The ADU building process
How Building an ADU With Upside Works
The ADU building process in Sacramento runs in five stages: a free feasibility check, design and a fixed quote, permitting that Upside handles, inspection-gated construction, and handoff. You start with just $1,000 down — California's legal maximum — and most ADUs finish in about 6–9 months.
The buyer journey
From your address to keys, step by step
This is the client side of the process — what you decide and what Upside carries — not the engineering stage list. Want the construction phasing in weeks? That's further down.
- 01Week 1
Consult & Feasibility
A free, honest read on what your lot can actually build.
Send us your address and your goal — rental income, family, resale. We pull your zoning, lot size, setbacks, and easements and tell you which ADU types fit, a realistic size, and a ballpark all-in price. If your lot doesn't pencil, we say so on the call. No deposit, no pressure.
You
Share your address, budget, and what you want the ADU to do.
Upside
Zoning + feasibility review, buildable-type shortlist, ballpark range.
- 02Weeks 2–6
Design & Fixed Quote
Pick a layout, lock a price you can actually trust.
Choose a pre-approved model or go custom. You approve floor plan, finishes, and siting; we turn that into a fixed, all-in quote with every bucket itemized — design, engineering, permits, sitework, utilities, construction, and finishes. The number you sign is the number you pay unless you change scope.
You
Approve the plan, finishes, and the fixed quote before anything is ordered.
Upside
Construction drawings, Title-24, structural, and a line-item fixed price.
- 03Weeks 4–14
Permits — We Handle It
We pull the permit so you never sit in a city queue.
We prepare and submit the full package to your city or county, answer plan-check corrections, and manage resubmittals. Sacramento's ministerial 60-day clock applies to compliant ADU applications; a pre-approved plan set can clear in roughly 30 days. You don't chase the jurisdiction — we do.
You
Sign the application. That's it.
Upside
Submittal, plan-check responses, school/utility sign-offs, permit issued.
- 04Weeks 14–30
Build & Inspections
One crew, milestone draws, money tied to passed inspections.
Your project gets one accountable team from foundation to final. You start with $1,000 down — California's legal maximum deposit for a home-improvement contract — and every draw after that releases only when that phase passes its city inspection. You get scheduled photo updates and a single point of contact, not a phone tree.
You
Approve milestone draws as each inspected phase completes.
Upside
Sitework, foundation, framing, MEP, finishes — managed through final.
- 05Move-in +
Handoff & Move-In
Final sign-off, walkthrough, warranty, keys.
After the final inspection and certificate of occupancy, we do a punch-list walkthrough together, hand over warranty documents and appliance manuals, and the unit is ready for a tenant or family member. Want it rented but don't want to be a landlord? We hand you off to a vetted property-management partner — Upside builds, the partner manages.
You
Walk the unit, get your keys, decide self-manage vs. partner.
Upside
Final inspection, punch list, warranty handoff, rental-partner intro.
Who owns what
Your job vs. our job
The shortest version of the whole relationship: you make the decisions, Upside carries the execution and the city paperwork.
| Stage | You handle | Upside handles |
|---|---|---|
| Consult & Feasibility | Share your address, budget, and what you want the ADU to do. | Zoning + feasibility review, buildable-type shortlist, ballpark range. |
| Design & Fixed Quote | Approve the plan, finishes, and the fixed quote before anything is ordered. | Construction drawings, Title-24, structural, and a line-item fixed price. |
| Permits — We Handle It | Sign the application. That's it. | Submittal, plan-check responses, school/utility sign-offs, permit issued. |
| Build & Inspections | Approve milestone draws as each inspected phase completes. | Sitework, foundation, framing, MEP, finishes — managed through final. |
| Handoff & Move-In | Walk the unit, get your keys, decide self-manage vs. partner. | Final inspection, punch list, warranty handoff, rental-partner intro. |
Deposit and milestone-payment mechanics are summarized on the pricing page; deposit protection and the workmanship warranty live on the guarantee page.
Construction timeline
How Long Does It Take to Build an ADU?
A Sacramento ADU takes about 6–9 months from signed design to move-in: roughly 2–6 weeks of design, 4–14 weeks of permitting, and 12–16 weeks of construction. A pre-approved plan set can clear permits in about 30 days and pull the whole project toward the low end of that range.
| Phase | Typical duration | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Design & engineering | 2–6 weeks | Floor-plan lock, finish selections, structural calcs, and Title-24 energy compliance. Custom designs sit at the top of this range; a pre-approved model compresses it. |
| Permit & plan check | 4–14 weeks | Submittal to your jurisdiction and plan-check corrections. Sacramento's 60-day ministerial clock applies; pre-approved plan sets can clear in ~30 days. |
| Sitework & foundation | 2–4 weeks | Grading, utility trenching, and the slab or stem-wall foundation. Difficult lot access or a long sewer run adds time here. |
| Framing & dry-in | 3–5 weeks | Walls, roof, windows, and exterior sheathing — the point where the ADU first looks like a building. Ends with a weather-tight shell. |
| MEP rough-in | 2–4 weeks | Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing inside the walls, plus insulation and drywall. Each rough-in passes its own inspection before close-up. |
| Finishes & final | 3–5 weeks | Flooring, cabinets, counters, fixtures, paint, and appliances, then the final inspection and certificate of occupancy. |
What shortens it
- Pre-approved plan sets (permit in ~30 days)
- Reusing an existing structure (garage conversion, JADU)
- Standard finishes selected before submittal
- Flat, accessible lot with short utility runs
What adds weeks
- Fully custom architecture and engineering
- Plan-check corrections and resubmittals
- Long sewer/water runs or tight lot access
- Mid-build finish change orders
By ADU type
- Garage conversion~4–6 mo
- Junior ADU~4–6 mo
- Detached new build~6–9 mo
For the rules that set the permit clock — setbacks, owner-occupancy, and the under-750-sq-ft impact-fee exemption — see our Sacramento ADU rules & permits guide. To cut plan-check time, see how pre-approved ADU plans work under California's AB 1332.
Your money, protected
$1,000 down, then inspection-tied draws
The payment structure is built so you never pay ahead of work that's been inspected.
- You start with $1,000 down — California's legal maximum deposit on a home-improvement contract.
- Every milestone draw releases only after that phase passes its city inspection.
- One fixed, line-item price — change orders only when you change scope.
- Workmanship warranty and deposit protection are in writing before you sign.
Where the details live
We keep one canonical answer per topic so nothing contradicts itself across the site.
- Pricing & payment schedule →Real price ranges and the full draw schedule.
- ADU financing options →HELOC, cash-out, renovation and construction loans.
- The Upside guarantee →Deposit protection and the workmanship warranty.
What we build
The process starts with the right ADU type
Feasibility tells you which of these fits your lot. Each type has its own size limits, cost band, and timeline.
Detached ADU
Standalone new build · from ~$165k · highest rent & resale lift
Garage Conversion
Reuse your garage · from ~$95k · fastest path to rentable
Attached ADU
New square footage off the house · limited-lot friendly
Junior ADU (JADU)
≤500 sq ft inside the footprint · from ~$85k
Multigenerational ADU
In-law suites & aging-in-place layouts
Not sure yet?
Compare all five build types in one place →
Working-with-Upside FAQs
Five stages: a free feasibility check, design and a fixed quote, permitting (we handle the city), inspection-gated construction, and handoff. Most Sacramento ADUs run about 6–9 months from signed plans to certificate of occupancy, depending on type and jurisdiction.
Your address and your goal. Upside runs the zoning and feasibility review, designs the unit, and pulls the permits. You approve the plan and the fixed, all-in quote before anything is ordered or built — there's no deposit to get a feasibility read.
You decide the ADU type, layout, finishes, and approve each milestone draw. Upside handles zoning review, construction drawings, structural and Title-24, the permit submittal and plan-check corrections, the full build, and inspections — one accountable team end to end.
$1,000. California caps the deposit on a home-improvement contract at $1,000 or 10% of the contract price, whichever is less, so you start at the legal maximum and every draw after that is tied to a passed inspection. Full payment terms live on our pricing page.
No — Upside is a pure ADU builder and doesn't manage rentals in-house. Many owners self-manage. If you'd rather not be a landlord, we hand you off to a vetted local property-management partner who handles leasing, screening, and maintenance.
ADU construction timeline FAQs
About 6–9 months from signed design to move-in: 2–6 weeks of design, 4–14 weeks of permitting, and 12–16 weeks of construction. A pre-approved plan set can clear permits in roughly 30 days and pull the total toward the low end.
Sacramento's ministerial review runs a 60-day clock for a compliant ADU application, and a pre-approved plan set can be issued in about 30 days. The window stretches when plan-check corrections are needed; Upside manages the resubmittals so the clock keeps moving.
Most Sacramento ADUs build in 12–16 weeks once the permit is in hand: roughly 2–4 weeks of sitework and foundation, 3–5 weeks of framing and dry-in, 2–4 weeks of MEP rough-in, and 3–5 weeks of finishes before final inspection.
Custom (vs. pre-approved) plans, difficult lot access, long sewer or utility runs, jurisdiction backlog, and finish-level change orders all add weeks. Garage conversions and JADUs that reuse an existing structure are usually faster than a detached new build.
Start with a free feasibility check
Send us your address. We'll tell you what's buildable, what it should rent for, and what it costs — usually within a few days, no deposit.