ADU Before & After in Riverside, CA
Photos don’t lie. A garage stuffed with storage boxes and a finished studio with a kitchenette are the same structure, separated by planning, permits, and execution. We’ve documented every Ellery ADU Studio Riverside project since 2015 because clients deserve to see what actually happened, not hear what we thought about it.
Recent Transformations
Garage Conversion ADU: Orangecrest Single-Car to 420-Square-Foot Studio
The existing slab was 4 inches, within range for a conversion, but the soil beneath showed moderate expansion potential common in Riverside’s Arlington soil series. We brought in a geotechnical letter and added a 2-inch rat slab with moisture barrier rather than full replacement, which saved roughly $4,200 off the foundation line item. The city required a 5-foot side setback variance, the extra distance between the converted structure and the property line, because the original garage sat closer than current ADU standards allow. We documented the variance application in the permit set, and the photo record shows each inspection pass. The client received a written price of $142,000 before work started, drawings through final inspection, and a 365-Day Done Right Promise backed in writing. Under Clause 5 (No Surprises), the scope was locked at signing.
New Detached ADU: Woodcrest Backyard 640-Square-Foot Two-Bedroom
The site had a 40-year-old Valencia orange tree the client wanted kept. Our site prep crew mapped the drip line and installed a root barrier during trenching for sewer and water tie-ins, which added three days to the utility line item but eliminated the $8,000-$12,000 replacement value of a mature citrus. Riverside’s fire separation requirement for detached ADUs within 10 feet of the main house triggered a 1-hour rated eave and hardie-panel exterior, James Hardie fiber-cement siding specified in the same single contract. The project ran $218,000-$247,000 depending on finish level, with the written price set at $231,500 after the pre-construction meeting. The documented photo record shows each phase: tree protection, trenching, foundation, framing, MEP rough, and final.
Junior ADU & Interior Conversion: Canyon Crest Attached Bedroom Split
This was a junior ADU, meaning the unit shared a wall with the primary residence and required sound-rated construction between the two dwellings. The existing bedroom had a separate exterior door and its own mini-split zone, two factors that kept the mechanical and egress line items reasonable. The challenge was the kitchenette: Riverside requires JADU cooking facilities to include a 2-burner cooktop or equivalent, not just a microwave, which affects both electrical load calculations and ventilation. We ran a dedicated 40-amp circuit and specified a recirculating range hood with charcoal filtration since the shared wall made exterior ducting impractical. The written price was $67,500, established after a site measure confirmed the existing slab and roof structure needed no modification. The photo record includes the sound batt installation, which clients rarely get to see once drywall closes it in.
ADU Site Prep & Utilities: La Sierra Hills Slope Correction for Prefab Unit
The client had already selected a Dvele modular unit, one of the eight prefab and modular brands we specify and coordinate within the same single contract. The site prep and utilities work came first, and it was the most complex we’ve documented in Riverside’s La Sierra Hills area. The 8-foot grade change required a 4-foot engineered retaining wall with drainage, not just fill and compact, because the slope sat on the same Arlington soil series with expansion potential we see across the western edge of the city. We located an undocumented irrigation line during trenching, called it out in the photo record the same day, and rerouted it through a dedicated chase so future access wouldn’t require cutting concrete. The site prep and utility package ran $54,000-$71,000 depending on final wall height; this project fixed at $63,000 after soils testing. The modular unit set followed eight weeks later, with the same written price guarantee applying to that phase under the one-contract design-build model.
Garage Conversion ADU: Mission Grove Two-Car to 580-Square-Foot One-Bedroom
The previous owner had added receptacles and lighting without permits, which we discovered during the pre-construction walk and documented in the initial photo record. Riverside’s building department required full electrical remediation, not just grandfathering, because the unpermitted work fed the garage door opener and would remain in use. We replaced the entire circuit run back to the main panel, added a 100-amp subpanel for the ADU load, and brought the ceiling up to 8.5 feet by sistering the existing joists rather than replacing them, a detail that saved about a week on the framing line item. The project total was $178,000, with the written price broken into six line items so the client saw exactly where the electrical remediation sat. Under the Haven Standard, Clause 1, that price was set before any work started, and the 365-Day Done Right Promise applied to every element, including the ceiling height the inspector initially questioned.
New Detached ADU: Hawarden Hills Custom Design with Abodu System
This project combined our ADU Design & Permitting service with prefab brand fluency, specifying an Abodu One unit within the same single contract. The Hawarden Hills neighborhood has design guidelines beyond base city code, including material restrictions that initially conflicted with Abodu’s standard exterior package. We worked with Abodu’s team and substituted James Hardie fiber-cement panels in a custom color match, which added $8,400 to the exterior finish line item but satisfied the neighborhood review board in one submission rather than three. The rear setback variance, the extra distance from the property line, was negotiated down to 3 feet because the unit sat behind the main house with alley access, not street-facing. The all-in price was $312,000 including the Abodu unit, custom exterior, site prep, utility tie-ins, and permit fees. The client received the written price before work started, the permit set, the documented photo record from every visit, and the 365-Day Done Right Promise in writing.
Want Results Like These?
Every project you see above started with a site visit and a written price before any work began. No call-for-a-quote runaround, no scope creep once we start. Call (951) 418-2910 to schedule your free estimate. If you already have a written estimate in hand, we’ll give you a Free Second Opinion and show you exactly what we found different.
Written by Nadia Ellery, Owner at Ellery ADU Studio Riverside, serving Riverside since 2015.