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 Sherman Oaks
A home addition in Sherman Oaks typically costs between $180 and $450 per square foot, depending on whether you’re converting a garage, adding a second story, or building a bump-out. Most Sherman Oaks homeowners we talk to want just one thing first: a real number, in writing, before any walls move. Call (903) 568-7222 and you’ll get a line-item quote, not a verbal guess.
We work throughout Sherman Oaks, from the flat ranch-home blocks south of Ventura Boulevard to the hillside streets above Mulholland Drive. Those two types of lots have very different footing, drainage, and setback realities. That’s exactly why a contractor who only knows one part of town will misprice the other. Our crews have framed additions on both.
Scheduling and dispatch run through our Los Angeles office, and our Sherman Oaks crews handle everything from the first site walk to final inspection. You get a written price before work starts, a live person on the phone, and a build calendar that actually matches what happens on site.
Why Benson ADU Builders Is Sherman Oaks’s Preferred Home Addition Contractor Company
Sherman Oaks homeowners tend to ask sharper questions than most. They know the difference between a 1,200 sq ft state ADU allowance and what LADBS will actually approve on a tight Ventura Boulevard-adjacent lot. When we walk a property, we’re already thinking about footing depth, sewer lateral location, and which plan check queue the submittal lands in.
Our reputation around Sherman Oaks is built on predictable pricing and a written 365-Day Done Right Promise on every project. If the work isn’t right within a year, we come back and fix it. That promise is stamped on the contract, not spoken in the driveway. Homeowners on the ranch blocks near Van Nuys Boulevard and Kester Avenue keep our schedules full year-round.
Every technician who steps onto a Sherman Oaks property is background-checked and in uniform. You’ll know exactly who’s showing up. And when you call, a live person answers, day or night. No voicemail tree, no waiting until Monday.
We’re also authorized to build with top prefab brands: Cover, Dvele, and Boxabl. That means a Sherman Oaks homeowner can compare a site-built addition against a factory-built panelized system, side by side, with real pricing for each. Most contractors only sell what they know. We let you pick.
Second Story Addition Contractor in Sherman Oaks
A second story addition on a 1940s – 50s Sherman Oaks ranch typically runs $250 – $450 per square foot, and the two big cost drivers are whether the existing foundation can carry the load and whether your new upper floor has a path for plumbing that doesn’t gut the kitchen below. We serve Sherman Oaks homeowners as their Home Addition Contractor for exactly this kind of project.
Most second-story work in Sherman Oaks happens on those flat-lot ranch homes where the footprint is already maxed out. Going up is the only way to add a primary suite or two bedrooms without eating the yard. The catch is structural: a 1950s slab or cripple-wall foundation wasn’t designed for a second floor. We’ll bring in a structural engineer, size the new beams and shear wall, and show you exactly what has to happen on paper before demo day.
On hillside lots above Ventura, the engineering gets more involved. Hillside grading triggers in LADBS can stretch the plan check timeline, but skipping them isn’t an option. We handle the submittal, the corrections, and the re-checks.
Load Path and Foundation Work
A second story is only as good as the wall under it. Existing footings get checked with test pits, and if they come up short, we pour new pads and add hold-downs rated for seismic loads. That’s not a change order scare tactic; it’s what LADBS expects on a permitted addition.
Phasing for Occupied Homes
Most Sherman Oaks families stay in the house during construction. We phase the work so the downstairs stays livable as long as possible, and we run temporary weather barriers before the upper walls go framed. You’ll get a week-by-week calendar with the quote.
Garage Addition Contractors in Sherman Oaks
Converting a detached garage in Sherman Oaks into living space typically costs $160 – $300 per square foot, and the biggest variable is whether the existing slab has the 12-inch footings LADBS wants, which a 1950s ranch here often doesn’t. Our garage addition work for Sherman Oaks homeowners starts with a slab and sewer check before any price is finalized. You can read more about how we serve the broader area on our Home Addition Contractor in Sherman Oaks page.
Garage conversions are the most common addition we bid in Sherman Oaks. The structure already exists, so you’re saving on framing, siding, and roof work compared to a new build. But the slab issue is real. Our crew converted a detached garage into a 600 sq ft, one-bedroom ADU on a 1950s ranch near the intersection of Ventura Boulevard and Coldwater Canyon Avenue. The existing slab had no footing depth to LADBS standards, so we poured a new 12-inch stem wall, framed with 2×6 at 16 inches on center, and clad in James Hardie fiber-cement siding. The building permit and the electrical/plumbing sub-permits went in as a combined submittal, and the rough-in inspection passed on the first walk.
That’s the difference between a lowball bid that turns into a change order and a real price that already accounts for the slab.
Slab and Footing Reality
If you’re bidding a Sherman Oaks garage conversion at the same price as a new-build ADU without confirming the footing depth, you’re setting yourself up. The fix is a re-pour or stem wall, and we catch that on the first walk, not after the walls are open.
Sewer Lateral Placement
On Ventura Boulevard-adjacent lots, the existing sewer lateral often runs down the side yard. Relocating it into the new slab is a cost the first walk should have caught. We camera the line during the estimate, so the number we give you reflects reality.
Trusted Brands We Service in Sherman Oaks
Sherman Oaks homeowners like to verify things themselves, and that’s why we build with brands you can research before you ever sign. We’re authorized for Cover, Dvele, and Boxabl panelized systems, alongside site-built framing with James Hardie cladding. If you want a prefab second-story module or a panelized garage conversion, we can give you real lead times and real pricing for Sherman Oaks delivery. Parts and materials for local jobs are staged out of our LA-area yard, so a Sherman Oaks project isn’t waiting on a factory an hour away. When you pick a brand, you see the spec sheet, the warranty, and the price before work begins.
Common Home Addition Contractor Problems We See in Sherman Oaks Homes
- Undersized footings from the 1940s – 50s build wave. Sherman Oaks ranch homes were built fast and light. When a garage or bump-out goes in, the existing slab often fails the LADBS footing depth requirement, and the fix is a new stem wall or re-pour. We test-pit early so it’s in the first quote, not a change order.
- Skipped LADBS pre-submittal on hillside or overlay lots. Treating the permit like an over-the-counter item on a Sherman Oaks hillside lot turns the plan check into weeks of corrections. We submittal early and run the plan check queue seriously from day one.
- Unverified sewer lateral routing. On a Ventura Boulevard-adjacent lot the lateral often runs down the side yard, not the rear. If a contractor bids before locating it, the relocation cost lands on you mid-project. We camera every line before we hand over a written number.
- Load-bearing assumptions on second-story projects. Adding a second story to a 1950s ranch isn’t a matter of stacking walls. The existing cripple wall and slab need engineering checks, and we size every beam and hold-down with a licensed structural engineer before framing begins.
Pricing for Home Addition Contractor in Sherman Oaks, CA
Here’s what we tell Sherman Oaks homeowners up front, because you should know the ballpark before you tap call.
| Project Type | Typical Sherman Oaks Range |
|---|---|
| Garage conversion / ADU | $160 – $300 per sq ft |
| Room addition (single story, site-built) | $180 – $350 per sq ft |
| Second story addition | $250 – $450 per sq ft |
| Bump-out (kitchen, bath, or bedroom) | $200 – $400 per sq ft |
| Panelized / prefab (Cover, Dvele, Boxabl) | Varies by spec; quoted line-item after design review |
Square-foot pricing is the starting line, not the finish. Site conditions in Sherman Oaks, meaning footing depth, sewer lateral location, hillside grading triggers, and plan check queue time, all move the number. That’s why we quote line-item and in writing. Nobody should get a $300k verbal estimate that becomes $380k after the first wall is opened. Call (903) 568-7222 and schedule a free estimate. You’ll get a written price with each cost driver listed separately.
We Also Serve Cities Near Sherman Oaks
Our crews regularly work the surrounding neighborhoods, including Van Nuys, Encino, Studio City, and Tarzana. The same written-price guarantee and 365-Day Done Right Promise apply across the Valley. If you’re a homeowner just over the Sherman Oaks line in Studio City or Encino, give us a call at (903) 568-7222 and we’ll schedule a site walk.
Serving Sherman Oaks, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Sherman Oaks 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 Sherman Oaks
Yes, if your existing garage slab doesn’t have LADBS-compliant 12-inch footings, the foundation work is pulled as part of the building permit submittal, but it requires its own inspection sequence and structural detail sheets. On 1950s Sherman Oaks ranches, that’s the rule more often than the exception. Call (903) 568-7222 and we’ll tell you after a test pit whether your slab qualifies.
Under the state ADU law, a detached ADU can reach 1,200 sq ft, but in Sherman Oaks the rear-yard setback on a Ventura Boulevard-adjacent lot often makes that number the real ceiling rather than the 1,500 sq ft cap that applies on larger lots elsewhere in LA County. It comes down to lot geometry, not just statute. We’ll verify your specific envelope during the estimate.
Plan check for a simple garage conversion on a flat Sherman Oaks lot can run 4 – 8 weeks, while a hillside second-story addition with grading triggers can stretch to 10 – 14 weeks. We manage every resubmittal and correction cycle, and you see the plan check status in real time. Call (903) 568-7222 for a realistic calendar on your specific project.
Sometimes, but on Ventura Boulevard-adjacent lots the lateral frequently runs down the side yard, so reusing it may force a bathroom or kitchen placement that doesn’t match your floor plan. We camera the line before we finalize your quote, and if relocation is needed, it’s priced in writing upfront, not discovered mid-project.
Unforeseen structural conditions, like a footing that doesn’t meet current seismic hold-down requirements, or a plan check correction that requires additional shear wall, are the two most common price movers. Our quotes always list the assumptions we’re pricing against, so if something changes, you’ll see exactly why and how much. We don’t bill change orders without written approval first.
Written by Troy Eastman, Owner at Benson ADU Builders, serving Sherman Oaks since 2006.
