ADU Contractor in Palo Alto

Finding an expert ADU contractor in Palo Alto is the first step to building stylish yet functional accessory dwelling units. With Castillo Remodeling, you get to work with a top-rated ADU construction company that will build you an ADU that meets your specific needs.

Accessory dwelling units are a great option if you have an extended family or are looking to find extra space in your single-residence home. ADUs are quite versatile and may be built for various reasons. This is why they are sometimes called in-law units, granny flats, backyard cottages, secondary dwelling units, or attic apartments. But you don’t just start building an ADU in your home, you need a qualified Palo Alto ADU contractor.

Types of Accessory Dwelling Units

There are different types of ADUs with each of them having different features and functions. Our ADU contractor in Palo Alto can help you build any of the four main types of accessory dwelling units. Here are the details in brief.

ADU Contractor in Palo Alto

Detached ADU

Our ADU contractors can build you a detached accessory dwelling unit, often called granny flats, backyard cottages, or carriage houses. This is an independent dwelling house coming with an entrance and full-scale utilities. A detached ADU built by an expert ADU contractor in Palo Alto should be independent of the main house as if the two are neighbors.

Attached ADU

With an attached ADU, our Palo Alto general contractor will create a secondary dwelling unit that shares a wall with your main residence. However, there will be no internal entrance, and you must go outside to access the ADU. Attached ADUs can share the utilities with the main house or have their own but should have separate living spaces.

Garage Conversion

As the name suggests, garage conversion involves transforming your garage into a fully-fledged apartment. Our ADU contractor in Palo Alto will help convert your garage into a homely space. ADU construction in your garage includes proper insulation, fitting heating, and cooling equipment, and connecting you to the water pipes.

Interior Conversions

An interior conversion involves building a full-blown apartment inside your home, often carved out in the attic or basement. You may not see it from the outside, but the ADU should be independent of the primary home.

Building a Custom ADU in Palo Alto

As a licensed ADU contractor in Palo Alto, we know our way around the legal and regulatory requirements of building an ADU. Castillo Remodeling is the go-to general contractor in Palo Alto, whether you want an extra master bedroom or an all-inclusive family suite.  That said, you need to consider some of these factors before deciding to build your ADU.

Reason for Building

Are you engaged in ADU construction in Palo Alto for an elderly person? Is it a multi-purpose living solution, a living haven for a special needs person, or a temporary home for a young adult that just returned from college?

Knowing the reason for building will help you customize the ADU according to your needs and preferences. Our expert ADU contractor in Palo Alto can help you build an accessory dwelling with limited mobility if it is for an elderly person. If it is for a person with special health needs, we can build an ADU with access to your main residence. On the other hand, young adults may need some independence while they are trying to get on their feet.

Type of Property You Own

The ADU that you build also depends on the type of property that it will sit on. Do you have a single-family, a multi-family residence, or a duplex?

According to California’s Government Code, a single-family residence can only build one ADU and a junior ADU (JADU) but with tight regulations. A JADU should be less than 500 square feet and within a single-family residence. If you have a multi-family residence or a duplex, you can build two detached ADUs and a JADU.

There are also several zoning requirements that you should meet when say, you are building a detached ADU in your backyard. Lacking the space to meet these requirements only means that you are unable to complete this project. A competent ADU contractor in Palo Alto will help you balance the space you have with your needs and preferences.

Special Needs Requirements

It is also crucial that you consider any special needs requirements before sitting with our ADU contractor in Palo Alto. If your house does not have a universal design, you need to consider accessibility when building an ADU for a person with a wheelchair.

A competent Palo Alto ADU contractor must consider implementing wider doors, a low storage set, and even sliding windows. Other ways to improve accessibility include using 45-degree corners, good lighting, and even circular study space for enhanced communication.

Building A Custom ADU

Our ADU Construction Process

More and more people are building ADUs in the City of Palo Alto thanks to the recently relaxed rules on the zoning of ADUs. You are at the right ADU contractor in Palo Alto If you seek to add a detached unit in your primary residence.

Our Palo Alto ADU construction experts will help you navigate all the laws, permits and construction process to create you an elegant accessory dwelling unit. From the initial inspection to construction, our general contractor in Palo Alto is best suited to handle your ADU construction needs. Here’s a quick look at our ADU building process.

Eligibility and Zoning checks

With many regulations surrounding the building of ADUs in California, it is prudent to find out if your property is eligible for ADU construction in Palo Alto.

Any accessory dwelling unit made by an ADU contractor in Palo Alto should be compliant with the Government Code Section 658525.2 and Ordinance No. 5507 of the city. You will also have to visit the zoning office, which will explain what you need depending on your residence’s features and lot size. But don’t worry, we’ll guide you through this.

Site Inspection

Our ADU Contractor in Palo Alto will use the report from the zoning office and inspect your residence to confirm eligibility. The ADU construction experts will use Palo Alto’s ADU checklist to give you a practical analysis of your proposed ADU.

A site inspection seeks to ensure that the ADU you build is in line with the City’s Building Code. Our Palo Alto ADU contractor will also review your utilities to get a clear scope of the whole project. Some of the eligibility requirements for ADU construction include:

  1. Number of Units– This is one of the crucial ADU eligibility requirement. Ordinance No. 5507 outlines the number of ADU units you can construct in the City of Palo Alto. It only allows you to build one ADU, whether attached or detached, and a JADU regardless of whether you have a single or multi-family residence.
  2. Size– The minimum size for an accessory dwelling unit or a JADU in Palo Alto is 150 square feet. You can build an ADU with a maximum size of 900 square feet or 1000 square feet if your lot size can accommodate two or more bedrooms. However, the maximum size for a JADU in Palo Alto is 500 square feet.
  3. Maximum height– Our ADU contractor in Palo Alto will have to constrict your ADU to the maximum height, which is 30 feet for a residential estate or 25 feet for an open space. Any other eligible area has a maximum height of 16 feet.
  4. Setbacks- Any detached ADU should maintain a distance of three feet or more from the main residence. No external portion of the ADU of JADU should encroach into the main residence’s setback. Windows, ventilation systems, doors, and other projections should also not encroach the house’s setback except roof eaves, which should only reach two feet.
  5. Design and privacy- Your entrance of your ADU should not face the same direction as the entranceway of the main residence. The only exception for a Palo Alto ADU is a house on a corner lot. In case you are building two ADUs, the second story doors and decks need not face each other to guarantee you some privacy. Castillo Remodeling recognizes the need for privacy when remodeling homes, even for ADUs.
  6. Parking- There is no need to replace your parking if you are looking to convert or construct your garage or carport to an ADU. You will only need to replace your parking if you convert an existing garage to a Junior ADU.

Design and Consultation

After ensuring that your property is eligible for ADU construction, we will measure and create you a stylish ADU. Our ADU contractor in Palo Alto will use 3D software to create you a site plan that will determine how we will fit the ADU in your home. The Palo Alto ADU construction experts will also review the utilities to figure out how it will fit in the design.

Castillo Remodeling will present these design and plans to you for approval. The plans will be reviewed and refined to ensure that our ADU contractor in Palo Alto gives you just what you need.

Applying Building Permits

Every ADU construction in the City of Palo Alto should only begin once a building permit is given. You will have to fill out the building permit application and the single family residential utility service application. Please note that you will also have to record a deed restriction to assert that you will not sell the junior accessory dwelling unit separate from the main residence. Upon inspection and approval, our ADU contractor in Palo Alto will begin construction before 180 days subside.

You may also need other permits for your ADU project, which may include heating and cooling, plumbing, electrical, and roofing permits. The good thing is that our Palo Alto ADU contractor will help you through the whole permit application process.

Construction and Final Inspection

Construction of your ADU in Palo Alto will start immediately we get all the required local permits. Our ADU contractor in Palo Alto will start by preparing the site for the construction. We will demolish, clear and even grade the site as we start laying down the foundation works.

Our ADU construction specialists will frame the building structures, install fittings & fixtures, set you up with new appliances and quality interior décor.

Inspection is also an integral part of the construction process, and our Palo Alto ADU contractor will help you schedule all the preliminary and final inspections. You will need to schedule inspections as the foundation, roofing, and plumbing/electrical stage.

Potential State Grants and Funding for ADUs

ADUs will offer you a plethora of benefits but this does not mean they will come at a cheap cost. Luckily, you can get access to funding and state grants that will allow you to build your accessory dwelling unit. Here are some of the funding options for residents of the City of Palo Alto.

  1. CalHFA ADU Grant Program– With the CalHFA ADU grant, you can get up to $40,000 to cater to predevelopment costs when constructing your ADU.
  2. CalHome Program– Public corporations and nonprofits get the funds from the state for home buyers that purchase a home with an ADU. You can also get funds for renovation and reconstruction of ADUs of JADUs .
  3. Regional Early Action Planning (EARP)– With the EARP program, the state offers grants to entities that engage in house planning and other housing activities.
  4. Local Early Action Planning (LEAP) Grants- The government code mandates the state to offer partnerships to those planning, building or renovating an ADU.
  5. Local Housing Trust Fund Program- With the LHTF program, the state matches trust funds that you can use to build, repair, or renovate ADUs and JADUs.

Frequently Asked Questions

You will have to fill out the ADU checklist confirming whether your property is eligible for the construction of an ADU. The good thing is that our ADU contractor in Palo Alto will help you with that.

Yes, you can get a prefabricated ADU but this is not always recommended since they will not meet your preferences and tastes. A good Palo Alto ADU contractor can help you build a custom accessory dwelling unit.

Yes, you are allowed to rent out your Palo Alto ADU but there are some restrictions to this. For example, you cannot rent out your ADU or JADU for short terms stays such as an AirBnB.

An ADU or a JADU is often a good investment with an attractive ROI. Homeowners who build an ADU can see an ROI of up to 35% when their ADU increases in resale value.

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