ADU Cost

The ADU Cost Breakdown You Need

Virginia Home Design

Building an ADU is like building a tiny home. You wouldn’t just start building a home without figuring out all the costs associated with it first. The same goes for ADUs. That is why we put together this ADU cost breakdown you need to budget out your ADU development.

Design And Planning

The first section of costs involves the designing and planning of your ADU. This section is quite important because depending on the level of details and how well you plan everything out, it can either save you or cost you more money down the line.

This stage involves designing how you want your ADU to look, as well as taking care of some more technical aspects such as:

  • Energy calculations
  • Land surveys
  • Architectural drawings

The level of intricacy will determine the overall price. However, this stage usually costs between $6,000.00 to $14,000.00.

City Fees

City fees are fixed fees that you must pay to your city to build your ADU. They will vary from city to city but there is not much you can do to lessen them for yourself. These fees include things like:

  • Impact fees – for certain sizes
  • Utility fees
  • Building permit

They usually cost between $3,000.00 to $11,000.00.

Construction Labor and Material Costs

ADU construction estimates will vary from contractor to contractor. Different things influence the cost of construction labor such as:

  • Structure type
  • Size
  • Conditions of property
  • Conditions of the existing structure (if it is a garage conversion)
  • Distance and location of utility connections
  • Design and plans

Usually, though, construction labor and material costs will be between $250.00 to $300.00 per square foot for a new construction unit. For a conversion, it will cost between $175.00-$225.00 per square foot.

Finish Material Costs

The final section of costs is for finish materials. These include things like:

  • Cabinetry
  • Doors
  • Flooring
  • Stone
  • Tile
  • Windows

Your design tastes will determine how much you spend in this section. Usually, though, finish materials costs between $50.00 to $75.00 per square foot.