Available in San Diego and Ventura counties

Two ways to get
a permit set.

One adapts a plan the city has already reviewed. The other draws the house around the people who will live in it. The right answer depends on the parcel and on whether your jurisdiction runs a programme at all.

from $4,500

Express Plan

A jurisdiction's pre-approved ADU plan adapted into a permit set for your property.

Choose it when
  • Your city runs a pre-approved ADU plan programme and it is open
  • One of the published layouts genuinely suits the household
  • The lot can take the plan without reshaping it
  • Plan-check time and fees matter more than a bespoke layout
Know before you commit
  • Not every city has one, and programmes close during code updates
  • Some cities allow no alteration at all to the drawings — San Marcos says so plainly, and a plan you cannot adjust is a plan the lot must suit
  • Site, utility, grading and agency work is still required: the free plan is the building, not the project
How the express path works →
from $6,500

Custom Plan

An original layout developed for the property and the people who will live in it.

Choose it when
  • No pre-approved programme exists, or none of the plans fit
  • The lot is constrained — slope, easements, a difficult envelope
  • The household needs something specific: accessibility, a layout, a view
  • The unit has to sit with an existing house rather than beside it
Know before you commit
  • Longer than an express path, because the design is actually designed
  • Consultants are engaged for the property rather than inherited from a standard set
Start a custom plan →

Both paths include

Consultants, permit processing, corrections beyond the second round, interiors and contractor estimates are quoted separately. Every figure, and what sits behind it, is on the pricing page; what affects the total is explained separately.