ADU Before & After in Sacramento, CA
You can read about ADU construction all day, but nothing tells the story like standing in a finished space that used to be a cluttered garage or a dead patch of side yard. Below are real scenarios we’ve handled across Sacramento neighborhoods, from Oak Park to East Sacramento to Natomas. Each one shows the starting point, the work, and the finished product. Photos help, but the numbers matter too, so we include them where it counts.
Recent Transformations
Detached Backyard ADU in East Sacramento
The lot had a narrow side yard that wasn’t doing much except growing weeds and collecting old fence boards. We set a 650-square-foot detached unit at the rear, keeping it off the property line by the four feet Sacramento zoning requires. The build took about six months from permit to final inspection, and the homeowners now rent it for roughly $1,900 a month, which covers most of their original mortgage. Total project cost landed near $175,000, including a James Hardie siding package that holds up fine against Sacramento’s summer heat.
Garage Conversion into a JADU in Oak Park
The garage was what you’d expect in a 1940s Oak Park home: cracked slab, no insulation, and a roll-up door that hadn’t been opened in years. A JADU, or junior accessory dwelling unit, lets you convert existing space inside the house footprint, which skips a lot of the setback headaches. We framed an interior wall to separate the unit from the main house, added a kitchenette and its own bathroom, and the whole thing came in around $85,000. That’s on the lower end for Sacramento because the structure already existed, the electrical just needed a subpanel rather than a full service upgrade.
Prefab ADU by Abodu in Natomas
This homeowner liked the idea of a prefab unit because site time is shorter and the price is locked before the factory starts cutting. Abodu builds the shell off-site, then a crane sets it in the backyard over a day or two. Our crew handled the foundation, utility connections, and all the site work, and we’re familiar enough with Abodu’s specs that the permitting conversation with the city moved faster than it would for a fully custom plan. Total investment was about $190,000 with the unit, and the owner’s daughter moved in about four months after we broke ground.
Attached Addition ADU in Tahoe Park
The house had a covered patio running along the back that nobody used, because Sacramento afternoons turn it into an oven. We enclosed it, insulated it properly, and tied it into the existing roofline, adding about 480 square feet of living space. An attached ADU shares a wall with the main house, which saves money on plumbing and electrical runs compared to a detached build. This one cost $145,000 and functions as a long-term rental for a traveling nurse at UC Davis Med Center, about a ten-minute drive away.
Boxabl Unit on a Vacant Lot in South Natomas
The lot sat empty for years. The owner inherited it and didn’t want to sell, but Sacramento County taxes on vacant land don’t pay themselves. We worked with a Boxabl unit, which folds out on site, and our portion was the foundation, utilities, and finish trim. The all-in number was roughly $110,000, and the unit rents for $1,600 a month to a young couple who work downtown. For a flat lot with decent access, this is one of the fastest ways to get rentable square footage in the city.
Backyard Cottage in Curtis Park
Curtis Park has the kind of lots where a second unit in the back feels natural, like it’s always been there. This was a full stick-built cottage, about 500 square feet with a small porch. We matched the paint and trim to the main house, which matters in a neighborhood where the older homes have real character. Total cost was $210,000, the higher end for a unit this size, because the lot required pier-and-grade-beam foundation work under a mature oak tree. Sacramento’s tree protection rules are strict, and we didn’t trim a single root without the arborist’s sign-off.
Want Results Like These?
Every project above started with a conversation about what would actually fit on the lot, what it would cost, and how long it would take. You’ll get a written price before any work starts, and a written guarantee under our 365-Day Done Right Promise before the first nail goes in. Call (279) 256-1973 to schedule a free estimate from Russ Delmar and the Lodgewick ADU Sacramento team.
Written by Russ Delmar, Owner at Lodgewick ADU Sacramento, serving Sacramento since 2010.
