ADUs in Los Angeles - do you have any experience
Investor · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2016 · 72 posts · 55 votes
Hi, does anyone have any experience with the new Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) plan in Los Angeles? If yes what happened and how did you do it?
Thanks much in advance.
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See agentsHey Steve!
I just finished one. Converted my garage to a 1bed 1bath in Atwater and the new tenant is signing the lease today.
A lot to type out for the whole process, happy to grab a coffee and go over all of it with you. I think there's a lot of income to be made by doing it in LA.
I did the design work and had a structural engineer draw up those plans. I went a little overboard vaulting the ceilings, adding sqft and some extras but I think the area calls for it and it makes a smaller space feel huge.
Specific to the ADU......
Property is on flat land so no hillside regs.
It's within .5 miles of public transportation so we're able to convert the garage and not have to put in covered parking.
Design was a little tricky since the original structure is non-conforming to the setbacks.
A huge issue people have been running into is changing more than 50% of the structure. The city will call it all new and then everything would have to be within the newer setback regs.
Gas and power are on new meters. Water is subbed. (utilities were the longest process so jump on them early)
Here's the before and after if you're interested.
@Thomas Kavenski Are you sure about gas? I was at LADBS a couple of weeks ago and they did not mention it when I told them that I was doing electrical only. Also, sub-metering is not required, you can connect electrical and water to the main house as long as you have proper disconnects installed.
Hi @Julien Jorda well submeters done for your own good so you could track the usage.
about the gas, I want you to be right, I want everything electrical as well, but as I had pre inspection I was told it was the new code to have a gas line. I will go back to LADBS and confirm this, cuz I don't want to extra work.
Hi @Thomas Kavenski!
Did you finally clarify with LADBS whether gas is required?
Hello Everyone!
I joined this discussion pretty late. My wife and I purchased a duplex in Lynwood, CA and hope to convert our garage. However, we were told that it's not possible to do it legally. Their reason is, because we have a duplex. Is that true? Would anyone be able to share some advise.
Thank you all for your time. :)
@Ramiro Aguirre That sounds correct. The ADU allowances were meant specifically for single family homes. If you want to build an ADU on an existing duplex, you'd likely have to file for a variance with city planning.
This is a good starting point as a guideline for building ADUs:
https://citylab.ucla.edu/adu-guidebook
Anyone has any experience with company called COVER (cover dot build), which offers full service work for ADUs in LA? (plans, permit, utilities, manufacturing, install).
They seem to charge $250 to start talking, and giving a final quote, then $20k for plans and permits (3 to 4 months - seems extremely high to me), then 4/6 weeks to build modular construction and deliver based on the quote.
@Kevin Lefeuvre that price sounds ridiculous. $250 just to start the conversation?
$20K just for plans and permits?
Our architect is charging us $30K to do all drawings/plans/engineering specs/permit for a brand new construction of a two story 4-plex in LA.
And my feeling is, in this business nobody should be charging money for an initial conversation/quote.
The 3-4 month timeline to get all the plans approved by the city doesn't sound so bad. It might be shorter but they probably want some contingency. I have firsthand experience with the endless back n forth with the LA Dept of Building and Safety. It really drains your soul and holding costs .
I'd say keep shopping. There are some pro ADU builders here on BP. If you want I can connect you to my architect who can probably give you a quote over email. He's done a few ADUs.
Hello all, we are 4 months in on our ADU build. When finished it will be 800 ft.². Former detached garage, we ended up putting a second story on top with stairs on the inside. We ended up having to have separate panels for electric. I just talked to the inspector today and found out that we cannot get power to the ADU until C of O!? Was hoping to have the AC and heat running in order to acclimatize the flooring before installation, not to mention having light in order to paint and install interiors. Is there anyway to temporarily hook up power to the unit safely?
Hello all, we are 4 months in on our ADU build. When finished it will be 800 ft.². Former detached garage, we ended up putting a second story on top with stairs on the inside. We ended up having to have separate panels for electric. I just talked to the inspector today and found out that we cannot get power to the ADU until C of O!? Was hoping to have the AC and heat running in order to acclimatize the flooring before installation, not to mention having light in order to paint and install interiors. Is there anyway to temporarily hook up power to the unit safely?
Two obvious options for power in the unit: 1) get a thick extension cord long enough to reach from primary unit and plug into 20A socket (Harbor Freight has some thick electrical cords at decent price) or get a generator (Costco sometimes carries them or you can rent one).
I am almost done finishing up my ADU in Glendale! Here is a sum up of how long it took me and the process.
1) To get permits and architect: complete and approved took 7 months. Fees for permits. Park and Rec fee, permit fee came out to $10,500 and Architect came out to $5,000. Grand total to pull plans $15,500.
2) Issues I ran into: I originally wanted to expand my Garage into 600 sqft. Currently at 400 sqft. I had to change the roof, and the biggest issue was because I was on the hills I needed a soil report. The soil report for adding the 200 sqft additional i had to dig a trench 6ft down and have load bearings to support. Pretty much needed to build deep like a pool. Because of this the expense for the project was coming out to be past my budget est about 120k for it all.
3) What I did: I went back and just kept my same 400 sqft with no addition. Cost of project went significantly down.
4) A few notes: the plumbing set up is very important. Look at it before you start. The foundation has to be 12 inches deep at least. If it is 6 inches deep they will have you do some re foundation work. Luckily mine was 12 inches already. I ended up doing vaulted ceiling, which was a nice touch. The electricity was a pain, because my panel was at the front of the house and had to run it all the way to the back of the house. The whole project should take about 10 weeks to finish up. The rain is not helping.
If you have any specific questions let me know, I am happy to answer to the best of my knowledge.
I am almost done finishing up my ADU in Glendale! Here is a sum up of how long it took me and the process.
1) To get permits and architect: complete and approved took 7 months. Fees for permits. Park and Rec fee, permit fee came out to $10,500 and Architect came out to $5,000. Grand total to pull plans $15,500.
2) Issues I ran into: I originally wanted to expand my Garage into 600 sqft. Currently at 400 sqft. I had to change the roof, and the biggest issue was because I was on the hills I needed a soil report. The soil report for adding the 200 sqft additional i had to dig a trench 6ft down and have load bearings to support. Pretty much needed to build deep like a pool. Because of this the expense for the project was coming out to be past my budget est about 120k for it all.
3) What I did: I went back and just kept my same 400 sqft with no addition. Cost of project went significantly down.
4) A few notes: the plumbing set up is very important. Look at it before you start. The foundation has to be 12 inches deep at least. If it is 6 inches deep they will have you do some re foundation work. Luckily mine was 12 inches already. I ended up doing vaulted ceiling, which was a nice touch. The electricity was a pain, because my panel was at the front of the house and had to run it all the way to the back of the house. The whole project should take about 10 weeks to finish up. The rain is not helping.
If you have any specific questions let me know, I am happy to answer to the best of my knowledge.
I didn't catch the exact amount, but what was the total all-in cost for this conversion? I saw you threw a 120k amount but I wasn't sure if that was the total all in you spent.
I didn't catch the exact amount, but what was the total all-in cost for this conversion? I saw you threw a 120k amount but I wasn't sure if that was the total all in you spent.
- 120k was if I did the 600sqft garage conversion with adding 200 sqft. I am doing a garage conversion no addition 400sqft. My cost with fees and all is going to finish at 60k to 68k.
I am doing it on my personal residence now and I have an investor clients who are doing it. One trick I'm doing on mine is making the entire unit electric. That saves me time and money by avoiding So Cal Gas altogether. Mine should be finished in the next couple of weeks. Regarding @Liam B. costs for the basic conversion with no addition, that is on the absolute low side from our experience, so well done! With the now required survey up front, I could see people spending up to $10K before even getting started.
Happy to discuss more.
@Rick Albert survey?! That is crazy. Simple ADU is being built not a 4,000sqft home hillside. What did you end up paying for permit fees?
@Liam B., the surveys are a new thing. I have clients who just got with it. The idea is to make sure the garage isn't encroaching. I would need to double check my notes but I believe I paid around $2500 in permit fees. I had also pulled permits for the general remodel and addition of the main structure.
Hi everyone! I'm new to the bigger pockets community, and I find myself here as my partner and I are currently in escrow on our first investment property.
This property includes a brand new 2 story, 3 bed 2.5 bath fully permitted ADU that has its own driveway and is completely separated from the main house (that we'll be residing in). The two properties could easily be mistaken as their own homes as the properties are on a corner lot and have barriers between them.
This thread has an incredible depth of information regarding ADUs in Los Angeles, but as we purchased this property with the ADU ready to rent, my question has more to do with tenants/renting vs. conversion.
- Does anyone here plan on hiring a property manager to manage their ADU, or do you plan on finding tenants/drafting lease agreements/collecting rent/etc. on your own?
- Does anyone have any great property managers whose info they wouldn't mind sharing?
I'm not sure if a hiring a property manager makes complete sense, as we'll be living in the main unit and hope to be "friendly neighbors" with the future tenants, but we do eventually plan on renting that the main home out as well in the next couple of years. We also want to make sure we're covering our bases as first time landlords, and if anything, could watch and learn from the first year and manage the property ourselves in the future.
I would appreciate any thoughts on this! Thanks so much!
Good afternoon everyone. I'm new to this forum and stumbled across this thread when doing a google search for ADU's. I am in the process now and will give my personal experience so hopefully this can help someone. Submitted plans to city of Chula Vista in December 2018, plans were approved March 2019. Developmental Impact Fees (DIF) were pretty steep since our city has yet to adopt the rest of San Diego county with waiving these fees so it added up quick to get everything pulled and approved from the city. Permit and DIF fees were close to 21K and elementary school district was a little over 1200 with middle and high school district being about 1500 so close to 23,500 all together before putting a shovel in the ground! Fortunately I have a contractor that is very well versed in building ADU's so we agreed on 200 per square ft and mine will be 800 sq ft 2 bedroom 2 bathroom at 160k. All the permitting fees, school fees, inspection fees and materials are included in this pricing FYI. Right now my ADU is in the framing phase and will be putting the trusses for the roof on. Everything is slated for final inspection during the first week of July, first two inspections were for plumbing (fortunately I had a clean out in the back yard for RV parking so we tapped into that) in order to connect to the sewer at the sidewalk. Next was for rebar/foundation so we could pour concrete. Next inspection we will have will be a combo inspection for wood/framing. After will be electrical, plumbing again, drywall screws, another couple that slip my mind at the moment before final inspection. Anyway, hope this helps anyone in San Diego or elsewhere, sorry for the long rant.
Hello All,
I'm about to submit a plan for detached ADU in LA. It will be 1200sf with 2 car garage. It is based on a conversion of existing detached 3 car garage. My zoning is LA RA. (Residential Agricultural / Horse property)
Is anyone here aware of the proposed ordinance of ADU that the city of LA is working on? I know it was approved in the planning department but as far as I know it is yet to be enacted and/or effective. Does anyone here know more?
The new city ordinance will impact on LARA zones... and also on hillside properties...
@Seth Borman - I concur. If you are looking at adding an ADU as an independent real estate transaction then you can hit the 2% mark. If you look it as part of the strategy for the whole property, the numbers look different from a cash flow perspective. However if you can add 500 SF to a property that's $150,000 (at $300 per SF) for lower priced areas. In Venice where we see $1000 per SF that's HALF A MILLION DOLLARS. I'm currently helping clients purchase a property with an ADU. The home is a 2/2 and the ADU is a 1/1. The property is treated on the MLS as a 3/3 which is a huge benefit.
@Wadner Cortez - I completely understand. There are many variables. I appreciate the range, it helps me put a stake in the ground to at least get an idea. Can you PM me your info and your companies info? I want to add you to my database and vendors list.
@Shawn Ward - For your flips, do you guys ever factor in the potential option of adding an ADU? If you can turn a 2/1 one into a 3/2 far cheaper then adding square footage, I'm sure it opens up some new options. Think of all the cheap 2/1s out there with a garage. (Sssshhhhhhh, don't tell anyone I mentioned this).
I've been looking to do this too and I am using an opposite valuation with regard to an ADU. I look at how much does the rent reduce my cost of living in the main unit. If I can build for $100k, charge $2000 in rent and my payment on the $100k is lets say $1000 then my net benefit is $1000 x 12 =$12000 x GRM of lets say 15 = $180,000.00 of the cost to buy into that property as a whole.
Great thread. I am a homeowner, we are retired senior citizens and we need extra income to supplement our social security. We want to do a garage conversion. It's approx. 400 s.f. and we live in the van nuys area (kestrridge district to be exact). What should I expect to pay per s.f. for the conversion? and what can I expect to charge for rent? Thanks so much!!!
HI Linda
Did you ever get more info on the ADU conversion. I think this is a great way for seniors to downsize without having to move. You can do a garage conversion but also what is called an existing structure conversion, where you would take an extra bedroom or living room etc and convert the existing structure - add kitchen and bath [unless bath is already there] and add egress [ door leading to outside]. It is much less in cost because all the infrastructure is in place.
Great thread. I am a homeowner, we are retired senior citizens and we need extra income to supplement our social security. We want to do a garage conversion. It's approx. 400 s.f. and we live in the van nuys area (kestrridge district to be exact). What should I expect to pay per s.f. for the conversion? and what can I expect to charge for rent? Thanks so much!!!
HI Linda
Did you ever get more info on the ADU conversion. I think this is a great way for seniors to downsize without having to move. You can do a garage conversion but also what is called an existing structure conversion, where you would take an extra bedroom or living room etc and convert the existing structure - add kitchen and bath [unless bath is already there] and add egress [ door leading to outside]. It is much less in cost because all the infrastructure is in place.
Hi @Julien Jorda well submeters done for your own good so you could track the usage.
about the gas, I want you to be right, I want everything electrical as well, but as I had pre inspection I was told it was the new code to have a gas line. I will go back to LADBS and confirm this, cuz I don't want to extra work.
You have to look at the cost savings, how much gas is a tenant going to use vs the cost to put it in. Maybe to simplify and reduce the cost you can initially use electric for the time being and add down the road once you can get rents coming in and the valuation to go up etc.
Hey Steve!
I just finished one. Converted my garage to a 1bed 1bath in Atwater and the new tenant is signing the lease today.
A lot to type out for the whole process, happy to grab a coffee and go over all of it with you. I think there's a lot of income to be made by doing it in LA.
I did the design work and had a structural engineer draw up those plans. I went a little overboard vaulting the ceilings, adding sqft and some extras but I think the area calls for it and it makes a smaller space feel huge.
Specific to the ADU......
Property is on flat land so no hillside regs.
It's within .5 miles of public transportation so we're able to convert the garage and not have to put in covered parking.
Design was a little tricky since the original structure is non-conforming to the setbacks.
A huge issue people have been running into is changing more than 50% of the structure. The city will call it all new and then everything would have to be within the newer setback regs.
Gas and power are on new meters. Water is subbed. (utilities were the longest process so jump on them early)
Here's the before and after if you're interested.
Hey Andy, great job on the ADU. You really laid out alot of details.
I am looking to do an ADU conversion of existing sq footage of house, do you have any experience in seeing this done. Do you have any resources in Orange County that are familiar with various cities down there.
Thanks for all the info
Hello everyone, so we just pulled the permit for our ADU in LA. And we're close to choosing a contractor. There's a man we're considering that's not licensed. I understand the risk with this. He doesn't have a contract. I'd like to create at least a contract that breaks down a payment installment plan. How have you all paid your contractor according to your building timeline? Thank you in advance