The short answer
ADU floor plans have to solve two problems at once: fit the setbacks on your actual lot, and lay out well enough that someone will pay rent to live in it. Los Angeles also runs a Standard Plan Program, where pre-approved designs skip most of the architectural plan check.
Typical cost in Los Angeles
Included in design
Standard plan sets save roughly $6,000 and 6 weeks of plan check
ADU floor plans have to solve two problems at once: fit the setbacks on your actual lot, and lay out well enough that someone will pay rent to live in it. Los Angeles also runs a Standard Plan Program, where pre-approved designs skip most of the architectural plan check. Below are the layouts that work on real LA parcels, with the square footage and the rent band each one lands in.
Layouts that work in Los Angeles
- Studio, 400 to 500 sq ft, single volume with a wet wall on one side
- One-bedroom, 600 to 750 sq ft, the highest rent per dollar spent in LA
- One-bedroom plus office, 800 sq ft, targets the remote-work renter
- Two-bedroom, 900 to 1,000 sq ft, for family housing or a shared lease
- Two-bedroom two-bath, 1,100 to 1,200 sq ft, the state maximum for detached
Layout decisions that matter for rent
- Put the kitchen and bathroom on a shared plumbing wall to cut cost
- Nine-foot ceilings read far larger than eight and cost very little more
- A window on two walls of the living space is the single biggest perceived-size gain
- In-unit stacked washer and dryer moves an LA rental up a full price band
- A private outdoor patch, even 60 sq ft, closes more leases than an extra 50 sq ft inside
The LA Standard Plan Program
- Pre-approved architectural sets already reviewed by LADBS
- Architectural plan check is skipped, only site-specific review remains
- Cuts roughly six weeks from the permit timeline
- Site plan, soils and utility connections still need individual review
- Not every pre-approved plan fits every lot; the setback test comes first
Get a straight answer on your lot in 48 hours
Send the property address. We pull the parcel data, zoning, setbacks and any overlay, then tell you whether a adu floor plans works on it, what size fits and roughly what it costs. No site visit needed and no obligation.
Free 48-hour lot check
One field that matters: the address.
Common questions
What size ADU gets the best return in Los Angeles?
A 600 to 750 sq ft one-bedroom, in most LA neighborhoods. It costs meaningfully less than a two-bedroom to build and rents for a large fraction of what a two-bedroom does.
Can I use the city's standard plans?
Yes, if one fits your lot. Los Angeles pre-approves a set of ADU designs that skip the architectural plan check. Your site plan, soils and utilities still get reviewed individually.
Can I bring my own architect's plans?
Yes. We build from any complete permitted set. If the drawings are not yet through plan check we will review them for constructability and flag anything likely to draw a correction.
Does a two-story ADU need different plans?
Yes, and a different structural approach. Two-story units make sense on narrow lots where footprint is the binding constraint, but they add stair area, a second egress path and heavier framing.
How many bedrooms can a 1,200 sq ft ADU have?
Two comfortably, three if you accept small rooms. In Los Angeles the rent gain from a third bedroom rarely covers the construction cost, so we usually steer to two.
Related ADU types
Comparing options? A garage conversion is the cheapest path to a legal unit, a detached ADU earns the most, and the JADU stack can put both on one lot. Cost figures for every type are in the LA cost breakdown.
Areas we build in
Sherman Oaks / Van Nuys / Pasadena / Glendale / Burbank / Santa Monica / Long Beach / Torrance / North Hollywood / Studio City / Woodland Hills / Encino / Northridge / Culver City / Inglewood / Silver Lake and across Los Angeles County.