Installing an Accessory Dwelling Unit in San Jose, CA

Installing an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) can increase your liveable space for uses such as a gym, an artist studio, or a home office. They also add value to your property and can create a separate living space for recent college grads or elderly relatives. They could even generate an income opportunity by using an ADU as a rental or downsizing into an ADU and renting out an existing home. For these reasons and more, they are an increasingly popular solution for many San Jose homeowners.

Why Build an ADU in San Jose?

With the increasing demand for affordable housing in the US, ADUs are one part of the solution to the challenges in the modern housing market. In 2017, San Jose promised to build 25,000 new housing units within five years. According to the San Jose Spotlight, the city needs to build 5,000 units a year to meet this goal. San Jose has been falling short of this number and has averaged around 2,400 new permits each year since 2017. Many believe the number has been falling short because the costs are still landing on the homeowners despite looser permit restrictions in recent years. To try to alleviate this issue, San Jose announced the launch of a program in May 2021 to provide short-term, 0% interest loans for building ADUs within the city limits. This loan would cover 100% of the permit and construction costs for homeowners. 20-30 qualifying applicants will receive the loan until this program is out of its pilot phase. The city plans to scale up this program as quickly as possible, making San Jose a new hotspot for ADU construction.

How Abodu Can Help You with Your San Jose ADU

Abodu handles the entire project with industry-leading concierge service. By partnering with the city of San Jose to cut red tape and oversee regulation compliance, Abodu creates a faster, easier, and more convenient way to get an ADU on your property. The turnkey availability and upfront pricing are invaluable in terms of cost and time. A traditional build typically takes at least a year because of permitting and construction. In that time, the project’s scope often expands, increasing the budget beyond the original estimate. With Abodu, an ADU can be finalized, delivered, and installed in about twelve weeks.

Pre-designed Product with Custom Elements

Abodu’s ADUs exceed industry design standards with spacious cathedral ceilings and full-sized living areas. From the striking architectural features to the quality of the details, the home is built to feel luxurious yet comfortable. World-renowned architects create a beautiful template with enough room for custom design elements like roofing, siding, and appliances.

Abodu Homeowner Testimonials

Many San Jose residents have already worked with Abodu to bring extra space and comfort to their homes. Read the client testimonials below to see why these residents were satisfied with the Abodu experience.

Vu-bang: Scandinavian inspiration in his backyard

Vu-Bang works on housing policy in San Jose. With his firm, he streamlined the process for the cities of Napa and Sonoma to plan for ADUs. After hundreds of hours of researching, he discovered Abodu’s simple Scandinavian design, only to be surprised that Abodu was based in the Bay Area and has pre-approved housing plans with the city of San Jose. Abodu helped Vu-Bang and his family adjust their housing needs and allow his parents to age in place in a beautiful Abodu One model. They have a spacious backyard with plenty of natural landscape, so they chose a beautiful wrap-around deck, maximizing the living space and taking full advantage of the beautiful Northern California weather.

Jeff and Flora: An oasis from the chaos

Jeff and Flora chose Abodu because of the aggressive timeline and premiere concierge service, including end-to-end project management services. Abodu handles the logistics and the construction, from the home visit to the foundation to the delivery and installation. Flora explains that with Abodu, “It’s a worry-free way to have an ADU built for your backyard. Everything is laid out, and there are no surprises along the way.” The units are built offsite, so it only takes two weeks for the team to install them in your backyard. With the whole family working and learning remotely, the minimal amount of construction means fewer interruptions and the quickest possible turnaround. They love the flexible space Abodu One brings, providing a home office and a place for friends and family to stay when visiting.

Joyce: New horizons

Joyce is proud to be an Abodu homeowner and loves giving tours of her Abodu One. Her favorite design detail about the house is the indoor-outdoor flow created by the accordion folding La Cantina doors. In addition to the increased living space and sleek modern design, she loves that people’s initial reaction of walking in and being immediately impressed by the simple beauty of the home. Part of the draw for her is the simplicity of the process. The details can be overwhelming, and Abodu’s one-stop-shop setup alleviates decision fatigue and eliminates long to-do lists. While her original intention was to rent it out, she has been utilizing the extra space as a yoga studio, a workout room, and most recently as a ‘zoom room.’ She enjoys walking through the bougainvilleas on the way to meditate on her sun-filled San Jose deck.

Todd and Jen: Bringing the hive together

Todd, a beekeeper, and his wife, Jen, are happy to bring the hive together with their one-bedroom ADU for Jen’s mother. Jen says, “It’s really nice to have her so close and know she’s safe.” They love that she is close enough for daily visits with the kids and still has her own space as well. The whole family loves the natural light pouring into the room from the high ceilings and bright windows, creating a light and airy atmosphere. For Todd, the experience of designing their home and then watching it come to fruition as it landed in their San Jose backyard was one of a kind.

Dan: The ‘awe factor’

When Dan bought his home in San Jose, the backyard was largely unused and full of potential. In shopping for a back house option, Dan was immediately struck by the ‘awe factor’ of the Abodu One design. With three pitches to its roof, big windows, and a La Cantina accordion folding door, it’s the perfect way to enjoy his backyard deck in sunny San Jose. For him, the appeal of Abodu compared to a custom build was eliminating the time and hassle involved with permitting. He was impressed with the transparency and efficiency of the concierge service from start to finish, saying, “What was promised was what was delivered.”

Learn More about Installing an ADU in San Jose

Abodu’s ADU installation process allows homeowners to create extra living space in their backyard while avoiding the hassle of getting the proper permits and dealing with the construction process.