Build a tiny home as a small ADU.
Provide additional space or income for your family. Grow your family wealth with increased property value on the property you already own.
Starting at $178,500
264 sq ft
*Financing available on request.
studio, 1Bath
Add a backyard home and enjoy more space for family, friends or passive income. We guide you – from idea to permit, from permit to a move-in ready house. We save you 25% in time and 10% in costs*.
*Average savings
The homeowners were looking to maximize the size of the ADU while still leaving the space for backyard entertainment with the family.
The size of this ADU was determined by the distance to the property lines, distance to the walls of the main house, and backyard landscape.
A bigger bathroom accommodates the necessary area for a wheelchair turnaround if it is ever needed, has a spacious “walk-in” shower.
The open space living room and kitchen area has high ceilings with a sliding door looking into the backyard.
The project has been completed for $170,000 and is currently rented out for $2,400 (September, 2023).
We will guide you on what it needs to have to pass the local building inspection. The style, traditional or contemporary, the colors – are all for you to choose from our curated selection of materials and vendors.
Are you wondering how small ADUs can be? The minimum ADU size is 150 sq ft.
We will spend a lot of time with you on detailed and thoughtful planning of your tiny home. Here, every inch truly counts.
Some features of tiny homes are obvious. Use white to make the space look bigger. Use lots of windows to make the space feel bigger. Use natural materials because they tend to make us feel good.
Some features are less obvious and need careful planning.
Your island can double up as your office. Stairs can hide drawers for your shoes – make sure to check the size of regular off the shelf drawers not to break the bank on custom furniture.
Shelves, drawers and cabinets should be sized for your personal belongings. The height of shelves differs depending on what you plan to keep there – tea cups or folders.
Some rooms benefit from high ceilings. It is almost always the case with the living room. However a bedroom and a bathroom can be 8 feet high. This gives you space for a loft above to be used as you wish. Mind the steps.
Some spaces need additional privacy. Clever use of dividers lets you separate spaces without overwhelming it with walls or slab doors.
We know 150 American and 50 European prefab home manufacturers, local Architects, and Builders. We will fit you with the best solution, saving you weeks of time. Prefab or custom site built – we have done both. Small space, an odd-shaped lot? We have options for you to choose from. We have experience permitting ADUs and other accessory structures in many Bay Area jurisdictions and will get your permits faster.
We cut out inefficiencies, delays, and permitting problems out of the process.
We make no compromises on building materials and finishes, giving you a more energy-efficient, higher quality home.
We handle the site assessment and decision analysis, and give you the best solution for the best price.
When I started on this journey, I was a total beginner. With this team I was much more confident in my decisions.
When your future ADU is by a creek or has an easement next to it, is in WUI zone or has to be ADA accessible, or all four as was our case – there is no way a homeowner can figure it out on their own. You want this team on your side.
I really appreciate Olesia and her team for review and advice. The project moved much faster than if I was doing it all by myself.
Demand for non-IRC tiny homes, either stand-alone or backyard dwellings, has been rising significantly since the pandemic, as the “work from home” and some homeowners looked for affordable space.
We have see the success of the Tiny Homes Fests across California to confirm that there is a huge interest in tiny houses.
Along with the rest of the housing market, however, the costs are rising.
Tiny homes are generally designated as being under 400 square feet, but the average size of a tiny house for sale in the U.S. is actually just 225 square feet and built on a trailer with wheels and does not meet the stringent building codes regular new housing has to meet.
In fact, some tiny houses are simply built using a garden shed as their starting point.
One problem many tiny house on wheels owners are finding especially annoying is this: after they have parked their home on someone’s property, hooked up all the utilities from the main residence, and then they are learning the local zoning code doesn’t allow a tiny house to be parked there.
Fortunately, this is also starting to change. Santa Clara County has officially allowed to place tiny homes in the backyards.
San Jose followed suit:
A tiny home on wheels (THOW) may be installed on a property with a single-family home, subject to complying with Zoning Code standards and obtaining a building permit.
For San Jose residents, THOW is a detached self-contained unit intended for separate, independent living quarters for one household, designed and built to look like a conventional building structure, and which includes basic functional areas that support normal daily routines such as cooking, sleeping, toilet, and bathing facilities. So, no shortcuts like an outdoor shower. And naturally, it has to be licensed and registered with the California Department of Motor Vehicles, meet the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) 119.5 requirements or the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1192 standards, and certified for ANSI or NFPA compliance by a qualified third-party inspector.