From concept to completion: What to know before building an ADU in Stanislaus County
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A 2016 state law requires local governments to allow for accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, projects in housing zones including single-family parcels.
ADUs sometimes are called tiny homes, mother-in-law suites, or guest houses, and more are being built in Stanislaus County. In unincorporated areas of the county, 64 ADUs were built in 2023 compared to just 13 in 2019.
What do these homes look like, and how easy are they to complete?
Having never built a house before, real estate agent Alex Simon, 38, wasn’t sure how the process would go.
But it “was surprisingly fast, much easier than I expected,” he said. “Make sure you get a good contractor and an engineer. Just do a lot of research.”
In six months in 2022, Simon was able to draw custom plans, pull permits and construct his ADU.
He credits his builder, Josh Alvarez of JA Design, for making the process efficient. Coming in at about 900 square feet, the two-bedroom, two-bath unit looks like a modern cottage and sits on the same parcel as his single-family investment property in Modesto.
Simon rents out the unit for around $2,000 a month.
“It’s the perfect size for a couple just starting out, or parents. I have a mother and son there now and they feel very at home there,” he said.
While the process went smoothly overall, Simon said he was surprised when the dwelling required solar — a cost he had not budgeted for in his original plan.
California requires solar panels on all ADUs that are nonmanufactured and detached from main homes. The solar panels cost about $9,000, bringing his total to around $200,000.
Here are some of the estimated costs incurred on the project:
Permitting and fees- $22,000
Construction- $18,000
Plumbing- $8,500
Electrical- $9,000
Solar panels- $9,500
Couple build home for aging parents
Burt and Aurora Skurtun encountered more bumps in their ADU building journey than Simon did.
“Building a two-bedroom house is sobering, but having this opportunity is huge. We feel fortunate that we are able to do this,” Aurora Skurtun said.
The Skurtuns started the process in May 2023 and sought to build a home for her aging parents.
While Simon’s permit approval went smoothly, Aurora said theirs took a few months. Simon opted to draw his plans for the unit, while the Skurtuns chose one of the plans provided by Stanislaus County.
Using the preapproved plans, the Skurtuns saved around $5,000. But in hindsight, because of the delays and unknown total costs for the whole project, Aurora would have opted to acquire the plans from the builder.
“The county only releases a portion of the overall plans and will not release the full specs until a permit is filed,” she said. “But our builder can’t properly give a full estimate without seeing the full plans. So it’s this Catch-22, we had to just estimate and hoped it all worked out.”
The Skurtuns finally broke ground in October 2023 and anticipate completing their two-bedroom, one-bath, 900-square-foot home next month. The Skurtuns credit their builder, Ryan Riner of Red River Construction, for making the building phase run smoothly and even making it exciting.
“Watching it be built has been fun,” Aurora said. “When things are happening, they happen fast. Our contractor is amazing. He has done a lot of great things that make it look unique, so it doesn’t look like a generic tract home.”
By opting for nine-foot ceilings height and 36-inch-wide doors, to possibly accommodate wheelchairs if needed in the future, the home feels roomy and airy.
Like Simon, the Skurtuns were surprised by the solar power requirement. They already have solar in their home and thought it would exempt them, but because the ADU is a new build, with its own power box, it had to have separate panels. .
Their total to date is around $277,000.
Here are some of the estimated costs incurred on the project:
Flooring - $40,000
HVAC - $40,000
Interior painting - $10,000
The Skurtuns offer the same advice as Simon when undertaking an ADU project. “Have patience and find a good contractor,” Aurora said. “That is the key — having someone who knows how to face all the challenges and permitting issues. There are so many little things that can happen, but you need to go with the flow and work with someone who knows how to handle it all.”
