Sherman Oaks, CA
Home Additions in Sherman Oaks
Primary suites, family rooms and second stories on flat and hillside lots across Sherman Oaks.
★★★★★ 4.9 from 60 Google reviews
Buying a bigger house usually costs far more than adding on to the one you have. A home addition in Sherman Oaks keeps your street, your schools and your commute.
Before you sketch a floor plan, though, find out which half of Sherman Oaks your lot sits in. The flats and the hills follow different rules.
Who Builds Home Additions in Sherman Oaks?
Master in Design builds home additions in Sherman Oaks from our Tarzana office, a short drive west on Ventura Boulevard. We design, permit and build primary suites, bedrooms, family rooms and second stories on flat and hillside lots. Projects run $40,000 to $150,000 or more, and single-story additions take about 8 to 14 weeks of construction.
At a glance
We Have Built Additions Here
This is not a new neighborhood for us. Our before and after gallery includes a room addition in Sherman Oaks, photographed before our crew arrived and after the final walkthrough.
That project followed the same path every addition does: design, structural engineering, LADBS plan check, construction and final inspection. The difference between Sherman Oaks jobs is mostly the lot.
Flats or Hills: The Rule That Sets Your Size
Sherman Oaks runs from the Los Angeles River on the north edge, across the flats to Ventura Boulevard, then south up into the Santa Monica Mountains. The City of Los Angeles applies a different floor area rule to each side.
| Where the lot sits | Rule that applies | What it limits |
|---|---|---|
| Flat lots north of Ventura Blvd | Baseline Mansionization Ordinance | Total floor area, 45 percent of lot size on standard R1 lots |
| Hillside lots south of Ventura Blvd | Baseline Hillside Ordinance | Floor area by lot size and slope, height, and grading |
Adding on in the flats
On a 6,000 square foot R1 lot, the 45 percent cap allows about 2,700 square feet of house. If your house sits well under that, there is room for a primary suite or a second story.
Adding on in the hills
The Baseline Hillside Ordinance reduces allowed floor area on steeper slopes and caps how much soil can be cut and filled. Additions made since August 1, 2010 can be exempt from the hillside floor area limit if they total no more than 500 square feet combined and the plans meet the setback, height and grading rules. That exemption often makes a hillside primary suite possible.
Popular Additions in Sherman Oaks
Primary suites
A bedroom, walk-in closet and full bath, usually off the back of the house. It is the most common way to add value and comfort at once.
Second stories
Where the yard is small, the house goes up. A second story needs structural upgrades to the walls and foundation below, plus room for stairs.
Family room and kitchen expansions
Pushing the back wall out to open a kitchen onto a larger family room. These often pair with a new set of glass doors to the yard.
If you need a separate rentable unit instead, see our Sherman Oaks ADU builder page.
Sherman Oaks, CA
Free estimate
Planning an addition in Sherman Oaks? Get a free estimate from our team.
What Homeowners Say About Our Additions
Rated 4.9 out of 5 across 60 Google reviews, with 42 more on Yelp.
★★★★★“The project which was fairly priced was finished ahead of its initial time schedule and on budget. The work and oversite was high quality.”
Bob Besser
verified Google review
★★★★★“This is our second project with Master and Design. We were thrilled with the kitchen and bathroom remodel they did for us 2 years ago, and I can say they outdid themselves with our master bedroom.”
Zai R.
verified Yelp review
★★★★★“The constant communication and progress updates from the crew were a huge difference, and every inspection passed on the first pass.”
Debby M.
verified Google review
Who runs your project
Avi “Danny” Vaknin, owner
Avi Vaknin owns Master in Design, the Tarzana design-build firm serving the San Fernando Valley since 2012. Most clients know him as Danny.
Reviews describe him on site during the build and back at the house when something needs attention, sometimes years after the job is done.
What Does a Home Addition Cost in Sherman Oaks?
Our additions run $40,000 to $150,000 or more. A bedroom bump-out sits near the low end, and a full second story at the top or beyond.
A 2026 Los Angeles cost guide puts ground-level additions at about $200 to $400 per square foot and second stories at about $400 to $600. For a full primary suite, the 2025 Cost vs Value Report puts a midrange project in Los Angeles at about $182,500. Hillside lots add grading, retaining walls and engineered foundations. A bathroom adds plumbing, tile and fixtures.
We give a written line-item estimate after the design phase, so the price is set before construction starts.
Permits and Timeline
Sherman Oaks is part of the City of Los Angeles, so every addition needs an LADBS building permit. A one-story addition can qualify for counter plan check, which LADBS describes as a review of about 45 to 60 minutes. Larger or second-story projects go through regular plan check. Avi “Danny” Vaknin, who owns Master in Design, keeps the permit file in-house.
Once the permit issues, a single-story addition takes about 8 to 14 weeks of construction. Second stories take longer.
Our main room addition page covers design and structure in more detail.
Areas We Serve in Sherman Oaks
We build additions across ZIP codes 91403, 91423, 91401 and 91413. That covers the flat streets near the Los Angeles River and Van Nuys, homes along Magnolia, Burbank and Van Nuys boulevards, and hillside streets off Coldwater Canyon Avenue south of Ventura Boulevard.
For kitchens and baths in the neighborhood, see our Sherman Oaks remodeling page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Sherman Oaks homeowners ask before adding on.
What is the average cost of a 20x20 room addition?
What is the cheapest way to build a room?
Do room additions add value?
How long does a room addition take?
Do I need a permit for a home addition in Sherman Oaks?
Built. Finished. Loved.
Ready to start your project?
Tell us about it. No obligation, no pressure. We respond within one business day.
★★★★★
4.9 out of 5 from 60 Google reviews, plus 42 reviews on Yelp.
Licensed General Building contractor, CSLB #979219. Serving Tarzana and the San Fernando Valley.