ADU Builder & Contractor
in Sherman Oaks, CA

A garage conversion never needs replacement parking under state ADU law. A new detached unit needs no parking space when the lot is within half a mile walking distance of public transit; parts of Sherman Oaks sit outside that zone, so we check the parcel. Where a space is required, one tandem space on the existing driveway satisfies it.

A garage conversion or JADU takes 6–10 weeks of design and plan check and 3–5 months of construction, about 5–8 months in all; a detached ADU takes 3–5 months of design, engineering and plan check and 6–9 months of construction, 9–14 months to the Certificate of Occupancy. Yes, you can rent it: a standard ADU can be rented long-term (30 days or more) with no owner-occupancy requirement; only a JADU requires the owner to live on the property.

You do not need to hire one separately. Right Image Builders works with licensed architects and structural engineers inside its own contract, so the drawings, the engineering, the LADBS submittal and the construction have one accountable party. On a flat lot north of Ventura an LADBS pre-approved Standard Plan can replace custom drawings; a hillside parcel south of Ventura usually needs a custom set designed to the Baseline Hillside Ordinance.

As a new detached unit, a 600 sq ft ADU sits at the low end of the detached range, around $260K in Sherman Oaks (2026): the kitchen, the bath, the foundation and the utility connections are a fixed cost that does not shrink with the floor area. A garage of that size converted in place runs $140K–$210K. Hillside lots south of Ventura add access and site costs; the free feasibility visit puts a written range on your lot.

Adding on is cheaper per square foot, because an addition borrows the house's kitchen, panel and sewer line; an ADU carries its own. Per project the ranges overlap: a primary-suite addition runs $140K–$280K here and a garage conversion $140K–$210K. Build the addition when the space must connect to the house; build the ADU when you want a separate, rentable dwelling. The addition vs. ADU guide compares them line by line.

Drawing before checking the parcel (floor area, setbacks, the Hillside Ordinance line); forgetting the sewer and electrical runs, which decide more of the cost than the finishes; converting a garage without a moisture barrier or a proper slab; hiring the design and the construction separately so no one owns the number; and skipping the permit, which turns the unit into a liability at sale. The feasibility visit exists to catch all five before you spend on drawings.

Right Image Builders, a licensed general contractor (CSLB #1021284) based in Valley Glen about 10 minutes from Sherman Oaks, designs, permits and builds ADUs across Chandler Estates, Sherman Village, Longridge Estates under one fixed-price contract: design, permits through LADBS, and construction by one crew, with final payment only after your walkthrough. 5.0★ on Google (45 reviews) and 4.9★ on Angi (103 reviews).