The Balboa, 550 sq ft One-Bedroom ADU Floor Plan

The Balboa at a glance

*Estimated 2026 range for a custom detached build at our published rates ($270–$380/sq ft). Final pricing depends on site conditions, panel, utilities, slope, access. Run your lot in the cost calculator.

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.

The Balboa is the default answer, so it is worth knowing when it is not. If the lot is tight, the Laguna at 450 sq ft exists precisely for that and clears setbacks this plan cannot. If the tenant pool you want includes families or roommates, the Tustin at 750 sq ft adds the second bedroom that widens it, though 750 sq ft is where impact fees can start applying. The Newport is the top of the range. See all four in the floor-plan comparison.