Willow Glen ADUs: Porch Lights and Backyard Homes in San Jose, CA | ADU Adventures EP023

ADU Adventures: Building in Your Backyard · Oct 22, 2026 · 20m · transcript

If you’re searching for the best ADU builder in San Jose, CA, this episode gives you the vetting criteria that matter most in a historic neighborhood, told from inside one. Willow Glen doesn’t feel like the rest of San Jose, and that’s the point. It once incorporated as its own city to stop a railroad from cutting through the neighborhood, then later joined San Jose for something practical: sewers. That “does it fit?” mindset still shapes the streets today, from the massive trees to the porch culture to the way neighbors react to change.

I’m James, and I’m going home for this one. I lived in…