Whether you're adding a detached backyard ADU or converting a bedroom into a junior ADU, we draft the full permit set in Revit — site plan, floor plans, elevations and the existing-conditions documentation your city will check it against.
"ADU" gets used as a catch-all, but California actually treats an accessory dwelling unit and a junior accessory dwelling unit (JADU) as two different legal categories, and drafting the wrong one costs you a redesign. A full ADU can be detached, attached, or a conversion of existing space like a garage, and it gets its own kitchen and bathroom. A JADU is smaller by definition — capped at 500 square feet — has to be built within the existing home's walls (or an attached structure sharing at least one wall with the house), doesn't require a separate new utility connection the way a detached ADU typically does, and comes with an owner-occupancy requirement that standalone ADUs don't carry. We ask which one actually fits your goals and your lot before we draw anything, because the setback, parking and utility rules that apply differ between the two.
California also requires cities to review most ADU and JADU applications ministerially — meaning through an objective checklist rather than a discretionary hearing — and to process them on a streamlined timeline. That's a real state-level backstop against a city dragging its feet, and it's part of why ADUs have gotten easier to permit statewide over the past several years. It's not a guarantee: your specific city still applies its own setback, height and lot-coverage standards within what the state allows, and final sign-off is always the plan checker's call. We draft to your city's actual local standards from the first sketch, on top of the state framework, instead of assuming one generic ADU template clears every jurisdiction. This work runs alongside our broader architectural drafting & design service, and every ADU or JADU also needs its own Title 24 energy compliance report, which we scope in alongside the drawings so it's not a separate fire drill later.
New backyard units and additions attached to the main house, including full kitchen and bathroom layouts, site plan and utility routing.
Converting a garage, basement or other existing structure into an ADU — drafted from an accurate as-built of what's actually there, not the original permit drawings.
Within-the-walls conversions of existing bedrooms or living space into a JADU, coordinated tightly with the home's existing structure since a JADU shares walls with it by definition.
Accurate lot and setback drawings that your city's ADU checklist review depends on, plus coordination with the Title 24 report the unit will also need.
We confirm which category fits your lot, your budget and whether you plan to live on-site, since that decision shapes the rest of the drawing set.
For a JADU or a conversion, we Matterport-scan the existing home's interior so the shared walls and structure in the drawings match what's actually built, not the original plans.
Site plan, floor plans, elevations and sections drafted in Revit, coordinated against your city's specific ADU standards.
We submit for ministerial review and handle any correction rounds the plan checker sends back.
Size and structure, mainly. A JADU is capped at 500 square feet and has to be built within the existing home's walls or attached to it sharing at least one wall — it also typically doesn't need a separate new utility connection and comes with an owner-occupancy requirement. A full ADU can be detached, larger, and doesn't carry that occupancy requirement. Which one fits depends on your lot, your budget and whether you're planning to live on the property.
No — state law requires most cities to review ADU and JADU applications against an objective checklist rather than a discretionary hearing, and to do it on a faster timeline. That's a real advantage over a standard discretionary permit, but the city still checks your plans against its own setback, height and lot-coverage standards, and the plan checker makes the final call. We draft to your specific city's standards so the review goes smoothly, but we don't control the outcome.
Because a JADU shares walls with the existing home by definition, so the drawings have to accurately show how the new unit connects to the structure around it — not just the room being converted. A Matterport scan captures the existing walls, doors and dimensions as they actually are, which matters more here than on a detached ADU where the new structure stands on its own.
Residential or commercial, drafting or Title 24 — send a few details and we'll follow up with next steps and a free quote.
(408) 676-8747
Sunny Drafting & Design