Add a backyard home to your Utah lot.
Cocoon Homes, a Lehi, Utah ADU builder, designs, permits, and builds accessory dwelling units across the Wasatch Front — built on-site by our Utah crew, with all-in builds typically running $85K–$200K. Start here: real prices, your city's rules, and the rental math, all in one place.
What is an ADU?
An accessory dwelling unit (ADU) is a second, self-contained home on a single-family lot — with its own kitchen, bathroom, and entrance. A detached ADU is a permitted dwelling classified as real property: it's inspected to residential code, counted in your home's appraised value, and can be legally rented in most Utah cities. That's what separates it from a tiny home on wheels, which most cities classify as an RV.
Everything you need to plan your ADU
Four free tools we keep current for Utah homeowners. Most people start with cost, then check their city.
What will an ADU cost me?
Ballpark your all-in number in about a minute: pick a home, set your site difficulty, and see home price plus realistic site work. Cocoon ADUs typically run $85,000–$200,000 all-in depending on size — well under the $200K–$400K+ typical of traditional custom builds.
Estimate my cost City rules trackerCan I build one in my city?
Detached-ADU rules for 34 Wasatch Front cities — lot size, height limits, owner-occupancy, and permit status — each reviewed against the ordinance its council adopted.
Check my city's rules Rental income & paybackWhat will it earn?
City-by-city rents and a payback calculator. A one-bedroom backyard ADU typically rents for $1,200–$1,500 a month on the Wasatch Front — and many pencil out in roughly 7 to 8 years, before counting resale value.
Run the rental math ADU vs. tiny homeWhich one do I actually need?
One is real property; the other is an RV in the eyes of most Utah cities. The legal status, financing, and resale differences decide what belongs on your lot — here's the honest comparison, from a company that builds both.
See the difference ADU for aging parentsCheaper than assisted living?
A one-bedroom ADU runs $113,000–$126,000 all-in — about 21 to 23 months of Utah's median assisted living bill — and you still own it. What the new state law allows, which plan fits, and what to build in now.
Compare the two pathsUtah just opened its backyards.
Since October 1, 2026, Utah's SB284 requires most cities to allow detached ADUs — and the rule applies even where a city hasn't finished its own ordinance. If a backyard home has ever crossed your mind, the law is now on your side.
Find an ADU builder near you
Cocoon Homes builds ADUs in all 34 Wasatch Front cities on our tracker. Start with your county or city:
Ogden or Midway? See the full city tracker.
Five floor plans, ready for your backyard
Every Cocoon floor plan can be built on-site as a permanent, foundation-set ADU by our Utah crew — same layouts, permitted to code. Prices below are the standard-width base home; site work adds 35–50%. Many ADU customers go bigger — a wider footprint, more square footage, or a second-story loft — so all-in builds range from about $85K for a compact studio up to $200K.
Studio
1 Bed Retreat
One Bedroom
1 Bed Flex
Two Bedroom
Want something different? Our design team drafts fully custom, engineer-stamped plans ($7,000–$10,000) and submits them to your city. Compare all five plans
Built like a home. Because it is one.
Real finishes and residential craftsmanship — no RV interiors, no builder-grade shortcuts.
One backyard. Four good reasons.
Family, closer
Aging parents nearby but independent. Adult kids launching without a downtown lease. Same yard, separate front doors.
A rent check, every month
Wasatch Front ADUs rent for $1,200–$2,500 a month — long-term income from land you already own.
Space that flexes
A home office with a real door. A guest house your in-laws actually enjoy. A studio, gym, or landing pad — it's yours.
Equity that compounds
A permitted ADU is real property, so it can count toward your home's appraised value — the rent is only half the return.
From first call to move-in, one team handles it.
You make the fun decisions. We do the rest — including the paperwork.
Free consultation
Tell us about your lot, city, and goals. You leave with a realistic all-in number — no pressure, no obligation.
Pick plan & finishes
Choose a floor plan and your finishes from our curated catalog — no design fee. Fully custom plans available.
We handle permits
We prepare stamped plans and submit them to your city, then manage the approval process for you.
Your home is built
Our Utah crew builds on-site, on your property and foundation — permitted and inspected to residential code at every stage.
Move-in ready
Utilities connected, final inspection passed, keys in hand — ready for family or your first tenant.
What a real project looks like
Real 2026 numbers across our build range — not a lowball teaser. Every figure is all-in: home, site work, utilities, and permits.
Then it starts paying you back
| City | Typical 1-bed rent (2026) |
|---|---|
| Salt Lake City | $1,300–$1,430/mo |
| Lehi | $1,379/mo |
| Provo | $1,299/mo |
At $1,300 a month, a compact one-bed grosses $15,600 a year — roughly a 7 to 7.5 year payback on a $113K build, before counting any added resale value. Bigger builds take longer to pay back but rent for more.
Run the numbers for your cityWalk through one before you decide.
Tour our Lehi model, or start with a free 30-minute consultation — we'll talk through your lot, your city's rules, and your real number.
Utah ADU questions, answered
How much does an ADU cost in Utah?
Can I build an ADU in my city?
Who builds ADUs in Lehi and Utah County?
How much rent can an ADU earn?
Does an ADU add value to my home?
What's the difference between an ADU and a tiny home?
Who handles the permits?
Can I finance an ADU?
How long does it take to build?
Where does Cocoon build ADUs?
Not a homeowner project?
We also build at volume — tiny-home communities, workforce housing, and disaster relief on a single contract.
Last updated: October 2026 · Cocoon Homes, Lehi, Utah · 801-919-9666