A free site visit, a check of what your lot allows and a written, line-item price.
Get your free estimateTrusted ADU Builders for Woodland Hills Homeowners
Adding an accessory dwelling unit in Woodland Hills means navigating city setback rules, prefab versus site-built decisions, and a budget you don’t want ballooning halfway through. Since 2006, the team at Benson ADU Woodland Hills has helped homeowners across the San Fernando Valley plan, price, and build ADUs with a written price locked in before any work begins. Troy Eastman leads the crew here, and every project carries the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if it’s not right within a full year, we make it right. Call (559) 282-2291 to get a free estimate, a real arrival time, and a written plan you can hold us to.
ADU Construction
ADU Construction is the full build-out of a secondary dwelling on a residential lot, from foundation and framing to roofing, electrical, and finish work. You need it when you’ve decided to add a rental unit, house an aging parent, or create a home office that’s genuinely separate from the main house. ADU Builders in Woodland Hills like Benson ADU Woodland Hills handle the whole construction sequence, and a typical ADU construction project in Woodland Hills runs from $180,000 to $420,000 depending on square footage, utility runs, and whether you choose prefab panels or full site-built framing. Every ADU construction job starts with a written price, not a verbal ballpark that drifts once the concrete truck shows up.
Site-Built Construction
Site-built means the ADU is framed, sheathed, and finished on your property by our crews. This path gives you full control over ceiling heights, window placement, and materials. We handle everything from the foundation pour to the final coat of paint, and our uniformed, background-checked technicians are the same people on site from week one to sign-off.
Prefab Panel Construction
Prefab panels arrive as engineered wall and roof sections built in a factory and assembled on your foundation. That approach can cut a few weeks off the construction timeline and reduce weather-related delays. We’re authorized to build with Abodu, Cover, and Dvele systems, so you can research those brands yourself before deciding.
Detached ADU
A Detached ADU is a stand-alone structure, usually 400 to 1,200 square feet, built in the rear or side yard and fully separated from the main house. Homeowners choose this route when they want maximum privacy for a tenant, a truly quiet home office, or guest quarters that don’t share walls with the kids. Detached ADUs in Woodland Hills generally fall between $200,000 and $500,000, with the biggest cost drivers being foundation work on sloped lots, trenching utilities from the street, and the finish level of the kitchen and bath. Benson ADU Woodland Hills builds detached units that meet all current setback and height requirements, and you get the full written price before the first excavation.
Detached Unit Foundations
A detached unit needs its own foundation, and in much of Woodland Hills that means working with expansive soil and some genuinely sloped pads in the foothill neighborhoods. We’ll tell you early if your lot needs raised stem walls, piers, or extra drainage work. That’s part of the written estimate, not a surprise change order later.
Detached Unit Utilities
Getting power, water, and sewer to a separated unit is often the least visible but most consequential part of the build. We map the existing meter locations and panel capacity before quoting anything, so you know if you’ll need a subpanel or a separate meter. The price we write is the price we stand behind.
JADU
A JADU (junior accessory dwelling unit) is a self-contained unit of up to 500 square feet created inside the existing footprint of a single-family home, often from a spare bedroom, a garage conversion, or an enclosed patio. JADUs are the most budget-friendly way to add rental income or a private space for a family member, with typical costs in Woodland Hills between $80,000 and $150,000. They work under a simpler permit path than a full ADU and don’t require a separate sewer or water connection when built inside the existing walls. Benson ADU Woodland Hills will tell you honestly whether your floor plan works for a JADU or whether you’re better off with our ADU Builders in Topanga or a detached unit.
Garage Conversion JADUs
A garage conversion JADU turns a wasted parking bay into a studio with a kitchenette and bath. The structure already exists, which is why the price stays lower than new construction. You’ll lose covered parking, and we’ll walk you through how that affects resale and rental appeal before you commit.
Interior JADUs
An interior JADU can be carved from an existing bedroom suite with a separate entrance added. That’s the rental-ready version, letting a tenant come and go without walking through the main house. We handle the wall separation, the kitchenette rough-in, and the fire-safety requirements that come with a legal unit.
ADU Plans
ADU Plans are the architectural drawings, engineering calculations, and site documents a city requires before construction can start. You need them the moment you’re serious about building, because the plan set determines setbacks, heights, and what the city will actually approve. Plans for a Woodland Hills ADU typically cost between $8,000 and $25,000 as a standalone service, though that full amount is folded into the project price when Benson ADU Woodland Hills handles the design and the build. We work with licensed design and engineering partners who know how to get plans through review without months of resubmittal loops.
Site and Feasibility Plans
Before anyone draws a wall, we measure the lot, check the existing structures, and confirm where the new unit can physically fit. That early feasibility work tells you if a setback fence line, a protected tree, or an existing easement kills the idea before you spend real money. You’ll get an honest read, not a sales pitch.
Permit-Ready Sets
A permit-ready set includes everything the reviewer checks: site plan, floor plan, elevations, foundation details, electrical and plumbing layouts, and the energy calculations. We submit those on your behalf and handle the back-and-forth with the city. It’s included in the written price when we’re your builder.
ADU Contractor
An ADU Contractor is the licensed builder who manages the construction, subcontractors, inspections, and schedule from permit approval to final walk-through. You need one who puts things in writing, because the difference between a clean build and a lien-filled mess is usually how the contractor handles money and change orders. Working with Canoga Park ADU Builders and Benson ADU Woodland Hills means the project price is written before work starts, and that price doesn’t move unless you request a change and approve the new number in writing. Troy Eastman runs the job site personally, and the 365-Day Done Right Promise covers the work for a full year after completion.
Single Point of Contact
You don’t need to chase a sub who didn’t show. You call one number and a live person answers, around the clock, every day of the year. That’s not a marketing line; it’s how we run the schedule and keep your project on track. If something’s off, we know about it and fix it.
Fixed-Price Contracting
Every scope item is priced before we start, from the footing depth to the cabinet hardware. We don’t use allowances that quietly reset mid-project. When the written price says a number, that number holds unless you sign off on a written change order.
ADU Design
ADU Design is the process of shaping the unit to fit your lot, your budget, and how you actually plan to use it. A rental unit needs different things than a mother-in-law suite or a home office, and most homeowners only build once, so the design phase is where the money gets spent wisely or wasted. Design fees for an ADU in Woodland Hills typically land between $6,000 and $20,000 when done as a separate engagement, and that’s credited toward the build when you hire Benson ADU Woodland Hills for construction. We’ll show you options in Abodu, Tuff Shed, and site-built layouts so you decide with your eyes, not just a floor plan.
Material Selections
You choose the siding, windows, roofing, and interior finishes from a curated set of options instead of a take-it-or-leave-it package. James Hardie cladding is one of the standard options, and it holds up well in the dry, hot Woodland Hills summers. We namedrop brands because you should be able to Google the materials going onto your property.
Layout Efficiency
A 600-square-foot unit feels twice that size when the kitchen doesn’t crowd the door and the bath isn’t a hallway afterthought. We walk you through the drawings in person and flag the moves that actually improve daily use. Small changes here save real money and real frustration later.
Backyard ADU
A Backyard ADU is any accessory unit built in the rear yard, whether it’s a detached studio, a one-bedroom cottage, or a converted rear garage. This is the most common ADU type in Woodland Hills because the lot depths in neighborhoods south of Ventura Boulevard and up into the hills can often accommodate a 600 to 1,000 square foot structure. Backyard ADU costs in Woodland Hills range from $180,000 to $450,000, driven mostly by site prep, utility trenching, and the size of the unit. Benson ADU Woodland Hills builds them from pad to paint with a written price and a one-year written guarantee on the finished work.
Setback and Siting
Every city has rules about how close a structure can sit to property lines, and a backyard unit has to respect those on all four sides. We measure the actual usable building envelope on your lot before we quote anything. That’s the difference between a plan that gets approved and one that dies at the counter.
Backyard Unit Landscaping
A new unit changes how water flows across your yard, and we plan for drainage so the first winter rain doesn’t pool against the foundation. We also protect existing trees that are worth keeping. The goal is a yard that still works after the unit is built, not just a checklist sign-off.
Brands We Service
We’re authorized builders for Abodu and Cover, two of the leading prefab ADU manufacturers in California. That means we receive factory-trained support on every Abodu panel installation and Cover module we place, and we understand these systems well enough to quote accurately and build them cleanly. You can research either brand independently and see exactly what kind of quality and engineering you’re getting before you sign anything.
We also build with Tuff Shed structures as ADU shells and install James Hardie siding on site-built and prefab units alike. Tuff Shed gives you an affordable, fast shell to work from if your budget is tight, and James Hardie fiber cement cladding holds its paint and shape through hot valley summers and the occasional wet winter. Whether you have one of these brands in mind or want us to recommend the right fit, we can help: (559) 282-2291.
Signs You Need a Pro Right Now
- City permit rejection. If your ADU application came back with redline comments about setbacks, height, or floor area ratio, don’t resubmit blind. A rejected plan set is a signal that someone didn’t understand the local zoning chapter. We’ve seen this pattern in Woodland Hills enough times to know what gets approved the first time.
- Concrete or foundation cracking. A cracked slab or stem wall on an existing garage conversion means the structure isn’t bearing load the way the plans assume. Left unresolved, that turns a $100,000 JADU into a six-figure foundation reconstruction. Catch it before drywall goes up.
- Old electrical panel maxed out. Most ADUs need a 40-amp subpanel at minimum, and many older Woodland Hills homes are running 100-amp mains with no room to spare. If the panel is full, your “cheap garage conversion” just got a $4,000 to $8,000 upgrade. We quote the whole picture before you’re committed.
- Unpermitted work from a previous owner. If you know that bonus room was never permitted, adding an ADU can force a city review of the entire property. A good contractor will tell you the risk and build a plan that handles the correction as part of the project, not after the inspector shows up.
- Water pooling near the new build site. Woodland Hills gets enough winter rain that a poorly drained backyard unit will show moisture problems within the first year. If water sits after storms, the foundation plan has to address it from day one. The 365-Day Done Right Promise covers moisture failures, but we’d rather engineer them out before they exist.
Our Process, Step by Step
- 1
Initial call and site walk. You call (559) 282-2291 and a live person answers, not a voicemail. We schedule a time to walk your lot, measure the site, check the existing utilities, and listen to how you actually plan to use the ADU. You’ll get a written feasibility summary within a few days, not a fuzzy verbal impression.
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Written price and design scope. Before you approve anything, we give you a written price that includes the design, permits, construction, and any known utility upgrade. If we haven’t priced a line item, it’s listed and discussed. No allowance games, no “we’ll figure it out later.”
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Permit and plan approval. We prepare the plan set with licensed design partners and submit it to the city. We track the review, respond to comments, and keep you posted in real time through our project tracking system. You see the status, the next step, and the date.
- 4
Construction with photo updates. The same uniformed, background-checked crew shows up on the days we said they’d be there. You get before-and-after photos at each milestone: excavation, foundation, framing, mechanicals, drywall, finishes. You see proof the work happened, not just an invoice.
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Final walk-through and 365-Day Done Right Promise. We walk the finished unit together, list any remaining touch-ups in writing, and complete them. Then you get the written guarantee: if anything’s not right within 365 days, we come back and make it right, with a free second visit on any covered repair.
How Much Does ADU Builders Cost in Woodland Hills?
A typical ADU build in Woodland Hills runs $180,000 to $450,000, depending on whether you’re converting an existing garage into a JADU (about $80,000 to $150,000), building a detached studio (about $200,000 to $320,000), or building a larger two-bedroom unit (above $350,000), as detailed in our ADU Builders Maintenance Checklist for Woodland Hills Homeowners. The biggest cost variables are the condition of your existing electrical service, the amount of trenching required to reach the unit location, the finish level of the kitchen and bath, and whether you choose site-built framing or a prefab system like those from Abodu or Cover.
To avoid overpaying, get a written price that includes the full permit path, all known utility upgrades, and the specific materials named in the contract. If a contractor gives you a verbal number but won’t put it in writing, you’re pricing a guess. Benson ADU Woodland Hills provides a free estimate that includes a written price, a scope summary, and a clear list of what could still change and why. Call (559) 282-2291 for an exact quote on your lot and your plan.
Our Service Area Near Woodland Hills
Benson ADU Woodland Hills serves homeowners throughout the west San Fernando Valley and the nearby hillside communities. We regularly build unit projects in Tarzana, Canoga Park, West Hills, Winnetka, Reseda, Chatsworth, and Encino, and we work across the hill in Brentwood, Bel Air, Calabasas, and Topanga when the project warrants it. Most calls get a site walk scheduled within a few business days. Visit our home page to see the full service area and current project photos from ADU Builders in Woodland Hills.
Serving Woodland Hills, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Woodland Hills area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
Frequently Asked Questions About ADU Builders in Woodland Hills
An ADU builder is a licensed contractor who handles the design, permitting, construction, and inspection of an accessory dwelling unit on your property. In Woodland Hills, that work includes navigating setback rules, utility connections, and the city’s building review. Benson ADU Woodland Hills does all of that with a written price before the work starts.
Most projects take four to eight months from the first call to the final walk-through, depending on permit review speed and whether you choose prefab or site-built construction. Prefab units from brands like Abodu and Cover can shorten the on-site construction phase by several weeks. You’ll get a realistic timeline in writing when we quote your project.
A JADU conversion starts around $80,000, a detached studio typically runs $200,000 to $320,000, and larger two-bedroom units go above $350,000. The exact number depends on your lot, your electrical panel, your finish selections, and your foundation conditions. Call (559) 282-2291 for a written, itemized estimate.
Yes. We’re authorized to build with Abodu, Cover, Dvele, Mighty Buildings, Boxabl, Plant Prefab, and Tuff Shed, and we install James Hardie cladding on many of our builds. That means you can research the exact products going onto your property before you decide. We’ll help you compare prefab versus site-built costs on your specific lot.
The 365-Day Done Right Promise means that if any part of the work we performed isn’t right within a full year of completion, we come back and make it right at no charge. That includes material failures and workmanship issues on covered repairs, with a free second visit if a covered repair fails. The promise is written on every project, not implied.
Yes, we handle the full permit package, submissions, and inspection scheduling as part of the project. You don’t need to deal with the city directly unless you prefer to. The permit fees themselves are included in the written price we give you upfront.
Gather your most recent utility bill, know your property lines, and think honestly about how you’ll use the unit: rental income, family, or workspace. That determines size, finish level, and budget. Then call (559) 282-2291 to schedule a free site walk, and we’ll handle the rest from there.
Schedule Your ADU Builders Service in Woodland Hills Today
You deserve a builder who gives you a written price, a real schedule, and a guarantee that lasts a year. Benson ADU Woodland Hills does that on every project, with Troy Eastman overseeing the work and a live person answering around the clock. Call (559) 282-2291 now for your free, no-obligation estimate and a written plan you can actually hold us to.
Written by Troy Eastman, Owner at Benson ADU Woodland Hills, serving Woodland Hills since 2006.
