How much does it cost to build an ADU in Raleigh? The usual backyard unit (ADU) job filed with Raleigh is $112,256, from 136 priced permits (October 2023 through September 2026). A filed value is what the contractor wrote on the permit, not a quote or the final bill.
The usual backyard unit (ADU) job filed with Raleigh is $112,256, from 136 priced permits, October 2023 through September 2026. Half of jobs were filed for less, half for more. A filed value is what the contractor wrote on the permit, not a quote or the final bill.
Approximately, from each firm's own spread: every firm's range of filed values, weighted by its 136 priced permits across 101 firms, pooled into one. Half of Raleigh backyard unit (ADU) permits were filed between $79,600 and $142,000.
| Percentile | Filed value | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $42,500 | 1 in 10 permits filed below |
| 25th | $79,600 | 1 in 4 filed below |
| 50th | $112,000 | the middle permit |
| 75th | $142,000 | 1 in 4 filed above |
| 90th | $217,000 | 1 in 10 filed above |
Firms split into thirds by the usual value of the homes they work on, with each third's usual filed value weighted by permits. Home values: Wake County parcel values.
| Firms working on | Usual home value | Usual filed value | Firms | Permits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower third | under $518,232 | $115,520 | 33 | 40 |
| Middle third | $518,232–$800,656 | $112,170 | 34 | 48 |
| Upper third | $804,989 and up | $106,882 | 34 | 50 |
Top 10 by permits in the last 12 months. Usual is each firm's middle filed value; middle half is the range its middle half of jobs were filed in; both are shown for firms with 5 or more priced permits. Busy is not the same as careful: pick what you value to build a list.
| Firm | Permits | Last 12 mo | Usual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Armature Design Build | 4 | 3 | — |
| Johlco | 4 | 2 | — |
| Hoss Builders, Inc | 3 | 2 | — |
| Monterey Bay Raleigh | 3 | 2 | — |
| Dempsey Hodges Construction, LLC - Contr | 2 | 2 | — |
| Mondragon Homes | 2 | 2 | — |
| Murdock Gannon Construction, I | 2 | 2 | — |
| Speight Built LLC | 2 | 2 | — |
| Allure Renovations, LLC | 2 | 1 | — |
| Contr-M13 LLC | 2 | 1 | — |
Line your quote up against the file. In Raleigh, 1 in 10 backyard unit (ADU) filed values sit under $42,500, the middle half between $79,600 and $142,000, and 1 in 10 over $217,000.
Raleigh files the fewest backyard unit (ADU) permits in June (42 against an average month of 100) and the most in April (193). If you can choose, ask for quotes in a quiet month. We have no prices by month, so this is about crews' schedules, not a discount. When each trade is busiest in Raleigh →
Source: City of Raleigh building permits. The window is October 2023 through September 2026; a permit filed after that isn't here yet.
Usual is the middle permit: half were filed for less, half for more. Only permits with a filed value count; a value of $0 or none is left out.
The spread is approximate: we keep seven points of each firm's own range of filed values, not every permit, and pool them.
Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. How the records work in Raleigh →
Backyard Unit (ADU) cost in other cities: Nashville Denver San Diego Honolulu Palo Alto Bellingham San Francisco Anaheim Marin County (unincorporated) Sacramento County (unincorporated)
Other job costs in Raleigh: New Home · Deck · Swimming Pool