fremont, CA · Member since 2016 · 41 posts · 3 votes
I was wondering what will be a cost of building an apartment quality 1000 sq ft. ADU unit (2 bed/2 bath/ 2 story) in the san francisco bay area. any inputs will be appreciated. I am looking for a quote for construction only excluding all the soft costs like architectural,engineering, permit, etc.
@Ike Ekeh Can vary a lot depending on the jurisdiction. I built an ADU in Albany, California last year. I have the exact numbers stored away, so here are some rough numbers from memory. ADU cost about $200k to build in hard costs.
There is no precise answer to your question, it depends on the design and lots of other factors. If you are looking for a rough idea to get an idea of feasibility then I would count on $350-450 per square foot. $450/sq.ft. would get you a nice design with high-end finishes. That does not include soft costs. Hope that helps.
@Ike Ekeh Can vary a lot depending on the jurisdiction. I built an ADU in Albany, California last year. I have the exact numbers stored away, so here are some rough numbers from memory. ADU cost about $200k to build in hard costs.
@Kent Baltare - Thanks for the recommendation. Have you used their services on any of your projects? I have real estate clients that might be interested but I am doing a ground-up 2-story building project because I want to keep my garage.
@Ken Buck - I am the most familiar with San Jose. They are very friendly to ADUs (most info can easily be found online) but there are limits on ADU sizes based on lot size and zoning. Most people can't build more than a 1 bedroom in downtown San Jose.
Also, the planning department is really, really backed up with all the new submittals here. I submitted in November and I still don’t have an approved plan. It took over 90 days for the first response. Fingers-crossed that there aren’t more delays due to the virus.
However, there are shortcuts in San Jose. They have pre-approved pre-fab plans with Abodu.com and prefabadu.com that cut down the cost and time for most residents.
All of this building is being pushed to help comply with all the planned tech development in downtown over the coming decade. The city desperately needs to increase its housing stock to balance this planned Commercial development.
@Brian Larson thanks for that...I did look at those prefabs...$200k for what appears to be 200sf but I didn't delve into it. I saw that it was a turn key number though. We make those out here possibly twice the size for about $50k, 2br-1bath
Just trying to learn more about the market. Really like doing townhomes, row homes, duplexes...see any opportunities for that?
@Ken Buck - I am the most familiar with San Jose. They are very friendly to ADUs (most info can easily be found online) but there are limits on ADU sizes based on lot size and zoning. Most people can't build more than a 1 bedroom in downtown San Jose.
Also, the planning department is really, really backed up with all the new submittals here. I submitted in November and I still don’t have an approved plan. It took over 90 days for the first response. Fingers-crossed that there aren’t more delays due to the virus.
However, there are shortcuts in San Jose. They have pre-approved pre-fab plans with Abodu.com and prefabadu.com that cut down the cost and time for most residents.
All of this building is being pushed to help comply with all the planned tech development in downtown over the coming decade. The city desperately needs to increase its housing stock to balance this planned Commercial development.
One of the 6 CA ADU regulations states that, exclusive of time the jurisdiction is waiting on stuff from you, if the plans are not approved in 60 days that they are automatically approved.
You were not clear if the 90 days included any time they were waiting on you, but if not then your plans are automatically approved.
@Dan H. - I hear you. It is a good point. Do you know anyone who actually went toe-to-toe with the local municipality on that point though? Let me know cuz I don't think someone would come out ahead.
Also, I would like to mention that my project is a complete ground-up build (2 story garage) with lots of site work. In other words, it is not something that can be approved over-the-counter with local planning. I have neighbors who have had similar issues getting plans approved. San Jose is probably one of the most pro-ADU environments but they have been overloaded with ADU project submittals.
@Dan H. - I hear you. It is a good point. Do you know anyone who actually went toe-to-toe with the local municipality on that point though? Let me know cuz I don't think someone would come out ahead.
Also, I would like to mention that my project is a complete ground-up build (2 story garage) with lots of site work. In other words, it is not something that can be approved over-the-counter with local planning. I have neighbors who have had similar issues getting plans approved. San Jose is probably one of the most pro-ADU environments but they have been overloaded with ADU project submittals.
I do not know anyone that has had to force it but note it has been less than 90 days since this regulation has been in effect. I have every confidence that the owner would come out ahead. Why? Because all the other regulations in the 6 ADU regulations are being forced on every jurisdiction successfully.
If it is an ADU, my belief is they have 60 days to process the plans (approve or reject) regardless if conversion or new stick built.
Contact HCD (they have an email you can find via google because BP does not permit posting email - I personally think there should be an exception for .gov domains but it is not my site). They can confirm if the 60 days applies in your case (I believe it does) and the steps to take (I suspect they will indicate that the plans are in effect approved but less certain of this). Also remember the 60 days excludes any time they were waiting on you for a response, etc.