Thinking About Building an ADU in San Jose? Here's Where I'd Start.

San Jose is one of the places that convinced me there needed to be another approach to ADUs.

There are a lot of properties where homeowners have meaningful backyard space — but that doesn't mean every standard ADU design works well on them.

Lots can be narrow.

Existing homes sit differently on their properties.

Access varies.

Utilities vary.

And a few feet of dimensional difference can completely change what's practical.

That's why my first recommendation isn't to start by choosing your favorite floor plan.

Start with the property.

Understand the usable area, access, constraints and what you're trying to accomplish.

Then explore the ADU that makes sense within those realities.

CityPaks was developed around this problem.

Instead of treating every homeowner as though they have an identical empty lot, we start with the space that's actually there and determine which CityPaks possibilities may work with it.

If you're in San Jose or elsewhere in the Bay Area and you're wondering whether your backyard could work, that's exactly the conversation I'd start with.

You don't need to have everything figured out before talking with us. That's what the first conversation is for.