A free site visit, a check of what your lot allows and a written, line-item price.
Get your free estimateADU Company in Davis, CA
Adding an ADU in Davis means working inside a city with some of the strictest growth rules in California – and one of the clearest paths to approval through accessory units. Benson ADU Sacramento builds ADUs, home additions, and room additions across Davis with written pricing before work starts and a 365-Day Done Right Promise on every project. Davis’s mix of older tract homes, university-driven housing demand, and zero-net-energy requirements makes each job different from the next town over. Call us at (279) 254-1808 to talk through what your lot can support.
Why Davis Homes Are Different
Davis has a large stock of 1960s-to-1980s single-family tract homes with simple wood-frame construction, plus newer subdivisions on the south and east sides of town. Most of the older homes were never wired for a second dwelling. When we start an ADU in Davis, the electrical panel is often the first decision point: many original panels are 100-amp and undersized for an all-electric unit with a heat pump, induction cooktop, and EV-ready outlet. Plumbing runs in older Davis homes are usually concentrated along one wet wall, which means an ADU’s bathroom and kitchen location has to work around existing drain lines unless you want to cut the slab.
The climate pushes design choices in a specific direction here. Davis summers run hot and dry, with those reliable Delta breezes that drop evening temperatures, so we orient windows away from the west afternoon sun and spec deep overhangs. Winter tule fog can sit over the valley for days at a time, which reduces solar gain and makes insulation and a high-efficiency heat pump the difference between a comfortable unit and a cold one. Davis’s zero-net-energy ordinance also requires all-electric construction with solar, which adds planning work upfront but eliminates gas line runs and their cost and risk.
One thing that catches Davis homeowners off guard: in older neighborhoods like Central Davis, many detached garages were built on post-tensioned slabs without perimeter footings. Converting one of those garages into an ADU often requires a foundation retrofit, which adds real money to the budget. We flag this early so there’s no surprise change order.
Our Main Davis Services
Davis homeowners call us most often about building a new ADU from the ground up or adding square footage to the existing house. Here’s how each one works in Davis.
ADU Builders in Davis
We design and build detached and attached ADUs across Davis, from backyard units on alley lots in Central Davis to garage conversions in newer subdivisions. Davis’s growth-control rules make ADUs the primary legal way to add housing on most residential lots, and we walk each project through the city’s specific requirements, including the all-electric and solar mandates. We build with prefab systems from Abodu, Cover, and Dvele where the lot and access allow, and go site-built when a custom layout makes more sense. Every project starts with a written price before any work begins. See the full detail on our ADU Builders in Davis page.
Home Addition Contractor in Davis
A home addition in Davis usually means a ground-floor bedroom and bath for an aging parent, or a larger great room that opens to the backyard. Because many Davis homes are 1960s-1980s tract builds, we pay close attention to foundation matching where new slab meets old, and to roof line transitions that don’t fight the original architecture. Davis’s warm summers make passive shading and cross-ventilation part of the design conversation, not an afterthought. Read about the process and what to expect on our Home Addition Contractor in Davis page.
Room Addition Contractor in Davis
Room additions in Davis often start as a need for a dedicated home office, a larger laundry and mudroom, or a kids’ playroom that won’t fit in the original footprint. The work usually involves extending a foundation, tying into the existing roof structure, and bringing the old electrical and HVAC up to current code. In Davis’s older neighborhoods, we regularly find original wiring that needs a panel or subpanel upgrade before the new room is safe to power. The details are on our Room Addition Contractor in Davis page.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Brands We Service in Davis
We build with prefab systems from Abodu, Cover, and Dvele, and we stock James Hardie cladding and trim locally for Davis projects. Prefab panels arrive pre-cut and pre-sheathed, which means less on-site waste in tight Davis backyards and a faster build once foundations are in. See our brands for the full list and how we decide which system fits a given lot.
Pricing for ADU Company in Davis, CA
| Service | Typical range in Davis |
|---|---|
| Detached ADU (prefab, 1 bed / 1 bath) | $180,000 – $290,000 |
| Detached ADU (site-built, 2 bed / 1 bath) | $260,000 – $380,000 |
| Garage conversion ADU (finished space) | $120,000 – $210,000 |
| Attached ADU (junior unit addition) | $150,000 – $250,000 |
| Electrical panel upgrade (100A to 200A) | $3,500 – $6,500 |
| Foundation retrofit for garage conversion | $8,000 – $20,000 |
| Home addition (single room, ground floor) | $90,000 – $150,000 |
| Home addition (primary suite) | $140,000 – $220,000 |
| Room addition (home office, 150 sq ft) | $45,000 – $75,000 |
| Solar + all-electric system (per city code) | $12,000 – $25,000 |
In Davis, the biggest price movers are foundation retrofits on older garage slabs and the city’s all-electric and solar mandates, which add a fixed block of cost to every ADU. You’ll get a written line-item quote before any work starts, and that price doesn’t change unless you change the scope.
Neighborhoods We Serve in Davis
We build across the city, and we know how the lot shapes differ from one part of Davis to another. Central Davis has the older garages and tighter alleys. North Davis and East Davis have the 1970s and 1980s tract homes with more uniform setbacks. South Davis and the newer subdivisions usually have more clearance for crane access on prefab deliveries. Our crew response time to most Davis neighborhoods is under one day for estimates.
- Central Davis
- North Davis
- East Davis
- South Davis
- West Davis
Service Area – Cities Near Davis
Our Davis crews also cover the surrounding metro for ADU and addition work. If you’re just outside Davis, we serve West Sacramento, CA, Sacramento, CA, Elverta, CA, and Antelope, CA. Scheduling is coordinated from our Sacramento office, with local crews dispatched to Davis daily.
Serving Davis, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Davis area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About ADU Company in Davis
Yes. Davis’s zero-net-energy ordinance requires all-electric construction with solar on new ADUs, which is stricter than most neighboring cities. We include the solar sizing and panels in every ADU quote so the written price you receive already accounts for it. Call (279) 254-1808 for a free estimate on your specific lot.
Most Davis HOAs cannot block an ADU under California state law, but for new subdivisions the HOA may have architectural review requirements for exterior finishes. City permits go through the Davis building department, and we handle the submittals and plan checks for you. Call (279) 254-1808 to start with a free estimate.
Once permits are approved, site-built ADUs in Davis typically begin within 4 to 6 weeks, and prefab systems from Abodu or Cover can start even sooner since the panels are fabricated off-site. Your timeline depends mostly on the city’s plan check queue at the time. Call (279) 254-1808 for a no-pressure estimate and a straight answer on current schedule.
What happens when you call
- 1A real person answersNo phone trees - talk to a local adu pro.
- 2You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched. No surprises.
- 3We come out and measureLicensed & insured, at a time that suits you - the visit and the quote are both free.
- 4You get the price in writingLine-itemed, yours to keep, and nothing starts until you say go.
What Davis Customers Say
"Plumbing and electrical passed on the first inspection."
- Alan B."Communication was the best part. I always knew what was happening that week without having to ask."
- Dolly N."Solid job. Cabinets arrived late but they adjusted the schedule."
- Eli K.
