ADU Before & After in North Hollywood, CA
We’ve completed over 900 ADUs since 2015, and every one started with a problem: an underused garage, a cramped lot, or a family needing space without moving. These transformations show what happens when design, permitting, and build sit under one contract with one written price. No handoffs, no surprises.
Recent Transformations
Garage Conversion ADU - Toluca Lake Adjacent, North Hollywood
The garage was a 1950s stucco box with a cracked slab, no insulation, and a door that hadn’t closed straight in a decade. The owner needed rental income to offset the mortgage, not a renovation hobby. We ran a soils check - the existing slab was 4 inches, within range for conversion with a moisture barrier and new radiant-heat topping. Our permit set included a Title 24 energy package and fire-rated separation from the main house. Under Haven Standard Clause 1, the all-in price was $142,000-$168,000, drawings through final inspection. The result: a studio ADU rented at market rate within three weeks of certificate of occupancy. Photo record shows every stage, from the first jackhammer crack to the final outlet test.
New Detached ADU - Valley Village Border, North Hollywood
The backyard was 40 feet of Bermuda grass and a failing sprinkler system on a corner lot with alley access. The family wanted space for an aging parent, not a construction project that dragged on for a year. We specified the Abodu One - 560 square feet, one bedroom, full kitchen - and coordinated the modular delivery through our single-contract model. Setback variance was the sticking point: the city required 4 feet from the property line, but the alley triggered an additional 10-foot fire access buffer. We resolved it in plan check, not in the field. Site prep and utility trenching ran $28,000-$34,000; the unit and install, $198,000-$224,000. Total project time from permit to move-in: 14 weeks. The photo record includes the crane set, the sewer lateral connection, and the final LADBS sign-off.
Junior ADU & Interior Conversion - NoHo Arts District, North Hollywood
The owner had a 1,600 sq ft bungalow with a formal dining room that saw use twice yearly and a side door that opened to nowhere useful. A Junior ADU - under 500 sq ft, inside the existing structure, no new foundation - was the only path that avoided the city’s hillside grading review. We reconfigured the floor plan to create a 380 sq ft one-bedroom with kitchenette and 3/4 bath, separate entrance off the driveway. The trick was the utility split: we ran a sub-meter for electrical and tied into the existing sewer with a backwater valve per LADBS requirements. Under Haven Standard Clause 5, the scope locked at signing - no surprise plumbing reroutes, no “while we’re in there” upsells. Price range: $78,000-$94,000. The owner now lives in the main house and rents the JADU to a film production assistant who walks to the Metro.
ADU Site Prep & Utilities - Lankershim Corridor, North Hollywood
The lot sloped 7 feet from back to front, with a timber retaining wall that was leaning and a sewer lateral from 1972 that the city had flagged during a main line repair on the street. The owner wanted to build a detached ADU in two years, but the site was unbuildable as-is. We handled the prep as a standalone scope: engineered retaining wall with drainage, cut-and-fill grading to create a 25-by-30 buildable pad, new sewer lateral to the city main, and electrical trench with 200-amp stub. The soil was expansive clay - common in the Valley - so we specified a post-tensioned slab design for the future ADU pad. Site prep ran $52,000-$68,000. The photo record shows every footing pour, every compaction test, and the city inspector’s sign-off on the lateral video inspection. When the owner is ready to build, the pad is certified and the utilities are live.
Garage Conversion ADU - Magnolia Park Area, North Hollywood
The garage had a 7-foot-6 ceiling, a single window facing the neighbor’s fence, and a concrete floor that pitched toward a drain that no longer connected to anything. The owner, a retired teacher, wanted a space for her daughter to live while finishing a credential program at CSUN. We raised the ceiling with scissor trusses - not a full rebuild, but a structural modification that required a beam calculation and LADBS structural plan check. The new ceiling hits 9 feet at center. We cut in two new windows for natural light, one facing south for winter sun gain, and found the old drain line abandoned during a 1990s yard regrade. New sewer connection, new electrical panel sub-feed, mini-split HVAC. The all-in price under Haven Standard Clause 1: $156,000-$182,000. The daughter moved in last August. The photo record shows the truss lift, the window cuts, and the final paint - no summary, just evidence.
New Detached ADU - Coldwater Canyon Adjacent, North Hollywood
The existing structure was a 200 sq ft cinderblock workshop with no permit on record and a roof that leaked along the back valley. The owner, a composer, wanted a two-bedroom space for visiting musicians - and wanted it built before fire season, when his hillside lot becomes harder to access. We specified Plant Prefab’s LivingHome 600 series, net-zero ready with solar-ready roof and heat-pump water heater. The modular unit arrived in two pieces; crane set on a Tuesday, weathered in by Thursday. The site work was the complex piece: fire department access compliance for the hillside zone, a 1,200-gallon water tank for sprinkler demand since the lot was beyond hydrant distance, and a septic tie-in because sewer was 80 feet down slope. Under our one-contract model, we coordinated Plant Prefab’s production schedule with our site crew’s availability - no gap where one team waits for the other. Total project: $284,000-$326,000. The composer has hosted three sessions since January. The 365-Day Done Right Promise is in writing, but he hasn’t needed it.
Want Results Like These?
Every project here started with a free estimate and a written price before any work began. No call-for-pricing, no scope creep, no designer-builder finger-pointing. Call (424) 407-8266 to schedule your free estimate. Nadia Ellery or a live team member will answer - no voicemail queue, no callback that doesn’t materialize. We’ll review your lot, your goals, and your existing conditions, then deliver a line-item quote under Haven Standard Clause 1. If you already have a written estimate in hand, we’ll give you a free second opinion.
Written by Nadia Ellery, Owner at Ellery ADU Studio North Hollywood, serving North Hollywood since 2015.