FAQ
Questions homeowners actually ask.
Cost ranges are for a first conversation, not a bid. Permit timing belongs to the city. Nothing here is legal advice.
Are you licensed?
Yes. California contractor license CSLB #116171, issued to Eddie Ramirez-Gianos, general contractor. Built By Trust is the name on the work. Look the number up on the Contractors State License Board site before you send a deposit.
Do you pull permits?
Yes. ADUs, garage conversions, and anything structural — or that moves plumbing and electrical — is permitted in the city or county that has jurisdiction. We don’t ask you to pull an owner-builder permit so the responsibility can slide.
How much does an ADU cost?
A real number needs the lot. For a first conversation in this market, a garage conversion with a bath and kitchen often falls somewhere between $180,000 and $320,000. A detached ADU around 600 to 1,000 square feet is commonly $350,000 and up once utilities, foundation, and finishes are in. Those are 2026 planning ranges, not a bid.
How long does it take?
Plan on design and permit time before construction. Review in this region is often measured in months, and it varies by city and by how complete the plans are. A garage conversion is often a few months of build time after the permit is issued. A detached ADU is longer. You get a schedule with inspection holds after the site walk.
Can I live in the house during the work?
Usually yes for a backyard ADU or a garage conversion. Expect noise, a crowded driveway, and a few days when power or water is tied over. A whole-house reconfiguration is sometimes saner if you sleep elsewhere for part of it. We’ll tell you which one you’re in.
Do you draw the plans?
Either we coordinate a permit set with a designer, or we build from plans you already have. We are the general contractor, not the architect of record.
Where do you work?
Los Angeles County, Orange County, Pasadena, San Gabriel, Long Beach, Malibu, Santa Barbara, Fontana, and San Bernardino County — city and unincorporated county parcels. If you’re just outside that, ask. If we can’t staff it, we’ll say so.
Will the city make me add parking?
Often less than people fear. State ADU law limits how much extra parking a city can require, especially near transit. Your own cars still have to park somewhere. We look at the driveway, the garage, and that city’s current checklist on the site walk. This is not legal advice.
How do I get a price?
Call 1-888-558-9384 or use the estimate form. We need the address, what the space is for, and photos if you have them. Then a site walk, then a written scope.
How do change orders work?
In writing, with a price, before the extra work is built. If we open a wall and find something the plans didn’t show, you hear about it before we keep going.
Are you insured?
Ask for the current certificate. We’ll send it to you and, if you want, to your lender. We don’t post policy numbers on a website.
Do you take small repairs?
Not as a stand-alone business. Related work can sit inside an ADU, conversion, or remodel we’re already building. A one-day repair list belongs with a specialist.
Do you work in cities that are not on the list?
Yes, if the job is in Southern California and we can staff the drive and the inspections. The codes are the same California rules. The permit counter is the city’s. Tell us the address.
Do you handle El Niño and storm damage?
Yes. A crew is available for roofing, major leaks, foundation trouble, moisture, flooding, stucco, landscaping, and electrical left by the storm, including the photos and notes an insurance company usually asks for. Call 1-888-558-9384.
Is a garage conversion cheaper than a detached ADU?
Often, because the shell is already standing. It is not automatically cheap. A thin slab, a low ceiling, or a panel that cannot carry a kitchen changes the number. We measure that on the site walk.
Can I add a bedroom or a second bathroom later?
Sometimes, if the lot, the setbacks, and the sewer or septic can take it. Say so before the plans are drawn. Adding it after the permit is in is a change order, in writing, before the extra work is built.
What does an ADU planning range leave out?
Design, permit fees, city charges, a long utility run, a panel upgrade, a steep yard, and coastal review. The range on the models page is construction on a straightforward lot. The written scope is the price.
What happens after I send the form?
We call you back at the number you gave. If the address is one we can build, the next step is a site walk, then a written scope. Nothing is a contract until you sign that scope.
Do you build junior ADUs?
Yes, when the main house can give up the space and the city allows it. A junior ADU stays inside the existing house. It is a different permit path from a detached unit in the yard.
Free first conversation
Tell us the address. We’ll tell you if it works.
A phone call or the form. You’ll get a site walk and a written scope — not a number pulled out of a postcard.