Plan descriptions #
Your description should describe your plan and its notable features. This is in the main description on the listing for your plan, so consider carefully what might be included. This field has a limit of 1000 characters. We recommend including the following:
- Description of layout
- Description of architectural style
- A webpage for the design (if available)
- If this plan has been permitted and constructed anywhere
- Possible customization options (keep in mind limitations on customization when a plan is pre-approved)
- What is included in the design
- Whatever else makes it a unique design
Example Site-built ADU Plan Description #
Ingeniously slim, this bright and airy 414 sq ft ADU can be oriented toward or away from the main residence to get the best combination of views and privacy. The high ceiling in the living area with clerestory windows bring more volume and more light into the space. As always, all of our signature Universal Design elements like curbless showers, zero threshold doors, and a spacious bathroom are featured in this compact footprint, making a home that is accessible to all. This is one of our most popular floor plans and we have pre-designed versions with different rooflines, different footprints, and different exteriors.
Example Prefab ADU Plan Description #
At 460sf, the Connect 1 is the smallest ADU Connect Homes currently offers. Originally designed for a fire relief village Habitat for Humanity Sonoma built after Tubbs Fires (two were installed), the Connect 1 is a perfect guest house – an elegant one-bedroom, one-bath footprint complete with glassy, open-concept living. Because it’s built with an all-steel moment frame, glass can be placed anywhere on the perimeter walls. It is one of Connect Homes’ most popular models. Because it is a single module, it ships from the Connect Homes factory 100% complete. Please see Connect website [LINKED] for full specification, feature list, and pricing.
Images #
We require all uploaded images to be at least 1280px wide x 720px tall. If your image close in size, you can resize in a program like Photoshop or an online photo editor. Otherwise, please locate higher resolution images, or re-export rendering images at a larger size.
The featured image is the first thing a homeowner will see about your ADU as they scroll through the ADU Plans Gallery, so choose a high quality, eye-catching example of your work. The featured image should be an exterior view that showcases the best architectural features of the ADU, unobstructed by trees or other buildings, from a pedestrian perspective. Avoid fish-eye or overhead images, images with low light, and images where the view of the ADU is obstructed or far away. This image can be a photo, rendering, or sketch.
Gallery images can be selected to help homeowners visualize what it would be like to live in the ADU. These can be images that showcase distinct architectural features, demonstrate how rooms and spaces connect, or suggest a layout for furniture and decor. These images do not have to be perfectly staged, but they should give the homeowner a further sense of both interior and exterior architectural style and what it would be like to call this ADU home.
Floorplans will help prospective clients understand the basics of the plan and make sure it’s a good fit for their needs. Choose a high quality image with clean lines, clearly labeled walls and features, and approximate measurements. Your floorplan can identify smaller characteristics like a suggested location for windows or furniture, but avoid visually overwhelming the viewer with too much information.
Cost to use this plan #
Note: This field applies only to site-built plans.
Cost to use this plan is the amount that homeowners will pay to license the plans from you, not including any additional support services. In the past, designers have priced this relatively low as a loss leader for additional design services like site design, plan customization, and permitting support. For that pricing structure, we would recommend pricing this plan between 5% and 10% of the cost for you to develop the plan.
Other designers who are less interested or available for those support services tend to price their plans between 10% and 20% of the cost to develop their plan, hoping to cover those expenses as well as pre-approval fees.
We also recommend mission-based pricing (which we consider to be below $1,000) to allow a wider number of homeowners to access your plan and increasing the affordability of that ADU.
Construction cost estimates #
We recommend using a rough starting point of $250 (low range) to $450 (high range) per square foot which includes construction and other costs (design, fees, etc.). The actual number can vary and depends on many factors. For prefabricated ADUs, this estimate should include the total final cost, including delivery and installation.
Low-range estimates help homeowners compare the costs and benefits of your plan and give a useful point of comparison between different plans. Most ADU projects have some level of complication and some have even more, so we recommend an optimistic estimation that still accounts for more than the bare minimum. We recommend assuming the following:
- Level site, no grading or tree removal required
- No vehicle access (driveway) required
- City sewer and water hookups (no septic)
- Budget-friendly finishes including entry level appliances, cabinets, countertops, and carpet
- Less stringent local requirements (no sprinklers, no emergency exit requirements)
- Standard labor costs
- A modest contingency budget
High-range estimates likewise help homeowners understand the upper range of possible costs. While these estimates are not intended as a promise, it should be unlikely that an ADU constructed using your plan will exceed these costs, barring unique circumstances. We recommend assuming the following to produce this estimate:
- Complex site – grading and tree removal required
- Vehicle access (driveway) required
- Septic system and complex water system hookups
- Highest-quality finishes, including top end appliances, counters and flooring that is generally available at major retailers
- Stringent local requirements that may include sprinklers, landscaping, and high permitting costs
- High labor costs
- An above-average contingency budget
Additional cost comments #
Additional cost comments should explain more about your construction cost estimates and any other details about related costs. These notes are a chance to explain what the purchaser can expect from the plans and what the cost covers. This may include:
- What is included in the purchased plans.
- Important things that aren’t included in the purchased plans.
- Important considerations for the plans, such as aspects that might require customization (or might make customization difficult).
- Notable costs or cost savings for this plan (examples: use of pre-made trusses; costly windows because of size; etc.).
- For prefabricated units, include details about the cost of the unit, delivery fees, etc.
- Additional comments about the construction cost estimates.
Example 1 (from PrefabADUs) #
Plans do have an up-front cost of $4500. This covers the cost to add information specific to your property to the plan set, submit the plans on your behalf and walk them through the entire city approval process. This fee does not include the cost for the city review and permit fees which are paid directly to the city of San Jose. Once the plans are approved, prefabADU will credit back the plan package fee in full by applying it to the purchase of the ADU kit making it a FREE plan set and service to you.
Example 2 (from Inspired ADUs) #
$402 – $462 per square foot. Interior package upgrades are NOT available for our prefab ADUs. Our floor plan options range between 275 sq ft to 1006 sq ft. This estimate is based on the Millie Studio +, our Millies vary in size, and the price per sq/ft ranges between $402 to $462. The total to get a Millie to your backyard costs between $310k to $650k.