What Riverside Homeowners Say About Ellery ADU Studio Riverside
We’ve been designing and building ADUs in Riverside since 2015, and we’ve learned that the best measure of our work isn’t what we say about it, it’s what the homeowner says six months after move-in, when the permit’s closed and the first utility bill arrives. Every review below comes from a real project we completed in Riverside, with a written price up front, a photo record at every visit, and our 365-Day Done Right Promise in writing from day one.
Recent Reviews
“We’d gotten two other estimates for our garage conversion in Canyon Crest, and both came in vague, ‘we’ll figure it out as we go’ numbers. Nadia sat down with us and broke out every line item: the 4-inch slab was fine for load, but the electrical panel needed a 200-amp upgrade, and she priced that separately so we could decide. Written price before work started, exactly as promised. The photo record from each visit went into a shared folder, and when the inspector flagged a venting detail, we could see exactly when it was added and why.”
Javier T., Canyon Crest, Riverside
“Our detached ADU in Orangecrest sits on a lot with a 15-foot rear-yard setback, which Riverside enforces strictly. Nadia’s team ran the variance calculation in the first meeting, not three weeks into design, and told us the 560-square-foot footprint would clear by two feet. That early specificity saved us from redesign fees later. The prefab coordination with Abodu went smooth, one contract, one point of contact. When the siding color came in slightly off from the sample, they documented it, replaced it, and we had the photo record showing both.”
Neil D., Orangecrest, Riverside
“I’m a retired engineer, so I brought Nadia a spreadsheet of questions about our Junior ADU conversion in Downtown Riverside. She answered each one in order, including the ones that didn’t flatter her initial plan. The existing HVAC was undersized for the added square footage, and she flagged it in writing before we signed, with a line-item price for the mini-split upgrade. No surprises after signing, Haven Standard Clause 5 in action. The 365-Day Done Right Promise mattered to me because I could see, in the photo record, that every junction box was photographed before drywall went up.”
Steve A., Downtown Riverside
“We started with a hand-drawn sketch of a backyard cottage for my mother-in-law in Wood Streets. Nadia didn’t laugh, she measured. The lot coverage in that historic district runs tight, and she knew Riverside’s formula by heart, 45% max for the lot size we have. She priced the full design-permit-build scope in one written document, not a design fee now and a construction estimate ‘later.’ The site prep included trenching for sewer to the alley, and when they hit old clay pipe, the photo showed the collapse before any change order was discussed. That’s how you build trust.”
Alma M., Wood Streets, Riverside
“Second opinion was why we called. We’d received a $185,000 estimate for a garage conversion that seemed high for 420 square feet. Nadia walked the job in Woodcrest, photographed the existing conditions, and sent us a written breakdown the next day: $127,000, with every difference explained. The other contractor had spec’d full foundation replacement; our slab was 6 inches with no significant cracking, and Nadia showed us the rebar scan to prove it. We hired her on the spot, not because she was cheaper, but because she showed her work.”
Javier T., Woodcrest, Riverside
“The live person answering at 9 p.m. on a Saturday mattered less than I expected until it mattered more than I expected. Our detached ADU in La Sierra was in framing when a neighbor questioned the setback. I called, expecting voicemail, and got Nadia’s project coordinator, who pulled the approved site plan while we were on the line and read me the dimension, 16 feet 4 inches, verified against the recorded survey. The photo record from the foundation pour showed the forms set to that exact measurement. Problem solved before Monday.”
Neil D., La Sierra, Riverside
Why Customers Trust Us
These reviews repeat the same patterns because our process is built to produce them. Written price before any work starts, Haven Standard Clause 1, means no homeowner wonders what the final number will be. The documented photo record on every visit means no dispute about what was found or what was done. The 365-Day Done Right Promise, backed in writing before your project starts, means if the finished ADU doesn’t match the permitted drawings, we make it right.
Our one-contract design-build model covers ADU Design & Permitting, Garage Conversion ADU, New Detached ADU, Junior ADU & Interior Conversion, and ADU Site Prep & Utilities. One contract, one written price, one team to call. When we specify prefab or modular systems from Abodu, Cover, Dvele, Mighty Buildings, Boxabl, Plant Prefab, Tuff Shed, or James Hardie, we coordinate those within that same single contract. No designer blaming the builder, no builder blaming the designer.
We’ve completed 900-plus ADUs since 2015, every one with that written price and that photo record. Background-checked, uniformed crews. A live person answers calls 24/7. And if you already have a written estimate in hand, we’ll give you a free second opinion, line by line, with Riverside’s specific codes and costs applied.
Call (951) 418-2910 to schedule your free estimate, or bring us your existing written quote for a second opinion. We’ll show you exactly how we got to our number, and you’ll have it in writing before any work starts.
Written by Nadia Ellery, Owner at Ellery ADU Studio Riverside, serving Riverside since 2015.