ADU Builder in Sherman Oaks

Flats or Hills: Why Your Sherman Oaks Lot Changes the ADU

Sherman Oaks sits between Encino to the west and Studio City to the east, with Van Nuys to the north. The Los Angeles River runs along the northern edge, and the south side climbs into the Santa Monica Mountains. Those two halves build very differently.

The flats: most lots have room

North of Ventura, most Sherman Oaks homes sit on flat single-family lots, many with a detached garage at the back. That layout suits an ADU. A garage conversion reuses the slab, walls and roof, and a detached unit can go where the yard is deepest.

The city’s Standard Plan Program offers pre-reviewed ADU designs, which can shorten LADBS review on a simple detached unit.

The hills: check two maps before you design

South of Ventura, streets like Coldwater Canyon Avenue climb into the hills. Here, the city’s rules change. LAMC 12.22 A.33(c)(4) restricts ADUs on lots that sit in both a Hillside Area and a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. City Planning’s current guidance, ZA Memo 143, says that restriction is not enforced on state-law ADU types:

• Conversions of a garage or other existing space
• Junior ADUs inside the main house
• New detached units up to 800 square feet

Larger ADUs built under the city’s own rules still face the restriction. The city no longer enforces its sprinkler and parking conditions where they conflict with state law, but a street dedication can still be required.

That is why we look up both designations on the city’s ZIMAS zoning map, and choose the ADU type, before anyone draws a floor plan.

If a larger unit will not work on your lot, a state-law ADU or a room addition may still give you the space you need.

Types of ADUs We Build in Sherman Oaks

Garage conversions

The fastest route to a permitted unit on a flat lot. The work is insulation, plumbing, electrical, egress windows, a kitchen and a bath.

Detached backyard units

A standalone building with its own foundation, entry and address, usually 400 to 1,200 square feet. It costs the most and gives the most freedom in layout.

Junior ADUs

A unit up to 500 square feet inside the main house, with its own entry and an efficiency kitchen. On a hillside lot with a narrow street, this is often the practical choice.

Two-story ADUs

Where yard space is tight, the unit goes up, and a second floor can fit a full two-bedroom unit.

Every type follows the same design, permit and build process described on our main ADU construction page.

What Does an ADU Cost in Sherman Oaks?

Our ADU projects run $75,000 to $400,000. Garage conversions sit near the low end because the structure already stands. Detached new builds sit near the top.

Published local guides put the starting point for a new detached unit in Sherman Oaks around $120,000. The spread is wide because “ADU” covers everything from a 300 square foot garage studio to a two-story, two-bedroom house.

Four things move a Sherman Oaks budget the most:

• Hillside lots: grading, engineered foundations and longer utility runs all add cost
• Distance from the main house, which sets the trenching for water, sewer, gas and electrical
• Whether the unit gets its own utility meters or shares the main house service
• Finish level, which on a rental unit is where most owners protect the budget

We give a written line-item estimate after the design phase, so the price is set before construction starts.