Los Angeles ADU &
Remodel Contractor.
Hand-built kitchen remodels, whole-home renovations, garage conversions, and accessory dwelling units across Greater Los Angeles — Santa Monica, Pasadena, Long Beach, Burbank, Glendale, Silver Lake, and surrounding cities. Licensed, bonded, insured.
Where we work.
Tap a region. Response times, crew notes, and the right next step shift with the parcel.
now showing —
Westside & Coastal
Santa Monica · Venice · Mar Vista · Brentwood · Pacific Palisades
- Response
- Same-day callback · site walk within 3 days
- Crew
- Three W-2 crews, one super based in Mar Vista.
Spanish duplexes in Venice, mid-century post-and-beam in Mar Vista, hillside contemporaries above Sunset. Coastal Zone west of Lincoln in Venice and the Marina Peninsula triggers a Coastal Development Permit — we file at LADBS West LA and the Coastal Commission both.
- Santa Monica Permit Center + LADBS West LA plan-check
- Coastal Development Permits (Venice, Marina Peninsula, Pacific Palisades)
- Soft-story seismic retrofits per LA Ordinance 183893
Permit notes, by sub-region.
Every LA sub-region has its own zoning quirks, plan-check rhythm, and lot patterns. We keep a short field note on each one.
Westside
Westside permits move quickly when the parcel is clearly inside the city of LA or Santa Monica grid — both jurisdictions run ministerial ADU review under state law. The variables are Coastal Zone status (anything west of Lincoln Blvd in Venice / Marina Peninsula), and whether a soft-story or seismic ordinance applies to the existing structure.
Read permit notes →
Eastside / NELA
NELA permits are predictable as long as you're outside an HPOZ. Inside one (Highland Park, Angelino Heights, parts of Eagle Rock), the Office of Historic Resources reviews materials, windows, and street-facing changes before LADBS will issue. Hillside parcels add a separate haul-route permit and a tighter grading review.
Read permit notes →
San Fernando Valley
The Valley is the most predictable corner of LA city for an ADU permit. Standard R1 lots, flat topography, and LADBS's online portal mean state ADU law applies cleanly with no neighbor notice and no discretionary review. The two variables are the Mulholland Scenic Parkway Specific Plan (south-side hillside parcels) and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones.
Read permit notes →
South Bay
South Bay permits hinge on which beach city you're in. Manhattan, Hermosa, and Redondo each enforce a local ADU ordinance that's stricter than LA city's, capping detached unit size and adding parking rules in some sub-areas. Coastal Zone status and Palos Verdes geotech are the biggest schedule variables.
Read permit notes →
Hills & Canyons
Hill parcels add the Baseline Hillside Ordinance, geotech, and (along the ridgeline) the Mulholland Scenic Parkway Specific Plan to every permit package. The ADU itself is still ministerial, but plan-check takes longer because the structural, grading, and haul-route sheets are heavier than a flat-lot project.
Read permit notes →
San Gabriel Valley
The SGV is the fastest stretch of LA County we work in. Pasadena, Glendale, and Burbank all run their own building departments with shorter queues than LADBS. The catches are Pasadena's Landmark Districts and the separate municipal utilities — Burbank Water & Power, Glendale Water & Power, Pasadena Water & Power — each with their own connection fees and meter-set timelines.
Read permit notes →
Ventura County
Ventura County permits run cleanly under state ADU law. Each city (Oxnard, Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, Ventura) has its own building department, but all hold ministerial review at 60 days from a complete submittal. The variables are the Coastal Zone (waterfront parcels) and Very High Fire Hazard Zones along the foothills.
Read permit notes →
Orange County
Orange County permits are quick when the parcel is in a streamlined city (Irvine, Anaheim, Santa Ana) and slower when the city is small and beachfront (Laguna, Newport's Balboa Peninsula). The most common schedule risk is the master-planned-community HOA — the building permit is fast, but the architectural review committee runs on its own monthly schedule.
Read permit notes →
Inland Empire
The Inland Empire is the easiest jurisdiction we work in. Big lots, flat topography, and city building departments that already process high volumes of ADU permits mean a clean 60-day ministerial review is the norm. The only variables are the Very High Fire Hazard zones at the foothills and a few unincorporated pockets that run through Riverside or San Bernardino County directly.
Read permit notes →
From the LA binder.
Reclaimed white-oak island · soapstone counters
640 sqft · permitted in 4 weeks
Heath tile · brushed brass
From the LA binder.
Kitchen remodel · 2024
“They drew it, permitted it, and built it. One team, one number to call. Our Pasadena kitchen came in on time and on budget.”
— Linda K. · Pasadena
Detached ADU · 2024
“The Magnolia ADU went from sketch to LADBS permit in four weeks. Crew showed up every morning at 7:00.”
— Marcus & Jen · Burbank
Whole-home remodel · 2023
“Honest scope, no surprise change-orders. The seismic retrofit was handled cleanly inside the whole-home rebuild.”
— R. Tanaka · Silver Lake
LA, in short.
- How much does an ADU cost in Los Angeles?
- Most detached LA ADUs land between $300K and $500K all-in. Garage conversions typically run $160K–$260K. We give a one-page feasibility note before contracting.
- Do you handle LADBS permits?
- Yes — we run the full plan set, structural calcs, Title 24 energy compliance, and the LADBS back-and-forth so the homeowner only signs.
- Do you do seismic upgrades?
- Yes. Soft-story retrofits, foundation bolting, cripple-wall bracing, and chimney repairs are part of our standard whole-home scope.
- How long does a Los Angeles ADU take?
- Plan on 3–5 months for permits through LADBS or LA County, plus 4–6 months on site. Pre-approved ADU plans can shorten the permit window when the lot fits.
- Do you work in hillside or coastal zones?
- Yes. We've built in the Hollywood Hills, Silver Lake, Mt. Washington, and the Pacific Palisades. Hillside grading, geotech, and Coastal Commission review are part of the workflow.
- Can I convert my garage into an ADU?
- Usually yes — California state law strongly favors garage-to-ADU conversions and most LA jurisdictions allow them as-of-right. We confirm setbacks, fire separation, and slab condition first.
- Do you handle design and construction?
- Yes — we're a design-build studio. One team draws it, prices it, permits it, and builds it. No three-way blame triangle between architect, contractor, and homeowner.
- Can you check if my LA property qualifies?
- Yes — send us the address and we'll pull zoning, setbacks, FAR, hillside or HPOZ overlays, and ADU eligibility before you spend money on drawings.
Ready to walk the lot?
First 90-minute LA site walk is on us. We’ll come back with a one-page feasibility note within the week.
Book the LA site walk →