GARAGE CONVERSIONS
Garage conversion are very simple and straightforward. We’ve done garage conversions to ADU and Junior ADU (if the garage is attached to the main residence) in Los Angeles, Burbank, Glendale, and Pasadena. The process usually takes much shorter than the traditional ADU permitting process and is streamlined for quicker processing. Please reach out to us and we can help turn your garage into an income generating property.
Garage conversions in the City of Los Angeles
Garage conversions in LA are fairly straight forward and can be processed between 1-2 months. If the garage is attached to the main residence, the conversion can also be considered a Junior ADU, allowing the homeowner to also build a typical ADU (up to 1,200 square feet if site conditions allow) along with an SB9 Unit as well.
As most 2-car garage structures are between 350-450 square feet, we’ve been able to configure garage conversions as either studios or 1-bedroom units. In the City of Los Angeles, these units can generate upwards of $2,000 a month in rental income. Each garage conversion ADU or JADU gets its’ own address, and can have its’ own utilities if the homeowner chooses to do so.
What's the difference between an ADU and Junior ADU?
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are allowed to be up to 1,200 square feet in size in the city of Los Angeles, while Junior ADUs are limited to 500 square feet and MUST be attached to the main house. Single Family zoned properties and properties utilizing single family structures within multi-family zones are allowed to have an ADU and a JADU on the same lot. New regulations in 2022 have also added SB9 Units, which are allowed to be constructed as well even if a property utilizes an ADU and a JADU. These same regulations are common throughout many other cities besides the City of Los Angeles.
An ADU must have a full kitchen and a full bathroom, and must be separated from the main dwelling. A Junior ADU or JADU, must have a full kitchen, but can share a bathroom with the main residence, therefore can be open to the main residence. A JADU in the city of Los Angeles requires the homeowner to sign, notarize, and recorded a Covenant with the county that either the main residence or JADU will be owner-occupied. This stipulation that a homeowner must owner-occupy the structure, although originally mandated on ADUs, does not apply anymore if the structure is an ADU.
Cost of a garage conversion to ADU or JADU.
Our fee for converting a garage to an ADU or JADU typically depends on the size of the garage, but for most typical 2-car garages up to 500 square feet our fee is $4,500 for preparing and processing a full set of architectural and structural drawings for permit processing. Building department fees will vary from one local building department to the next.
A recent 350 square foot garage conversion project in the City of Los Angeles had the following building department fees…
1. Plan Check Fees = $260
2. Bureau of Engineering Fees = $77
3. Final Permit fees = $452
(Please note that building department fees will vary greatly depending on the municipality and locality)
The complete process took less than 45 days to pull permits, and the Building Department fees did not surpass $800.
