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Garage conversions
A detached garage behind an older Culver City home is often the lowest-cost route to an ADU, since the structure already exists.
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Girl Flip designs, permits and builds ADUs for Culver City homeowners, from garage conversions behind 1920s bungalows to detached units in deep back yards.
Culver City is a strong place for an ADU. The city sits between the Westside and downtown, close to the studios and to major employers, and rental demand is steady. Many lots here hold a small 1920s to 1950s house with a detached garage at the back, which is the starting point for most ADU projects we see.
Homeowners ask us for different things. Some want a place for a parent or an adult child. Others want a rental that helps with the mortgage, or a quiet office away from the main house. Each goal changes the size, the layout and the entry.
Girl Flip is a licensed, women-led, family-owned general contractor. We handle design, engineering, permits and construction as one job, and Erica Anenberg and Beth Benson stay on your project from the first site walk to the final inspection. For HGTV, we built two detached ADUs side by side in Long Beach.
See our citywide ADU builders and contractors page and our garage conversion to ADU page for the full scope. Planning a bathroom too? See Culver City bathroom remodeling.
Every Culver City ADU is scoped in writing after a site walk. These are the types and tasks we plan most often here.
A detached garage behind an older Culver City home is often the lowest-cost route to an ADU, since the structure already exists.
Explore →A standalone unit in the back yard, with its own foundation, roof and utility connections, sized to your setbacks.
Explore →New space built onto the side or back of the main house, sharing some of its structure and utilities.
Every ADU needs a working kitchen and bath. We size cabinets, appliances and fixtures to a small footprint so it does not feel tight.
Explore →Plans, structural engineering, Title 24 energy compliance and permit processing, handled for you.
Power, water, sewer and gas, plus grading, slab removal and equipment access for a rear-lot build.
Culver City is its own city, so ADU permits go through the City of Culver City building department, not LADBS. Every ADU needs its own permit set, structural review and energy compliance documents. State law sets a 60-day review clock for a complete application, and we prepare the package to avoid delays.
State rules also let most lots build an ADU of at least 800 square feet, with 4-foot side and rear setbacks. Local zoning, easements and the position of the main house can change what fits, so we check them on the site walk before you pay for drawings.
Older Culver City lots often have narrow side yards and old utility lines. We locate the sewer, the panel and the water line early, because a long run to the back of the lot is one of the biggest cost drivers in an ADU.
Thinking about an ADU in Culver City? Tell us about your lot and we will set up a discovery call.
An ADU starts with a discovery call and a site walk, then a written scope and estimate. Next come plans, structural engineering and Title 24 energy compliance, followed by permit submission. Review times vary by city and by how busy the department is. Construction follows, with site work, foundation or slab, framing, utilities, inspections and finishes, and it ends with a final inspection and walkthrough. We give you a schedule after the site walk and tell you what could change it.
For the full step-by-step, see our ADU construction page.
We take ADU projects across Culver City.
If your Culver City address falls in one of these zip codes, we can take on your ADU. Not sure? Call us and we will confirm.
For HGTV with Tarek El Moussa in Long Beach, we built two brand-new detached, side-by-side ADUs from the ground up. It was a rare, complex project that required precise coordination across both structures.
The photos below show finished ADU interiors from our portfolio.
Garage conversions in Los Angeles commonly run from the high $70Ks into the $150K range, and new detached ADUs commonly start around $150K. These are general market ranges, not a quote. Lot conditions, utility runs and finish level move the number most. Our ADU cost guide covers each type.
On an older Culver City lot, the utility run to the back yard, the condition of an existing garage slab and the finish level are the biggest cost drivers. A site walk tells you more than a floor plan can.
Close to Culver City, we also work in these areas.
We are based in Canoga Park and work across Los Angeles, the Valley and the Westside. We are glad to come out to Culver City for a site walk. We are licensed (CA #1091248), women-led and family-owned.
Tell us about your project and we'll set up a discovery call to talk it through. Serving LA and the Valley.