ADU Design
Site evaluation, concept floor plans and construction-ready drawings shaped around your lot.
Serving Woods Cross and 23 nearby cities
ADU Builder in Woods Cross, UT
Accessory dwelling unit design and construction for Woods Cross homeowners. We are ten minutes up the road in Bountiful, which makes a small Davis County city like this one straightforward to build in.
No obligation. Every estimate starts with a straightforward conversation and a walkthrough of your lot.
Design → Permits → BuildDetached · Attached · Garage
Building ADUs in Woods Cross
Woods Cross is a compact city of roughly 11,400 people in south-eastern Davis County, sitting on 3.9 square miles between West Bountiful to the north, Bountiful to the east and North Salt Lake to the south. It is entirely built out — the 2020 census recorded 100% of residents living in urban areas — so an ADU here is almost always about using space a property already has rather than opening new ground.
The city sits on the valley floor rather than the bench, which is the single most useful thing to know about building here. Foundations, drainage and equipment access are all simpler than on a sloped east-side lot in Bountiful or North Salt Lake. Where a hillside property needs stepped footings and retaining, a Woods Cross backyard usually does not.
Housing runs to family-oriented single-family homes — around two-thirds of households are married couples and a third of residents are under 18. In practice that means a lot of properties with full basements, attached garages and backyards that were sized for children rather than for a second building. Whether a detached unit fits usually comes down to how much of that yard you are willing to give up.
Because the city is small and close to us, scheduling is easy and site visits are quick to arrange. That matters more than it sounds on a project that runs for months.
What Shapes an ADU Project in Woods Cross
Flat Valley-Floor Lots
Woods Cross sits off the bench, so foundations, drainage and site access are generally more straightforward here than on the sloped properties a few streets east in Bountiful.
Family Housing With Basements
Predominantly owner-occupied single-family homes, many with full basements and attached garages — which makes internal and garage conversions a realistic first option before considering a new build.
A Small, Fully Built-Out City
At 3.9 square miles and entirely urban, lots are defined and neighbours are close. Setbacks, privacy and window placement carry more weight here than on a larger suburban lot further north.
What we build
ADU Services in Woods Cross
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.
Woods Cross Property Conditions to Plan For
What we actually check when we walk a Woods Cross property:
- Backyard depth — the deciding factor for whether a detached unit fits without swallowing the whole yard
- Side-yard width — determines whether equipment and material can reach the back of the lot, or whether the build has to be staged from the front
- Basement ceiling height — often the quickest route to a unit here, but only if the height survives insulation and finished flooring
- Garage type and slab condition — attached garages convert into in-law suites; the slab and ceiling decide whether it is worth it
- Distance to existing water, sewer and electrical service — short runs on a compact lot are one of the genuine cost advantages of building here
- Neighbour sightlines — on tighter lots, where windows and the second entrance face matters as much as the floor plan
If the basement or garage turns out to be the better candidate, that points toward a garage conversion or an internal conversion rather than a new structure. If the yard has room, a detached ADU gives more separation. We tell you which way the property leans at the walkthrough.
Need Help?
ADU Questions From Woods Cross Homeowners
What comes up most often when we walk properties in Woods Cross.
Are ADUs allowed in Woods Cross?
Utah state law makes internal accessory dwelling units — units created inside an existing home, such as a basement unit — a permitted use in most residential zones statewide. Detached backyard units sit outside that statewide protection and are governed by Woods Cross City ordinance, which can also apply parking, owner-occupancy and rental licensing requirements. Rules change over time, so confirm the current position with Woods Cross City before planning around it. We help you work through that process.
Is a basement conversion the best option in Woods Cross?
It often is, because so many homes here were built with full basements and the plumbing stack is usually already close to where a bathroom would go. The two things that decide it are ceiling height once insulation and finished flooring are added, and whether a compliant separate entrance and egress window can be created. Both get measured at the walkthrough rather than guessed at.
Will a detached unit fit on a typical Woods Cross lot?
On many of them, yes — but it is a real trade against backyard space in a city where lots are defined and fully built out. We lay the footprint out against your actual yard during siting so you can see what remains before anything is committed, rather than discovering it after the foundation is poured.
Does being off the bench make the build cheaper?
It usually helps. Flat ground means a simpler foundation, less drainage engineering and no retaining work, and equipment reaches the site more easily. The savings are real but not dramatic — finish level and utility distance still move the number more than terrain does.
How quickly can you get out to a Woods Cross property?
Quickly. We are based in Bountiful, immediately east of you, so walkthroughs are easy to schedule and there is no travel premium in the estimate. Being close also means the crew is not losing an hour each way during construction, which shows up in how a months-long project actually runs.
Nearby Areas We Serve
We work across South Davis County and the greater Salt Lake area. If your property is near Woods Cross, these are the neighbouring communities we cover:
- North Salt Lake — directly south, where hillside lots change the calculation
- West Bountiful — immediately north, flatter still with more open yards
- Bountiful — our base, one street east
- Centerville — north along the bench
- Salt Lake City — ten minutes south
The full list is on our service areas page.
Build an ADU in Woods Cross
Woods Cross properties tend to reward looking inward first — the basement, the garage, the space the house already has — before committing the backyard to a new structure.
We design and build detached ADUs, attached ADUs, garage conversions and basement conversions, and we handle ADU remodels, for homeowners throughout Woods Cross and South Davis County.
Send us the address and we will walk the property with you and give you an honest read on what it will support.