Frequently Asked Questions - ADU in San Jose, CA
Straight answers to the questions San Jose homeowners ask us most about accessory dwelling units. If yours isn't here, call (669) 201-3984 and we'll walk you through it.
Pricing & Cost FAQs
A finished attached or detached ADU in San Jose typically costs between $280,000 and $450,000, depending on square footage, site conditions, foundation work, and finish level. Garage conversions generally fall lower, from $180,000 to $280,000. San Jose prices run higher than most of the Bay Area because of local permit fees, school district impact fees, and the cost of bringing older lots up to current code for setbacks and utilities. The good news is that Fielding ADU San Jose prices in writing before any work starts, so the number won't move at the door. Call (669) 201-3984 for a free written estimate on your specific lot.
A garage conversion is usually the cheapest path to an ADU in San Jose because the shell, foundation, and roof already exist. Most garage conversions in San Jose run between $180,000 and $280,000 depending on whether the garage needs structural upgrades, a new slab, or utility trenching. Attached ADUs (a converted bedroom wing or new addition sharing a wall with the main house) come next, with detached new-construction units costing the most. Every option gets a written price from us before any work starts, so you can compare real numbers instead of guesses. Call (669) 201-3984 and we'll price your garage or lot.
Prefab ADUs from manufacturers like Plant Prefab or Abodu typically land between $250,000 and $400,000 in San Jose once site work, foundation, utility hookups, permits, and crane or delivery logistics are included. The factory-built shell is only part of the total. San Jose lots with tight access, steep slopes, or old sewer laterals can push the site work higher. Fielding ADU San Jose works with prefab shells when the site fits, and we give you one written price that covers the shell, the site work, and the finish. Call (669) 201-3984 and we'll tell you honestly whether prefab makes sense on your lot.
San Jose permit fees for an ADU commonly run between $15,000 and $30,000 before construction even starts, once you add school district impact fees, park fees, sewer connection charges, and plan review. The city has worked to reduce some ADU fees in recent years, but school impact fees alone can run over $10,000 per unit. There is no legal way around these fees, but there are legal ways to plan for them. Fielding ADU San Jose includes every city fee as a line item in your written estimate, so you see exactly where the money goes. Call (669) 201-3984 for a fee breakdown on your property.
No. Fielding ADU San Jose provides free written estimates for ADU projects in San Jose and the surrounding area. We look at your lot, your existing structure, and your goals, then put the scope and price on paper before any work begins. That price is the price you pay unless you change the scope. There is no charge for the visit, no charge for the line-item estimate, and no obligation to move forward. Call (669) 201-3984 to schedule your free estimate with the local team.
Our policy is no. The price we put in writing before any work starts is the price you pay, unless you ask us to change the scope of work. Change orders only happen when a homeowner adds something: an extra window, a different finish, a heavier electrical load. If we discover a hidden condition under the slab or behind a wall, we document it, show it to you, and price the fix in writing before touching it. That is the Garrison Standard, and every Fielding ADU location works to it. Call (669) 201-3984 to get your written scope and price.
Service & Process FAQs
The process starts with a free site visit and a written estimate. From there we handle plans, engineering, city permit submittal, permit resubmittals if needed, construction, inspections, and final sign-off. San Jose requires specific ADU plan details including proposed site plans laid over the lot, floor plans, elevations, and engineering for foundations and lateral loads. Most ADUs in San Jose take 9 to 14 months from first meeting to final inspection, with permit review at the city often taking 2 to 4 months by itself. We manage every step. Call (669) 201-3984 to start.
Plan on 9 to 14 months total for a ground-up ADU in San Jose, from the first site meeting to the final city inspection. The variables are permit review time at the city (commonly 2 to 4 months right now), site conditions, and whether the unit is attached, detached, or a conversion. Garage conversions can move faster, sometimes finishing in 6 to 9 months. Fielding ADU San Jose puts the schedule in writing with the price, and we show up inside the window we gave. Call (669) 201-3984 for a realistic timeline on your lot.
Often yes. San Jose's ADU rules allow a unit up to 1,000 square feet (or a one-bedroom up to 850 square feet) on most residentially zoned lots, with reduced side and rear setbacks of 4 feet for detached units. Small lots in neighborhoods like Alum Rock or Burbank can usually support a compact one-bedroom ADU in the 400 to 600 square foot range. The real constraints are utility runs, parking, and existing structures. We measure, check the zoning, and tell you plainly what fits. Call (669) 201-3984 and we'll assess your lot's ADU potential.
Yes. Fielding ADU San Jose handles the full permit process: plan preparation, structural engineering, energy calculations, submittal, corrections, and pulling every required permit. San Jose requires building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits for ADUs, and sewer lateral replacement is often required for detached units. We pull the permits, schedule the inspections, and don't call the job done until the final inspection passes. That is the do it by the book part of the Garrison Code. Call (669) 201-3984 to get your ADU permitted properly.
We visit the property, measure the space or lot, talk through your priorities, and then put a line-item price in writing. The estimate lists the scope: site work, foundation, framing, rough and finish plumbing, electrical, HVAC, drywall, paint, flooring, fixtures, and all city fees. You get the estimate to keep. No pushy follow-up, no price that changes when the crew shows up. That written price is the foundation of every Fielding ADU job. Call (669) 201-3984 and we'll set a time that works.
Brands & Parts FAQs
Yes, when the site fits. Fielding ADU San Jose will work with prefab shells from Plant Prefab or Abodu if the lot access, foundation, and utility conditions support it. Prefab can save time on framing, but the site work, foundation, utility trenching, and finish work are the same as any build and must be done to San Jose code. We price the whole thing as one written number, whether the walls arrive on a truck or get framed on site. Call (669) 201-3984 and we'll tell you which route makes sense for your lot.
The Tuff Shed product is not a code-compliant ADU on its own in San Jose. Some homeowners ask about converting one, but the structural, insulation, foundation, and utility standards for a legal dwelling unit are entirely different from what Tuff Shed builds. To permit and build an ADU properly in San Jose, the structure must meet California residential code for habitable space. Fielding ADU San Jose builds to that standard from the start, permitted and inspected. Call (669) 201-3984 and we'll explain what a legal ADU requires on your property.
On San Jose ADUs we often recommend James Hardie fiber cement siding for its resistance to dry rot and its low maintenance in our wet winters and dry summers. Stucco is also common in the San Jose area and holds up well. The finish choice depends on the style of the main house and the look you want from the street. Every material we propose is written into your estimate as a line item, so the finish you choose is priced before the first wall goes up. Call (669) 201-3984 to talk finishes for your project.
Licensing & Insurance FAQs
Fielding ADU San Jose is led by Reed Calloway and works to the Garrison Standard, which requires every pro working under the Fielding name to hold the license and insurance their state requires. Homeowners should confirm any contractor's license and coverage before work begins, and we encourage you to do that with us. We carry the coverage San Jose expects of a permitted residential builder, and every job is permitted through the city. Call (669) 201-3984 and we'll walk you through our credentials.
Every ADU and addition Fielding ADU San Jose builds is permitted through the City of San Jose and passes final inspection before we call the job complete. We do not do unpermitted work, and we do not ask homeowners to pull their own permits. The permit is the proof the work was done by the book, and it protects the resale value of your home. That is one of the five points of the Garrison Code. Call (669) 201-3984 to build your ADU properly, permitted, and inspected.
Reed Calloway leads the local Fielding ADU San Jose operation. Reed runs the local team to the same standard every Fielding ADU location works to: show up inside the window, price in writing before work starts, do it by the book, leave the site clean, and stand behind the work for a full year. The Fielding name is an old building-trade surname, and it suits a firm that has framed its share of homes. Call (669) 201-3984 and you'll be connected with Reed's local team.
Emergency & Response FAQs
Yes. If you have an ADU that another contractor started and walked away from, Fielding ADU San Jose can assess the condition of the work, compare it against permitted plans, and give you a written price to finish it correctly. We see under-slab plumbing that never got inspected, framing that missed the approved plan, and permits that lapsed. The first step is a site visit and an honest report on what is salvageable. Call (669) 201-3984 to have us look at an unfinished ADU.
You can reach Fielding ADU San Jose Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, and Sunday from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. We are closed on Saturday. When you call (669) 201-3984 during those hours, a live coordinator answers and connects you with the local team. If you miss us, leave a voicemail and we'll call you back on our next business day. We don't promise emergency overnight service for planned construction, but we do answer honestly and show up when we say we will.
Timing depends on permit review and the design phase, not on a sales schedule. Once you approve the written estimate and the design, we begin plans and engineering, then submit to the City of San Jose. The city's review window is what it is, and we do not promise a start date we cannot keep. What we do promise is that the schedule we give you in writing is the schedule we work to, and we show up inside the window we gave. Call (669) 201-3984 to get your project's real timeline.
Warranty & Guarantees FAQs
Every ADU and addition built under the Fielding name is covered by The Garrison Standard: the work is guaranteed in writing for a full year. If anything we built fails inside that year, we come back and make it right at no charge. That covers workmanship on the construction, the systems we installed, and the finishes we applied. Manufacturer warranties on appliances and materials are separate and run longer in many cases. Call (669) 201-3984 and we'll show you the written guarantee before you sign anything.
The one-year written guarantee from Fielding ADU San Jose covers workmanship and the installation of systems and finishes. Manufacturer warranties cover the products themselves: water heaters, mini-split units, roofing materials, siding, flooring. Those warranties often run 5 to 25 years depending on the product. We hand you the manufacturer paperwork at closeout so you know what is covered, by whom, and for how long. Call (669) 201-3984 and we'll explain the warranty structure on your scope of work.
If a workmanship issue shows up within the first year, call Fielding ADU San Jose and we schedule a return visit to make it right at no charge. That is the Stand behind the work for a full year line in the Garrison Code, and it is not conditional on anything. Beyond the first year, manufacturer warranties continue on the products and systems. The number is (669) 201-3984, and a live coordinator will connect you with Reed Calloway's team. We answer, we show up, and we fix what's ours.
Written by Reed Calloway, Owner at Fielding ADU San Jose. Additions and ADUs built square, permitted, and finished on schedule. Every job gets a written price before any work starts and is covered by The Garrison Standard.
Still Have Questions?
We are happy to help. Call us - same-day and after-hours emergency service available.
(669) 201-3984