The Balboa — 550 sq ft One-Bedroom ADU Floor Plan
The rental sweet spot: a true one-bedroom with room to breathe, sized for the widest slice of the OC tenant market.
The Balboa at a glance
| Size | 550 sq ft |
| Bedrooms | 1 |
| Bathrooms | 1 |
| Best fit | The default rental play — fits most lots, rents to the biggest tenant pool |
How this plan lives
If a homeowner tells us "I just want the sensible one," we usually end up drawing something like the Balboa. Five hundred fifty square feet is where a one-bedroom stops feeling like a clever compromise: the bedroom takes a queen bed and a dresser, the living area takes a sofa and a dining table at the same time, and the kitchen gets a run of counter you can actually work on.
This size targets the deepest part of the Orange County tenant pool — working professionals and couples — which is why one-bedrooms are the configuration we and everyone else build most. County rents run $2,000–$3,000 a month and a well-finished one-bedroom earns the middle of that band nearly anywhere in our service area.
The Balboa still fits the majority of OC lots. It wants a little more room than the Laguna, but nothing exotic — and when a lot can take either, the extra hundred feet usually pays for itself in rent and resale.
Frequently asked questions
Why is a one-bedroom the most common ADU?
Balboa or Laguna — how do we choose?
What rent should I expect?
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your ADU?
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