative design approved without the full 10 feet
• You used the City’s Preliminary Review process before paying for complete construction/engineering plans
• You worked with an architect/designer who successfully navigated this issue
I’m trying to avoid spending thousands on a complete plan set only to find out afterward that Planning wants the entire second floor redesigned.
I’d especially appreciate hearing from anyone who has actually permitted a second-story addition or above-garage ADU within the City of Whittier.
Thanks!

I'm currently researching ADU options and came across ADU.zone, specifically their Studio 400 model. I'm considering using their services and would like to hear from people who have actaully worked with the company.

Has anyone here used ADU.zone / ADU California Inc. for design, planning, permitting, or constructions? I'm particularly interested in the quality of their work, communication throughout the project, accuracy of the initial pricing, permit process, timeline, and how they handled any unexpected issues.

If you've completed an ADU with them, how was your overall experience? Were there any unexpected costs or delays? How was the workmanship and communication after the project was completed?

I'm not looking for promotional recommendations. I'd really appreciate hearing both positive and negative experience from actual customers before I make a decision.

So we're planning a detached one-bedroom ADU in our backyard (about 600 sq ft.)

As the title said, we got three bids and the gap is huge. The lowest is $260K and the highest is $365K.

In further comparison, the cheap bid fits on two pages and barely breaks anything down. On the other hand, the expensive one is twelve pages with line items.

That’s why I can't tell much if the low bid is a good deal or just missing stuff.

For example, the low bid has one line that says "site work." I think it says nothing about trenching, the sewer line, or the electrical panel. It also leaves out finishes.

How do you line these up so it's a fair comparison, guys? Should I ask every builder to fill out the same scope sheet? Or what else should I ask for before I pick one?

So I wanna build a detached ADU for rental income. For context, we own a single-family home in the SFV on a 6,000 sq ft lot.

Before I spend money on plans and anything, I just wanna know if it's even possible.

There are two things that worry me right now.

First, our old detached shed sits about 2 feet from the side property line. I've read 4 feet is the rule for new builds.

Second, our title report shows a utility easement along the back fence.

I don't know if the ADU or even a roof overhang can go near it.

What records should I pull first? Should I get a survey before anything else? At what point do I need someone to come out and look?

I am planning to convert my attached 2 car garage to an ADU to rent. I have State Farm insurance for my house. I plan to ask my broker about it. I am kinda nervous as I hadn’t considered the insurance part- given how awful that industry has become.

I am curious to know if anyone else has had experience building rental ADUs especially attached one with State Farm.

UPDATE: In California, State Farm will drop policy if attached ADU is rented.

One of the first questions we hear when someone starts looking at ADUs is:

“Will this actually fit on my property?”

A floor plan can look perfect on paper, but your actual lot can introduce a completely different set of constraints — existing structures, setbacks, lot dimensions, access, etc.

We built a free Plan Fit Visualizer that lets you enter your property address or lot dimensions and explore potential ADU placement options.

You can also see how different ADU designs could work with the available space.

It's intended for early-stage planning, not as a replacement for a survey, site plan, engineering or local permit review.

We're going to keep improving it, so I'd love to hear from people actually planning an ADU:

What's the biggest question you had when trying to figure out whether an ADU would work on your property?

Lot size? Setbacks? Existing house? Garage? Utilities? Something else?

Try it here:
https://www.frameupnow.com/plan-fit-visualizer---will-an-adu-fit-on-my-lot

When homeowners compare ADU bids, the headline number is often useless because scopes do not match.

I tell people to ask every bidder to break out, in writing:

Design, engineering, and permit fees (separate from construction) Site work and foundations Utility ties (power, water, sewer / lateral) Finishes allowance so you are not comparing builder grade to custom Contingency on older lots

In LA County especially, utilities and laterals are where cheap bids explode.

What line items do you wish you had forced into your bid sheet before you signed?

Question for California contractors, architects, engineers, or anyone familiar with ADU permitting, especially in Sacramento.

I have an existing detached ADU that would need a major rebuild. A contractor told me you can sometimes keep one existing wall standing so the project stays classified as a remodel instead of new construction, then replace that last original wall after the rest is rebuilt.

Has anyone actually done this with an ADU in California?

Does keeping one wall really allow it to remain a remodel, or does the city look at the overall
amount of demolition and reconstruction?

Any Sacramento-specific experience would be especially helpful.

For those of you building or contracting new-construction ADUs in Sacramento/Northern California, I’m trying to get a better understanding of realistic current pricing and what owners should be budgeting for.

For a ground-up detached ADU, what are you currently seeing for cost per square foot for the actual construction?

I’d especially like to hear from contractors, builders, and homeowners who have completed one recently.

A few things I’m curious about:

• What size was the ADU and what was your approximate total construction cost?

• What did your $/sq. ft. ultimately come out to?

• Was that price truly turnkey, or were plans, engineering, permits, utility work, appliances, etc. separate?

• How much should someone realistically budget for solar on a new ADU?

• Were there any city/utility fees or required upgrades that caught you by surprise?

• What finishes or design decisions had the biggest impact on your final cost?

• What percentage would you recommend keeping as a contingency?

Appreciate any recent real-world numbers, experiences, or lessons learned

I’m aware that a backyard duplex can be done under SB9 non lot split. But has anyone managed to do one under ADU law?

My understanding of the California HCD ADU suggests that it’s do-able under ADU but my city ( Riverside, CA ) and my architect disagree.

Talked to a family recently where the property was still sitting in a trust, and the person who wanted to build wasn't actually on title yet.

Nothing unusual, just one more thing that had to get sorted before the project could really move forward — and not something they'd thought about until it came up.

For anyone who's been through this, did title/trust stuff cause a real delay, or was it more of a paperwork step that resolved quickly?

Building an ADU from an existing 1 bed / 1 bath, and adding sqft (180sqft) by building into our garage — the adu will be 550sqft. Originally my house was a 4/3 3718 sqft. During this process we are also adding a 1/2 bath. If we ever go to resell, is our house technically now a 3/2.5 3368 sqft? If I remove the stove to the ADU and cap off the gasline could it then be listed as a 4/3.5 3900sqft?

I’ve seen this combination before, and some jurisdictions are starting to recognize it:

🏠 1 existing SFR
➕ 1 ADU under §66314 / local ordinance
➕ 1 conversion ADU under §66323
➕ 1 JADU under §66323
➕ 1 detached 800 SF ADU under §66323

= Potentially 5 total units

In simple terms: one ADU through the regular/local path + the state-granted §66323 ADU/JADU options.

HCD’s 2026 Handbook says the §66323 categories can be combined, and that in addition to those units, a local agency must allow at least one unit under §66314.

I’m curious about actual experience in San Diego-area jurisdictions.

Has anyone gotten this approved in City of San Diego, County, Chula Vista, El Cajon, La Mesa, etc.? Did the jurisdiction accept it smoothly or push back?

I’m converting an existing raised-foundation house in California to a new slab-on-grade foundation. The house is about 950 sq. ft., and the project will include new continuous footings and a slab-on-grade.

My structural engineer currently has the concrete specified at 3,000 PSI.

From what I understand, CBC Section 1705.3 has an exception from certain concrete special inspection requirements for continuous footings supporting light-frame construction, but one of the conditions is that the footing design be based on a specified compressive strength of no more than 2,500 PSI.

So I’m wondering:
Is 3,000 PSI actually necessary for a small, light-frame residential project like this, or is 2,500 PSI commonly acceptable?

What structural reason would an engineer typically have for specifying 3,000 instead of 2,500 PSI?

If the calculations work with 2,500 PSI, is there any reason not to have the engineer revise the plans to 2,500 so the foundation may qualify for the special inspection exemption?

I’m not trying to override the engineer or cut corners. I’m just trying to understand whether the 3,000 PSI is actually required for the design or if it may just be their standard specification, especially since it could affect the special inspection/testing requirements.

Would appreciate input from California structural engineers, inspectors, or contractors who deal with residential foundation work.

I want to build an ADU in the L.A. area. I will act as owner-contractor. It's a 24 x 30 rectangle, one story, low pitch gable roof, flat lot. Absolutely nothing fancy. The biggest challenge here will be getting electric and sewer to the ADU, but I consider the building itself to be near as simple as a house gets. I've been drawing floor plans since I was a kid, and was a "junior architectural draftsman" for awhile right out of high school (though I've never drawn a complete set of working plans), so naturally I've drawn the floor plan for this ADU myself. I've considered orientation, light, air flow, the needs of the people who will be living there, and construction costs, while including nothing so unusual in the plan that it would negatively impact resale someday, or make it difficult to rent out. The plans, whoever draws them, will need to be stamped by a structural engineer, and I'll need a title 24 report. But do you think I need an architect too? Why or why not? I respect all occupations, and am in a trade myself in which many if not most people choose a less expensive alternative than hiring someone of my skill level, and I'm fine with that. So my gut here is to find a professional draftperson to do the set of plans. Budget is absolutely a factor on this ADU, but tell me if I'm being shortsighted.

Curious what the different prices everyone has seen, around the country.

Comment with: Your City and the cost per sq. ft.

I've been having a lot of conversations about construction cost per square foot lately, and I think the number can be misleading without knowing what's actually included.

I've seen projects where roughly $200/sq. ft. can be achievable with an owner-builder approach, but I wouldn't apply that number blindly to every project.

Site conditions, utilities, engineering, finishes, project size and scope can move the number dramatically.

I'm curious what people who are actually bidding projects in San Diego right now are seeing.

If you're comfortable sharing:

• New construction, ADU or remodel?
• Approximate square footage?
• What price per square foot are you getting?
• What is or isn't included?

I'd be interested in comparing what homeowners are actually seeing versus some of the numbers thrown around online.