Building a Casita/in-law unit on primary residence

[Joe Kim]

Hi,

I'm looking at building a casita or in-law house on my primary residence.   We have a problem with the front yard area that needs work/landscaping.   But instead of spending 20-30K for landscaping, I thought why not build a little casita?   In my neighborhood the higher end homes have these in the front of the house so it would add value to the home for resale.

here is my problem.  I totally expected a little casita to cost around 150 - $200/sqft to build.  But in my area, my first quote was for around $400/sqft!!!    Thankfully, our current home is worth around $400/sqft so we would break even if we built it for that much.

the casita would have fully function - full bath, washer/dryer, studio vs. 1 bedroom or loft. at around 400-500 sqft.

Anyone have any experience with building an in-law unit?   

thanks

[J Scott]

Get more quotes... Even $200/sf seems high unless you're using high end finishes.