ADUs & Additions in Sherman Oaks

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. South-of-the-boulevard hillside parcels are in the Hillside Area. There the Baseline Hillside Ordinance caps grading and import/export quantities, and LAMC 12.21 C.8 separately limits retaining-wall height.

A pool there also needs its own LADBS grading permit, and much of the area is a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. We prepare the drawings, make the submittal and handle plan-check corrections ourselves, so you are not the one chasing plan check.

Established mid-century homes on generous flat lots north of the boulevard, and steeper view parcels to the south where structural work leads the schedule. One local condition that shapes the work: Flat lots north of Ventura Boulevard suit full backyard builds with pool, kitchen and lawn in one phase.

All of it, including Chandler Estates and Magnolia Woods. Our crews run every job out of our Cahuenga Pass base in Los Angeles, with our own people on site.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.