LA Construction Consultants LA Construction ConsultantsADUs · General Construction 424-946-8057
Accessory dwelling units

Thinking about an ADU? Get an honest read of your lot first.

Garage conversions, detached new builds and attached additions, run as one contract under a class B license. State ADU law limits what your city can require, but what applies to your lot depends on the lot: its zoning, its existing structures, its utilities and your city's own objective standards. We tell you what your lot looks like it can carry, and what still has to be checked with your city, before you spend on design.

Scope my ADU project Call 424-946-8057
Licensed California General Building Contractor (Class B) Led by Gordon Myers, in LA real estate and construction since 1988 A contractor's read, not a sales pitch
Before the renderings

The budget gets honest before the design does

The expensive ADU mistake is not a construction mistake, it is a sequencing one: paying for plans drawn to a lot the city reads differently. The first money should buy certainty, not renderings. A walk of the lot answers what conversion or new-build actually involves here, which utilities have capacity, and which questions only your city's planning counter can settle.

Conversion
a garage or interior conversion builds inside what stands: the structure's condition and its utilities set the scope
New build
a detached unit is ground-up construction: foundation, utility runs and a full permit set from day one
The city's say
your city applies objective standards to every lot; we tell you exactly what to verify before design money is spent
The scoping engine

Four answers. An honest picture of what drives your project.

No web page can price an ADU, and any site showing a number before it has seen your lot is guessing. What we can do instantly: show you which of your answers actually move the scope, then have a licensed general building contractor walk the lot and put the read in writing, including what still has to be checked with your city.

Scope my ADU project
Not sure is a fine answer on any of these.
Where we send your scope
By submitting you agree we may contact you about your property. We never share your information.

What drives your price

Answer the questions and this panel fills in with the drivers that apply to your project, in plain English.

    What we build

    Three ways to add a unit, honestly compared

    Garage & interior conversions

    The existing footprint is the head start: the structure's condition, its foundation and its utilities decide how much of it you get to keep.

    Detached new builds

    Ground-up construction on your lot: foundation, framing, utility runs and a full permit set, sequenced so an occupied property stays livable through it.

    Plans, permits & the city

    Design coordination with licensed professionals, plan check, and the list of questions only your city can answer, put to the city early rather than discovered late.

    How it works

    From an idea to a permitted, rentable unit

    Sequenced so the cheap questions get answered before the expensive ones.

    1

    Lot read

    We walk the property and put in writing what it looks like it can carry, and what must be verified with your city.

    2

    Scope & budget

    Conversion versus new-build compared honestly, with the utility and structural questions priced in.

    3

    Plans & permits

    Licensed design professionals, plan check and city standards handled as one coordinated package.

    4

    Build & closeout

    Construction run as one contract, with the documentation a rental unit needs at the end of it.

    Why owners hire us

    The contractor who tells you what to check before selling you a design

    An ADU pitch that starts with a rendering is starting at the wrong end. Ours starts with the lot, the structure and the utilities, and a written read that says plainly: this is what it looks like it can carry, this is what your city has to confirm, and this is the order to spend money in. A contractor's read, not a planning determination, and we say which is which.

    What you get

    • A written lot read before any design spend
    • Conversion versus new-build compared honestly
    • The verify-with-your-city list, named explicitly
    • One contract from plans through closeout
    • Occupied-property sequencing planned up front

    Led by Gordon Myers

    • Licensed General Building Contractor, Class B: DTAG Inc. dba LA Construction Consultants, CSLB Lic #1061967
    • In Los Angeles real estate and construction since 1988, personally
    • A client-first approach built on expertise, integrity, and personal dedication
    • For homeowners, apartment owners and investors
    Gordon Myers, founder of LA Construction Consultants
    Gordon Myers, FounderReal estate and construction in Los Angeles since 1988, guiding owners from the first idea to the final approval. One call handles every concern along the way.
    Where we work

    Serving Los Angeles & Southern California

    Based in Sherman Oaks, working across the LA metro and surrounding cities.

    Los AngelesSherman OaksSanta MonicaBeverly HillsLong BeachGlendalePasadenaBurbankVan NuysWest HollywoodCulver CityTorrance
    Questions owners ask

    ADUs, in plain English

    How many units can my lot hold?
    Honestly: it depends on the lot, and anyone who answers from a web page is guessing. State law sets a floor on what cities must allow and limits what they can require, but your zoning, existing structures, utilities and your city's objective standards decide what applies to your specific parcel. Our lot read tells you what it looks like it can carry and exactly which points to verify with your city before spending on design.
    Is a garage conversion cheaper than building new?
    Usually, but not always, and the difference is in the garage: a sound structure on a sound slab keeps its head start; a garage that needs a new foundation, new framing and full utility runs can price surprisingly close to ground-up. That is exactly what the lot read checks before you commit to a path.
    What does an ADU cost?
    Nobody can price one from a web page, and we will not pretend otherwise. What moves the number: conversion versus new-build, the condition of any existing structure, how far utilities have to run, site access, your city's requirements, and finish level. The scope we write prices your project against those, at no obligation.
    What about parking?
    The rules are conditional, and this is a place where headlines mislead. When parking is demolished or converted in conjunction with building an ADU, state law bars the city from requiring the spaces be replaced; parking for the new unit itself can still be required unless the lot qualifies for an exemption. We tell you which reading applies to your lot, and we put the question to your city where it is genuinely theirs to answer.
    Can you also handle repairs the building already owes?
    Yes. Owners often pair an ADU with work the building already needs. If your building has an inspection report with findings, start from our balcony repair page or general construction page, and we scope both as one conversation.