# ADU Builder & Home Additions in Highland Park, CA [Browser-friendly HTML version](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/website-guide/pages/services/adus-additions/highland-park/index) Source: https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/services/adus-additions/highland-park Last modified: 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z Text part: 1 of 1 [Full website text index](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/llms-full.txt) | [Services by city](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/llms/services-by-city-006.txt) | [Previous page](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/llms/pages/services/adus-additions/eagle-rock/index.txt) | [Next page](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/llms/pages/services/adus-additions/van-nuys/index.txt) --- Image: Detached backyard ADU with wood siding and black-framed glass doors at dusk 1. [Home](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/) 1. [Services](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/services) 1. [ADUs & Additions](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/services/adus-additions) 1. Highland Park Design · Permit · Build ### ADUs & Additions in Highland Park Detached ADUs, garage conversions and additions, from plans to move-in. [Book a Consultation](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/contact-us) [Call 818-300-2393](tel:+18183002393) #### Built for Highland Park Homes Highland Park was laid out in 1886 as one of the earliest Los Angeles subdivisions, between downtown and Pasadena, and its streets still read as a record of the decades that followed: Victorian cottages, Craftsman bungalows, Mission Revival and Tudor Revival houses stand side by side in the salt-and-pepper mix the preservation plan describes. Large parts of the neighborhood, including Garvanza and Mount Angelus, sit inside the Highland Park-Garvanza HPOZ, so work the street can see is designed with that plan open. The rear yard offers the most freedom, since an in-ground pool behind the house on an interior lot is exempt from HPOZ review. Up toward Mount Angelus, hillside grading limits, construction-hour rules and fire hazard mapping come into play as well. Compact lots with old houses: the median single-family parcel is about 5,500 square feet in LA County Assessor data, the middle half runs from roughly 4,700 to 7,000 square feet, and the median home was built in 1924. Lots fronting York Boulevard mostly sit outside the Hillside Area, while the streets climbing toward Mount Angelus fall inside it. We are a design-build team, which means the people who draw your project are the people who build it. Design, engineering, permits and construction run through one project manager and our own crews, so nothing gets lost in a handoff between a salesperson and a subcontractor. We are licensed, bonded and insured, [CSLB license #1119054](https://www.cslb.ca.gov/OnlineServices/CheckLicenseII/LicenseDetail.aspx?LicNum=1119054) . Permits in Highland Park: Private pools in the City of Los Angeles are permitted through a Combined Building-Mechanical permit, while pools serving more than two dwelling units need separate building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits. Using a City of Los Angeles standard plan on file with LADBS reduces plan check time. City maps place every single-family lot in Highland Park inside the Hillside Grading Area, so a pool that needs a building permit here also needs an LADBS grading permit for its excavation. In the Highland Park-Garvanza HPOZ, an in-ground pool in the rear yard of a non-corner lot is exempt from HPOZ review, but rear-yard grading on hillside lots, pools on corner lots and most work visible from the street are still reviewed. Most single-family lots here also carry the Hillside Construction Regulation (HCR) zoning suffix, which Ordinance 187,900 brought to the Northeast Los Angeles Community Plan Area effective July 24, 2023: weekday work runs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and only interior work is allowed on Saturdays. Permit details checked September 2026 against [LADBS](https://dbs.lacity.gov/sites/default/files/efs/forms/pc17/design-and-construction-of-swimming-pools-ib-p-bc2017-014.pdf) and [LA City Planning](https://planning.lacity.gov/odocument/60fc715c-6fa5-48ee-9003-4143f66ef99f/Highland%20Park%20%28Small%20File%29%20PP.pdf) . Rules change, so we confirm them again for your parcel. What We Build - HPOZ review for street-visible work - Hillside grading permits and earth export planning - Arroyo stone retaining wall restoration - Rear-yard ADUs scaled to historic homes - Fire-hardened decks and shade structures - Detached ADUs, ground-up - Garage conversions to living space - Junior ADUs within the main house - Room additions and bump-outs - Second-story additions - Full kitchens and bathrooms in the ADU - Separate utility metering where required - Private entries, patios and landscaping - Plans, engineering and city submittals - Title 24 energy compliance Local Conditions #### What to Know in Highland Park These local conditions change the scope, the schedule and the budget. 01 About two-thirds of single-family parcels sit in the city's Hillside Area, where the Baseline Hillside Ordinance limits grading quantities and the combined import and export of earth 02 Much of the neighborhood, the Mount Angelus hillside included, is mapped as a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, so each lot is checked against that map before decks, shade structures or an ADU are designed 03 Historic retaining walls, often of arroyo stone, are part of the HPOZ setting, and the preservation plan asks that they be rehabilitated in place or replaced in kind, and left unpainted 04 On steep lots the preservation plan can count a side or rear facade as street visible when the slope exposes it to a street beyond the lot, which widens what goes through HPOZ review Areas we serve in Highland Park:GarvanzaMount Angelus Investment #### What It Costs in Highland Park Real Southern California price ranges, not teaser numbers. ##### Detached ADU $150,000 to $400,000+ What moves it: square footage, finish level, utility runs, and site access; garage conversions typically run well below a ground-up detached build ##### Garage conversion ADU $80,000 to $180,000 What moves it: whether the existing slab and framing meet current code, how far utilities have to run, and the finish level of the kitchen and bathroom ##### Plans, drawings and permit management $4,500 to $25,000+ What moves it: project type and size, whether structural engineering, Title 24 or a soils report is required, and how many jurisdictions or review bodies are involved Your lot, access and finishes set the price. We walk the site, then show you where every dollar goes. [Get a line-item price for your Highland Park property](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/contact-us) The Process #### How We Work in Highland Park 01 ##### Feasibility We check lot size, setbacks, utilities and access to confirm what your property will actually support. 02 ##### Design & 3D Layout, elevations and finishes, modeled in 3D so you approve the unit before submittal. 03 ##### Plans & Permits We prepare the full drawing set, handle engineering and Title 24, and manage the city submittal and corrections. In Highland Park that submittal goes to Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS). 04 ##### Foundation & Framing Site prep, foundation, framing and dry-in by our own crews. 05 ##### Systems & Finishes Electrical, plumbing, HVAC, insulation, then kitchen, bath and interior finishes. 06 ##### Final Inspection We pass final inspection, walk the unit with you and hand over the keys. Questions #### What Highland Park Homeowners Ask Who issues the permits for this work in Highland Park? Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS). Private pools in the City of Los Angeles are permitted through a Combined Building-Mechanical permit, while pools serving more than two dwelling units need separate building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits. Using a City of Los Angeles standard plan on file with LADBS reduces plan check time. City maps place every single-family lot in Highland Park inside the Hillside Grading Area, so a pool that needs a building permit here also needs an LADBS grading permit for its excavation. In the Highland Park-Garvanza HPOZ, an in-ground pool in the rear yard of a non-corner lot is exempt from HPOZ review, but rear-yard grading on hillside lots, pools on corner lots and most work visible from the street are still reviewed. Most single-family lots here also carry the Hillside Construction Regulation (HCR) zoning suffix, which Ordinance 187,900 brought to the Northeast Los Angeles Community Plan Area effective July 24, 2023: weekday work runs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and only interior work is allowed on Saturdays. We prepare the drawings, make the submittal and handle plan-check corrections ourselves, so you are not the one chasing plan check. What makes building in Highland Park different? Compact lots with old houses: the median single-family parcel is about 5,500 square feet in LA County Assessor data, the middle half runs from roughly 4,700 to 7,000 square feet, and the median home was built in 1924. Lots fronting York Boulevard mostly sit outside the Hillside Area, while the streets climbing toward Mount Angelus fall inside it. One local condition that shapes the work: About two-thirds of single-family parcels sit in the city's Hillside Area, where the Baseline Hillside Ordinance limits grading quantities and the combined import and export of earth. Which parts of Highland Park do you work in? All of it, including Garvanza and Mount Angelus. Our crews run every job out of our Cahuenga Pass base in Los Angeles, with our own people on site. What does an ADU or addition cost in Highland Park? Detached ADU: generally $150,000 to $400,000+ across Southern California. What moves it is square footage, finish level, utility runs, and site access; garage conversions typically run well below a ground-up detached build. We give line-item pricing after seeing the site rather than quoting a number over the phone. How long does an ADU take start to finish? Plan a realistic year. Design and engineering typically take one to three months, city plan check and corrections add several more, and construction usually runs four to eight months depending on size and site access. Is a garage conversion cheaper than a detached ADU? Usually yes, and often substantially, because the foundation, walls and roof already exist. The trade-offs are that you lose the garage, and older slabs and framing sometimes need upgrading to meet current code. Can I rent the ADU out? California ADU law is designed to allow long-term rental, and an ADU is one of the few ways to add rentable square footage to a single-family lot. Short-term rental rules vary by city, so confirm your local ordinance before counting on that income. Do you handle the permits? Yes. Plans, engineering, Title 24 and the city submittal are all handled in-house, including responding to plan-check corrections. That is a service we sell on its own, so it is not something we hand off. #### More Services in Highland Park [Pool & Spa Remodeling in Highland Park](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/services/swimming-pool-spa/highland-park) [Backyard & Outdoor Living in Highland Park](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/services/exterior-remodeling/highland-park) [Everything we build in Highland Park](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/service-areas/highland-park) #### ADUs & Additions Nearby [ADUs & Additions in Eagle Rock](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/services/adus-additions/eagle-rock) [ADUs & Additions in South Pasadena](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/services/adus-additions/south-pasadena) [ADUs & Additions in Pasadena](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/services/adus-additions/pasadena) [ADUs & Additions in Glendale](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/services/adus-additions/glendale) [ADUs & Additions in Los Angeles](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/services/adus-additions/los-angeles) Planning Guides #### Before You Build in Highland Park Costs, materials and process notes from our own projects. [ADU Cost Breakdown by Size in Los Angeles A detached ADU in Los Angeles runs $150,000 to $400,000-plus. Here is the real cost broken down by unit size, with the soft costs, utility work and finish decisions that move the number. Read guide](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/articles/adu-cost-breakdown-by-size-los-angeles) [Garage Conversion to ADU: The Step-by-Step Build A garage conversion runs $80,000 to $180,000 in Southern California. Here is the real sequence, from slab testing and plan check to the raised floor, the mini-split and final sign-off. Read guide](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/articles/garage-conversion-adu-step-by-step) [ADU Rental Income Math in the San Fernando Valley A one-bedroom ADU in the San Fernando Valley rents for roughly $2,100 to $2,900 a month. Here is the honest arithmetic on payback, carrying costs and what the unit adds to the property. Read guide](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/articles/adu-rental-income-san-fernando-valley) [Second Story Addition vs Building Out: Which Costs Less Building out runs $350 to $500 per square foot. Going up runs $450 to $700. Here is when the cheaper option is actually the wrong one, and what drives each number. Read guide](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/articles/second-story-addition-vs-building-out) #### Planning an ADU in Highland Park? Sit down with your project manager and get an accurate estimate. We call you back within one business day. [Book a Consultation](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/contact-us) [818-300-2393](tel:+18183002393) Licensed, bonded & insured · [CSLB license #1119054](https://www.cslb.ca.gov/OnlineServices/CheckLicenseII/LicenseDetail.aspx?LicNum=1119054) --- End of text part 1 of 1. This page is complete.