We design and build custom ADUs across Highland Park — garage conversions on Craftsman lots, period-matched detached homes, multi-generational ADUs. HPOZ experience included.
Highland Park has some of the best ADU lots in northeast LA — deep, flat, often 5,000+ sq ft, with original Craftsman bungalows from the 1910s and 1920s still standing on most of them. The combination is rare in the city: a buildable rear yard, a house worth preserving in front, and a neighborhood that increasingly attracts the kind of homeowner who wants the addition to look like it belongs.
We've worked across 90042 — Garvanza, Highland Park proper, the streets near Sycamore Grove and York Boulevard. Many properties fall inside the Highland Park-Garvanza HPOZ, which adds a design-review layer but also keeps the neighborhood worth investing in. Most of our Highland Park ADU clients are multi-generational households — adult children moving back, parents moving in, or homeowners building a second unit for long-term family income.
Highland Park's deep lots and Craftsman stock support a wide range of ADU types. These come up most often.
The most popular Highland Park ADU path — original 1920s detached garages convert beautifully with new insulation, raised ceilings, period-appropriate window placement, and modern interior systems. Lowest investment, fastest path to permit.
New construction ADU designed to read as part of the original Craftsman property — matched eaves, exposed rafter tails, board-and-batten siding, real wood windows. The signal move for owners committed to preserving HPOZ character.
Full second residence at maximum allowable size, designed for adult children or parents moving onto the property. Two-bedroom layouts, full kitchen, separate entry. The most common request from Highland Park's multi-gen families.
Two-story configuration: existing or rebuilt garage below, ADU above. Adds dwelling space without consuming garden — useful on lots where the rear yard is preserved for outdoor living.
Up to 500 sq ft of permitted dwelling carved from the existing house — separate entry, kitchenette, shared utilities. Often the right move when there's an unused den, sunroom, or rear addition that can be reconfigured.
Compact single-room ADU — home office, art studio, or guest suite. Common when the primary use is workspace rather than rental and the homeowner wants something more refined than a converted garage.
1,100 sq ft two-bedroom detached ADU on a 5,400 sq ft Highland Park lot. The grandparents live in the ADU, the homeowners and their two adult children share the main Craftsman, and the backyard between the two structures functions as the shared family living space.
Designed in close consultation with the HPOZ design board — exposed rafter tails, double-hung sash windows, board-and-batten siding, paint palette pulled from the original house. Approved at first board meeting with minor revisions. Permitted in 12 weeks, delivered in 9 months.
Highland Park is under the City of Los Angeles — LADBS handles building permits, LA City Planning handles zoning. What sets Highland Park apart from flatter Westside neighborhoods is the Highland Park-Garvanza HPOZ (Historic Preservation Overlay Zone), which covers a significant portion of 90042.
Highland Park-Garvanza HPOZ: If your property is within the HPOZ boundary, any visible-from-street ADU work requires HPOZ board review before permits issue. The HPOZ board meets monthly and reviews projects for compatibility with the neighborhood's preservation plan — this means matching eave details, window types, materials, paint palette, and overall massing to the existing Craftsman or Spanish Revival character. Projects designed for HPOZ approval from day one typically pass at first review; projects that ignore HPOZ rules often need 2–3 revision cycles.
Outside the HPOZ: Plenty of Highland Park properties fall just outside the HPOZ boundary. Without HPOZ overlay, ADU permits proceed through standard LADBS review — typically 8–12 weeks. We'll check your specific address against the HPOZ map during the free site visit.
Standard plan program eligibility: LA's pre-approved standard plan program works for many Highland Park lots and can cut permit time to 21–60 days for non-HPOZ properties. HPOZ properties require custom design that responds to the immediate context, so standard plans don't typically apply.
Garage conversion incentives: California state law specifically encourages garage-to-ADU conversions — reduced setbacks, no additional parking requirements, expedited review for clean projects. Highland Park's older detached garages convert particularly well because they often have generous interior dimensions.
Free site visit, including HPOZ feasibility review. Written quote within seven days. No pressure, no fine print.
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