★★★★★
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 · Valley Glen, CA
ADU Builder & Contractor in Valley Glen, CA
Garage conversions, detached ADUs and JADUs on Valley Glen R1 lots — LADBS permits and pre-approved Standard Plans handled, from design to final inspection, by the team based on Burbank Boulevard.
Valley Glen ADU cost (2026): JADU $90K–$150K; Garage Conversion $130K–$200K; Detached ADU $250K–$400K+. Plan on 2–4 months of design and plan check, then 4–8 months of construction; a garage conversion is the fastest path, and most units reach Certificate of Occupancy 9–14 months after the first visit.
Permits: LADBS, City of Los Angeles, at the Van Nuys counter a mile from our office. One fixed price after a free on-site estimate from a licensed general contractor, CSLB #1021284, based at 13709 Burbank Blvd inside Valley Glen.
Right Image Builders is a licensed ADU contractor building across Valley Glen, our own neighborhood. We handle garage conversions, detached ADUs and Junior ADUs from design through LADBS permits and Standard Plans to final inspection and the Certificate of Occupancy. Our office is at 13709 Burbank Blvd, and the LADBS counter that reviews the plans is about a mile and a half away. Licensed & insured, CSLB #1021284. Free feasibility visit: (818) 210-4544.
The Right Image ApproachValley Glen Lots
Request Free ADU Feasibility Visit
Valley Glen Lots
Were Made for a Second Unit
The 1940s–50s R1 tract lots that define Valley Glen, flat and rectangular with a driveway and a detached garage at the back, are the easiest sites in the Valley for an ADU. In Valley Glen an ADU is permitted through LADBS at the Van Nuys Development Services Center, 6262 Van Nuys Blvd, about a mile and a half from our office, and power and water connections go through LADWP; the typical site is a flat lot with a detached two-car garage, which is what decides between a garage conversion, a JADU and a detached unit.
A garage conversion is the fastest and least expensive path: the existing 20-by-20 structure becomes a 400 sq ft studio with a full kitchen and bath, no replacement parking is required under state law, and units under 750 sq ft pay no City impact fees. A detached unit of 800–1,200 sq ft fits on most lots here within the 4-foot side and rear setbacks. With Los Angeles Valley College a few blocks away and the G Line at Woodman and Valley College stations, Valley Glen units rent quickly.
One contract covers the whole job: a licensed architect draws the plans, a structural engineer stamps them, we file with LADBS and answer the corrections, and our own crew builds through final inspection.
What We BuildThree Paths
Three Paths
to a Second Unit
01
Detached ADUs
A ground-up standalone home in the backyard — up to 1,200 sq ft, one or two bedrooms, its own entrance and address. On typical Valley Glen R1 lots we most often build in the 600–1,000 sq ft range, sized to the yard and your budget.
02
Garage Conversions
The most cost-effective Valley Glen path. We convert your existing detached or attached garage into a legal ADU — foundation and slab upgrades, framing, insulation, windows, a full kitchen and bath, and code electrical and plumbing, all permitted.
03
Junior ADUs (JADUs)
A JADU (up to 500 sq ft) carved out of the existing house — often a converted bedroom or garage-adjacent space with an efficiency kitchen. The lowest-cost way to add a legal, rentable unit without building new square footage.
04
LADBS Standard Plans
Where it fits your lot, we use the City of LA's pre-approved ADU Standard Plan Program to shorten plan check and reduce design cost — a faster, more predictable path to permits than a fully custom set of drawings.
05
Utilities & Site Work
Water, sewer, and electrical connections; addressing; grading and drainage; and the exterior work that ties the ADU into the property. The unglamorous coordination that quietly makes or breaks an ADU timeline — handled in-house.
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.
Building in Valley GlenWhy Valley Glen
Why Valley Glen
Works for ADUs
Valley Glen runs from Burbank Boulevard north toward Sherman Way, with Los Angeles Valley College at Fulton and Burbank, the Tujunga Wash greenway and the Great Wall of Los Angeles mural along Coldwater Canyon on its east edge, and Van Nuys on the west. Our office is at 13709 Burbank Blvd, at Woodman, inside the neighborhood: the crew that shows up has been working these exact blocks for years, and the LADBS counter that reviews the permit, the Van Nuys Development Services Center at 6262 Van Nuys Blvd, is about a mile and a half away.
Most Valley Glen parcels are 6,000–7,500 sq ft R1 lots with the garage at the rear and, on some blocks, alley access, so a detached unit or a converted garage keeps its own entrance without crossing the main house. Much of the neighborhood sits within half a mile of the G Line busway, which waives the parking space for a new detached unit; we confirm the distance for your parcel on ZIMAS at the first visit along with zoning, lot area, setbacks, the panel amperage and the sewer lateral.
Where the lot fits, we use the LADBS pre-approved ADU Standard Plans to shorten plan check; where it does not, a custom design goes through the same ministerial review, which approves a code-compliant ADU without a public hearing.
What It CostsValley Glen ADU
Valley Glen ADU
Cost Ranges
| ADU Type | Typical Range | What's Involved |
|---|---|---|
| JADU | $90K–$150K | Up to 500 sq ft carved from the existing home with an efficiency kitchen and bath. The lowest-cost legal unit. |
| Garage Conversion | $130K–$200K | Convert an existing garage to a full legal ADU — foundation/slab upgrades, framing, kitchen, bath, and code systems. |
| Detached ADU | $250K–$400K+ | Ground-up standalone unit, typically 600–1,000 sq ft on a Valley Glen lot, including utilities and site work. |
ADU costs vary widely with size, finishes, site conditions, and utility runs. Ranges are for planning only; your fixed-price proposal follows the free feasibility visit.
How It WorksThree Steps.
Three Steps.
Zero Surprises.
01
Free Feasibility Visit
We visit your Valley Glen property, confirm what your R1 lot allows, check transit-parking rules, and tell you honestly which path — detached, garage conversion, or JADU — fits your goals and budget.
02
Design, Plans & Permits
We design the unit, use LADBS Standard Plans where they fit, and carry the submittal and corrections through plan check — with a fixed-price proposal set before construction.
03
Build & Deliver
One crew builds the ADU 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 Valley Glen
Start Your Valley Glen
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 before you spend anything on plans.
Prefer to talk it through?
(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.
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.
Valley Glen ADU FAQQuestions We
Questions We
Hear in Valley Glen
Almost certainly. Valley Glen is largely 1950s R1 single-family lots, and California ADU law lets nearly every single-family property add at least one ADU plus a Junior ADU. Valley Glen is one of the highest-volume ADU and garage-conversion areas in the Valley precisely because these tract lots have the room and the alley or driveway access to make it work. 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 and must be within the existing home. On typical Valley Glen R1 lots, most detached units we build land in the 600–1,000 sq ft range — a comfortable one or two-bedroom. We size the ADU to your lot, your budget, and whether you're housing family or renting.
Yes — Valley Glen is City of Los Angeles, so your ADU is permitted through LADBS, with Valley submissions handled at the Van Nuys Development Services Center on Van Nuys Boulevard. We manage the whole process, and where it fits we use the LADBS pre-approved Standard Plan Program to speed plan check. You don't deal with the counter or the corrections — we do.
Yes, and it's one of the most cost-effective paths in Valley Glen. These tract homes have detached or attached garages that convert 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 typically costs less than a ground-up detached unit.
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 Valley Glen near the Metro G Line at Woodman and Valley College stations. Where a space is required, one tandem space on the existing driveway satisfies it.
Plan on 2–4 months for design, engineering and plan check, then 4–8 months of construction depending on the unit type; a garage conversion is the fastest path. 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 at 13709 Burbank Blvd inside Valley Glen, designs, permits and builds ADUs across the blocks around Burbank Boulevard and Woodman Avenue, the streets near Los Angeles Valley College, the Tujunga Wash greenway 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).
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Ready When You AreLet's Build Your
Let's Build Your
Valley Glen ADU
Free feasibility visit. Fixed-price proposal. One local team from design and LADBS permits 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.