Detached ADUsA standalone home in your backyard. For rental income, family close by, or added property value. Designed, permitted and built by one team.
San Diego ADU builders.
The price we sign is the price you pay.
Book a 15-minute call
Watch first
One team
Design, permits and construction under one roof. One contract, one point of contact.One fixed price
We verify your property first, then the price is fixed. If the property surprises us later, that’s ours to absorb, not yours.No guesswork
About forty feasibility checks happen before any ADU is designed or priced.Why us
Why San Diego homeowners build their ADU with us
Your price is fixed before you sign.
One team, from design to keys.
About forty feasibility checks before we price anything.
Detached ADUs only. It’s all we build.
Family-owned and based in San Diego. CSLB #1031735.
300+ five-star reviews
143 Reviews on Yelp
Avg 4.9
45 Reviews on Google
Avg 4.9
48 Reviews on Houzz
Avg 5.0
50 Reviews on HomeAdvisor
Avg 5.0
How we build your ADU in San Diego
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Feasibility
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Design
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Permits
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Construction
Floor plans
Start with an ADU floor plan
Browse our floor plan library: 1 to 4-bedroom detached ADUs from 400 to 1,200 sq ft. Build one as it is, or use it as the starting point for your own design.
Torrey Pine
- 1192
- 3 Bed
- 2 Bath
Sequoia
- 1020
- 3 Bed
- 2 Bath
Teak
- 749
- 2 Bed
- 2 Bath
Bamboo
- 400
- 1 Bed
- 1 Bath
Mahogany
- 1200
- 3 Bed
- 2 Bath
The Better Place difference
One team. One price. One clear process.
Most ADU problems start before construction. A price that was guessed. A design that doesn’t fit the lot. A project passed between three companies. We built our process to remove those problems early.
Feasibility first
About forty checks on zoning, utilities and site conditions before design starts.
One accountable team
Design, permits and construction under one contract, with a dedicated project manager.
A price that doesn’t move
Fixed before you sign. If the property surprises us later, that’s ours to absorb.
You see everything
Live access to your project in Buildertrend, and a written update every Friday.
Pay for finished work
Payments follow completed phases. Most are tied to city inspections. Checked before it’s paid
Quality control checks every trade’s work before that trade is paid.An ADU builder for all of San Diego County
Better Place Design & Build is a San Diego design-build company that builds detached ADUs. We work across San Diego County, including La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Del Mar, Encinitas, Carlsbad, Oceanside, Chula Vista, Coronado, La Mesa, El Cajon, Escondido, Poway and Santee. Every city has its own ADU rules. We check yours before anything is designed.
Already have plans?
Have ADU plans? We can build them.
What we build
Detached ADUs in San Diego, start to finish
We build one thing, and we do all of it. Feasibility, design, engineering, permits and construction, under one roof.
Build from your plansAlready have ADU plans, permitted or not? We check them, price them and build them.
Floor plans and custom designStart from our floor plan library, or design your own with our architect and interior designer.
our reviews
Celebrated by homeowners
Celebrated by homeowners
“Better Place Design & Build was the best choice for our San Diego ADU project. As top ADU builders, they understand the big picture and support us at every step.”
Randy & Lorreta
Better Place Design & Build Homeowner
Getting started
Three steps to a fixed price
1
Book a 15-minute call
2
Zoom with Daniel
3
Feasibility, then one fixed price
OUR PHILOSOPHY
Don’t compare builders.
Compare processes.
We verify before we price
Most mistakes happen when a price comes before the facts. We confirm zoning, city rules, utilities and site conditions before design moves forward.We plan before we build
Schedules, permits and site logistics are set early. So construction runs on a plan, not on reactions.You always know where things stand
A written update every Friday, live project access, and a signed checkpoint at every phase.Questions San Diego homeowners ask about ADUs
Straight answers about cost, timelines, permits and how we work.
It depends on your property. Size, site conditions, utilities and city fees all play a part, so we don’t publish a price list. We check your property first, then give you one fixed price before you sign. If the property surprises us later, that’s ours to absorb, not yours.
About 12 months from first meeting to move-in. That includes design, engineering, city permits and construction.
Yes. Permits are part of our design-build service. We prepare the plans, submit them to the city and handle the review for you.
Detached ADUs only. We don’t build attached ADUs, garage conversions or room additions. Doing one thing is how we keep the price fixed and the process clear.
Yes. If you have ADU plans, permitted or not, we can check them, price them and build them.
You pay as work is finished. Payments follow completed phases, and most are tied to city inspections.
We work with RenoFi, a lender that lends on your home’s future value, after the ADU is built.
All of San Diego County, from Oceanside to Chula Vista.
Yes. Better Place Design & Build is a licensed California contractor, CSLB #1031735.