ADU Design
Site evaluation, concept floor plans and construction-ready drawings shaped around your lot.
Serving West Valley City and 23 nearby cities
ADU Builder in West Valley City, UT
ADU design and construction for West Valley City homeowners. Utah’s second-largest city, with three distinct housing eras spread east to west — and a different ADU answer in each.
No obligation. Every estimate starts with a straightforward conversation and a walkthrough of your lot.
Design → Permits → BuildDetached · Attached · Garage
Building ADUs in West Valley City
West Valley City is the second-most populous city in Utah, with 140,230 residents at the 2020 census across roughly 35.9 square miles on the north-west side of the Salt Lake Valley. It borders Salt Lake City to the north and the Jordan River to the east.
The housing reads like a timeline as you move across the city. Eastern and central neighbourhoods are dominated by brick ranch homes from the 1960s and 1970s. Western sections are largely planned developments from the 1990s and 2000s. There is even a distinctive pocket — the Westshire neighbourhood — of 160 mid-century modern homes designed by architect Ron Molen.
For an ADU that split matters more than anything else about the city. A 1960s brick ranch typically comes with a deeper lot, a simpler footprint and a garage that may be detached — a good conversion candidate. A 2000s planned-development home has modern services close by but tighter setbacks and less spare backyard.
The ground is flat across most of the city, which removes the foundation and drainage complications that shape projects on the east bench. What limits a project here is space and setbacks, not slope.
What Shapes an ADU Project in West Valley City
Three Housing Eras, One City
1960s and 70s brick ranch homes in the east and centre, 1990s and 2000s planned developments in the west. The era of your house predicts lot depth, garage type and how the utilities were laid out.
Flat Valley Ground
Level across most of the city, so foundations, drainage and site access are straightforward. What constrains a project here is setbacks and yard space rather than grade.
Ranch Homes Convert Well
Mid-century ranch properties often have the lot depth and simple structure that make a garage conversion or a detached backyard unit genuinely practical.
What we build
ADU Services in West Valley City
ADU Construction
Full-scope building from foundation and framing through mechanical rough-in and final finishes.
Garage Conversion
Turning an attached or detached garage into a self-contained unit using what is already on site.
Detached ADU
Standalone backyard units with their own foundation, entrance and utility connections.
Attached ADU
Additions sharing a wall or roofline with the main house while staying fully self-contained.
ADU Remodeling
Updating an existing ADU, basement apartment or converted space to a livable standard.
West Valley City Property Conditions to Plan For
On a West Valley City property, we start with the era and work outward:
- Which part of the city you are in — eastern ranch stock and western planned developments raise different questions
- Garage type — detached garages on older lots are prime conversion candidates; attached garages become in-law suites
- Backyard depth — generally more generous on the 1960s and 70s lots than in the newer western subdivisions
- Electrical capacity — a panel sized for a 1960s household will not run a second kitchen unaided
- Setbacks in newer subdivisions — usually the binding constraint on the western side
- Utility service distance — a genuine cost line on deeper eastern lots
Older parts of the city favour a garage conversion or a detached backyard unit. Newer western subdivisions more often point toward an attached ADU or a basement conversion. Both routes start with design work on the actual property.
Need Help?
ADU Questions From West Valley City Homeowners
What comes up most often when we walk properties in West Valley City.
Are ADUs allowed in West Valley City?
Utah state law makes internal ADUs a permitted use in most residential zones statewide. Detached units are governed by West Valley City ordinance, and cities can apply parking, owner-occupancy and rental licensing requirements. Rules change, so confirm the current position with West Valley City during planning. We prepare the drawings and coordinate the process.
I have a 1970s brick ranch. What are my options?
Usually the widest range in the city. Those properties tend to have lot depth, a straightforward structure and often a garage worth converting. The main thing to check is electrical capacity, because a panel from that era was never intended to carry a second kitchen and separate heating.
I am in a newer western subdivision. Is a detached unit realistic?
Sometimes, but setbacks in planned developments frequently consume the space before a footprint fits. Where that is the case, an attached addition or a basement conversion gets you a genuinely separate dwelling without needing open backyard. We mark the envelope out at the walkthrough so you can see it.
Does being Utah’s second-largest city change anything practically?
Mostly in terms of variety. There is no single West Valley City property type, which is why we do not quote from an address alone. What the scale does mean is that we have seen a wide range of conditions here, from mid-century ranch conversions to new builds on modern lots.
How far do you travel for West Valley City?
It is a straightforward run south from our base in Bountiful. Site visits are easy to arrange, and where distance would materially affect scheduling on a long build we say so in the estimate.
Nearby Areas We Serve
We work across South Davis County and the greater Salt Lake area. If your property is near West Valley City, these are the neighbouring communities we cover:
- Taylorsville — immediately south
- Salt Lake City — north
- South Salt Lake — east across the Jordan River
- West Jordan — south along the valley
- Bountiful — our base in South Davis
The full list is on our service areas page.
Build an ADU in West Valley City
West Valley City has more housing variety than almost anywhere in the valley, and the right ADU here depends almost entirely on which decade your street was built in.
We design and build detached ADUs, attached ADUs, garage conversions and basement conversions throughout West Valley City.
Send us the address and roughly when the house was built, and we will tell you what is realistic.