Field notes from 120+ ADUs.
Long-form guides on cost, permitting, design, and finance — written by the team running the projects, not a marketing department.
9 min read
- Permitting7 min
The LA ADU permit timeline, week by week
From signed agreement to building permit in 14–22 weeks: what happens, who is doing it, and the three places projects stall.
Open → - Design6 min
Detached, attached, or conversion: choosing the right ADU type
A decision framework for picking the configuration that fits your lot, budget, and rental strategy — with the trade-offs builders rarely volunteer.
Open → - Finance8 min
Financing an ADU without overpaying for the privilege
HELOC, cash-out refi, renovation loan, or cash: a side-by-side on the four real paths LA homeowners use — and the rate math that decides between them.
Open → - Finance7 min
What an ADU actually rents for in LA in 2025
Long-term, mid-term, and short-term rental yields by neighborhood — and why the headline ROI you see in marketing is usually 30% optimistic.
Open → - Design6 min
Designing an ADU you actually want to live in
Twelve design moves that separate a great 700 sq ft ADU from a generic one — most cost nothing extra, all of them protect your re-sale and rental value.
Open → - Permitting11 min
The 2025 LA ADU permitting rulebook, decoded
What [LADBS](https://www.ladbs.org/) and California's HCD actually require in 2025 — by-right approvals, setbacks, owner-occupancy, and the rules that quietly changed this year.
Open → - Process8 min
How to vet any LA ADU contractor in 8 minutes
A repeatable protocol for verifying license, bond, insurance, and complaint history before you sign anything — using only free public databases.
Open → - Design10 min
Title 24 for ADUs: what actually triggers compliance
California's energy code is the single biggest design constraint after setbacks. Here's what Title 24 Part 6 requires for new ADUs in 2025 — heat pumps, fenestration, envelope, and the CF1R signoff.
Open → - Finance9 min
HELOC, cash-out, renovation loan: the ADU money decision
A practical comparison of the four ways LA homeowners actually pay for an ADU — including the one product (renovation loan) that lets you borrow against the finished value.
Open → - Finance7 min
Will your ADU trigger a property tax reassessment?
Under Prop 13 and BOE Rule 463, only the new construction value is reassessed — not the entire property. A practical walkthrough of how the LA County Assessor calculates the bump.
Open → - Permitting8 min
ADU vs SB9 lot split: which path actually fits your lot
Two state laws now let LA homeowners add density. SB9 splits the lot and creates a separately sellable parcel; ADU law adds a unit. The decision turns on three numbers — and one local opt-out.
Open → - Process9 min
Hillside ADUs in LA: soils, grading, and the geo report
Half of LA's buildable parcels sit on slopes the rest of the country would consider unbuildable. A practical guide to soils reports, the LA Hillside Ordinance, and the engineering decisions that drive cost.
Open → - Process8 min
LADWP, SoCalGas and your ADU: the utility connection map
Power, water, and gas hookups account for $8K–$35K of an ADU budget and 4–14 weeks of schedule. A walkthrough of the actual approval paths in 2026.
Open →