Convert interior space into a legal Junior ADU for rental or family use. We review your floor plan against the 500 sq ft cap, exterior entrance rule, and owner-occupancy requirement before any design work begins.
CSLB License #1074505
Itamar Assulin on every project
Valley · Westside · South Bay
A Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit (JADU) is a self-contained dwelling unit created entirely within an existing single-family home — no new foundation, no exterior addition, no backyard structure.
California law caps a JADU at 500 square feet. It must have its own exterior entrance. It needs an efficiency kitchen — a sink, a small refrigerator, and a cooking surface. It may share a bathroom with the primary home. The California HCD guidelines for Junior ADUs outline the full legal framework.
One more rule matters: owner-occupancy. California law requires the property owner to live on the lot — in either the primary home or the JADU — as their primary residence. This requirement was relaxed for standard ADUs through 2025; for JADUs it still applies. If you’re weighing JADU vs. a standard ADU, our full ADU construction services cover the distinctions. Our ADU permit services include a full review of owner-occupancy eligibility before any design work begins.
The spaces that qualify aren’t always obvious. An oversized master suite, a converted bonus room, or a finished space adjacent to the main living area may all qualify — if the dimensions and entrance configuration work.
The four legal criteria plus the construction scope that turns an existing room into a legally habitable unit.
We measure the proposed space precisely. A space running to 520 sq ft has two options — reduce to qualify as a JADU, or build out to standard ADU requirements instead. Different projects, different costs.
A JADU must have its own exterior entrance. We check whether the door already exists or whether framing work is needed — identified before plans are drawn.
Sink, compact refrigerator, cooking surface. No full range or dishwasher required by code. Plumbing supply, drain, and electrical circuits installed per approved plans.
JADU rules allow bathroom sharing with the main home. We confirm shared-access feasibility against your existing layout during the eligibility review.
Current law requires one unit on the lot to be your primary residence. We confirm this fits your plans before the project starts — it’s a business decision, not a construction question.
Many 1960s-era LA homes have single-panel service. Adding an efficiency kitchen circuit sometimes requires a panel upgrade — we flag and price it during eligibility review, not as a change order.
We assess the 500 sq ft cap, exterior entrance configuration, bathroom sharing setup, and owner-occupancy fit against your floor plan before anything else.
Once eligibility is confirmed, we coordinate architectural drawings, Title 24 compliance, and the full LADBS permit submission. We manage correction cycles directly.
Framing adjustments where the entrance configuration requires, efficiency kitchen rough-in, electrical and plumbing modifications, and insulation completed under approved plans.
LADBS inspects at rough-in and final completion. Certificate of Occupancy or equivalent notation is the legal sign-off that the JADU can be occupied.
Under R-1 zoning — the most common residential designation in LA — JADUs are permitted by right under state law. The LADBS ADU permit requirements confirm the by-right approval process. We work across the Valley (Sherman Oaks, Encino, Van Nuys, Reseda), the Westside (Culver City, Mar Vista, Palms, West LA), and the SGV (Alhambra, Monterey Park, San Gabriel) — areas with the highest concentration of postwar single-family homes that are natural JADU candidates. See our full guide to R-1 zoning rules for LA homeowners.
Architectural drawings for a JADU conversion typically cost $3,000–$8,000 depending on complexity. Understanding the full JADU and ADU cost breakdown for Los Angeles — including whether the entrance configuration requires structural changes that push the cost past what a full ADU would cost — is something you need to know before drawings are ordered.
“Before we design anything, I review the existing floor plan against each JADU standard simultaneously: size, exterior entrance, efficiency kitchen feasibility, and owner-occupancy. A space can pass three and fail one. The floor plan review confirms which spaces on your specific property pass all four.”
— ITAMAR ASSULIN, OWNER, IBA BUILDERS
IBA Builders holds CSLB License #1074505 — the state credential required to legally pull interior conversion permits through LADBS. Learn more about Itamar and IBA Builders; his work is documented on IBA’s verified Houzz and HomeAdvisor profiles, where client projects are published under his name. The eligibility review is the starting point, not a formality. It tells you what you actually have before any money moves. If your best available space is a detached garage instead, a garage-to-ADU conversion may be more appropriate; if you’re evaluating options beyond JADU scope but still inside the existing home, an attached ADU built within your existing home may offer more flexibility.
A JADU is created entirely within your existing home — no new foundation, no exterior addition, no backyard structure. It’s capped at 500 sq ft, can share an interior doorway with the main home, and only needs an efficiency kitchen (sink, mini-fridge, cooking surface). A standard ADU is typically larger, built as a new structure or full conversion, requires a completely separate entrance, and needs a full kitchen. Owner-occupancy is still required for JADUs under current law — for standard ADUs, that requirement was relaxed through 2025.
Not under current law. JADU rules require one unit on the lot to be the property owner’s primary residence. If you’re planning to rent both units and move out entirely, a JADU doesn’t work — you’d need to look at a standard ADU instead. We confirm owner-occupancy fit during the eligibility review since it’s a business decision, not a construction question.
You have two options. Reduce the space to qualify as a JADU (simpler approval path, lower kitchen standard, can share a bathroom), or build out to standard ADU requirements (full kitchen, completely separate entrance, no owner-occupancy requirement). Those are different projects with different costs. Knowing which applies before plans are drawn saves money.
Correct. California JADU rules require only an efficiency kitchen — a sink, a compact refrigerator, and a cooking surface. No full range hood, no dishwasher, no full-size stove required to pass LADBS inspection. The reduced-scope kitchen is what makes JADU conversion financially viable in spaces that couldn’t support a full kitchen.
It can. Many 1960s-era single-family homes in the Valley and SGV were built with single-panel electrical service. Adding an efficiency kitchen circuit sometimes requires a panel upgrade. We identify that possibility during the eligibility review so it’s priced into the project from the start — not added as a change order after framing begins.
A floor plan review answers the one question that determines everything else. Bring a floor plan if you have one. If you don’t, a site visit is where we start. You can also review the LADBS ADU and JADU permit portal, or our explainer on why LA permit timelines often exceed state expectations.
