Garage conversions
Garage conversion to ADU in Los Angeles County, Orange County, Pasadena, and the Inland Empire
A two-car garage is already a room with a roof. Making it a legal place to live means a new wall where the door was, a bath, a kitchen, a real floor, and a permit. We do that whole list.
Studio
Studio, photo 1 of 5
Garage conversions are popular because the structure is already standing. The money is in everything the garage was never asked to do: keep water out of a living space, hold a shower, feed a kitchen, and pass an energy inspection. A thin slab with no vapor barrier, a low ceiling, or a panel from 1978 changes the number.
We see a lot of two-car garages in Los Angeles County, Orange County, and Fontana that pencil as a studio for family, or a rental with its own door. We also see garages that should stay garages. Both answers are useful. Only one of them should become a contract.
The finished unit should not look like a garage with a window. The door opening gets a real wall, the stucco or siding has to meet the house, and the inside gets daylight. That is the job.
Questions on this work
Can you convert the garage while we keep one parking space?
Sometimes, if the garage is deep enough or a tandem layout still works and the city agrees. Often the honest answer is no. We’ll measure it instead of guessing from the curb.
How long is the build once the permit is issued?
A straightforward garage conversion is often a few months of construction after the permit is in hand. Permit review itself is separate and depends on the city. We don’t quote a move-in date until we know which building department has the file.
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.