Field notes
The Journal
What we've learned building ADUs across Greater LA — pulled from real permit cycles, real budgets, real client conversations. Every article cites the primary sources we use ourselves.
Cost & ROI
9 min read · updated 2026-04-08
How much does an ADU really cost in Los Angeles in 2026?
An honest 2026 breakdown of LA ADU costs — hard costs per square foot, soft costs, utility upgrades, and the fees most homeowners forget to budget.
8 min read · updated 2026-04-02
ADU ROI in Los Angeles: rental income vs resale value, honestly
Real numbers on what an LA ADU returns — monthly rent by neighborhood, resale appraisal lift, and the breakeven math no contractor wants to walk through.
Permits
10 min read · updated 2026-03-22
The Los Angeles ADU permit process, explained step-by-step
Every step of the LADBS ADU permit pipeline — pre-application, plan check, corrections, fees, and the inspections that decide your schedule.
8 min read · updated 2026-04-20
Coastal Zone ADUs: Malibu, Santa Monica, Venice permit realities
What the Coastal Commission actually requires for ADUs in the LA Coastal Zone — process, timeline, fees, and the design choices that make a CDP application sail through.
Financing
Design & Build
8 min read · updated 2026-03-30
Detached ADU vs garage conversion: how to choose for your LA lot
When a garage conversion is the smart move and when it's a trap — comparing cost, code, livability, and resale across the two most common LA ADU formats.
8 min read · updated 2026-04-22
Prefab vs site-built ADUs: honest tradeoffs
Modular and panelized ADUs promise speed and cost certainty. Here's where the promises hold up in LA, and where the math quietly breaks down.
9 min read · updated 2026-04-25
Mistakes LA homeowners make with their first ADU
Twelve avoidable mistakes we see on first-time LA ADU projects — from surveying the wrong setback to financing on rate-lock assumptions that don't survive plan check.
Zoning & Law
9 min read · updated 2026-04-10
Hillside ADUs in LA: what the BHO actually requires
The Baseline Hillside Ordinance, plain-language. What it allows for ADUs, what it limits, and the cost realities of building on an LA hillside lot in 2026.
9 min read · updated 2026-04-18
California SB 9 vs ADU laws: what actually changed in 2024–2025
SB 9, AB 1033, SB 1211, and the dozens of other California housing bills — what they actually allow on your LA lot in 2026, with no spin.
7 min read · updated 2026-04-15
JADU vs ADU vs detached ADU: the real differences
California recognizes three distinct accessory unit formats. Here's exactly what each is, what each allows, and why most LA homeowners pick the wrong one first.
