ADU Construction in South Pasadena
Serving 91030 and Pasadena, San Marino, Alhambra
Lots in South Pasadena were laid out deep, with the garage at the back down a side drive — which is exactly the arrangement an accessory dwelling wants. The design question is not whether there is room. It is what a new building should look like when it stands behind a house the city keeps a record of.
Real projects. Real prices.
73 finished remodels published with their final price — nothing hidden.
What our finished LA work actually cost: 27 kitchens ran $23k–$84k, median $50k; 28 bathrooms $28k–$105k, median $38k; 17 whole-home remodels $36k–$440k, median $150k. Real final prices from our own job records, not estimates.
$25,000 White shaker cabinetry, white subway tile, and light quartz counters.
$30,000 A full-length double vanity under twin lit mirrors, with herringbone mosaic shower niches.
$35,000 A patterned encaustic-look floor, a sage shaker vanity and a glass shower with a tiled bench.
$72,000 Honey-oak cabinetry replaced with white shaker fronts and a marble-look quartz island.
$238,000 A walnut-fronted quartz island, arched openings, and sage-green stacked tile baths.
$275,000 A broad quartz island, a curved staircase with iron balusters, marble-look baths.
New buildings behind old ones
Of its own time, quietly
A new structure behind a period house works best when it is honestly modern and deliberately understated, rather than a scaled-down imitation of the main house. The imitation is what tends to look wrong in five years.
Where the review looks and where it does not
The city's heritage interest is in what the street sees. A building at the back of a deep lot is largely out of that frame, which is precisely why the deep-lot arrangement here is such a good fit for a second dwelling.
Services down the side drive
Power, water and drainage have to travel the length of the lot, frequently past mature trees and original paving. That route is surveyed before the building is sited, because sometimes the route should decide the siting.
Privacy in both directions
Two households on one narrow, deep lot need window placement and boundary treatment that work for both. It is drawn rather than left to fence height and goodwill.
Written by Onn Cohen-Meguri, founder and designer at Design Onn Point — 12+ years in business, 1,200+ finished Los Angeles projects. CSLB #1133368.
Pricing in South Pasadena
Market estimate, not our own project data.
Talk to Onn about your South Pasadena adu construction.
Free consult, no obligation. Onn reads every inquiry personally — and aims to reply within one business day.
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