A free site visit, a check of what your lot allows and a written, line-item price.
Get your free estimateTrusted ADU Builders for Ventura Homeowners
Ventura’s housing math has changed. A detached ADU on a standard 6,000-square-foot Ventura lot typically runs $180,000 to $320,000 for a turnkey build, while garage conversions land closer to $120,000 to $180,000. Those are real numbers, and they’re the ones we start with before a single nail is driven. Working with ADU Builders - Ventura, Lodgewick ADU Ventura, led by Russ Delmar, has built accessory dwelling units across Ventura since 2010 under The Kingswell Guarantee: a written price before work begins, a defined arrival window, a clean job site, and a written guarantee on every project. Call (831) 230-7250 and we’ll walk your lot with you, pencil out what’s actually possible, and put the number in writing.
ADU Construction
ADU Construction is the full build process for an accessory dwelling unit: a self-contained small home with its own kitchen, bathroom, entrance, and address, built on a lot you already own. Homeowners in Ventura pursue it when an aging parent needs to be close but independent, when adult kids can’t afford Ventura rents, or when a rental unit turns a mortgage into something smaller every month. Lodgewick ADU Ventura handles the whole sequence: feasibility, design, permits through the City of Ventura, foundation, framing, systems, finishes, and final inspection. Construction costs for standard ADU Construction in Ventura typically run $200,000 to $350,000 for a detached unit of 500 to 750 square feet.
Foundation and Site Work
Ventura’s coastal soil shifts with the seasons, so we over-dig footings and use post-tension slabs where the lot demands it. We walk drainage before we pour so your ADU doesn’t redirect winter rain toward the main house.
Interior Finish and Systems
We rough in electrical and plumbing to code, then finish with materials matched to the main house or to the lot’s rental intent. The goal is a unit that reads as intentional, not as an afterthought.
Detached ADU
A Detached ADU is a free-standing small home, fully separated from the main house, built in the rear or side yard. It’s the right call in Ventura when you want clear landlord and tenant boundaries, when the main house cannot structurally absorb an addition, or when a garage is too small or too far gone to convert. Lodgewick ADU Ventura has built detached units on lots from the Avenues to East Ventura, where setback and side-yard rules vary block by block. Expect $220,000 to $380,000 for a detached build with real finishes and a foundation that holds. That is the honest range we give before drawings start.
Setback and Site Planning
Ventura’s lot geometry means a detached unit may need to fit into a 12-foot-wide side yard or a shallow rear setback. We work with the City’s ADU ordinance to find the footprint that clears both solar access rules and fire code, and we tell you plainly if a lot won’t work.
Utility Connections
Detached means new service runs: water, sewer, and a panel feeder from the main. We trench once and do it clean, so your backyard looks like a yard again when the job is done.
JADU
A JADU is a junior accessory dwelling unit: a small unit of 500 square feet or less created inside the existing walls of a single-family home, often a converted bedroom with its own outside entrance and a small kitchen. It’s the fastest, lowest-cost legal unit most Ventura homeowners can add, and it rents for $1,300 to $1,700 a month in the current market. Lodgewick ADU Ventura handles JADU conversions inside existing homes with minimal structural work. A JADU in Ventura typically costs $80,000 to $150,000, depending on whether a bathroom is added or an existing one is shared.
Cost-Effective Conversions
Because the shell already exists, a JADU avoids foundation, roof, and most siding costs. We focus spend on the kitchen, the door hardware, and the sound separation that makes two households under one roof livable.
Occupancy and Rental Rules
In Ventura a JADU’s owner must live on the property, and the unit is often rented to a single tenant. We keep current on the City’s rules so your unit passes inspection and stays legal.
ADU Plans
ADU Plans are the architectural drawings, site plan, structural calculations, and Title 24 energy reports that the City of Ventura requires before it issues a building permit. You need them when you’re beyond the considering stage: when you want a real price, a real timeline, and a permit in hand. Lodgewick ADU Ventura prepares plans through a drafting partner who knows Ventura’s plan check reviewers by name. Plan sets typically cost $8,000 to $18,000 for a standard detached or conversion project, and we include that cost in your written build price before we submit anything.
Feasibility to Permit-Ready
We measure the lot, check the zoning and the Coastal Overlay where it applies, and draw the unit to the setbacks actually enforced in your neighborhood. Your plans go to the City only after you’ve walked them with us and signed off on every window and wall.
Structural and Energy Calcs
Ventura’s climate requires correct Title 24 compliance, and the City checks it carefully. We handle the energy modeling and structural engineering with local consultants, so plan check doesn’t stall for months on missing sheets.
ADU Contractor
An ADU Contractor is the general contractor who takes your approved plans and builds the project: scheduling trades, pulling permits, passing inspections, and managing material deliveries. Choosing the wrong contractor is the single most expensive mistake our ADU Builders in Oxnard and Ventura homeowners make, and most have a story about it. Lodgewick ADU Ventura is led by Russ Delmar, who has run Kingswell-family construction in the area since 2010 and personally walks every job site. We operate under The Kingswell Guarantee, which means a written price, a real arrival window, and a written guarantee before work starts. General contracting fees within a full ADU build in Ventura run 15 to 20 percent of project cost, and we tell you exactly where every dollar goes.
Trade Coordination
Foundation crews, framers, electricians, plumbers, roofers, and cabinet installers all have to land in order. We sequence the job so inspections happen on schedule and you’re not waiting weeks between phases.
Change Order Discipline
Change orders are where contractor trust goes to die. We write any change you request as a signed line item with its cost before the work changes, and we never change the price at the door.
ADU Design
ADU Design is the working-out of the unit’s floor plan, roofline, window placement, and interior fit-out before drawings go to plan check. It’s the phase where a shipping container becomes a home, where a 12-foot-wide side yard becomes a layout that actually functions. Lodgewick ADU Ventura designs around the way Ventura light falls and the way tight lots need to breathe. Our design work is included in the plan cost, and we walk you through the plan with a pencil, not a sales pitch. A full design and plan package for a Ventura ADU runs $8,000 to $18,000, and we credit a portion toward the build when you proceed with us.
Brand and Material Fit
We match each project to the manufacturer that makes sense: James Hardie siding for coastal salt air, an Abodu or Cover unit when prefab saves three months on a narrow lot, Dvele where energy performance is the priority.
Layout for Real Life
A 400-square-foot unit needs a layout that doesn’t waste a single inch. We design storage into stair cavities, kitchen walls, and under-window benches, and we show you the furniture plan before you approve the drawings.
Backyard ADU
A Backyard ADU is the building at the far end of the lot: a small house where there used to be lawn or parking, with its own door, kitchen, and address. In Ventura’s Eastside and Midtown, backyard ADUs are the most common new unit we build, because they add rental income without touching the main house. Lodgewick ADU Ventura has built backyard units on lots from ADU Builders - Ojai Avenue down to the harbor flats, and we know which yards have the soil, the access, and the sun for it. A backyard ADU in Ventura typically costs $220,000 to $380,000 depending on site access, utility runs, and finish level.
Site Access and Crane Work
Some Ventura yards are tight, and getting materials in is half the job. We plan access first – equipment, materials, waste – so the build doesn’t chew up your fence line or your neighbor’s driveway.
Outdoor Room Between the Houses
A backyard ADU shouldn’t feel like it landed from space. We design the space between the main house and the unit so both homes get light, air, and a little dignity. That’s the difference between an ADU and a shed with a stove.
Brands We Service
We’ve built and finished Abodu units on Ventura lots where the prefab process saved months on the permit and framing schedule. Because we know their panel system and their utility rough-in order, we can sequence site work and craning so the unit lands and is watertight in a fraction of the time a conventional build takes.
We work with Cover and Dvele on jobs where energy performance and precision matter more than speed, and we use James Hardie siding and trim on nearly every coastal-adjacent build because it holds paint and resists salt air better than wood. Whether you have your heart set on one of these manufacturers or you’re open to any make, we can help you pick what works for your lot, your budget, and your timeline.
Signs You Need a Pro Right Now
- Your lot was flagged by the City. Ventura code enforcement sends notices for unpermitted conversions and substandard rear structures. If you have a letter, do not wait. We can look at the notice and tell you what a retrofit or replacement costs before you reply to anyone.
- Your garage is too far gone to convert cheaply. In neighborhoods like Midtown and the Avenues, we see garages with foundation cracks, sill rot, and termite damage that make conversion costlier than a new detached build. If your garage is on borrowed time, you need a builder’s eyes on it, not just a handyman’s patch.
- A family member needs to move in this year. When a parent or adult child needs housing on a real timeline, every month of delay costs rent or causes strain. We can tell you within one week whether your lot can legally hold a unit and what the honest build window looks like.
- You already have plans from another contractor. If a previous builder walked away or the plans have sat unpermitted, we’ll review them and tell you what’s salvageable. A second set of eyes from a builder who actually pulls Ventura permits can save you thousands.
- The slab or foundation has moved. Cracks wider than a quarter inch, doors that stick in summer, or a visible tilt on a rear addition means the building is moving. In Ventura’s expansive coastal soils, that is a structural conversation, not a cosmetic one.
Our Process, Step by Step
- 1
Site walk and honest assessment. Russ Delmar or a lead builder walks your lot with you, checks zoning, access, soil, and the existing structures. We tell you what’s buildable, what’s not, and the real cost range.
- 2
Written price, before anything else. We put a project price in writing based on the site walk and your scope. That number includes plans, permits, materials, and labor unless a line item says otherwise. No price changes at the door, ever.
- 3
Plans and permits. Our drafting partner draws the unit to Ventura’s code, handles Title 24 energy reports, and submits to the City. We keep you posted when plan check asks questions, and we answer them fast.
- 4
Build and weekly updates. Your project gets a defined arrival window for crew, and the job site gets swept at the end of every day. We call you, you don’t chase us. A live person answers our phone 24/7 if you have a question.
- 5
Final walk and written guarantee. We walk the finished unit with you room by room, hand you the written guarantee, and explain the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the work isn’t right, we come back and make it right. Free return visit if the work fails within the guarantee period. Then we’re still here, because the guarantee is in writing.
How Much Does ADU Builders Cost in Ventura?
A typical detached ADU in Ventura runs $220,000 to $380,000, a garage conversion $120,000 to $180,000, and a JADU inside the main house $80,000 to $150,000. Those ranges assume standard finishes, a tight Ventura lot, and a licensed contractor pulling permits. What moves the number: site access for equipment, utility trenching distance, foundation type, whether the panel needs upgrading, and finish level. Prefab units from Abodu, Cover, or Dvele can compress the cost and timeline on a straight lot. The best way to avoid overpaying is to get a written line-item price before any work starts, and to make sure that price includes the site work, not just the building. A free estimate from Lodgewick ADU Ventura means a real number in writing, not a ballpark you have to pin down by phone.
Our Service Area Near Ventura
Lodgewick ADU Ventura builds accessory dwelling units across Ventura and the nearby communities: Camarillo, Oxnard, Santa Paula, Fillmore, Oak View, Port Hueneme, Ojai, Somis, Newbury Park, Moorpark, and Simi Valley. If you’re in the City of Ventura or just outside it, call (831) 230-7250 and we’ll schedule a site walk. Also, if you’re exploring nearby markets, you can see our ADU Builders in Camarillo and ADU Builders in Oxnard pages for local specifics.
Serving Ventura, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Ventura area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
Frequently Asked Questions About ADU Builders in Ventura
An ADU builder is a general contractor who specializes in accessory dwelling units: small, self-contained homes built on a lot that already has a house. Lodgewick ADU Ventura has built accessory dwelling units, garage conversions, and home additions with ADU Builders in Oak View and Ventura since 2010, led by Russ Delmar. We’re part of the Kingswell family of home-service companies, and every project runs under The Kingswell Guarantee.
A detached ADU in Ventura typically takes 7 to 11 months from site walk to final inspection, depending on plan check speed and trenching conditions. A garage conversion runs 4 to 6 months. A JADU takes 2 to 4 months. Call (831) 230-7250 and we’ll give you a schedule in writing for your specific lot.
A detached ADU in Ventura runs $220,000 to $380,000; a garage conversion runs $120,000 to $180,000; a JADU runs $80,000 to $150,000. Your exact number depends on access, utility runs, foundation type, and finishes. Our estimate is free and it’s in writing before anything starts.
Yes. Lodgewick ADU Ventura works with James Hardie siding and trim, and we build Abodu, Cover, and Dvele units where the lot and budget fit. We know the rough-in sequences and panel details for each product line, which keeps the build moving without embarrassing mistakes. Call (831) 230-7250 if you’re deciding between manufacturers and want a builder who has actually installed them.
ADU work is planned construction, not emergency repair, so we do not run emergency callouts for new builds. But if a structure on your Ventura property is failing, we answer the phone live 24/7 and will tell you honestly whether it needs immediate attention or can wait. Call (831) 230-7250 and a person picks up.
Every Lodgewick ADU Ventura project comes with the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the work isn’t right, we come back and make it right, with a free return visit if the work fails within the guarantee period. That commitment is in writing and you get it before work begins. We also pass through manufacturer warranties on any prefab unit we build.
Gather your lot’s parcel number, any existing survey or title report, and a list of what you want the unit to do: rental income, family housing, home office. Clear the rear or side yard enough for us to walk it safely. We’ll handle the rest and give you a written price within a week.
Schedule Your ADU Builders Service in Ventura Today
The first step is a site walk and a real number in writing. Call (831) 230-7250 to schedule your free estimate with Lodgewick ADU Ventura. We’ll walk your lot, answer your questions plainly, and put the price in writing before anything starts. No pressure, no door changes, and a live person answers 24/7. See what The Kingswell Guarantee feels like.
Written by Russ Delmar, Owner at Lodgewick ADU Ventura, serving Ventura since 2010.
