Southern California Price Per Square Feet For An ADU

Calculating price per square footage in construction is a complicated task and you should never rely on price per square feet if you’re thinking of building an ADU or new home.

Land value, permits, material costs, labor costs, and unexpected problems, are all major things to consider and are difficult to put a dollar amount on.

With all that out of the way, here are some estimates on an ADU build that is 1,200 SQFT in Southern California. There are some gaps between the 3 estimates as you can never truly rely on price per square foot, but this should give you a good idea of how

1. Low-End Estimate

• Estimated Total Price: $230,780 - $241,270

• Price per Square Foot:

  • Low-End: $230,780 ÷ 1,200 sqft = $192.32 per sqft

  • High-End: $241,270 ÷ 1,200 sqft = $201.06 per sqft

2. Mid-Range Estimate

• Estimated Total Price: $298,770 - $311,760

• Price per Square Foot:

  • Low-End: $298,770 ÷ 1,200 sqft = $248.98 per sqft

  • High-End: $311,760 ÷ 1,200 sqft = $259.80 per sqft

3. High-End Estimate

• Estimated Total Price: $431,760 and above

• Price per Square Foot:

  • Low-End: $431,760 ÷ 1,200 sqft = $359.80 per sqft

  • High-End: $449,750 ÷ 1,200 sqft = $374.79 per sqft

If you’re thinking of building a JADU(<500 SQFT), you might see a large jump in price per square foot as building in small, tight environments lead to customized work, which leads to more time and labor involved.

And always, use a licensed contractor and actually check their license number to see if they’re legit, not impersonating someone else, or have a sketchy past.