A free site visit, a check of what your lot allows and a written, line-item price.
Get your free estimateTrusted ADU Builders for Sacramento Homeowners
Sacramento homeowners are adding accessory dwelling units faster than almost any market in California, and for good reason: a well-built ADU turns an underused backyard or garage into income, housing for aging parents, or space for adult kids who can’t afford a Sacramento mortgage. The catch is that finding an ADU builder who shows up, prices honestly, and stands behind the work has been harder than getting a permit through the city. That’s exactly why Russ Delmar started Lodgewick ADU Sacramento in 2010, under the Kingswell family of home-service companies. We build ADUs, garage conversions, and home additions the Kingswell Way: a written price before any work starts, a real arrival window, a clean job site, and The Kingswell Guarantee in writing on every project. Call (279) 256-1973 to talk with a live person about your lot, your budget, and what’s actually possible.
Key Takeaways
- A detached ADU in Sacramento typically runs $180,000 to $350,000; a garage conversion usually lands between $90,000 and $180,000.
- Lodgewick provides a written price before any work starts, every time. No door-knock price changes, ever.
- Every project includes the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the work isn’t right, we come back and make it right, for free.
- We work with Abodu, Cover, Dvele, and James Hardie products, matched to your lot and budget rather than pushed on you.
- A real person answers our phones 24/7. No voicemail loops, no chatbots.
ADU Construction
ADU Construction in Sacramento means building a fully permitted, independent living unit on your existing property – a second home with its own kitchen, bathroom, sleeping area, and address – without buying a new lot. Most ADU Builders in Sacramento see homeowners who want rental income, a place for family, or a long-term investment on land they already own. Lodgewick ADU Sacramento handles the entire ADU construction process from soil test to final inspection under The Kingswell Guarantee, with most Sacramento ADU construction projects costing between $90,000 for a garage conversion and $350,000 for a larger detached unit.
Site Prep and Foundation Work
Sacramento’s clay-heavy soil in neighborhoods like South Land Park and Hollywood Park expands and contracts with the rainy season, so we test soil compaction before any concrete goes down. Our crews pour engineered slabs with proper moisture barriers, and we inspect the formwork before the concrete truck arrives so there are no surprises buried under your ADU.
Framing Through Finish
Once the foundation passes inspection, framing moves fast – most Sacramento ADUs reach weathered-in stage within three to four weeks. We walk you through the rough opening stage while walls are open, so you can see the electrical and plumbing before drywall covers everything. That level of transparency is standard for us, not an upgrade.
Detached ADU
A Detached ADU is a standalone dwelling unit built in your backyard, separate from the main house, with its own entrance, kitchen, bathroom, and usually its own utility connections. ADU Builders - Carmichael and Sacramento homeowners choose detached ADUs when they want full privacy for a tenant or family member, when the garage is too far gone to convert, or when the lot is deep enough to add a unit without sacrificing the yard. Lodgewick ADU Sacramento builds detached ADUs in Sacramento for between $180,000 and $350,000 depending on size, site conditions, and materials, always with a written price locked in before the first dig.
Setbacks, Easements, and Lot Constraints
Sacramento’s zoning rules changed substantially in 2023, but every lot in neighborhoods like Tahoe Park, Curtis Park, and Greenhaven has its own challenges: irrigation easements, PG&E lines, driveway access, and tree protection zones. We survey the lot, pull the zoning worksheet from the city, and give you a buildable area map before you commit a dollar to design.
Prefab vs. Stick-Built Detached Units
We build both ways. A stick-built detached ADU gives you total design flexibility and often holds up better to Sacramento Valley heat, while a prefab unit from Abodu or Cover can cut months off your timeline. We quote both options side by side on the same lot so you can make the decision with real numbers, not a sales pitch.
JADU
A JADU, or Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit, is a smaller living unit created within the existing footprint of your home – typically a bedroom converted into a studio with a kitchenette and its own entrance – that cannot exceed 500 square feet under California law. Sacramento homeowners use JADUs when they want rental income or multigenerational housing without building new square footage, and the cost is dramatically lower than a detached ADU. Lodgewick ADU Sacramento converts spare bedrooms and bonus rooms into permitted JADUs for between $30,000 and $70,000, including the kitchenette, private entrance, and all city inspections.
JADU vs. ADU: Which Makes Sense
A JADU typically takes two to three months from permit to final, while a detached ADU takes six to nine months. A JADU also has lower impact fees in the City of Sacramento and usually doesn’t require a separate meter. If maximizing rental income is the goal, an ADU usually wins on square footage; if housing a parent affordably is the goal, a JADU often wins on speed.
Shared Walls and Sound Isolation
Because a JADU shares a wall with your main living space, we install sound-isolating insulation and a second-layer drywall system on the shared wall. It’s a small detail that keeps a rental unit from feeling like a roommate situation. We also add a separate locking entrance so your tenant or family member comes and goes without walking through your living room.
ADU Plans
ADU Plans are the architectural drawings and engineering documents required by the City of Sacramento to permit and build an accessory dwelling unit, including site plans, floor plans, elevations, structural calculations, and Title 24 energy reports. Without a complete, code-compliant set of ADU plans, the city will not issue a permit, and incomplete or sloppy plans cause plan-check delays that cost weeks. Lodgewick ADU Sacramento produces or procures complete ADU plans for every project, and we quote the full cost including drawings up front so you never pay a surprise design fee halfway through.
City of Sacramento Plan Check Process
Sacramento’s plan check runs anywhere from four to eight weeks for a standard ADU, depending on the season and completeness of the submission. We submit electronically and handle every plan-check comment from the city ourselves, so a redline from a reviewer never stalls your project. Our plans go in clean the first time because we’ve been through hundreds of Sacramento plan reviews.
Working With Pre-Approved Plans
Some Sacramento homeowners save money by using pre-approved ADU plan sets available from the city or from manufacturers like Abodu and Cover. We can adapt a pre-approved plan to your lot, saving $8,000 to $15,000 in architectural fees compared to a fully custom design. We’ll tell you honestly when a pre-approved plan fits your lot and when it doesn’t.
ADU Contractor
An ADU Contractor is the licensed general contractor who manages the entire ADU build – permits, subs, inspections, schedule, and budget – from the day you sign to the day you turn the key. Sacramento homeowners need an ADU contractor the moment a plan set is ready, because coordinating electrical, plumbing, HVAC, insulation, drywall, roofing, and finish work without a general contractor is how projects die. Lodgewick ADU Sacramento is the ADU contractor that puts every commitment in writing, including the 365-Day Done Right Promise, before we ever swing a hammer.
Why General Contractors Avoid ADUs
Most general contractors in Sacramento make their living on kitchens and baths, where schedules are short and change orders are common. ADUs are heavier lifts: they require a full set of new utility runs, stricter energy codes, and months of coordination. We built our business on ADUs specifically, so we don’t treat your project as a side job between remodels.
How We Manage Subs and Inspections
Every subcontractor on our Sacramento ADU jobs is background-checked and wears a Lodgewick uniform, so you always know who is on your property and why. We schedule every inspection – foundation, rough framing, insulation, electrical, plumbing, final – and we’re on site for each one. The inspection record and permit closeout are part of your final package, not a courtesy.
ADU Design
ADU Design is the process of shaping your accessory dwelling unit around your lot, your budget, and what you actually need from the space – studio or two-bedroom, rental or family housing, modern or craftsman – before construction documents are drawn. Sacramento homeowners often come to us with a rough idea and leave with a buildable, budget-match design that works on their specific lot. Lodgewick ADU Sacramento provides ADU design as part of every build, and we use materials from Abodu, Cover, Dvele, and James Hardie to hit the right look at the right price.
Designing for Sacramento’s Climate
Sacramento hits triple digits every summer and drops into the 30s on winter nights, so we design ADUs with high-performance insulation, attic ventilation, and window placement that keeps afternoon heat out and winter sun in. A well-designed Sacramento ADU should stay under 78 degrees on a 100-degree day without the air conditioner running constantly. We also position mini-split units where they cool the largest open area, not just the bedroom corner.
Matching the Main House Without Copying It
Your ADU should look like it belongs on the property, but it doesn’t have to be a miniature version of your house. In neighborhoods like East Sacramento and Land Park, we often design craftsman-style ADUs that echo the main home’s roof pitch and trim details without cloning it. James Hardie siding and trim give you the same look as wood, but they hold up to Sacramento sun without warping or repainting every few years.
Backyard ADU
A Backyard ADU is exactly what it sounds like: a detached living unit built in the rear yard of your Sacramento home, usually where the lawn, garden, or old shed used to be. This is the most popular ADU type for ADU Builders in Mather and Sacramento because it adds real, rentable square footage without touching the main house. Lodgewick ADU Sacramento builds backyard ADUs in Sacramento for $180,000 to $350,000, and we bring the same written-price, written-guarantee approach to every single one.
Backyard Prep: What Has to Happen First
Before framing starts, we locate and cap old sprinkler lines, remove any tree roots inside the build footprint, and compact the soil beneath the slab. In Sacramento’s Natomas basin, we also check the lot’s flood zone and any levee-related requirements that affect foundation height. Skipping these steps is how backyard ADUs develop cracks and drainage problems within two years.
Utility Runs and Trenching
Your backyard ADU needs water, sewer, gas or electric, and a separate electrical panel feed from the main service. Trenching across a Sacramento backyard can add $5,000 to $14,000 depending on distance and soil, and we quote that cost before you sign rather than springing it on you as a change order later. The trenching is inspected by the city, and we restore your yard after backfill, including re-seeding where needed.
Brands We Service
We work hands-on with ADU products from Abodu, Cover, Dvele, and James Hardie, and we’ve installed or finished units from each of these manufacturers on Sacramento lots. Abodu units deliver as turnkey studio or one-bedroom modules that we set on a prepared foundation and finish on site – a strong option when your timeline is tight and your lot access is clear. Cover builds panelized systems with custom configurations, and we handle the site-built foundation, utility connections, and finish work around their panels.
Dvele produces high-performance, energy-focused units, and we’ve seen their systems perform well in Sacramento’s hot, dry summers. James Hardie fiber-cement siding and trim is our standard exterior material recommendation for Sacramento ADUs because it resists cracking, warping, and termite damage better than wood. Whether you’ve selected one of these brands already or you’re still weighing options, we can match the right system to your lot, budget, and timeline without a manufacturer sales rep in the room.
Signs You Need a Pro Right Now
- Your price quote has language like “allowance” or “estimated.” That’s a contractor leaving room to charge you more later. The Kingswell Way means a written, fixed price before any work begins, and any deviation from that written price requires your signed approval. You should never discover a new line item on the final invoice.
- Your contractor can’t show you a sample of the guarantee, in writing. A verbal promise evaporates the first time something goes wrong. We hand you a written guarantee on every project before we start, and it names the 365-Day Done Right Promise specifically: if the work isn’t right, we return and make it right at no charge.
- You can’t get a straight answer on when the crew will show up. Sacramento homeowners tell us about contractors who ghost for weeks, then appear unannounced. We give you a defined arrival window and we call if anything shifts. Background-checked, uniformed technicians are on your job, not a rotating cast of unknown subs.
- Your ADU design keeps growing in scope. What started as a studio becomes a two-bedroom, and suddenly the budget is 40 percent higher. That’s a design process without a budget anchor. We design to a written budget ceiling from day one and flag every choice that pushes you over.
- You’re calling a phone number and getting voicemail, every time. A contractor who won’t answer the phone during the bidding phase is telling you what the construction phase will feel like. Our phones are answered by a live person 24/7 – call at 2 a.m. if you want and a person will answer.
Our Process, Step by Step
- 1
Call and get a real person. When you call (279) 256-1973, a live human answers, not a voicemail tree. We hear what you want from the ADU – rental income, family housing, office space – and we ask about the lot: where the backyard sits, where the garage is, what the access looks like.
- 2
Free site visit and lot assessment. Russ or one of our senior project leads walks the property with you. We check access for equipment, the location of existing utility lines, setback distances, and tree cover. You get our honest read on whether your lot is an easy ADU build or a complicated one, and why.
- 3
Written price before any work begins. Within days, we deliver a written, line-item price for your ADU – design, permits, site work, construction, utilities, finishes. Nothing is an estimate. That price holds unless you request a change, and the change requires your signature before it proceeds.
- 4
Plans, permits, and pre-construction. We produce the ADU plans, submit to the City of Sacramento, and handle plan-check comments. While the city reviews, we lock in your material selections from brands like Abodu, Cover, Dvele, and James Hardie, and we order everything with long lead times so nothing stalls the build.
- 5
Build, inspect, and hand over the keys. Construction runs on the schedule we gave you, with inspections called and passed at every stage. On the day we finish, we walk the entire unit with you, hand you your written guarantee and permit closeout, and tell you exactly what the 365-Day Done Right Promise covers. If anything is wrong in the next 365 days, we fix it, free.
How Much Does ADU Builders Cost in Sacramento?
A typical ADU build in Sacramento runs $180,000 to $350,000 for a detached unit, $90,000 to $180,000 for a garage conversion, and $30,000 to $70,000 for a JADU inside your existing home. The range is wide because Sacramento lots vary dramatically: a flat, open backyard in Natomas with easy utility access builds cheaper than a sloped lot in Land Park with tree protection and a long trench for utilities. Square footage matters most, but site conditions, material selections, and foundation type are close behind.
What affects the price: access for equipment, soil conditions, utility trench distance, whether you choose stick-built or prefab, and the level of interior finish – a builder-grade kitchen costs far less than custom cabinetry. To avoid overpaying, get a written, line-item price that includes design, permits, site work, construction, utilities, and finishes. A free estimate from Lodgewick ADU Sacramento includes all of that in writing, with no change orders and no allowances hiding anywhere in the document. Call (279) 256-1973 and we’ll do the same for your lot.
Our Service Area Near Sacramento
Lodgewick ADU Sacramento builds ADUs throughout Sacramento County and the surrounding communities, including Carmichael, Woodland, Gold River, North Highlands, Dixon, Galt, Winters, Rancho Murieta, and La Riviera. We also serve homeowners in Roseville and Folsom who want a Sacramento Valley builder with written pricing and a real guarantee. If you’re within about 45 minutes of downtown Sacramento, we can be on your lot this week to assess the site and start your free estimate. Not sure if we cover your address? Call and ask – a live person will tell you directly.
For larger projects, we work alongside our home team to keep everything under one guarantee. And if you’re exploring a full ADU build in Sacramento, this page covers the whole process from design through final inspection.
Serving Sacramento, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Sacramento area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
Frequently Asked Questions About ADU Builders in Sacramento
An ADU builder is a licensed general contractor who specializes in accessory dwelling units – detached backyard units, garage conversions, and JADUs built within an existing home. Unlike our ADU Builders in North Highlands or a general remodeler who occasionally takes on an ADU, a specialist handles the full scope: design, permits, utility runs, inspections, and final occupancy. Lodgewick ADU Sacramento has focused on ADUs since 2010, and every project carries The Kingswell Guarantee in writing.
A detached ADU in Sacramento typically takes six to nine months from design start to final inspection, while a JADU conversion usually runs two to three months. Plan check at the City of Sacramento accounts for roughly four to eight weeks of that timeline, and material lead times for windows, doors, and cabinetry can add additional weeks. We give you a written schedule at contract signing, and we update you in writing if anything shifts.
Plan on $180,000 to $350,000 for a detached ADU, $90,000 to $180,000 for a garage conversion, and $30,000 to $70,000 for a JADU. Those numbers include design, permits, site work, construction, utilities, and finishes, but every lot is different. Call (279) 256-1973 for a free, written, line-item estimate on your specific property.
Yes. We’ve set and finished Abodu units, installed Cover panelized systems, and completed Dvele builds on Sacramento lots. We know the foundation requirements, utility connection points, and finish details for each system, and we quote each option against stick-built so you choose with real numbers. We also stock James Hardie siding and trim as our standard exterior finish.
We can typically start design work and site assessment within a week of our first call, and we can file for permits as soon as your plan set is complete. The city’s plan check timeline is outside our control, but we submit clean plans to avoid delays. Call (279) 256-1973 and we’ll give you a realistic start date after hearing about your lot.
If any work we performed fails within 365 days of completion, we come back and fix it, free of charge. That covers workmanship, not normal wear and tear or damage from misuse. You get that promise in writing before we start, alongside your written price and written schedule.
Before we arrive for the site visit, clear the areas where an ADU might go so we can see the full lot: trim back overgrown hedges, move vehicles blocking side-yard access, and pull up old pavers or stored items in the build area. You don’t need to have design plans ready. We assess the lot, talk through your goals, and come back with a written price.
Schedule Your ADU Builders Service in Sacramento Today
The fastest way to get a real number for your Sacramento ADU is to call (279) 256-1973. A live person answers, day or night, and books your free site visit. You’ll get a written price before any work starts, a written guarantee on every project, and a straight answer about what your lot can support. No pressure, no voicemail loops, no price changes at the door.
Written by Russ Delmar, Owner at Lodgewick ADU Sacramento, serving Sacramento since 2010.
