★★★★★
ADU build in Sherman Oaks. Permits pulled, inspections passed, project completed in 14 weeks. They were transparent about every step. We're renting the unit already — it's beautiful and fully up to code.
ADU Contractor · Studio City, CAADU Builder & Contractor
ADU Builder & Contractor
in Studio City, CA
Detached ADUs, garage conversions, and JADUs on Studio City lots — flat and hillside — with LADBS permits, Standard Plans, and engineered hillside foundations handled by one local team.
Professional, licensed & insured Fixed-price proposals Permits pulled & closed Our own crew, not subs
Get a Free Estimate
Tell us about the project. We call back to schedule the on-site estimate in Studio City.
Request Received
Thank you — a senior member of our team will reach out within 4 business hours. For anything urgent, call (818) 210-4544.
5.0★Google · 45 reviews
57+Permitted projects
12+Years experience · CSLB #1021284
FreeOn-site estimate · fixed written price
ADU Builder in Studio City, CA: Right Image Builders (CSLB #1021284) designs, permits and builds ADUs for 1940s–60s ranch and traditional homes on the flats north of Ventura, hillside houses in Fryman and Laurel Canyon across Colfax Meadows, the Silver Triangle south of Ventura and Woodbridge Park, with its own crew and permits through LADBS, City of Los Angeles, with Baseline Hillside Ordinance review south of Ventura Boulevard. Plan on 5–8 months for a garage conversion or JADU and 9–14 months for a detached unit, from the first visit to the Certificate of Occupancy. One fixed written price after a free on-site estimate.
Licensed general contractor, CSLB #1021284, licensed since 2016, 5.0★ Google (45 reviews), 4.9★ Angi (103 reviews). Office in Valley Glen, about 10–15 minutes from Studio City. Planning ranges by tier and neighborhood are in the ADU cost guide.
Right Image Builders is a licensed ADU contractor building across Studio City — from the flats of Colfax Meadows and the Silver Triangle to the hillside lots near Fryman Estates. We handle detached ADUs, garage conversions, and Junior ADUs, through LADBS permits, Standard Plans, and engineered hillside foundations to final inspection. Licensed & insured, CSLB #1021284, a short drive east of our Valley Glen shop. Free feasibility visit: (818) 210-4544.
The Right Image ApproachFlat Lots & Hillside
Request Free ADU Feasibility Visit
Flat Lots & Hillside
ADUs, Both Handled
Studio City is one of the more rewarding — and more demanding — places to build an ADU in the Valley. It's an affluent, media-industry neighborhood along Ventura Boulevard, and it spans two very different site types: the flatter, straightforward lots north of the boulevard in Colfax Meadows and the Silver Triangle, and the larger, more valuable, more complex hillside lots to the south toward Fryman Canyon. Both are excellent ADU opportunities; they just require different expertise.
In Studio City an ADU is permitted through LADBS (City of Los Angeles) at the Van Nuys Development Services Center, 6262 Van Nuys Blvd, and power and water connections go through LADWP; the typical site is a flat R1 lot north of Ventura with a detached garage at the back, or a canyon parcel where the garage pad is the only level ground, which is what decides between a garage conversion, a JADU and a detached unit. On a hillside lot near Fryman or Laurel Canyon that means grading, retaining, drainage, engineered foundations, and access all designed correctly. On a flat lot it can mean a fast track using LADBS pre-approved Standard Plans. One contract covers design, LADBS, City of Los Angeles, with Baseline Hillside Ordinance review south of Ventura Boulevard and construction; the project lead who does your estimate at home runs the build, and the itemized fixed-price proposal follows within 3–5 business days.
Based a short drive west in Valley Glen, we're close enough to be on your Studio City site regularly. At the free feasibility visit we check six things on your Studio City parcel: zoning and lot area on ZIMAS, the 4-foot side and rear setbacks, slope and any hillside overlay, the electrical panel's amperage, the sewer lateral, and crew access from the street or alley.
What We BuildThree Paths
Three Paths
to a Second Unit
01
Detached ADUs
A standalone backyard home up to 1,200 sq ft. On flatter Studio City lots there's often room for a full-size two-bedroom detached unit, designed to complement the main home's mid-century or traditional architecture.
02
Garage Conversions
Convert an existing detached or attached garage into a legal ADU — foundation and slab upgrades, framing, insulation, windows, a full kitchen and bath, and code systems. The most cost-effective path on many Studio City lots.
03
Junior ADUs (JADUs)
A JADU up to 500 sq ft carved from the existing house with an efficiency kitchen — the lowest-cost way to add a legal, rentable unit without new square footage.
04
Hillside Design & Foundations
For the hillside lots south of Ventura near Fryman Canyon and Laurel Canyon: engineered foundations, grading, retaining walls, drainage, and access — the specialized site work that makes a hillside ADU possible instead of stalled.
05
LADBS Standard Plans
On flatter north-of-Ventura lots, we use the City of LA's pre-approved ADU Standard Plan Program where it fits to shorten plan check and reduce design cost — a faster, more predictable route to permits.
06
Design, Permits & Build
One contract from concept to keys: a licensed architect draws the plans, a structural engineer stamps them, we file with LADBS, and our own crew builds through final inspection and the Certificate of Occupancy.
How we work with you
Transparent from the first visit to the closed permit.
Professional, licensed and insured, and we put that in writing at every step, because a remodel is a trust decision before it is a construction decision.
Licensed and insured, verifiable
California general contractor license CSLB #1021284 (General Building B), active since 2016, with general liability and workers' compensation insurance. Check the license yourself at cslb.ca.gov before you sign anything, with us or anyone else.
A written scope before a dollar changes hands
The proposal lists what is demolished, what is built, which finishes are included and which permit covers it. If it is not written down, it is not in the job.
Photos of what we find, before we continue
When walls, floors or roofs open up we photograph what is behind them and send you the pictures. Anything beyond the scope is priced in writing before the crew continues. You never find out from the invoice.
The deposit rule, in your favor
California law caps a home-improvement deposit at $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract, whichever is less. We follow it. Progress payments follow the work, and the final payment comes after your walkthrough.
Permits pulled and closed in your name
We submit the plans, meet the inspector and close the permit. You get the closed-permit record, which is what a buyer, an insurer or an appraiser will ask for.
One licensed crew, one phone number
The people who estimate the job are the people who build it. No subcontractor hand-offs, no call center; your project lead answers the phone during the job and after it.
Building in Studio CityThe Lot Decides
The Lot Decides
the Strategy
In Studio City, ADU strategy comes down to which side of Ventura Boulevard you're on. North — Colfax Meadows, the Silver Triangle, and the streets around the Radford Studio Center — the lots are level and predictable, which makes a detached ADU or garage conversion straightforward and a good candidate for LADBS Standard Plans.
South of Ventura, toward Fryman Estates and the hills near Fryman Canyon and Laurel Canyon, the lots are larger and more valuable but need engineered foundations and careful access — grading, retaining, drainage, and staging all have to be engineered and permitted correctly. Done right, a hillside ADU is a premium asset in an upscale market; done without that expertise, it's a stalled project. We design and permit for the slope from day one.
Everything is City of Los Angeles and permitted through LADBS. From our Valley Glen shop a short drive west, Studio City is home turf — close enough for a project lead to stay hands-on through grading, framing, and final inspection.
How We PriceHow We Price an ADU
How We Price an ADU
in Studio City
Every ADU in Studio City gets one fixed, written price after a free on-site visit: we measure the house, check what LADBS requires for the lot and price the whole scope before you sign anything.
What moves the number is the scope you choose, the condition we find behind the walls and the finish level, never a surprise invoice: anything we uncover during the work is priced in writing before the crew continues, and the final payment comes after your walkthrough.
Setting a budget first? The ADU cost guide shows the current planning ranges by tier and neighborhood.
How It WorksThree Steps.
Three Steps.
Zero Surprises.
01
Free Feasibility Visit
We visit your Studio City property, read the lot — flat or hillside — check transit-parking rules, and tell you honestly which path fits your goals, slope, and budget.
02
Design, Plans & Permits
We design the unit, use Standard Plans on flat lots or engineer foundations for the slope on hillside lots, and carry the LADBS submittal and corrections — with a fixed price set before construction.
03
Build & Deliver
One crew builds to final inspection sign-off, utilities connected and address issued. You get a rentable, legal second home — final payment only after your walkthrough approval.
Free Feasibility VisitStart Your Studio City
Start Your Studio City
ADU
Tell us about your lot and your goals and we'll get back to you within 4 business hours. We'll confirm what your property allows — flat or hillside — before you spend anything on plans.
Prefer to talk it through?
ReviewsWhat Clients Say About
What Clients Say About
Our ADU Construction Work
★★★★★
We had a complex ADU project that other contractors kept turning down or quoting absurd prices. Right Image Builders handled permits, design, and construction seamlessly. This is the most professional contractor I've ever worked with in 15 years of owning property in LA.
★★★★★
We had tried two other contractors who couldn't navigate the LADBS permit process for our ADU. Right Image Builders had the permit in hand within six weeks of starting design and delivered a beautiful unit on the exact date promised. It's now generating $2,800 a month in rental income. Best investment we've made in this property.
Guides & answers
Read before you hire anyone.
Plain answers on costs, permits, materials and hiring, written for Los Angeles houses and kept current.
Planning guide
How Much Does an ADU Cost in Los Angeles in 2026?
How much does an ADU cost in Los Angeles in 2026? Ranges by neighborhood.
Read the guide →Decision guideGarage Conversion, Detached ADU or JADU: Which ADU Should You Build in Los Angeles?
2026 Los Angeles comparison: size, cost, timeline, parking, fees, rentals.
Read the guide →Decision guidePrefab or Site-Built ADU in Los Angeles: Which Should You Choose?
Prefab (modular) or site-built ADU in Los Angeles? Real totals once site work is counted, timelines, permits, lot…
Read the guide →AnswersADU rules and questions
Direct answers from the Los Angeles remodeling FAQ, kept current.
Read the answers →Studio City ADU FAQQuestions We
Questions We
Hear in Studio City
Most likely yes. California ADU law lets nearly every single-family property in Studio City add at least one ADU plus a Junior ADU. What varies here is the lot: north of Ventura Boulevard in neighborhoods like Colfax Meadows and the Silver Triangle the flatter parcels are straightforward, while south of Ventura toward Fryman Canyon and Laurel Canyon the hillside lots are very buildable but bring grading, engineered-foundation, and access considerations. We confirm exactly what your specific lot allows at the free site visit.
Under current California rules, a detached ADU can generally be built up to 1,200 sq ft, and a Junior ADU (JADU) is capped at 500 sq ft within the existing home. On flatter Studio City lots there's often room for a full 1,000–1,200 sq ft detached unit; hillside lots to the south depend on slope and buildable area. We size the ADU to your lot, slope, and goals.
Yes — Studio City is part of the City of Los Angeles, so your ADU is permitted through LADBS. If your home is south of Ventura Boulevard in the hills near Fryman Canyon or Laurel Canyon, hillside rules can add grading, retaining, engineered-foundation, and access requirements to a detached ADU. We know that process and design and permit around it from the start. On flatter lots we use LADBS pre-approved Standard Plans where they fit to speed plan check.
Yes. Many Studio City homes have a detached or attached garage that converts well into a legal ADU — we upgrade the foundation and slab as needed, frame new walls, add insulation, windows, a full kitchen and bath, and bring electrical and plumbing to code, all on permit. A garage conversion is typically the most cost-effective path to a legal unit, and a popular one on the flatter lots north of Ventura.
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, which covers much of Studio City near the Metro B Line at Universal City/Studio City station. 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.
Right Image Builders, a licensed general contractor (CSLB #1021284) based in Valley Glen about 10–15 minutes from Studio City, designs, permits and builds ADUs across Colfax Meadows, the Silver Triangle south of Ventura, Woodbridge Park 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).
Three things: the scope you choose, the condition of the house once we open it up, and the finish level. Each is settled in writing, first in the fixed price after the free on-site visit, then in a written change order if a Studio City house hides something, so the number never moves without your signature; LADBS requirements are built in. Planning ranges by tier are in the ADU cost guide.
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Ready When You AreLet's Build Your
Let's Build Your
Studio City ADU
Free feasibility visit. Fixed-price proposal. One local team from design and LADBS permits — flat lot or hillside — through to a finished, rentable unit.
(818) 210-4544Request Received
Thank you — a senior member of our team will reach out within 4 business hours. For anything urgent, call (818) 210-4544.