A free site visit, a check of what your lot allows and a written, line-item price.
Get your free estimateFast, Reliable Home Addition Contractor Across North Hollywood
Adding square footage to a North Hollywood home usually means one of two things: a rear bump-out on a 1920s bungalow or a full second story above that same single-story footprint. Both are structural projects that need real engineering, not just framing. Benson ADU Builders handles the full scope, from the first load calculation to the final LADBS sign-off, with a written price before anything gets torn apart. Call (903) 568-7222 and Troy Eastman will walk you through what your specific North Hollywood lot can actually support.
Most of our North Hollywood work is on raised foundations from the 1920s through 1940s. That means shallow spread footings under the original walls, a 12 to 18 inch crawlspace below the floor framing, and ceiling joists that were never sized for a second floor. We plan for that from day one, so the engineer’s stamp and the city’s approval line up with the budget you approved. You don’t get a surprise foundation bill at rough framing. You get it in the written proposal, before demo.
Why Benson ADU Builders Is North Hollywood’s Preferred Home Addition Contractor
We work on more raised-foundation bungalows in North Hollywood than almost any other contractor in our network. That isn’t marketing. It’s the direct result of the housing stock here: compact R1 lots, existing single-story layouts, and homeowners who want the addition to match the original 1930s stucco instead of looking glued on. Our crews know what the LADBS North Hollywood office looks for on shear wall nailing, holdown placement, and Title 24 documentation. It’s the difference between passing final inspection on the first visit and waiting through two correction cycles.
Every North Hollywood project gets the same three things in writing: the line-item price before work starts, the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and a written guarantee on the completed scope. If a covered item fails within a year, we come back and make it right. No phone tag, no “the warranty department will call you.” You call, a person answers, and the fix gets scheduled.
Troy Eastman leads our North Hollywood additions personally. He’s the one reviewing your structural plans and walking the site before we sign anything. That level of direct involvement isn’t common in the home addition trade, and it’s why our North Hollywood customers tend to come back when they decide to add a rental unit or convert a garage years later.
Bedroom Addition Contractor in North Hollywood
A bedroom addition on a North Hollywood bungalow typically means either a rear extension off the existing back wall or a bump-out along the side property line, depending on setback clearance. The work starts with a survey of the existing foundation and crawlspace, because the new conditioned space has to tie into the current framing plane without creating a differential settlement point. In North Hollywood, a standard 12-by-14 bedroom addition, finished with drywall, flooring, a closet, and an egress window, runs $75,000 to $120,000. That range accounts for the structural upgrades these older homes almost always need.
Foundation and shear work on older bungalows
The existing footing under a 1930s home was poured to carry one story, not two, and not an extended rear wall with a sliding door. We typically specify new perimeter footings for the addition itself, then evaluate whether the existing cripple walls need plywood shear panels before the city will even look at the framing. On a recent job near Vineland and Chandler, the original ceiling joists were true 2x4s, which meant new LVL beams and a moment frame before the upper floor could go on. We always carry that contingency into the written price instead of springing it at inspection.
Title 24 and climate zone considerations
North Hollywood sits in a climate zone that triggers specific Title 24 energy requirements when you add conditioned square footage. That means insulation minimums, high-efficacy lighting in the new room, and possibly a radiant barrier in the roof assembly depending on the orientation. We include the HERS rater and the energy calculations in the original proposal, because the LADBS plan checker will ask for them before issuing the permit. Skipping that step adds months to the calendar and thousands to the final cost.
Sunroom Addition in North Hollywood
A sunroom addition in North Hollywood is usually a permitted, conditioned space built off the rear wall, often facing the backyard on the north side of the lot where the light is consistent without the afternoon heat gain. Unlike a bedroom, a sunroom still requires engineered connections to the existing structure, but many homeowners are surprised to learn the foundation work is identical. A 180-to-240-square-foot sunroom addition, fully finished and weather-sealed, runs $55,000 to $95,000 on a typical North Hollywood bungalow. The cost driver is the glazing package and whether you’re doing a true thermal break on the floor, or whether you’re extending the existing slab with a new perimeter footing and a step-down threshold.
Glazing packages and heat gain in the Valley
North Hollywood gets real Valley heat from June through September, so a sunroom with standard single-pane glass becomes unusable by 10 a.m. We spec low-E insulated glazing on every sunroom we build here, and we frame the roof assembly to carry a ceiling fan or future mini-split without re-engineering. The floor plan matters too: if the sunroom opens off the kitchen, you want the door swing and the traffic flow planned before the sill plate goes down.
Matching the original roofline
Most North Hollywood bungalows have a low-pitch gable or hip roof, and a flat-roof sunroom box looks wrong from the alley. We match the existing roof pitch and fascia line whenever the lot allows, and we carry the original stucco texture around the new corners. On one recent sunroom, we used James Hardie siding on the rear wall to contrast the stucco while keeping the same paint family. That kind of detail is what makes the addition feel like the original house instead of a bolt-on.
Trusted Brands We Service in North Hollywood
Benson ADU Builders is authorized to build with Abodu, Cover, and Dvele prefab systems, and we keep local stock on James Hardie cladding and trim for North Hollywood jobs. That matters when you’re weighing a site-built addition against a prefab panel system: the lead times, the engineering package, and the crane requirements are different, and we can show you the actual numbers for your lot. For a tight R1 property near Chandler Blvd or along the Burbank border, a prefab wall panel system can cut framing time nearly in half, and the factory engineering package moves through LADBS plan check faster than a fully custom structural set.
Common Home Addition Contractor Problems We See in North Hollywood Homes
- Undersized footings on raised foundations. A 1930s bungalow on a 16-inch crawlspace was never designed for a second floor or a cantilevered rear extension. The city requires a stamped shear and gravity load plan, and many contractors don’t price the new footings until the first inspection stops the job.
- LADBS plan check queues. The North Hollywood LADBS office handles a high volume of residential submittals, and depending on the current queue, plan check can add several weeks to the calendar. We submit the engineering package as soon as the site survey is done, which keeps the process moving instead of waiting for a complete drawing set.
- Fire-rated wall assemblies near the property line. Many North Hollywood R1 lots have additions that run close to the side setback. When the new wall is within the required distance, LADBS mandates a one-hour fire-rated assembly, which changes the framing, the insulation, and the sheathing spec. We price that from the start.
- Overlooked Title 24 and air quality measures. Any new conditioned square footage in this climate zone triggers Title 24 energy calcs and CARB-compliant ventilation and filtration measures. The HERS verification is mandatory, not optional, and it’s part of our written proposal.
Pricing for Home Addition Contractor in North Hollywood, CA
A bedroom addition in North Hollywood runs $75,000 to $120,000 for the typical 12-by-14 scope with proper footing work and Title 24 compliance. A sunroom addition runs $55,000 to $95,000 depending on the glazing and foundation approach. A second-story addition on a 1930s bungalow, which includes the structural reinforcement of the existing first floor, runs $180,000 to $280,000. A bump-out on the side or rear can be as low as $40,000 if it doesn’t require a new foundation line, but most do. Every proposal from Benson ADU Builders includes the written price before work begins, so the number you approve is the number you pay. If a site condition changes the structural spec after demo, you get a written change order with the exact cost and the exact reason, before any additional work starts. Call (903) 568-7222 for a free estimate that actually reflects North Hollywood’s building stock and code requirements.
We Also Serve Cities Near North Hollywood
Benson ADU Builders runs crews from North Hollywood into the surrounding Valley and foothill communities. Our Home Addition Contractor team handles projects in Studio City, Van Nuys, Burbank, and Glendale, with the same written pricing and 365-Day Done Right Promise on every job. If you’re just over the border in any of those cities, the phone number is the same: (903) 568-7222.
Serving North Hollywood, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the North Hollywood area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Home Addition Contractor in North Hollywood
Yes, in nearly every case. The original spread footings under a 1930s raised home were sized for a single story and the existing cripple walls typically don’t have shear panels that satisfy current LADBS requirements for a two-story structure. You’ll need new perimeter footings under the addition area, plywood shear on the existing cripple walls, and possibly new holdowns and a steel moment frame depending on the ceiling joist size and the upper floor layout. We price all of this before demo, so the structural upgrade isn’t a surprise line item at the first inspection. Call (903) 568-7222 and Troy can review your existing plans to give you a realistic structural budget.
For a standard bedroom or sunroom addition on a North Hollywood R1 lot, plan check at the LADBS North Hollywood office typically runs four to eight weeks from the initial submittal to the approved permit, assuming the engineering package is complete and the drawings address the property line setbacks. If the project triggers neighborhood design review or hillside review, add three to six months to the approval calendar. We submit the site survey and the structural set together on day one, which is the single biggest factor in avoiding a second plan check cycle. Call (903) 568-7222 and we’ll give you a realistic project calendar for your specific block.
Yes, and for some North Hollywood lots it’s the faster path. A prefab panel system from Abodu, Cover, or Dvele arrives with its own engineering package, which can move through LADBS plan check faster than a fully custom structural set. The catch is that a prefab module still needs site work, a foundation, and utility connections that meet the same code. For a rear bump-out or a separate ADU on the same lot, prefab often pencils out well. For a second-story addition on an existing 1930s bungalow, the structural work on the original house is the same either way. Call (903) 568-7222 and we’ll lay out the real numbers for both approaches side by side.
After permits are issued, a 400-square-foot bedroom addition on a typical North Hollywood bungalow takes about four to five months of on-site construction. That includes the new footing excavation, the foundation pour, the framing, rough-in electrical and HVAC, drywall, and finish work. The permit review, which includes LADBS plan check and any required revisions, adds one to three months on top of that, and longer if the lot triggers design review. We give you a week-by-week schedule in the proposal, and the live project tracking means you see photos of every phase without having to ask. Call (903) 568-7222 for a calendar built around your specific project scope.
Three things, and all three are knowable before demo: the existing foundation turns out to be worse than the drawings showed, meaning the new footing line has to go deeper or wider; the city requires a fire-rated wall assembly where the addition approaches the side property line; or the homeowner changes the scope after the permit set is finalized, like adding a bathroom where the plan showed a closet. At Benson ADU Builders, any of those triggers generate a written change order with the exact added cost and the exact reason, signed by you before the additional work starts. No silent upcharges, no bill at the end that doesn’t match the contract. Call (903) 568-7222 and we’ll send an estimator to your North Hollywood property to identify these risks before you commit.
Your North Hollywood Addition Starts With One Call
Benson ADU Builders approaches every North Hollywood home addition with the same three commitments: a written price before work starts, a 365-Day Done Right Promise, and a live person on the phone whenever you call. Troy Eastman leads the North Hollywood projects directly, and the crews arrive in uniform, background-checked, and familiar with the LADBS North Hollywood plan check process. We’re a member of the Relay Home Co. family, founded in 2006, with each location independently owned and operated. Whether you’re adding a bedroom off the back, a sunroom for the Valley light, or a full second story on a 1930s bungalow, the first step is the estimate. Call (903) 568-7222.
Written by Troy Eastman, Owner at Benson ADU Builders, serving North Hollywood since the brand’s expansion into Los Angeles home additions.
