Looking to Build a Granny Flat in Your Backyard? Meet the Firms and Designs Pre-Approved in LA

Led by Cristobal Amunátegui and Alejandro Valdés, the firm was founded in 2011 and has offices in Los Angeles and Santiago, Chile. Amunátegui is an assistant professor at the Department of Architecture and Urban Design at UCLA.

The firm designs work in various scales and mediums, including buildings, furniture and exhibitions.

Its one-story, two-bedroom with a covered roof deck 934-square-foot unit is pending approval from the city.

Connect Homes has a 100,000-square foot factory in San Bernardino and an architecture studio in Downtown L.A.

It specializes in glass and steel homes and has completed 80 homes in California. Its designs have an aesthetic of mid-century modern California residential architecture.

It has two one-bedroom models pre-approved by the city, one is 460 square feet, which costs $144,500 with a total average project cost of $205,000. The other is 640 square feet, which costs $195,200 with a total project cost of $280,000.

The Los Angeles-based architectural firm founded in 2010 describes itself as having a "bold and irreverent vision." Its projects include urban infill ground-up offices to single-family homes, adaptive re-use of derelict commercial buildings and renovations of historic landmarks.

Its pre-approved design, named "Midnight Room," is a guest house/ studio. Its bedroom can be left open for a loft feel or enclosed as a separate room. The design is a one-story, one-bedroom at 454 square feet.

Founded in Los Angeles in 1996, Escher GuneWardena Architecture has received international recognition and has collaborated with contemporary artists, worked on historical preservation projects and more.

The company has been approved for two different one-story, one- or two-bedroom units, one at 532 square feet with an estimated cost of $200,000 and another at 784 square feet with an estimated cost of $300,000. The firm noted the costs depend on site conditions and do not include soft costs. Those could add 10% to 12% to the total construction costs.

First Office is an architecture firm based in Downtown Los Angeles. Its approved ADUs will be built using prefabricated structural insulated panels, which allow for expedited construction schedules and high environmental ratings.

The interior finishes include concrete floors, stainless steel counters and an occasional element of conduit.

There are five options:

• A one-story studio, 309 to 589 square feet
• A one-story one-bedroom, 534 to 794 square feet
• And a one-story two-bedroom, 1,200 square feet

The design team behind "IT House" is Los Angeles-based studio Taalman Architecture. Over the past 15 years, IT House has built more than 20 homes throughout California and the U.S.

The IT House ADU standard plans include the tower, bar, box, cube, pod and court.

The city has approved four options, including:

• A two-story including mechanical room, 660 square feet
• A two-story including mechanical room, 430 square feet
• A one-story studio, 200 square feet
• A one-story including mechanical room, 700 square feet

The firm also has another two projects pending approval: a 360-square-foot one-story studio and a one-story, three-bedroom at 1,149 square feet.

LA Más is a nonprofit based in Northeast Los Angeles that designs and builds initiatives promoting neighborhood resilience and elevating the agency of working-class communities of color. Homeowners who are considering their design must commit to renting to Section 8 tenants.

The city has approved two of LA Más' designs: a one-story, one-bedroom, 528 square feet unit and a one-story, two-bedroom, 768 square feet unit. The firm has another design for a one-story studio pending approval. That design would be the first 3D-printed ADU design in the city's program.

Founded in 2004, wHY is based in Los Angeles and New York City. It has taken on a landmark affordable housing and historic renovation initiative in Watts.

Its one-story, one- or two-bedroom 480 to 800-square-foot unit is pending approval.