ADU Builder in Los Angeles

Benefits of building an ADU in Los Angeles

Second source of income

Creating a second source of income is one of the greatest things you can do for your financial situation. Creating one that is passively earning you money is even better! Building an ADU is exactly what you should do if you want the best of both worlds. You can either rent out your ADU for short term or for the long term. Long term is more stable, while short term is less but provides 2-3x more monthly income for you. In the city of Los Angeles you can rent your ADU as a short term rental for less than 30 days.

Improve your space

You can improve your space however you want to though. In the City of Los Angeles there are many options available. Like a in-law unit, secondary unit, a backyard cottage, yoga studio, business address, or just a workshop. Anything you can dream up, we can build it in Los Angeles.

Family Flexibility

Many individuals will want to convert their garage or build an ADU so they have space for their relatives to live when they come to visit or have a college student back for the summer. These are great alternatives to buying a bigger house or trying to move that college kid back into their own bedroom.

Steps to building an ADU in Los Angeles

1. Free Phone/In Person consultation to determine what the size of the project can legally be.
2. Meet with California Certified’s Designer to make sure you have the elements you want in your ADU and that it is built to the city of Los Angeles’ expectations. This is a very important meeting and cannot be skipped. Let California Certified help you work with one of our Designers so is ready to work with you today.
3. Plan submittal to the city. We submit the plans to the city, you pay for the permits, and we begin the prep work to build your ADU!
4. Building your ADU. This is the least stressful part of the process because you are working with California Certified. We create these ADUs to your specifications and we are one of the most trusted builders in Los Angeles County.
5. Final inspections. We walk the inspectors through your property to ensure that it is correct to city code.
6. Renting or living in your new unit!

What should you keep in mind in the planning stage of your ADU?

Since January 2020 it has become much simpler to get plans approved by the city of Los Angeles.

The most tedious phase of building an Accessory Dwelling Unit or a garage conversion is the permit and planning process. This takes longer because you have to get plans approved by the city, by a designer, receive permits, and then finally sign them yourself. You’ll have to create, with the help of your general contractor, a “Site Plan”. This includes the proposed location, the size, parking, setbacks, existing structures, floor plans, elevations, utilities, and any other additional JADUs you want to build at the same time. In the city of Los Angeles depending on your zoning you can have multiple ADUs or JADUs. After getting approval from the designer you can sign the documents and get started with the build.

Once all paperwork is recorded the draftsman will submit complete plans with required structural and energy reports to the building and safety division for review. This process should take around 30-120 days, but the city Los Angeles has been known to take their time. There is an expedited process, but it does cost a bit more.

Understanding Parking at your ADU

ADUs are required to provide 1 additional parking space. It doesn’t matter if it is covered or uncovered. The exception is if the ADU is located within ½ mile of public transportation. All ADUs within Los Angeles cannot have direct access to a garage if the proposed or existing garage of less than 3 spaces.

Setbacks are an important part of planning your ADU

Unit size has grown over the years, In January 2020 the maximum size of an ADU in the city of Los Angeles is 1200 square feet. The increased floor area of an accessory dwelling unit shall not exceed 50 percent of the existing living area. In Los Angeles specifically, an ADU can be anywhere from 150-1200 square feet.

Setbacks must adhere to the state’s 4 feet rule from the side and rear of the yard. It also must remain 6 feet from the existing main dwelling. Existing accessory structures and single family homes that are converted into ADUs are exempt. So it’s worth it to see if you can do a garage conversion rather than build a brand new structure.

Title 24 in California

Title 24 is California building energy efficiency standers. California energy code is designed to reduce wasteful and unnecessary energy consumption in newly constructed buildings. The states energy commission updates the building standers every three years by working with public stakeholders.

All ADUs that are permitted after January 1st 2020 must comply with 2019 Title-24 standards.

New building energy standards will help reduce wasteful and inefficient consumption of energy. The new ordinate is specific about water heaters, high performance attics, walls and windows. Every set of plans will come with window schedule, this will be discussed in your meeting with our designer.

JADU vs ADU in Los Angeles

A JADU is known as a Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit and is an independent living space created through the conversion of an existing legally permitted bedroom. They are typically very small living units and are up to 500 sqft. You are allowed to add an efficiency kitchen and other necessities.

An ADU or Accessory Dwelling Unit is a larger independent living space either built from scratch or converting a garage into a legal living space. You have to add a kitchen, bathroom, and other amenities and follow all zoning laws. These spaces can be up to 1200 sqft.

Los Angeles has made it easier to build an Accessory Dwelling Unit or convert your Garage into a guest house. California Certified takes you by the hand and assists from city planning to finished construction.
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