A free site visit, a check of what your lot allows and a written, line-item price.
Get your free estimateFast, Reliable ADU Builders Across Citrus Heights
Adding an ADU in Citrus Heights usually costs between $180,000 and $320,000 for a detached unit, while attached garage conversions land closer to $120,000 to $190,000. Those are real numbers we put in writing before any work starts. Our crews know the ranch homes, the slab foundations, and the quirks of local permit review from San Juan Avenue to Sunrise Boulevard. If you’re weighing an ADU, a Junior ADU, or a garage conversion, call (279) 254-1808 and we’ll walk you through the numbers honestly.
Why Benson ADU Sacramento Is Citrus Heights’s Preferred ADU Builders Company
We’ve built a reputation in Citrus Heights by treating older homes as what they are – solid bones with outdated everything behind the walls. Homeowners here don’t want a contractor who quotes blind and then “discovers” $40,000 in surprises after demo. Our process starts with an inspection, not an estimate. We look at the existing panel, the slab, the framing, and the waterproofing before we ever put a price in front of you.
Every job is covered by the 365-Day Done Right Promise, backed in writing and stamped on each project. That means if something isn’t right within a full year, we make it right. Troy Eastman, who leads our team, insists on background-checked, uniformed technicians on every site, and a live person answers our phone around the clock. No voicemail loops, no phone tag.
We coordinate scheduling from our Sacramento metro office, and our crews serve Citrus Heights neighborhoods directly – Antelope Road corridor, Sylvan Corners, the streets around Rusch Park, and the older ranch tracts near San Juan Avenue all fall within our normal service area.
Backyard ADU in Citrus Heights
A Backyard ADU in Citrus Heights is a detached unit built from the ground up on your existing lot. With many Citrus Heights parcels running over 0.2 acres, there’s often real room to work with, but the build has to respect setbacks and fire-resistant material rules that the city enforces because of the hot, dry summers. A detached Backyard ADU here typically runs $180,000 to $320,000 depending on size, finishes, and whether we’re working with a prefab panel system or full site-built framing.
Detached ADU on Large Lots
Citrus Heights still has plenty of oversized lots, which makes a detached unit viable where other cities can’t fit one. We handle the site work, foundation, utility extensions, and grading from the first shovel to final inspection.
Prefab vs Site-Built
We build with leading brands including Abodu, Cover, and Dvele when a prefab approach makes sense for your lot and budget. Prefab panel systems can cut weeks off the schedule, while site-built gives maximum control over layout. Both are quoted in writing, with allowances set before we discuss a single change order.
ADU Construction in Citrus Heights
ADU Construction in Citrus Heights often means converting the original attached garage of a 1950s-1970s ranch into a legal second unit. The city allows garage conversions without adding off-street parking as long as you maintain existing off-street parking – a rule that quietly drives a lot of the ADU Builders work we do here. A garage conversion ADU in Citrus Heights typically runs $120,000 to $190,000, and the final number depends heavily on what’s behind the drywall when we open it.
Garage Conversion Realities
Citrus Heights garages from the mid-century era were never built for living space. We almost always find slab moisture issues, lack of insulation, and framing that needs blocking for kitchen cabinets and bathroom fixtures. Our inspection catches these before the quote, not after.
Adding the Third Garage
We see a distinct pattern in Citrus Heights: homeowners convert the attached garage into the ADU, then build a third garage or carport in the driveway to keep their parking. It’s a workable setup, but it requires planning the site circulation and drainage from the start so you don’t end up with standing water against the new unit.
Trusted Brands We Service in Citrus Heights
We’re authorized to build with Abodu, Cover, and Dvele prefab systems, and we use James Hardie cladding on many Citrus Heights projects because it handles the Sacramento Valley heat without warping or fading the way cheaper siding does. When a Citrus Heights customer wants a prefab ADU, we can show you real options from these brands – you can research them yourself before you commit. We keep project-specific parts staged at our Sacramento office so we’re not waiting on a truck when your Citrus Heights build is mid-framing.
Common ADU Builders Problems We See in Citrus Heights Homes
- Garage slabs wicking moisture. Mid-century slabs in Citrus Heights were poured without vapor barriers, and the new flooring in an ADU traps that moisture. A failed moisture test means the permit fails, so we test before we quote, not during demo.
- 100-amp panels from the 1950s. A second kitchen and a mini-split will overload the original service, and City of Citrus Heights plan check will reject the electrical load calculations. We scope a 200-amp upgrade into the budget when the panel can’t carry the load.
- Missing fire separation on the shared wall. Converting an attached garage to an ADU means the new shared wall has to be fire-rated to code. An inspector will red-tag the project if it isn’t, and the owner loses months of rental income while it’s corrected.
- Dry rot at the sill plates. Decades of failed slab-edge waterproofing rot the bottom framing in Citrus Heights garage walls. We price for PT lumber replacements and proper flashing before we open a single wall.
Pricing for ADU Builders in Citrus Heights, CA
Here’s the honest math for Citrus Heights. A detached Backyard ADU runs $180,000 to $320,000. An attached garage conversion runs $120,000 to $190,000. A Junior ADU inside the existing footprint often comes in lower, but the permit and utility scope still has to be evaluated. What moves the number: the existing electrical panel capacity, slab condition, framing quality, and whether the city’s fire-resistant material rules push you toward specific cladding choices. We write allowances for the known unknowns – rewire scope, sill repair, vapor barrier – so you see the full picture before work starts. Estimates are free. Call (279) 254-1808 for an exact quote on your Citrus Heights property.
We Also Serve Cities Near Citrus Heights
Our crews work throughout the northeastern Sacramento metro. We regularly build ADUs for homeowners in Fair Oaks, Antelope, Granite Bay, and Elverta, and you can learn more about our full service area on the Citrus Heights page or by calling (279) 254-1808 directly.
Serving Citrus Heights, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Citrus Heights 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 Builders in Citrus Heights
No, Citrus Heights allows attached garage conversions to ADUs without adding new off-street parking, as long as you maintain the off-street parking you already have. This is actually one of the biggest drivers of ADU work in the city. Call (279) 254-1808 and we’ll confirm how this applies to your specific property during the free estimate.
Opening walls triggers current code for electrical, insulation, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and sometimes seismic or energy requirements depending on the original construction. We inspect for these before quoting so your estimate already includes the upgrades. Call (279) 254-1808 to schedule that inspection.
We write an inspection-based allowance into the contract before we start. When our crew opened the walls of a 1960s ranch garage conversion off San Juan Avenue, we found original knob-and-tube feeds mixed with 14-gauge aluminum branch circuits and water-damaged sill plates from decades of failed slab-edge waterproofing. The owner approved a full rewire to 200-amp service and new PT lumber sills through written change orders before we touched another stud. That’s the process every time. Call (279) 254-1808 for a quote built the same way.
Yes. Citrus Heights enforces fire-resistant material rules because of the hot, dry summers with temperatures routinely above 95°F. Detached ADUs on large lots are viable, and we use cladding like James Hardie to meet the standard while giving you a unit that handles the Sacramento Valley heat. Call (279) 254-1808 and we’ll walk your lot and setback numbers with you.
Because 1950s-1970s Citrus Heights homes hide wiring, slab, and framing problems that no one can see until the walls are open. Contractors who quote blind are guessing; we inspect first, put allowances in writing, and any change gets approved by you in writing before work proceeds. That’s The Relay Visibility Guarantee, and it means the price moves only when you say so. Call (279) 254-1808 to schedule your free estimate.
Written by Troy Eastman, Owner at Benson ADU Sacramento, serving Citrus Heights since 2006.
