A free site visit, a check of what your lot allows and a written, line-item price.
Get your free estimateFast, Reliable Garage Conversion Contractor Across Burbank
A garage conversion in Burbank typically runs $105,000 – $165,000 for an attached conversion to living space, and $135,000 – $220,000 for a detached garage ADU, before permit fees. Most projects take 4 – 7 months from the first site visit to final inspection. If you own a home in Burbank and your garage is collecting boxes instead of cars, the fastest way to a real quote is a phone call to (669) 201-3984.
We work up and down Burbank every week, from the flat lots off Victory Boulevard to the hillside streets above Glenoaks. Our crews know the difference between a 1920s Spanish garage on a tight Magnolia Park lot and a 1950s Ranch detached garage on a hillside parcel near Stough Canyon. That local knowledge matters because Burbank’s own planning and building department runs the show here, not LA County, and the rules are not what a homeowner usually expects.
Why Fielding ADU Builders Is Burbank’s Preferred Garage Conversion Contractor
Our Garage Conversion Contractor team operates under The Garrison Standard, which has been the core operating rule at Garrison Partners since 2006. The Standard is simple: show up in the window, put the price in writing before work starts, build it by the book, leave the site clean, and stand behind it for a full year. That matters in Burbank because many of the garages we convert are attached to homes from the 1920s through 1960s. Seismic, electrical, and foundation conditions are rarely straightforward, and a contractor who guesses at pricing before opening a wall will not be your friend by final inspection.
Every Burbank project gets a written line-item price before we start. The number you approve on day one is the number on the final invoice. We do not run change orders for conditions we should have found during the site survey. Reed Calloway, who leads Fielding ADU Builders, set that rule and it does not bend.
We are an independent member of the Garrison Partners family serving Burbank, and every crew member who steps onto your property is background-checked and uniformed. You will know exactly who is on site. When you call (669) 201-3984, a live person answers, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That is the same number you call at midnight to ask about a plan check note as it is at noon to schedule the free estimate.
We have built ADUs and converted garages across Burbank, including soundproofed creative studios for entertainment industry professionals near the Media District. We know what the City of Burbank plan checkers ask for before they ask it. That is the difference between a four-month project and an eight-month one.
Garage to Bedroom Conversion in Burbank
Garage to Bedroom Conversion in Burbank means turning the attached garage into conditioned living space within the existing home footprint, usually for a family member, an office, or a rental. A typical attached garage-to-bedroom conversion in Burbank runs $105,000 – $145,000, depending on whether you need a bathroom added and whether the original slab is sound. These projects move faster than detached ADUs because the structure already shares a wall and a roof line with the house.
Attached conversions on 1940s Ranch homes in Burbank often hide surprises. We frequently find 2×4 exterior walls that need new shear panels, or a slab poured without a vapor barrier. The city will require the space to meet current energy code, which usually means adding insulation, a mini-split, and a new window to meet egress.
What Burbank Plan Check Looks For
Burbank requires an attached conversion to meet the same structural and energy standards as new construction. If the garage was permitted as a garage, you are converting a non-conditioned space into conditioned space, which triggers Title 24 energy compliance. That often means new attic insulation, a dedicated circuit for heating and cooling, and sometimes a new service panel if the existing service is 100 amps or less.
Converting a Garage Without Moving the Water Heater
Many Burbank garages house the water heater and laundry. Moving a gas water heater into the house requires a separate combustion air supply and an exterior vent. We scope this during the site visit and write it into the fixed price, so you are not hit with a $4,000 surprise later.
Garage Conversion ADU in Burbank
Garage Conversion ADU in Burbank means converting an existing detached or attached garage into a separate dwelling unit with its own kitchen, bathroom, and entrance. A detached garage ADU in Burbank typically runs $150,000 – $220,000, and a hillside lot with fire zone conditions can push toward the top of that range. These units are most common among Burbank homeowners who work in entertainment and want rental income or a separate studio for editing, writing, or music work.
Burbank’s R-1 zoning allows detached ADUs up to 1,200 square feet on lots over 10,000 square feet, but hillside lots face additional Fire Zone setbacks and brush-clearance rules that do not apply on flat valley parcels. That is the single biggest variable in Burbank ADU pricing, and it is one most contractors never mention before you sign. We walk every hillside lot before quoting and factor in the fire-rated eave details, tempered glass, and defensible space requirements the city will enforce.
Detached Garage to 750 Sq Ft ADU
On a hillside lot off Walnut Avenue, our crew converted a 1950s detached garage into a 750 sq ft ADU with a soundproofed studio for a Warner Bros. editor. We fire-rated the exterior with James Hardie siding to meet Wildland-Urban Interface code, added a 100-amp subpanel to the original 60-amp service, and graded the rear yard for drainage away from the new foundation. The entire project was permitted through the City of Burbank, not LA County, and passed final inspection without a single correction.
Attached Garage to Junior ADU
If the garage shares a wall with the house, a junior ADU under 500 square feet can save significantly on kitchen and utility costs. A junior ADU in Burbank runs $95,000 – $125,000 and can share the main house’s water and sewer lines, which avoids the separate meter requirement on larger units. Burbank still requires a separate entrance and a small efficiency kitchen for a junior ADU.
Trusted Brands We Service in Burbank
We work with the prefab platforms Burbank homeowners are already researching: Abodu and Cover. Both are built in factories and craned onto the site, which can shorten the build phase to as little as 12 weeks on a flat lot. For conventional builds, we use James Hardie siding for fire-rated exteriors and Tuff Shed-style structures for detached home offices and studios. Our field crews stock common plan-check correction details locally and keep a direct line open with the City of Burbank building department, so questions get answered in days, not weeks.
Common Garage Conversion Contractor Problems We See in Burbank Homes
- Quoting before opening the walls. We regularly see Burbank garages with 1920s foundations that look fine from the outside and fail under a structural engineer’s review. A contractor who quotes without checking the existing 2×4 wall framing and original foundation is guessing, and you pay for the guess later. We bring a structural engineer to the site visit before we write a number.
- Assuming county septic rules apply. Burbank requires sewer connection for nearly all residential ADUs. If you own a property served by city sewer, the tap and lateral work typically adds $8,000 – $15,000. We check this on day one and write it into the fixed price, so it is not a surprise after the first plan check.
- Ignoring hillside brush-clearance and fire-rated eave requirements. On hillside lots north of Kenneth Road or up toward the Verdugo Mountains, the city enforces Wildland-Urban Interface code. That means fire-rated eaves, ember-resistant vents, and defensible space. Missing these on the initial plans causes plan check rejection and a four-month delay. We build them into the scope from the start.
- Oversizing the electrical service. Many 1950s Burbank homes have only 60-amp or 100-amp service. Adding an ADU with a kitchen and HVAC can require a service upgrade to 200 amps, which costs $4,000 – $7,000. We test the load during the site visit and write the upgrade into the fixed price, not as a change order.
Pricing for Garage Conversion Contractor in Burbank, CA
Here is what a garage conversion actually costs in Burbank. An attached garage-to-living-space conversion, with no kitchen, runs $105,000 – $145,000. A detached garage ADU with a kitchen, bathroom, and separate entrance runs $150,000 – $220,000. A junior ADU under 500 square feet runs $95,000 – $125,000. Permit fees and sewer connection costs are separate line items, and we show you the full estimate before you commit. Hillside fire code compliance typically adds 8 – 15% to the total. Flat valley lots without fire zone requirements fall to the lower end of every range. Call (669) 201-3984 and we will give you a written, line-item price for your specific Burbank property, not a ballpark.
We Also Serve Cities Near Burbank
Our garage conversion and ADU crews serve Burbank and the surrounding communities. You will find us regularly working in Scotts Valley, Campbell, Boulder Creek, and Saratoga. The same written-price-first rule and one-year Garrison Standard guarantee apply on every job, no matter which city the permit comes from.
Serving Burbank, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Burbank 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 Garage Conversion Contractor in Burbank
Burbank requires sewer connection for nearly all residential ADUs. If your property is on city sewer, you will need a lateral tap, which typically adds $8,000 – $15,000 depending on the distance from the main line. If your property is one of the rare Burbank lots on septic, we verify that with the city during the first site visit and write the correct scope into your fixed price. Call (669) 201-3984 and we will confirm your specific property’s requirement before you spend a dollar.
Hillside fire zone rules typically add 8 – 15% to the cost of a garage conversion ADU in Burbank. That covers fire-rated eaves, ember-resistant vents, tempered glass, and sometimes exterior sprinklers. Lots in the flat valley south of Kenneth Road usually do not have these requirements. We walk every hillside property before quoting, because guessing at fire code compliance is the fastest way to blow a schedule.
If your garage conversion eliminates covered parking, Burbank may require you to provide one replacement parking space on-site, usually as an uncovered tandem space or a carport. The rule depends on your lot size, zoning, and proximity to transit. We check parking replacement requirements during the site visit and write any required paving or carport structure into your fixed quote. Call (669) 201-3984 for your property’s exact rule.
Yes, in most cases. A cracked 1920s foundation is common in Burbank, especially on hillside lots where the soil has shifted. We bring a structural engineer to assess the existing footing and slab before we write a price. The fix is usually a reinforced pony wall or partial slab replacement, costing $12,000 – $25,000, and we include it in the fixed quote rather than surprising you after demo starts.
Burbank’s zoning allows live-work units, which many entertainment professionals use for editing bays, recording rooms, and writing studios. If you plan to use the ADU for sound work, the city does not mandate specific soundproofing, but a standard wall assembly will not prevent noise disputes with neighbors. We build studio-grade assemblies with staggered studs, double drywall, and acoustic caulking, which typically adds $18,000 – $35,000 for a 750 sq ft unit. Tell us your intended use during the site visit and we will spec the right assembly the first time.
Get a Written Price for Your Burbank Garage Conversion
If you own a home in Burbank and want to convert a garage into a bedroom, studio, or ADU, the first step is a site visit. We will inspect the foundation, electrical service, sewer connection, and fire code status, then hand you a written, line-item price before any work starts. No change orders for conditions we should have found. No final invoice that looks nothing like the quote. Just a fixed price and a one-year written guarantee under The Garrison Standard. Call (669) 201-3984 to schedule your free estimate.
Written by Reed Calloway, Owner at Fielding ADU Builders, serving Burbank and the surrounding communities with permitted garage conversions and ADUs.
