With the growing trend toward multigenerational living, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) have become one of the most popular home additions for discerning homeowners in Los Angeles and Orange County. As a premier luxury design-build firm specializing in custom ADU design and construction, we’ve helped families transform their properties with beautiful, functional accessory dwelling units. Whether you’re looking to accommodate aging parents, create an inviting space for visiting guests, or add value to your home, this comprehensive guide will answer all your essential questions about ADU construction in LA and Orange County.
Types of ADU
ADUs are versatile, high-value additions to your property. With that, there are various types of ADUs a homeowner can build.
DETACHED NEW STRUCTURE
An entirely new construction built on the same lot of your existing property with no shared walls.
ATTACHED UNIT
The newly constructed unit will be attached to the primary structure. For example, this could be a new unit added onto the existing garage.
CONVERTED STRUCTURE
A garage or primary bedroom that will be converted into an independent living unit.
JUNIOR ADU
Smaller than a typical ADU, is created by adding a kitchen and exterior door to an existing bedroom, and may share a bathroom with the primary home.
Common Questions About ADUs
There are several benefits to building an ADU on your property, that includes increased property value, flexible housing options for aging parents, adult children or guests, and rental income.
There are a number of factors that determine this such as lot coverage, setbacks, zoning allowances, parking requirements, and variances. Always confirm with your local zoning laws before you start designing. With a full-service design/build firm, we can act as your advocate in the discovery phase before we start designing.
An ADU can be a solution for varying issues in any household. Common factors to consider include proximity and privacy, care for aging parents, or independence for your family.
Separating water and electric meters is not required, and is optional to the homeowner, based on if they want separate bills for the home and ADU.
ADU Case Study: Pomello Guest House
This Tudor-style estate received a major overhaul, including the addition of a new 1,300 square foot guest house referred to as The Gardener’s Cottage in an authentic English style garden that surrounds the property. It was important to our clients to build a guest house that was a seamless addition to the existing Tudor Estate on the property.
Special interior design details such as the hand-hewn structural trusses, wrought-iron banister detail and stonework are replications of details in the main house, effortlessly blending the new structure with the old in this indoor paradise. The gardener’s cottage and greenhouse are connected to the main house by wood-trellised patios with stone pillars, echoing the stonework found throughout the rest of the property. To see more of this home, visit our portfolio.
Steps to Start Your ADU Project
It’s important to work with a luxury home designer that understands how to design an ADU to be consistent and compatible with the architectural features to the primary home. A full-service design/build firm like ours can help from the start of conceptual design, design development, through to the end of construction. We stand out with our expertise, design solutions and transparency. Here’s how our process can help:
Conceptual Design
We will create designs that suit your needs while satisfying local jurisdictional requirements and provide you with construction estimates to help with your decisions.
Design Development
Design Development will fill in the details of your project and will result in Working Drawings. These include everything from elevations, material selections and specifications, engineering plan(if needed), Title 24 Report and Permits.
Construction
We meet with you on a weekly basis to review schedule, progress and any questions you may have as we watch your project take form.
To see if design/build is right for you, visit our YouTube channel for more examples of our work.