Garage + ADU Above
A brand-new garage, with a home on top.
A sample of our most popular garage-plus-ADU layouts — every plan is customized to how you'll use the space.
Replace an aging garage with a new two-car garage and a private home above it, up its own exterior staircase — all on the footprint you already give to parking.
15-minute Backyard Review · No site visit · No obligation
The case for the Garage + ADU Above.
This is the plan for the lot that cannot spare an inch of yard: a new two-car garage with a studio or one-bedroom home above it — what most people call a garage apartment or carriage house, permitted in California as an ADU — engineered and built as one structure. You keep covered parking, gain a rental or guest home upstairs behind a private exterior entrance, and give up no open space. It is two-story new construction — the same engineering scope as our detached two-story homes — with the strongest privacy story in the garage line. And like every Signature plan, the exterior is customized to complement your main house.
- Zero yard lost The ADU stacks on the footprint you already give to parking.
- A new garage, included Replace an aging garage and add a home in one project.
- Studio or one-bedroom above ~440–500 sqft, up a private exterior staircase.
- The strongest privacy in the line No shared walls; the home lives above everything.
- Two-story engineering, fixed fee The same scope as our detached two-story homes — $12,990, fixed.
Your plan, tailored to how you’ll use it.
Every plan here is a starting point. We fit the footprint to your lot — garage-door orientation, driveway approach, and stair placement — and design the home above around how you’ll use it. All of it included in your fixed plan fee.
The 22×20 Studio
A ~440 sqft open studio with a full bath and kitchenette above a true two-car garage — the right first rental, home office, or guest perch.
The 20×25 — Wide Front
Garage doors on the 25-foot face for a standard head-on driveway, with a ~500 sqft one-bedroom and a private balcony above.
The 20×25 — Narrow Front
The same one-bedroom on a rotated footprint — doors on the 20-foot face for narrow side driveways and alley-loaded lots.
Garage + ADU Above — every layout, one study set
Each layout above opens its own floor plan. The full study set collects all of them — with dimensions, elevations, and finish specs.
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The Garage + ADU Above — inside and out
Shown in two of our exterior styles — dark modern and Spanish. Every plan is finished to complement your main house; the home upstairs stays the same.
$12,990, fixed — expert in-house design and full permit processing.
- Floor plans and elevations designed in-house by expert ADU designers
- Structural engineering and Title 24 energy compliance coordination
- Your interior and exterior finish selections, specified in the plans
- Done-for-you permit processing and expediting with your city
- Unlimited plan-check corrections until your permit is issued
- A builder-ready set any licensed contractor can price and build
Every property is different.
The plan and the plan fee are fixed. The build starts at $300,000 — the final number depends on your site — the soils, the utility runs, and the garage coming down. An on-site assessment gives you a real number, not a guess.
- Existing garage removal
- The old garage usually comes down — demolition, haul-off, and slab removal vary with what is standing today.
- Foundation & soils
- A two-story structure needs engineered footings; soil conditions and slope drive the foundation design.
- Utility runs
- Water, sewer, and electrical have to reach the new structure; distance from the main house or street moves the number.
- City height standards
- Two-story height allowances vary by city and lot, and can shape the roof and second story.
Want a real number instead of a guess?
Get a real number for my garage15-minute Backyard Review · No site visit · No obligation
Garage + ADU Above — frequently asked
Can you build an ADU on top of my existing garage?
Is this the same as a garage apartment or carriage house?
How big is the ADU above the garage?
How much does a garage with an ADU above it cost?
Will a two-story ADU be approved on my lot?
Can the exterior match my main house?
Signature Garage + ADU plans are designed in-house by our expert ADU design team and carry the same curated finishes as our detached Signature Homes. Your plan fee is fixed. Because every property is different — soils, utilities, access, and the garage standing there today — the cost to build is an estimate that starts at the figure shown and is confirmed for your specific site; it is not a single guaranteed price. Construction is performed by an independent licensed general contractor.
See what your garage can become.
Book a 15-minute Backyard Review — we'll look at your garage and your lot, and tell you which plan fits.
Designed in-house · Transparent pricing · Your choice of builder