Northern California ADU Builder:

Casitas, Tiny Homes & Prefab Homes

Serving San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, Oakland & Beyond

Studio Home helps homeowners across Northern California design and build prefab ADUs (accessory dwelling units), casitas, carriage houses, tiny homes and flexible detached living spaces. Whether you're exploring an ADU for rental income, an in law suite, or a private home office, our team brings a streamlined path to planning, designing, and building a high-quality prefab home on your existing property.

Studio Home is a nationwide prefab ADU builder serving Northern California with expert guidance on local permitting, design feasibility, and turnkey ADU solutions. We work with homeowners and builders across San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, Oakland, Santa Rosa and beyond to transform underused backyard space into valuable, independent living units.

STEP 1

Design & Price Your Studio Home

Get an instant cost estimate in our Design Center

Design & Price your Space

STEP 2

Book a Free Virtual Consultation

Speak with our ADU experts about your specific site, goals, and Northern California permitting context

STEP 3

Work with Us

We'll guide you through design, local permits, shipping, and installation

Bringing Prefab ADUs to the Northern California Scenery

While Studio Home was founded in Colorado and operates manufacturing facilities nationwide, we've expanded our focus serving the Northern California market, where the demand for ADUs, casitas, and accessory housing is strongest. We bring 20+ years of experience in prefab design and modular construction to help California homeowners navigate local ADU regulations, permit requirements, and the unique challenges of building on constrained Santa Rosa, Fremont and Northern California properties.

We understand Northern California's housing landscape: from Modesto to the Sacramento Valley, ADU legalization has opened doors for homeowners to build wealth, generate rental income, and create flexible living solutions. Studio Home makes that process straightforward and affordable.

What We Build

ADU Designs, Casitas, Granny Pods & Flexible Northern California Living

Studio Home offers a range of ADU designs, floor plans, and prefab home options for Northern California homeowners at different stages of the planning process. Whether you're building a casita for family members, a carriage house for rental income in Oakland or San Jose, an in-law suite, or a detached home office, we meet you where you are with expert guidance and proven designs.

Designed for Northern California Backyard Properties

Working with Studio Home means working with an ADU builder that understands Northern California: tight lot lines, setback rules, permitting complexity, and the high cost of construction. We know the difference between San Francisco's ADU regulations and Sacramento's, and we've helped homeowners across the region plan and build with confidence.

Our prefab, panelized approach is faster and more predictable than traditional construction, which is critical in California's market where timing and cost certainty matter. Whether your goal is rental income, guest space, a studio or a dedicated home office, we provide expert guidance on every step.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

I ordered three of their largest units (16'x34') and created two breezeways to connect them as a single family house. The team was always very responsive even on the weekends!

- Neill K., Santa Rosa, California

I shopped a lot of options before deciding on Studio Home...I finally chose to go with Studio Home for several reasons
1) Their product is really well designed and built.
2) There were awesome to deal with and incredibly responsive to my barrage of questions.
3) We recently listed our house for sale and received well over asking. The Studio Home addition added at least 150K to the offer price. Stop considering it and just do it.

— Douglas F., Sacramento, California

From the first contact through the delivery and use the service and quality offered by Studio Shed was exceptional. The time to response was impressive and the level of detail in the product and description was excellent. I would recommend them (and have) to anyone. What is even better is the overall quality of materials and the overall product.

— Niel G., Alamo, California

I love my new office. It is full of light, spacious, playful, and serene...A pre-fab building was the perfect solution for my business, since the interruption of building...can be kept to a much shorter time frame using this method...Studio Home was my choice because it accommodates the mid-century architecture of the main house, the building quality is very high, the insulation fabulous, I liked their configuration software, and the sales and project staff was courteous, quick to respond, and knowledgeable. I am a landscape designer and thoroughly enjoy having an office so wide open to nature. One of my clients already has built his own office in his back yard, using studio shed as well. He loved it when he saw mine. I can highly recommend this company.

— Astrid Gaiser Garden Design, Mountain View, California

Fantastic company building fantastic studio sheds! Great service and support, very helpful sales team (especially Susan!). We absolutely love ours as a second office off our deck. It is modern, beautiful, and functional, and we have no doubt that it has added value to our home. Highly recommended if you need extra space for any reason!

— George S., San Rafael, California

Explore Studio Home Models

ADU or Guest House

Home Office

Modular Additions

Arts & Creative

Music Studio

Man Cave

She Shed

Storage

Garages

Pool Houses

GET INSPIRED

Three Phase Process to Your Backyard ADU Home

Building an ADU, casita, or carriage house on your Northern California property can get overwhelming. Local permits vary between San Francisco and Sacramento, costs shift with market rates, and site constraints like setbacks and utilities add layers of complexity. Studio Home simplifies this process, guiding all Northern California residents from design through permitting, to a finished backyard home.

Phase 1: Planning

Research & Feasibility

Confirm fit for your site + goals

Site Visit

Collect the info needed for accurate scope + plans

Design & Quote

Align on layout, selections, and next steps

Phase 2: Permitting

Permit & Construction Documentation

Plans prepared for submission

Submittal to Jurisdiction

Submitted to your local permitting office for review

Review & Approval

We help address comments as needed

Preconstruction Planning

Coordinate readiness for build

Phase 3: Construction

Site Prep

Foundation & site readiness

Factory Production & Shipping

Materials/kit prep and delivery coordination

Field Coordination

Install coordination, sequencing, troubleshooting

Construction & Inspections

Final build + sign-offs

Northern California's Premier ADU Builder: Serving the Bay Area to the Sacramento Valley

While Studio Home operates nationwide, we serve Northern California, the region with the highest ADU demand and rental income potential. Our prefab, shipped-and-assembled model allows us to serve homeowners, local contractors, and ADU builders across Northern California efficiently, without the overhead of a local general contractor.

We serve major cities including San Francisco, Oakland, Santa Rosa, San Jose, and Modesto, plus Marin County and Sonoma County communities. We also work with homeowners across the Sacramento Valley (Sacramento, Roseville, and Folsom), Wine Country (Napa and Sonoma), and mountain communities like the Lake Tahoe region.

Key Cities Studio Home Serves in Northern California

San Francisco
San Jose
Sacramento
Oakland
Santa Rosa
Stockton
Fremont
Roseville
Modesto
Santa Clara

ADU regulations don't work one-size-fits-all across Northern California. Your local jurisdiction's setback rules, lot coverage limits, and owner-occupancy requirements are probably unique to your area. Permitting timelines in Sacramento can look completely different from the Bay Area. Rather than guessing going back and forth with your city, Studio Home works with you to understand your specific rules upfront, so your project moves in a timely manner.

Schedule a Free ADU Consultation

FAQs - Every Question You Need to Know About Northern California ADUs

An ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) is a self-contained, secondary living space built on the same property as a primary home. In California, ADUs are often called casitas, granny flats, in-law suites, or cottages. California's ADU legalization (through laws like SB 9) has made it easier for homeowners to build these units. Many Northern California homeowners build ADUs for rental income, multigenerational living, guest space, or remote work flexibility. Explore our models to see options.

In most cases, yes. However, permitting requirements vary by city and county. Some jurisdictions allow ADUs by-right, while others have streamlined processes. Local rules affect ADU size, setbacks, parking, owner-occupancy, and lot coverage.

Studio Home works with you to understand your specific jurisdiction's requirements early in the planning process.

Total cost varies based on size, design, site conditions, local permitting, finish selections, and foundation requirements. The best way to understand pricing is to visit our Design Center, where you'll get an instant estimate.

Many Northern California homeowners use ADUs as rental properties. In the Sacramento and Santa Rosa regions, ADU rents often cover project costs within a few years. Local regulations may require owner-occupancy, so verify with your local jurisdiction.

Yes. Many homeowners finance their ADU to make the project accessible and fit their budget. Financing can cover your entire project, from foundation through completion. Studio Home's transparent, fixed pricing makes it easier for lenders to approve your project. Explore financing options to get started.

Timelines vary based on design, local permitting, and site conditions. Studio Home's prefab approach is significantly faster than traditional construction. Learn about our streamlined process and how our panelized system accelerates delivery and installation. Many Northern California projects move from concept to completion in 3–6 months.

An ADU can be a strong asset. In Northern California's expensive market, an ADU typically increases property value and creates rental income. Combined with strong Bay Area real estate appreciation, ADUs often prove financially valuable long-term.

Yes, we have strong experience serving the entire Northern California market, from San Francisco to Sacramento to Santa Rosa. Shipping is available to all ofNorthern California, with coordination support for delivery and assembly. View our Design Center to get pricing, or browse our product models to find the right ADU for your needs.

Make Your Escape

Design Your Studio Home

One Studio Home does not fit all. Our innovative prefab solution is a flat-packed, panelized kit of parts with hundreds of customizations in the Design Center. There are millions of combinations of sizes, door and window placements, and colors. All thoughtfully designed to work together.

Design & Price your Studio Home