A free site visit, a check of what your lot allows and a written, line-item price.
Get your free estimateTrusted ADU Builders for Los Angeles Homeowners
An ADU, or accessory dwelling unit, is a second, fully functional home built on the same lot as your existing house. In Los Angeles, where housing prices have pushed multigenerational living from a choice into a necessity, ADUs have become the fastest path to more space without buying a new property. The problem most Los Angeles homeowners face is not finding a contractor; it’s finding Los Angeles ADU Builders who put the price in writing before work begins and actually return if something goes wrong. That’s the gap Lodgewick ADU Los Angeles was built to close. Led by Russ Delmar and operating as part of the Kingswell family since 2010, we build ADUs, garage conversions, and home additions under The Kingswell Guarantee: written price first, real arrival window, clean job site, written guarantee on every project. Call us at (213) 698-7116 for a free estimate.
Key Takeaways
- Real prices in writing: A detached ADU in Los Angeles typically runs $180,000 to $350,000. We put the number in writing before any nail gets driven.
- 365-Day Done Right Promise: If the work isn’t right, we come back and make it right. Free return visits within the guarantee period.
- One crew, one standard: Background-checked, uniformed technicians. A live person answers the phone 24/7.
- We know the brands: Hands-on experience with Abodu, Cover, Dvele, Mighty Buildings, and more. We match the system to your lot and budget.
ADU Construction
ADU Construction is the full process of turning an idea into a permitted, habitable second home on your Los Angeles property. It covers everything from the first site visit and feasibility check through foundation, framing, rough-in, finishes, and final inspection. Homeowners pursue ADU construction when an aging parent needs to live closer, when adult children can’t afford rent in their own zip code, or when a backyard unit can start earning $2,500 to $3,800 a month in rent. Lodgewick ADU Los Angeles handles the entire build: plans, permits, construction, and the final walkthrough. A garage conversion ADU in Los Angeles typically runs $120,000 to $220,000, while a new detached unit starts around $180,000 and can reach $350,000 for a custom two-bedroom. Every project gets a written price before work starts, under The Kingswell Guarantee.
Pre-construction feasibility
We check your lot’s zoning, setbacks, soil conditions, and utility access before drawings are started. This early diligence prevents the discovery of problems mid-build when fixing them is three times more expensive. In hillside areas like Mount Washington and Silver Lake, we look carefully for grading and retaining wall issues that flat-lot builders never think about.
Full build management
Russ Delmar’s team manages every trade: concrete, framing, electrical, plumbing, drywall, and finish carpentry. The crew shows up in the window given, protects fencing and landscaping that isn’t part of the job, and sweeps the site every day before leaving. You’ll know who’s on your property: every technician is background-checked and wears a Lodgewick uniform.
Detached ADU
A Detached ADU is a self-contained living unit built separate from your main house, usually in the rear yard or side setback of a Los Angeles property. These units have their own kitchen, bathroom, entrance, and often their own address. Homeowners in Los Angeles choose a detached unit when they want rental income with privacy, a separate space for adult children, or a long-term aging-in-place solution for parents. Lodgewick ADU Los Angeles builds detached units from 400 to 1,200 square feet, handling slabs, framing, roofing, utility connections, and interior finishes. A standard one-bedroom detached ADU in Los Angeles typically costs $180,000 to $260,000. A two-bedroom with custom finishes runs $280,000 to $350,000. Those numbers go in writing before we start, and they don’t change at the door.
Slab and foundation work
A detached unit has its own foundation, which means soil testing, forming, reinforcing steel, and a proper pour. We’ve seen plenty of Los Angeles yards where clay soil shifts with the seasons, and undersized slabs crack within two years. We size footings for the actual soil conditions, not the cheapest possible pour.
Utility runs and trenching
Detached units need water, sewer, electrical, and sometimes gas brought from the street or the main house. Trenching through the yard is disruptive, so we sequence it early and restore landscaping after backfill. The written price includes all trenching, patching, and restoration.
JADU
A JADU, also known as a junior accessory dwelling unit, is a smaller living space carved out of the existing footprint of your home rather than built as a new structure. Los Angeles zoning allows JADUs up to 500 square feet, typically converted from a spare bedroom, attached garage, or unused den. The law requires a separate entrance and an efficiency kitchen, but the JADU may share a bathroom with the main house. This is the cheapest way to create a legal, rentable unit in Los Angeles because there’s no new foundation and no new roof. Lodgewick ADU Los Angeles converts attached garages, unused bedrooms, and underused family rooms into JADUs for roughly $80,000 to $150,000, depending on the plumbing scope and kitchen finishes. The price is written before work begins, and the 365-Day Done Right Promise applies to every JADU we complete.
Attached garage conversions
Converting an attached garage into a JADU in Los Angeles means upgrading the slab to meet habitable-space standards, adding insulation, replacing the garage door with a wall and proper entrance, and running plumbing for an efficiency kitchen. We’ve converted dozens of attached garages in neighborhoods like Westchester and Baldwin Hills, plus nearby areas served by Lawndale ADU Builders, where alley access makes attached conversions the logical first move.
Plumbing and kitchenette scope
The cost range on a JADU swings hardest on where the plumbing goes. A kitchenette next to an existing wet wall keeps costs near $80,000. Running DWV lines across a slab-on-grade home pushes toward the $150,000 end. Either way, we show you the line items before we begin, so there are no surprises when the plumber walks in.
ADU Plans
ADU Plans are the architectural drawings and permit documents required before any accessory dwelling unit can be legally built in Los Angeles. They include site plans, floor plans, elevations, structural engineering, title 24 energy calculations, and the specific details the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety looks for. Without approved plans, you cannot legally pour a foundation or start framing. Lodgewick ADU Los Angeles prepares permit-ready ADU plans through licensed designers and engineers who know the City of Los Angeles ADU ordinance, including the newer state pre-approval pathways and HPOZ overlays. Plans for a standard garage conversion or JADU run $4,500 to $9,000. Full custom detached ADU plans cost $9,000 to $18,000 including structural engineering. We include plan preparation in our turnkey scope, but homeowners who only need plans can hire us for the design phase as a standalone service.
Permit-ready drafting
We draw every sheet needed for plan check: site plan with lot dimensions and setbacks, floor plan with window and door schedules, structural details, and energy compliance documentation. We submit to LADBS, answer plan-check comments, and revise until the permit is issued. Our familiarity with LADBS reviewers means fewer rejection cycles and faster approvals than a homeowner or an out-of-area drafter would see.
Engineering and Title 24
Los Angeles is in seismic zone D, which means every new ADU needs structural calculations for the foundation, shear walls, and roof connections. We work with California-licensed structural engineers and Title 24 energy consultants on every plan set. The engineering price is part of the plan cost we quote, not a surprise line added later.
ADU Contractor
An ADU Contractor is the licensed general contractor you hire to execute the drawings, manage the trades, pull the permits, and deliver a finished accessory dwelling unit that passes final inspection. This is the role where Los Angeles homeowners have been burned most often: the contractor who gives a low verbal number, starts the job, then sells change orders for every missing line item. Lodgewick ADU Los Angeles operates as your single point of accountability. We hold a state-licensed, insured and bonded operation and every job runs under The Kingswell Guarantee: written price before work begins, defined arrival windows, a clean job site, and a written guarantee covering the work for a full year. Russ Delmar’s background-checked crew handles concrete, framing, insulation, drywall, roofing, and finish work with one contract and one schedule.
The Kingswell Guarantee, in plain writing
The Kingswell Way means we say the price before the work, show up in the window given, leave the place cleaner than we found it, put the guarantee in writing, and come back if anything fails. Every Lodgewick project includes a written guarantee delivered before the first day of construction. If the work isn’t right within 365 days, we return and make it right at no charge.
Trade coordination without the runaround
Most Los Angeles ADU builds involve six or more trades: concrete, framing, electrical, plumbing, drywall, and finish carpentry. We sequence them so the job doesn’t stall while you try to find a plumber who shows up. If a trade is delayed, we absorb the schedule hit and adjust, and the price on your contract does not move.
ADU Design
ADU Design is the creative and technical work of shaping your accessory dwelling unit: the floor plan, the exterior look, the window placement, the kitchen and bathroom layout, and the choice of materials and finishes. Los Angeles homeowners can either design from scratch with an architect or select a pre-approved plan and customize finishes. The design decision affects cost more than any other single choice. Lodgewick ADU Los Angeles offers both paths, matching each homeowner with whichever route fits their lot, timeline, and budget. Design fees for a completely custom ADU run $8,000 to $18,000. Choosing a pre-approved or prefab plan can cut that dramatically. Our team will show you samples, walk you through the tradeoffs, and keep the design grounded in what actually gets approved in Los Angeles.
Site-responsive layouts
In Los Angeles, where lots range from 3,500-square-foot flats in Jefferson Park to sloped strips in Mount Washington, a good ADU design starts with the site. We set the unit’s orientation for light and privacy, keep the main house’s bedroom windows from looking into the new unit, and work with the existing landscape rather than razing it. These are the details plan-mill designs never address.
Finishes that survive renters and time
If the point of your ADU is rental income, we’ll steer you toward flooring and surfaces that hold up under tenant life: LVP over site-finished hardwood, quartz counters over marble, simple cabinet details that resist moisture and wear. The result is a unit that photographs well on day one and still looks good when the third tenant moves out.
Backyard ADU
A Backyard ADU is a new detached accessory dwelling unit built in the rear yard of a Los Angeles property, separate from the main house but sharing the same lot. Backyard ADUs are the most flexible option: they don’t require the main house to change at all, and they can be built while you stay in your home. The trade-off is that they require a new foundation, new utility runs, and a larger budget than a garage conversion. ADU Builders - Culver City and throughout the Westside, Lodgewick ADU Los Angeles builds backyard units in Los Angeles every month, from compact one-bedroom units of 400 square feet to two-bedroom family-sized units up to 1,200 square feet. A standard backyard ADU in Los Angeles runs $200,000 to $320,000 for a one-bedroom and $300,000 to $450,000 for a two-bedroom with premium finishes. Prefab brands like Abodu and Cover can compress the schedule, while stick-built gives more design freedom. We handle both and present the case for each before you commit.
Prefab versus stick-built
Prefab units from manufacturers like Abodu, Cover, and Dvele arrive in factory-built modules and get set on a prepared foundation. The on-site phase is shorter, often eight to fourteen weeks instead of six to nine months. Stick-built gives you full control of every dimension and finish. We’ll price both, and our written estimate shows each as a separate line so you choose with clear eyes.
Foundation and utility infrastructure
A backyard ADU in Los Angeles typically needs its own water, sewer, and electrical service. That means trenching from the street or tapping into the main house’s panel and lines. We build this into the upfront price, and the work is covered by the same 365-day guarantee as the rest of the build.
Brands We Service
Lodgewick ADU Los Angeles has hands-on experience with the ADU brands that make sense for Los Angeles lots. We’ve set and finished units from Abodu, whose factory-built modules arrive nearly complete and can cut your on-site time in half. We’ve also completed builds with Cover, whose panelized wall and floor systems go up fast and hold tight tolerances that simplify the interior finish work. If you’ve seen a Dvele home, you know the brand’s reputation for healthy-air materials and whole-home monitoring; we’ve completed Dvele installations in Los Angeles and handled the site work, utility connections, and finish details.
Our material standard includes James Hardie siding on most detached units, chosen for its fire resistance and its ability to hold paint in the dry Los Angeles sun without warping. Whether your build is spec’d for Abodu, Cover, Dvele, Mighty Buildings, Boxabl, Plant Prefab, Tuff Shed, James Hardie, or a conventional stick-built design, our crew has the experience to handle it. We’ll also give you an honest read on which brand actually fits your lot, because not every system makes sense on every site.
Signs You Need a Pro Right Now
- You’re still living in the house and the quote keeps changing by phone. Contractors who give numbers verbally before seeing the lot are guessing, and guesses don’t hold. A pro comes to the site, measures, checks zoning, and hands you a written number that doesn’t move.
- Your property has a slope, alley access, or unusual setback conditions. Flat-lot builders freeze on sloped Los Angeles lots. If you’re in Mount Washington, Eagle Rock, or anywhere the ground pitches, you need a contractor who has actually built on grade and knows when retaining walls may be required.
- You’ve been told you “don’t need permits.” Unpermitted ADUs in Los Angeles can trigger code enforcement, complicate a future sale, and make the unit unrentable. A licensed contractor tells you the truth: permits are required, and pulling them takes time but protects you.
- Your last contractor stopped answering after the deposit. Missed calls and no-show subs are the leading complaint in Los Angeles ADU construction. If you’ve been ghosted before, the fix is a company that puts its guarantee in writing and has a live person answering the phone 24/7.
- You have a parent or family member moving in within the next year. ADU builds in Los Angeles take six to twelve months from plans to occupancy, depending on review cycles and site conditions. If the move-in date is real, you need a builder sequencing the work now, not one who says they’ll “get to it.”
Our Process, Step by Step
- 1
Site visit and feasibility check. We walk the property, measure the lot, check for utility access and any zoning constraints, and give you a straight answer on what’s buildable. You’ll leave this conversation knowing if the project makes sense and roughly what it will cost.
- 2
Written proposal with a fixed price. Before any work starts, we prepare a line-item proposal covering plans, permits, site work, construction, and finishes. You sign it, and the price is fixed. No change orders appear later because we didn’t build in padding or guesses.
- 3
Plans and permits. Our designers and engineers prepare the ADU plans, we submit to LADBS, and we work plan-check comments until the permit is issued. We’ll keep you posted at each stage, and the person answering your call knows exactly where your project stands.
- 4
Construction with written guarantees. The crew shows up in the window given, works a clean site, and communicates what’s happening each week. Every Lodgewick technician is background-checked and uniformed, so you always know who’s on your property. Before we start, you’ll receive the written guarantee covering the full build for 365 days.
- 5
Final walkthrough and occupancy. We do the final inspection with the city, then walk the unit with you room by room. Any punch-list items get noted in writing and corrected. Then we hand you the keys and the written guarantee. If anything goes wrong in the next year, we’re back at no charge.
How Much Does ADU Builders Cost in Los Angeles?
A typical garage conversion ADU in Los Angeles runs $120,000 to $220,000, and a new detached backyard ADU runs $180,000 to $350,000 depending on square footage, finishes, and site conditions. JADUs, built within your home’s existing footprint, land between $80,000 and $150,000. Those are the numbers we write in the proposal before work begins, and they do not change at the door. What moves the price: foundation type (slab on grade is cheaper than raised floor), plumbing distances (a kitchen next to an existing wet wall saves $5,000 to $15,000 in trenching and reroutes), finish level (builder-grade versus custom), and whether you choose prefab or stick-built. The biggest risk for Los Angeles homeowners is not the sticker price: it’s the contractor, unlike trusted Manhattan Beach ADU Builders, who bids low, starts, then sells change orders. We avoid that trap by including engineering, permits, utility runs, and finishes in the written number up front. Every free estimate we give includes a line-item breakdown, so you can see exactly where the money goes. Call (213) 698-7116 to schedule yours, and you’ll have the number in writing before you make any decision.
Our Service Area Near Los Angeles
Lodgewick ADU Los Angeles serves homeowners across our home base here in Los Angeles and into the surrounding Westside and South Bay neighborhoods, including ADU Builders in Culver City, West Los Angeles, Venice, Palms, Manhattan Beach, Lawndale, and Century City. We also cover Koreatown, Hancock Park, View Park-Windsor Hills, and ADU Builders in Santa Monica. Typical first visit availability runs within a week for most of the service area. To see more about what we do, start at our home page or this guide to ADU Builders in Los Angeles.
Serving Los Angeles, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Los Angeles area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
Frequently Asked Questions About ADU Builders in Los Angeles
An ADU, or accessory dwelling unit, is a legal second home on the same lot as your existing house. It can be attached, detached, or converted from existing space like a garage. In Los Angeles, ADUs can be up to 1,200 square feet, and a JADU can be up to 500.
A garage conversion or JADU typically takes four to seven months from permit submission to occupancy. A new detached ADU usually takes seven to twelve months, depending on LADBS review cycles and site conditions. Prefab units from Abodu or Cover can shorten the on-site construction phase to eight to fourteen weeks.
A JADU runs $80,000 to $150,000. A garage conversion ADU runs $120,000 to $220,000. A new detached backyard ADU runs $180,000 to $350,000, with custom two-bedrooms reaching $450,000. Every Lodgewick project includes a written price before work begins, so the number doesn’t change later. Call (213) 698-7116 for a line-item estimate on your specific lot.
Yes. We’ve set and finished units from Abodu, Cover, and Dvele, and we know where each brand’s installation process needs special attention. If you’re considering prefab, we’ll tell you which system actually fits your lot rather than pushing whichever one has the biggest marketing budget.
We’re typically on site for a feasibility visit within a week of your first call. Plan preparation and LADBS submittal follow immediately after you approve the written proposal. The schedule is driven by the city’s plan check time, which varies, but we keep your file moving and respond to every comment quickly.
The 365-Day Done Right Promise covers the complete build for a full year after completion. If any part of the work fails, we return and make it right at no charge, including a free return visit within the guarantee period. The promise is put in writing on every project before work begins.
Have your property address, your lot size if you know it, and a rough idea of your priority: rental income, family space, or long-term resale value. That’s all you need. We’ll handle the zoning check, site visit, and written proposal from there. Call (213) 698-7116 and a live person will answer, any hour of the day or night.
Schedule Your ADU Builders Service in Los Angeles Today
If you’re ready to see real prices and a written guarantee, call Lodgewick ADU Los Angeles at (213) 698-7116. You’ll speak with a live person, schedule a free site visit, and get a written price before any commitment. The 365-Day Done Right Promise covers every project, and the estimate costs nothing.
Written by Russ Delmar, Owner at Lodgewick ADU Los Angeles, serving Los Angeles since 2010.
