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Can you build an ADU
in your neighborhood?

Building an Accessory Dwelling Unit in San Diego can be a tricky process. 

Save yourself time and money - Call us to find out what you can legally build in your neighborhood.

  • Does San Diego allow ADUs now?
    The answer is YES. In 2016, the California Legislature passed a series of laws effectively eliminating the red tape associated with building Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in the backyards of existing single family homes. In 2019, the California Legislature passed Assembly Bill 68 which further removed restrictions involved with building ADUs, which made it possible to build ADUs on multi-family properties like duplexes.
  • Can I build an ADU in my neighborhood?
    Here a few things to consider: 1. An ADU requires a backyard space that can fit a 20’x 24’ footprint, plus a minimum of seven feet of clearance between your home and the new structure. 2. If you have an existing detached garage, it can be removed and replaced with an ADU 3. You can choose to keep your garage (if you have enough accessible, additional space), you can build a stand-alone ADU separate from other structures. 4. Its best to contact us for a complimentary ADU consultation.
  • Can an ADU improve my property value?
    An ADU is an investment that pays for itself, and delivers even more value when you sell your home. The ADU will improve your property value and perceived living space, but if the ADU also has verified income, that is very attractive to a potential buyer - that means your property may sell faster than other properties on the market.

Overview | About ADUs

Accessory Dwelling Units provide many

benefits to California Homeowners:

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Independent Living for Elders

Affordable Housing

Affordable Office Space

Rental Income

Multi-generation Living

Starter Home for Couples

Increased Property Value

Expanded Living Space

Quality of Life & Privacy

Accessory Dwelling Units have many names, here is the shortlist of names:

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ADU home

Granny Flat

Mother-in-Law Suite

Backyard Office

Garage Conversion

Accessory Home

Backyard Home

Additional Dwelling Unit

Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit

Back in 2016, the California Legislature passed a series of laws that basically eliminated all of the red tape that prevented homeowners from building Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in their backyards. Then, in 2019, the state legislature passed Assembly Bill 68 that essentially removed more of the restrictions that were involved with building ADUs. Bill 68 also included allowing ADUs to be built on multi-family properties like duplexes.

A Long-Term Investment that evolves with your changing needs

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As life evolves, your needs change, but each chapter of life includes the need for housing and accommodating the changes in your family. Having a backyard ADU makes these transitions much easier for everyone. This long-term investment is ideal for homeowners who are looking to establish the most value, both financially and in their quality of life. Ritz ADU Design Build understands that every homeowner wants to maximize their property value for a future sale or future generations.

 

An ADU is a great long-term investment that makes use of your existing property to create additional living space, but it can also be used as an income property when that use is appropriate. Later, you may find that you want to downsize into the ADU to minimize your upkeep, or travel...  some homeowners share the main home with their family or use it as backyard rental when they want to retire and travel to visit their Grand Babies. The versatility of the ADU is as wide open as your imagination.

Most Common uses of ADUs in San Diego

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Achieve Quality of Life and Privacy

Sometimes, the best solution for peaceful living conditions is to create an independent living space. Additional space greatly reduces the tension, the clutter, and the inconvenience of sharing bathrooms, crowded kitchens, and sleeping arrangements that are not ideal. ADUs enable your family to co-exist without disrupting the close family connection. Ritz ADU Design Build knows that cramped households are common in  multigenerational families. Building an ADU will enable you and your family to live a much more comfortable and private life.

Independent Living for your Elders

When you have an ADU home, it allows both parties access to each other, while providing that important component of privacy. This combination greatly improves the quality of life for the entire family and eliminates the enormous cost of care facilities or a home care provider. Naturally, health and safety are a major concern for homeowners with family members that require home care. ADUs help homeowners care for aging parents or family members with disabilities or other health requirements. Look at ADU Floor Plans.

Family Lunch
junior accessory dwelling unit san diego

Affordable Housing in San Diego

The housing crisis in California will ease up over time with the approval of more backyard homes. We all know that housing is expensive in our state, and the cost of building an ADU varies depending on the complexity of the project, quality of materials, permits, and fees. However, in most cases, the total cost of building an ADU ends up being a quarter of the cost to buy a single family home in San Diego County. Look at a 1 bedroom ADU floor plan.

Starter Home for your kids

It's no secret, the cost of living in California is expensive. Today, young couples and families looking to buy a home really struggle to get started here. When you have a backyard ADU on your property, you can provide a way for your kids and their families to become independent in a way that allows them to save for a future home, while enjoying the connectivity of being close to home. Look at a two bedroom ADU floor plan.

Young Couple
Couple and Builder

Can you build an ADU? Find out.

Connect with the RITZ ADU team today.

We're ready to help.

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Rental Income

Ritz ADU Design Build converts garages and backyards into backyard rentals for Homeowners in San Diego. These are ideal, because they generate passive income that effectively pays for itself when you rent it out. Several of our 'empty nester' clients have hired us to build a backyard rental. They ended up loving it so much that they moved into it and decided to rent their main house to cover the mortgage so they could travel to visit their grandchildren. What will you use your ADU rental income for?

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