ADU Craft San Jose
ADU Craft San Jose · Licensed & insured

Backyard homes for San Jose, fast-tracked where the city allows it.

Custom detached ADUs, preapproved units, garage conversions, attached and junior ADUs. We check your lot, pick the fastest path and build.

Check what my lot allows San Jose ADU costs
Small modern backyard unit with gray siding and a wood door
Single-story house with a detached garage, driveway and lawn under oaks
Open studio with a white kitchenette, dining table and wood floor
46 preapproved plansFrom 23 vendors in the city program
Same-day permitsPossible for complete preapproved submittals
Separate saleSan Jose opted in under AB 1033

Can I build a preapproved ADU in San Jose?

Often, yes. As of November 2026, San Jose lists 46 preapproved ADU plans from 23 vendors. If your lot is zoned residential with a single-family home or duplex, is outside geohazard, landslide, flood and wildland-urban interface areas, and has no open code violation, a complete site-specific submittal can get a permit the same day as the plan review meeting.

See the full cost guide

What kinds of ADUs do we build in San Jose?

Five ADU types. Preapproved designs fit under the detached and design pages.

White board-and-batten cottage with green shutters

Detached ADU

A separate backyard home with its own kitchen, bath and entry.

Detached ADU
Small detached white garage with an old pickup inside

Garage conversion

Turn a garage into a legal, livable unit.

Garage conversion
Stucco house with an arched garden gate and cypress trees

Attached ADU

An addition joined to your house with its own entrance.

Attached ADU
Desk with a laptop and plants beside a sunny window

Junior ADU

A unit inside your home, up to 500 sq ft.

Junior ADU
Hands using a drafting compass on drawings beside a laptop

Design and permits

Plans, engineering and the city review, handled for you.

Design and permits

Why does San Jose move faster than most cities?

The city has built a program around ADUs: a library of preapproved plans, same-day permit issuance for complete preapproved submittals and an ADU Ally to answer questions.

It was also the first large California city to adopt an ordinance under AB 1033, in 2024, so an ADU can be split off and sold as a condominium when the conditions are met.

Valley neighborhood of rooftops and trees seen from a hilltop

How does an ADU project work?

  1. Lot checkZoning, setbacks, easements and utility routes for your address.
  2. DesignFloor plans sized to the yard and the budget.
  3. PermitsPlans submitted and followed through city review.
  4. BuildConstruction, inspections and final sign-off.

Inside the units we build

Kitchens, living rooms and baths sized for small homes.

Compact kitchenette with light wood cabinets
Compact kitchenette with light wood cabinets
Home office with two desks and windows looking onto a garden
Home office with two desks and windows looking onto a garden
Bathroom with a pedestal sink, white tile and a tub
Bathroom with a pedestal sink, white tile and a tub
Sunny backyard lawn with trees and a house at the back
Sunny backyard lawn with trees and a house at the back

San Jose neighborhoods we serve

All of San Jose. Four pages cover what we see most.

Green stucco bungalow with a deep eave in warm light

Willow Glen

Older homes, detached garages and deep lots.

ADUs in Willow Glen
Small house in a dry garden with palms and oaks

Cambrian

Ranch homes and roomy back yards.

ADUs in Cambrian
Victorian cottage with a gabled porch, palm and blue sky

Evergreen

Newer tracts and hillside edges.

ADUs in Evergreen
Small white stucco bungalow with a front lawn and walkway

Berryessa

Single-family homes near new transit.

ADUs in Berryessa

Is your lot ready for an ADU?

Send your address and a sentence about what you want. We look up the zoning, setbacks and utility routes and reply with the ADU types that fit.

We build in San Jose, CA.

We use your details only to answer this request. Your address is never published.

San Jose ADU questions

How do preapproved ADUs work in San Jose? Can I sell my ADU separately in San Jose? What are the ADU rules in San Jose? How much does an ADU cost in San Jose? How long does it take to build an ADU in San Jose?