ADU Builder in Los Angeles
Alpha Dream Construction is an ADU builder in Los Angeles: we build detached backyard ADUs and convert garages into ADUs for homeowners across Los Angeles County, Orange County and Riverside County. As a licensed general contractor (CSLB 1145233), we take your project from the lot check and plans through the LADBS permit path, construction and the final inspection.
Detached ADU, Garage Conversion or Attached Unit: Which Fits Your Lot?
California law makes a city approve certain ADUs on a single-family lot ministerially, without a discretionary hearing: one ADU and one junior ADU inside the existing house or an existing structure such as a garage, when the space has exterior access and side and rear setbacks sufficient for fire and safety, plus one detached new ADU (Gov. Code section 66323). Which one suits you depends on your yard, your garage and how you want to use the unit.
Detached backyard ADU
A new small house in the yard, with its own foundation, utilities and entrance. Under section 66323 a city can ask for no more than four-foot side and rear setbacks and may cap this unit at 800 square feet. It gives tenants or family a separate house of their own.
Garage conversion ADU
The garage walls, slab and roof are reused and turned into a living space with a kitchen and bathroom. The law allows up to 150 square feet of added space for the entrance and exit.
Attached ADU
New rooms joined to the house with their own entrance. It is reviewed under your city's ADU standards, so size, height and setbacks are checked against the lot before the design is drawn.
Junior ADU
A unit carved out of space inside the existing house, such as a bedroom with its own entrance. It can sit on the same lot as a detached ADU.
Weighing an ADU against adding rooms to the main house? Our guide to construction in Los Angeles compares ground-up ADUs with home additions and structural remodels.
A Backyard ADU We Built as a Rental Unit
This family had a large backyard they were not using and wanted a unit they could rent out. We built a detached ADU there: an open living area with a full kitchen, a laundry and a vaulted ceiling with exposed beams, with windows on several walls for daylight.
If you plan to rent, state law sets one rule to design around: an ADU approved under section 66323 is rented for terms longer than 30 days, not as a short-term rental.
★★★★★"We have a home with a large backyard that was mostly unused, and we saw the opportunity to turn that space into an ADU that we could eventually rent out."
The LADBS Permit Path for an ADU in Los Angeles
In the City of Los Angeles, which includes Valley neighborhoods such as Sherman Oaks, Encino, Van Nuys and Studio City, ADU permits go through the Department of Building and Safety (LADBS). This is how the path runs.
Check the lot
Before any design, we look at the zoning, setbacks, where the sewer and electric service run, access for equipment and the soil. These site-specific items decide what can be built and where.
Choose custom plans or a standard plan
Under the LADBS Standard Plan Program, pre-approved ADU plans have already been reviewed for Building, Residential and Green Code compliance, which shortens plan check. The City's own standard plan is free to use; the others are bought from their design firms. A pre-approved plan may not fit every lot, and custom plans fit the lot exactly.
Submit for plan check
LADBS still reviews the site-specific items, such as zoning and the foundation. Under Gov. Code section 66317, the city says within 15 business days whether the application is complete, then approves or denies a complete application within 60 days when a house already stands on the lot. If it does neither, the application is deemed approved; a denial comes with written comments on what to fix.
Build with inspections
Once the permit is issued, city inspectors check the work at set stages during construction, including before the walls are closed.
Final inspection
The final sign-off closes the permit. From then the unit can be lived in or rented.
Outside the City of Los Angeles the same state rules apply, but the permit goes to that city's own department (Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena each run their own), to LA County Public Works for unincorporated areas, or to the city's department in Orange County and Riverside County.
How Long Does an ADU Take to Build?
There is no fixed build time for an ADU: the schedule depends on the plans, the permit review and the site. The one fixed clock is the city's, 60 days to approve or deny a complete application (Gov. Code section 66317). The rest runs in four phases, two of them before anyone digs:
Design and plans
Measuring, drawings and structural engineering. A standard plan shortens this phase; a custom design for a sloped or narrow lot takes longer.
Permit review
The state clock above runs only from a complete application, so a full, correct submittal keeps the review moving. Each round of corrections adds time.
Construction
Foundation, framing, utilities, then finishes. Hard soil, a long sewer run, a needed electrical panel upgrade or design changes mid-build stretch it.
Final inspection and utilities
Final sign-off and any utility connections. Booking inspections as each stage finishes keeps the end of the job from stalling.
What Drives the Cost of an ADU in Los Angeles
Every ADU price comes from the plans and the site, so we quote after seeing both. These are the factors that move the number most.
Type of unit
A garage conversion reuses walls, slab and roof; a detached ADU builds all of them new.
Size and layout
Every added bedroom and bathroom adds plumbing, framing and finish work.
Site and foundation
Slope, soil and access for equipment shape the foundation work, one of the main unknowns before digging.
Utilities
The distance to the sewer and water lines, and whether the electric service needs a panel upgrade to carry a second home.
Plans and finishes
A standard plan or a custom design, and the cabinets, counters, tile and fixtures you pick.
A Full Kitchen and Bathroom Inside the Unit
An ADU is a small home, so most of its finish work is a compact kitchen and a bathroom, built by the same crews who handle our kitchen remodels and bathroom remodels. In a small floor plan a few choices make the most difference:
Appliances sized to the room
Apartment-size range and fridge widths free up counter space without giving up a full kitchen.
Laundry in the plan
A stacked washer and dryer fits in a closet next to the kitchen or bathroom, where the water and drain lines already run.
Shower or tub
A walk-in shower takes less floor area than a tub and keeps a small bathroom open.
Storage and daylight
Upper cabinets to the ceiling and windows on more than one wall make a small unit feel larger.
A few kitchens and baths from our remodels:
A selection of our work, with Google reviews
4.8 on Google
★★★★★Google review"Awesome group of people to work with, honest, and up front pricing."
★★★★★Google review"his crew was fast, efficient and respectful."
★★★★★Google review"Alpha Dream Construction did an amazing job remodeling my bathroom!"
What to Ask an ADU Contractor Before You Sign
Is the license current?
Look the contractor up on the CSLB site. Our license is CSLB 1145233, class B General Building.
Who draws and submits the plans?
Ask whether you get custom plans or a standard plan, and who answers the plan check corrections.
What does the scope include?
Get the utility work, the foundation, permit fees and the finish list in writing, so nothing appears later as an extra.
How are changes handled?
Ask how a change order is priced and approved before work on it starts.
ADU Questions Homeowners Ask
How long does LADBS take to approve an ADU permit?
State law gives the city 60 days to approve or deny a complete ADU application when a house already stands on the lot (Gov. Code section 66317). If the application is incomplete, the city lists what is missing and checks the resubmittal again, so a complete first submittal saves time.
Can I convert my garage into an ADU in Los Angeles?
Yes. State law has the city approve an ADU inside an existing structure such as a garage when it has exterior access and side and rear setbacks sufficient for fire and safety, with up to 150 square feet added for the entrance and exit. The garage still needs a structural, plumbing and electrical check before design.
Can I use a pre-approved ADU plan?
Yes, in the City of Los Angeles through the LADBS Standard Plan Program, as long as the plan fits your lot. LADBS still reviews zoning and the foundation for your site.
Can I rent out my ADU?
Yes. An ADU approved under section 66323 can be rented for terms longer than 30 days; short-term rentals of it are not allowed.
Do you build ADUs outside the City of Los Angeles?
Yes. We build across Los Angeles County, Orange County and Riverside County; the permit goes to the building department of the city or county where your home is.
Will my ADU need fire sprinklers?
Not if your main house does not need them: state law does not require sprinklers in an ADU when the primary residence is not required to have them (Gov. Code section 66323).
Plan Your ADU With Us
Tell us about your lot and what the unit is for, and we will look at the site, the ADU type that fits and the permit route with you. Request an ADU consultation.