Bay Area ADUs,
additions & remodels.
From San Francisco and Oakland to Walnut Creek, Fremont, San Jose, Palo Alto, Richmond, Antioch, and Livermore, Alpha Dream Construction designs and builds permit-ready ADUs, garage conversions, additions, kitchens, baths, and full-home remodels.
The Bay, on paper.
Our Bay Area crews cover the core Bay and selected surrounding cities, depending on project size, permit complexity, and schedule.
- San Rafael
- Novato
- Vallejo
- Hercules
- Richmond
- Berkeley
- Oakland
- San Leandro
- Walnut Creek
- Concord
- Antioch
- Pleasanton
- Livermore
- Hayward
- Fremont
- Milpitas
- Daly City
- San Francisco
- South San Francisco
- San Mateo
- Redwood City
- Palo Alto
- Mountain View
- Sunnyvale
- Santa Clara
- San Jose
What the Bay studio builds.
Detached ADUs
Backyard cottages, rental units, guest houses, and family housing.
Garage Conversions
Convert existing garage space into legal, comfortable living space.
Home Additions
Bedroom additions, second-story planning, expanded kitchens, family rooms.
Kitchen Remodels
Layout reworks, cabinets, counters, lighting, plumbing, finish upgrades.
Bathroom Remodels
Tile, waterproofing, vanities, lighting, showers, tubs, luxury finishes.
Whole-Home Remodels
Full interior rebuilds, structural changes, MEP upgrades, finish packages.
Permit notes, by city.
Every Bay city has its own permit rhythm, water utility, and hillside rules. We keep a short field note on each one.
Oakland
Oakland runs ADU plan check through its Planning & Building Department and applies state ADU law on top of a local ordinance that streamlines conversions and pre-approved plans. The real schedule variables aren't the building permit itself — they're the EBMUD water service drop, the Wildland-Urban Interface overlay on the Oakland Hills, and the city's soft-story retrofit ordinance on older multifamily buildings.
Read permit notes →
Berkeley
Berkeley runs ADU permits through Planning and the Building & Safety Division. The city is generally ADU-friendly and codified pre-approved plans, but the WUI fire overlay across the Berkeley Hills and Landmark district overlays in the flats are the variables that move schedule and cost.
Read permit notes →
Richmond
Richmond is one of the more permit-friendly East Bay cities for ADUs, but the city's industrial past means many flatland parcels need a Phase I environmental review. Soils, EBMUD service, and shoreline liquefaction are the cost and schedule drivers — not the ADU permit itself.
Read permit notes →
San Jose
San Jose has invested heavily in making ADUs easy. The Single Family ADU Process gives by-right approval to ADUs meeting objective standards, and the city's pre-approved plan program can collapse plan check to 4–6 weeks when a standard plan fits the lot. The main schedule variables are the Hillside Combining District on the foothills and which water utility serves the specific block.
Read permit notes →
Sunnyvale
Sunnyvale runs ADU plan check through Community Development with a well-documented online portal. State law applies, the city publishes objective design standards, and pre-approved plans accelerate clean projects. Eichler overlays and creek setbacks are the main local wrinkles.
Read permit notes →
Palo Alto
Palo Alto runs ADU permits through Planning and Development Services. State law applies, but the city's Heritage Tree Ordinance, Eichler design guidelines, and historic overlays mean a careful site visit before any design work. CPAU water + electric coordination is unique to Palo Alto.
Read permit notes →
San Francisco
San Francisco permits are the slowest in our Bay Area service area, but they're predictable once you pick the right track. State ADU Law gives ministerial approval at 60 days from a complete submittal. The SF Local Program is more flexible (allows unlimited ADUs in some multifamily buildings) but adds Section 311 neighborhood notification and Planning review on top of DBI. The schedule variables are which track you choose, whether exterior changes trigger 311, and the DBI queue.
Read permit notes →
Fremont
Fremont runs one of the smoothest ADU permit processes in the Bay Area. Development Services accepts ADU applications online, the pre-approved plan program is well-stocked, and ACWD water service is fast. The main variables are the Wildland-Urban Interface overlay on the eastern foothills and lot geometry on older Niles / Centerville parcels.
Read permit notes →
Walnut Creek
Walnut Creek runs ADU permits cleanly under state law with a published procedure manual that makes the process predictable. The main schedule variables are hillside parcels (most of the city's northern and eastern edges), EBMUD water service coordination, and the patchwork of HOAs in the city's master-planned neighborhoods. Rossmoor is age-restricted and follows separate rules.
Read permit notes →
Livermore
Livermore is one of the easier East Bay cities to permit an ADU in. State law applies, the city's procedures are clear, and large lots give more siting flexibility. The main local variables are the WUI overlay on the south hills and the equestrian/agricultural zoning on rural parcels.
Read permit notes →
Bay Area construction is not one city.
It is many permit worlds.
San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Fremont, Walnut Creek, Palo Alto, and surrounding cities each review ADUs and remodels differently. We help homeowners understand feasibility, site conditions, utility issues, access, parking, fire separation, and inspection sequencing before construction starts.
From the Bay binder.
These are concept studies for upcoming Bay Area projects — real photography lands as each one wraps.
Project study
Oakland Garage Conversion
Oakland, CA
480 sqft · rental-ready studio concept
Garage conversion · ADU permit · MEP rework · radiant floor
Project study
San Jose Detached ADU
San Jose, CA
720 sqft · backyard family unit
Detached ADU · foundation · framing · plumbing · finishes
Project study
Walnut Creek Kitchen Remodel
Walnut Creek, CA
Open-plan kitchen with structural beam work
Structural beam · cabinetry · stone counters · lighting
Project study
Fremont Bathroom Suite
Fremont, CA
Full waterproofing, tile, lighting, and vanity upgrade
Waterproofing · tile · vanity · skylight · brass fixtures
The Bay, in short.
- How much does an ADU cost in the Bay Area?
- Most detached ADUs in the Bay Area land between $350K and $550K all-in, depending on lot access, utility runs, and finish level. Garage conversions typically run $180K–$280K. We give a one-page feasibility note before contracting so the number isn't a surprise.
- Do you help with permits?
- Yes — we handle the full plan set, structural calcs, Title 24 energy compliance, and the back-and-forth with the local planning and building departments. The homeowner only signs.
- Do you work in San Francisco?
- Yes. San Francisco ADUs and remodels have their own quirks — Planning Department review, neighbor notification, sloped lots, and tight street access. We've built the workflow around them.
- Do you work in San Jose?
- Yes. San Jose's pre-approved ADU program can shorten permitting significantly, and we use it whenever the lot fits. Custom plans are also available when the standard footprint won't work.
- Can you convert my garage into an ADU?
- Usually yes — California state law strongly favors garage-to-ADU conversions, and most Bay Area cities allow them as-of-right. We confirm setbacks, fire separation, and existing slab condition before committing.
- Do you handle design and construction?
- Yes — we're a design-build studio. One team draws it, prices it, permits it, and builds it. No three-way blame triangles between architect, contractor, and homeowner.
- How long does a Bay Area ADU take?
- Typical timeline is 3–5 months for permitting plus 4–6 months on site, depending on the jurisdiction. San Jose's pre-approved program can cut the permit window in half.
- Can you check if my property qualifies?
- Yes — send us the address and we'll pull zoning, setbacks, FAR, and any historic or hillside overlays before you spend money on drawings.
From the Bay Area binder.
Backyard ADU · 2025
“They walked our Oakland lot, came back with a one-page feasibility note, and the number held through close-out. No drama.”
— P. & S. Chen · Oakland
Garage conversion · 2025
“Permits in San Jose moved fast because they used the pre-approved program. We were on site within the quarter.”
— Adrian M. · San Jose
Whole-home remodel · 2025
“Walnut Creek hillside lot, tight access, two existing trees to protect. The crew solved every constraint cleanly.”
— Dr. R. Patel · Walnut Creek
Pick your side of the bay.
Permits, soils, and timelines change block-to-block across the bay. Each sub-region page covers the cities, permit notes, and lot conditions we see there.
Got a Bay Area lot in mind?
Send us the address and we’ll pull zoning, setbacks, and ADU eligibility before you spend money on drawings.
Start a Bay Area project →FAQ
Bay Area FAQ
How fast can I get an ADU permit in San Francisco?
SF DBI's ministerial clock is technically 60 days, but utility coordination (PG&E service, SFPUC sewer lateral compliance) adds 60–120 days outside the clock. Realistic plan-to-issued is 4–7 months in SF — faster than most owners expect, but only if utility prep starts on day one.
Why do Bay Area ADUs cost more than LA?
Three reasons: labor rates are 18–25% higher, hillside foundations are more common (drilled piers vs. slab on grade), and utility upgrades are harder (PG&E service upgrades commonly run $12K–$45K, often more in SF). Total premium is typically 20–30% over LA at the same square footage and finish level.
What's soft-story compliance and will it affect my project?
A San Francisco and Berkeley program requiring seismic retrofit of wood-frame buildings with weak ground-floor structures (typically buildings with parking or large openings under living space). If your building falls under the ordinance, you'll either need to complete retrofit first or do it concurrently with the ADU.
Do you work on the Peninsula and South Bay?
Yes — Palo Alto, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, San Jose, Los Altos, Menlo Park, Redwood City, San Mateo. Each has its own quirks: Palo Alto enforces design review heavily, Cupertino has aggressive FAR rules, San Jose is the fastest permit office in the South Bay.
Can you do an ADU in the East Bay flats vs. East Bay hills?
Yes to both. Flats (parts of Oakland, Berkeley, Albany, Alameda) are fast and cheap — slab foundations, simple utility runs. Hills (Berkeley Hills, Oakland Hills, Piedmont) need drilled piers, retaining walls, and grading permits — typically add 3–4 months and $80K–$200K.
Do you handle Marin County permits?
Yes — primarily Mill Valley, Larkspur, San Rafael, and unincorporated Marin. Marin tends to be stricter on hillside grading and septic-to-sewer requirements than the rest of the Bay Area. Budget extra time and a soils investigation.
What's the cost difference between SF and the East Bay?
SF is typically 15–25% more expensive than Oakland or Berkeley for the same scope. The premium covers parking-permit logistics, narrower lots requiring more careful staging, and SFPUC fees that don't exist across the bay.
How does PG&E coordination work on a Bay Area ADU?
If your new ADU needs a service upgrade (most do), you submit a Service Planning Application to PG&E — they're currently quoting 60–120 days to design and 90–180 days to install. Start it the week you submit the building permit; don't wait for permit issuance.