What Van Nuys Homeowners Say About Ellery ADU Studio Van Nuys
We’ve been designing, permitting, and building ADUs in Van Nuys since 2015. In that time, we’ve completed more than 900 projects across the Valley, and we’ve learned that a review only matters if it names something specific: the slab condition, the permit timeline, the final invoice against the written quote. Our clients tend to mention those details. Here’s what they’ve said.
Recent Reviews
“We bought a 1952 ranch on Kittridge with a detached two-car garage that had a cracked slab and zero electrical. Nadia’s team ran a new 200-amp service, poured a 4-inch rat slab with moisture barrier, and delivered a 420-square-foot studio ADU with a full kitchen. The written quote was $127,000. Final draw was $127,000. The photo record from each site visit is now the only reason I believe construction actually happened - my wife and I were in Portland the whole time.”
Ruben G., Van Nuys, CA
“I already had a quote from another design-build firm for my garage conversion on Haskell, and something about the foundation line item felt padded. Ellery’s Free Second Opinion broke it down: my existing slab was 6 inches with rebar, no replacement needed, just a polish and epoxy seal. Saved me $18,000 on a phantom scope item. The Haven Standard Clause 1 price came in at $89,500, and that was the final number.”
Arjun G., Van Nuys, CA
“My mother needed to move in after my father’s stroke. We looked at Junior ADU options in the main house, but the hallway width wouldn’t meet ADA turn radius. Nadia proposed a 380-square-foot detached unit in the side yard, which required a setback variance - the extra distance Van Nuys requires between the structure and the property line. She handled the variance application with the city, pulled the permit in seven weeks, and the 365-Day Done Right Promise was in writing before we signed. My mother moved in last March.”
Lucia G., Van Nuys, CA
“I’m a general contractor myself, but I don’t touch ADUs - the permitting in Los Angeles is its own full-time job. I hired Ellery to handle design and permitting for a new detached ADU on a lot in the Van Nuys Airport noise zone. Nadia specified a Mighty Buildings unit with upgraded STC-50 windows and coordinated the structural calcs for the 90-mph wind exposure. One contract, one written price, no designer blaming the builder when the city asked for a retaining-wall detail. I’d send my own clients to her.”
Michelle D., Van Nuys, CA
“The photo record sounds like a gimmick until your project manager quits mid-build and you need to prove what was actually installed. On our Oxnard Street garage conversion, Ellery’s crew documented the existing 100-amp panel, the trench for the new sewer lateral, and the fire-rated drywall at every stage. When the inspector flagged a missing egress window dimension, we pulled the photo from week three and resolved it same day. Documentation beats memory every time.”
Ruben G., Van Nuys, CA
“I got three quotes for a new detached ADU behind my property on Victory Boulevard. Two came in at ‘call for final pricing’ and one added a 15% ‘permit contingency’ clause. Nadia’s quote was $156,000, fixed, with a line item for every trade: demo, foundation, framing, MEP, finishes, final inspection. Under Haven Standard Clause 5, the scope locked at signing. No surprises, no change orders, no door-side upsells about ‘upgrading’ the flooring. The crew was background-checked and uniformed, and the lead carpenter’s license number was on the contract. That matters in Van Nuys.”
Arjun G., Van Nuys, CA
Why Customers Trust Us
The reviews repeat the same patterns because the experience is designed to repeat them. Every project starts with a written price under Haven Standard Clause 1, so there’s no gap between expectation and invoice. Every site visit produces a documented photo record, so clients see evidence instead of summaries. The 365-Day Done Right Promise covers the finished ADU against the permitted drawings, in writing, before work begins. And when something goes wrong - a city correction notice, a material delay, a variance denial - a live person answers the phone at (424) 523-8492, 24 hours a day, with no voicemail queue and no callback that doesn’t materialize.
We’ve specified and coordinated prefab and modular systems from Abodu, Cover, Dvele, Mighty Buildings, Boxabl, Plant Prefab, Tuff Shed, and James Hardie, all under the same single contract. That means one point of accountability for design, permitting, and construction. In Van Nuys, where ADU setbacks, parking requirements, and utility tie-ins vary block by block, that accountability is the difference between a project that finishes and one that stalls.
If you’re considering an ADU in Van Nuys - garage conversion, new detached unit, Junior ADU, or interior conversion - and you already have a written estimate in hand, we’ll provide a Free Second Opinion. We’ll name what’s accurate, what’s inflated, and what’s missing. No obligation.
Call (424) 523-8492 to schedule your free estimate.
Written by Nadia Ellery, Owner at Ellery ADU Studio Van Nuys, serving Van Nuys since 2015.