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Detached ADUs
A standalone unit in the back yard, with its own foundation, roof and utility connections. Deeper flat lots often have the space.
Explore →
Girl Flip designs, permits and builds ADUs for Studio City homeowners, including detached units in deep back yards and garage conversions on flat lots near CBS Studio Center.
Studio City is a good place for an ADU. Many lots in the flats are deeper than they look from the street, and many homes have a detached garage at the back. Homeowners ask us for a guest house, a space for a parent, a home office or a rental that helps cover the mortgage.
We are an ADU builder in Studio City that handles design, engineering, permits and construction as one job. You do not have to coordinate an architect, an engineer and a builder on your own. Erica Anenberg and Beth Benson stay on your project from the first walkthrough to the final inspection.
Girl Flip is a licensed, women-led, family-owned general contractor, and we built two detached ADUs side by side for HGTV in Long Beach. We know what it takes to build a small unit that lives like a real home.
See our citywide ADU builders and contractors page and our garage conversion to ADU page for the full scope. For the whole house, see Studio City home remodeling.
Every Studio City ADU is scoped in writing after a site walk. These are the types and tasks we plan most often here.
A standalone unit in the back yard, with its own foundation, roof and utility connections. Deeper flat lots often have the space.
Explore →Turning a detached garage into a living unit is usually the most affordable path, since the structure already exists.
Explore →Every ADU needs a working kitchen and bath. We size cabinets, appliances and fixtures to a smaller footprint without making it feel cramped.
Explore →Plans, structural engineering, Title 24 energy compliance and permit processing, handled for you.
Power, water, sewer and gas, sized and routed for the new unit. In Los Angeles, power and water come from LADWP.
Separate entries, fencing and landscaping so the main house and the ADU each keep their space.
Studio City is part of the City of Los Angeles, so ADU permits come from LADBS. Every ADU needs its own permit set, structural review and energy compliance documents before construction starts. State law sets a 60-day review clock for a complete application, and we prepare the package to avoid delays.
Lots toward Fryman Canyon and the hillside streets can fall under Los Angeles hillside rules, which affect size, grading and access. We check the rules for your address on the site walk, before you spend anything on drawings.
On flat lots near CBS Studio Center, the main questions are usually setbacks, the location of existing utilities and how equipment reaches the back yard. We plan access, staging and noise so the project stays livable for you and your neighbors.
Thinking about an ADU in Studio 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 Studio City and the neighboring streets.
If your Studio 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 a Studio City lot, the biggest cost drivers are the utility run to the back of the property, the slope and the finish level. A site walk tells you more than a floor plan can.
Close to Studio City, we also build ADUs in these areas.
Studio City is an easy drive east along the 101 from our Canoga Park shop. We are licensed (CA #1091248), women-led and family-owned, and we are glad to come out for a site walk.
Tell us about your project and we'll set up a discovery call to talk it through. Serving LA and the Valley.