ADU construction in Los Angeles County
We build every unit on your lot, from the foundation to the paint. You pay for the build as each inspection passes.
Construction starts once the permit is issued and the approved plans are on site. From then on the city's inspector checks the work at set stages against those plans, and nothing is covered up until its stage has passed. We book each city inspection as its stage is ready, and your payments follow the same inspections.
Before the first day on site
- The permit is issued and the approved plans are on site
- You have approved the windows, fixtures, finishes and colors, so they can be ordered
- Your contract lists every payment and the stage it follows
- If a loan is paying, your lender has the plans, the contract and the payment schedule
The drawings and the permit come first, as ADU plans sets out.
From the ground to the keys
- Ground and foundation. We set out the unit from the approved site plan and dig the footings. In a garage, we cut the existing slab along the new drain lines instead. The inspector checks before any concrete goes in.
- Frame and roof. The walls and the roof go up, with the openings for the doors and windows. The inspector checks the framing and the connections our engineer drew.
- Pipes and wiring. The plumbing and the wiring run through the open walls, and the new sub-panel goes in. The inspector sees them before the walls close.
- Insulation and walls. Insulation goes in as the Title 24 energy report sets out, and the drywall follows once the insulation has been checked.
- Kitchen, bath and finishes. Cabinets, tile, fixtures, floors and paint, in the choices you approved before we ordered.
- Final inspection and keys. We book the final inspection and meet the inspector on site. Anything on the inspector's list, we fix before the sign-off. You get the certificate of occupancy and the keys.
What we do
We measure the yard and the garage and mark the setbacks, the distances the city keeps clear of each property line. We photograph the electric meter and the panel, find the sewer cleanout and check how a concrete truck would reach the back.
What you get
A written answer on what fits on your lot, with an estimate for that scope, within three working days.
When you pay
No charge for the visit or the estimate, and nothing to sign.
When you pay
In stages. Each construction payment falls due after the stage before it passes its city inspection. The last payment comes after the final inspection passes, and every payment is in your contract before you sign.
Where we stop for your approval
- Before we order: windows, fixtures, finishes and colors.
- Before any change: its price, in writing, before the work is done.
The work that touches your house is where the new lines join its sewer, water and electric service. If the power or the water has to go off, you hear from us the day before.
What moves the build price
- The scope and the floor area
- The foundation your soil and the engineering call for
- How long the sewer, water and electrical runs are, as measured on the visit
- How trucks and materials reach the work
- Whether your main panel needs an upgrade, priced as its own line
- The finishes you choose
All construction, from the foundation to the paint, is in your price, with debris hauling and cleanup. The contract price is the price. The one exception is anything the city adds in plan check, which we price in writing for your approval first.
What you get
- Each stage passed by the city inspector before the next one starts
- The certificate of occupancy and the keys, with a folder holding the approved plans
- One year on the work from the date of the certificate of occupancy, covering what we built
If something we built fails in the first year, call us. We come back and fix it at no charge.
Asked before the build starts
Not on the list? Ask it on the site visit, with your lot in front of us.
Book a free site visitDo you build it yourselves?
Yes. We draw the plans, our engineer stamps them and we take them through the city. Then our crew builds the unit, and we book every inspection through the final.
How long does construction take?
Design and construction run on our schedule, and your estimate shows the time we plan for each. Plan check, which comes before the build, runs on the city's.
Do I pay for a stage that fails its inspection?
No. The payment for that stage waits until it passes. Anything on the inspector's list, we put right before the inspector comes back.
See what fits in your garage or your yard.
Start with an hour on your lot. The written answer and the estimate are yours to keep.
- About an hour on your lot
- No charge, nothing to sign
- We call back within one working day
- Written estimate within three working days
