Skip to content
DECOMA Industries custom residential work on the Palos Verdes Peninsula

Residential

Palos Verdes Estates ADU contractor.

Looking for an ADU contractor in Palos Verdes Estates? DECOMA designs for the Art Jury and PVE plan check at the same time — garage-conversion, junior, and detached ADUs.

Why palos verdes estates adu

Palos Verdes Estates ADU contractor — two reviews, one team

If you're searching for an ADU contractor in Palos Verdes Estates, the thing to understand first is that PVE is the only city we work in where every visible exterior change — a detached ADU included — runs through a city-wide Art Jury in addition to plan check. DECOMA designs, permits, and builds accessory dwelling units across Lunada Bay, Malaga Cove, Valmonte, and Montemalaga with one licensed team that treats both reviews as one project.

The two-track review, and how we run it

Track one is plan check at the Building Department — 340 Palos Verdes Drive West, (310) 378-0383, Monday–Thursday 7:30am–5:30pm — with a published window of 8 to 14 weeks and no expedited option. Track two is Art Jury review of all visible exterior changes: a $650 fee and 4 to 8 added weeks depending on meeting cadence and revisions. We submit both tracks in parallel where we can, and we design to the Jury's Mediterranean and Spanish architectural compatibility expectations from the first sketch. The projects that blow their schedules here are the ones that design first and discover the Art Jury second.

State ADU law helps you — but less than the articles say

State law (Gov. Code 65852.2) sets a real floor: a detached ADU up to 800 square feet is generally allowed regardless of lot coverage limits, garage conversions reuse space you already have, and a junior ADU up to 500 square feet fits within the home. What state law does not do is exempt a PVE project from the Art Jury, from a geotechnical report in a landslide overlay, or from Chapter 7A wildland-urban-interface assemblies on the lower peninsula. Our field notes on what the Art Jury adds to ADU permits and the realistic PVE ADU timeline walk through both in detail.

How much does an ADU cost in Palos Verdes Estates?

It depends on what you build — a garage conversion, a detached new-build ADU, and a junior ADU are different projects — plus the PVE-specific scope: Art Jury design standards, possible geotech, and fire-zone assemblies where they apply. On typical 12,000-square-foot PVE lots the constraint is rarely room; it is the overlays. We don't quote a figure before we've walked the lot. On the free consult you get an honest range, and we design backward from it.

Types of ADUs we build

  • Garage conversion — the quiet PVE favorite: reusing the existing structure gives the Art Jury less new exterior to weigh, and it's frequently parking-exempt.
  • Junior ADU (JADU) — up to 500 sq ft within the existing home.
  • Detached ADU — designed to the zone's height limit (generally 16–22 feet to top of structure) and the Jury's architectural character.
  • Attached ADU — added onto the house where massing and sight lines favor it.

Why DECOMA for your PVE ADU

Palos Verdes Estates is where our Peninsula portfolio lives: the ground-up Valmonte Home and a complete backyard overhaul are both PVE projects, and the South Shores Home sits just over the line in Rolling Hills Estates. Because the people who draw your ADU are the people who build it, the Art Jury track, the plan-check track, and the build answer to one contract and one CSLB Class A/B license (#375508). The same team serves the rest of Palos Verdes Estates — see also our custom home page — and the whole Peninsula.

Start with a free consultation — and bring your ideas about character and materials, because in PVE the design conversation and the permit conversation are the same conversation.

How we run it

Scope to sign-off.

  1. 01

    Free ADU feasibility & lot walk

    PVE feasibility is about the overlays: which zone's height limit applies (generally 16–22 feet to top of structure), whether a landslide overlay triggers geotech, whether the lower-peninsula fire zone requires Chapter 7A construction, and how the neighbors' sight lines constrain placement. We answer all of it on the lot walk, free.

  2. 02

    Design, plans & the two-track review

    PVE runs two reviews: plan check at the Building Department (published window 8–14 weeks, no expedited option) and Art Jury review of all visible exterior changes (adds 4–8 weeks). We submit both tracks in parallel where we can, and we design to the Art Jury's Mediterranean/Spanish compatibility expectations from the first sketch instead of reworking after a rejection.

  3. 03

    Build & certificate of occupancy

    Foundation, frame, MEP, and finishes self-performed under our Class A/B license, with WUI-rated assemblies where the fire-hazard zone requires them. Typically 5–9 months on site, ending in final inspection and certificate of occupancy.

Why DECOMA

One license, three disciplines, forty years.

Family-run South Bay general contractor since 1978. We design, build, and manage — under one license — so the team you start with is the team that hands you keys and the team that answers the phone when something needs fixing in year ten.

Years building
48+
Projects delivered
3,000+
Repeat clients
300+
CSLB Class
A/B

FAQ

Common questions.

Does a detached ADU in Palos Verdes Estates really need Art Jury approval?
Yes. PVE's city-wide Art Jury reviews all visible exterior changes, and a detached ADU is one. State ADU law (Gov. Code 65852.2) sets a floor on what the city can require, but it does not exempt you from the Art Jury, from geotech in a landslide overlay, or from Chapter 7A fire-rated assemblies on the lower peninsula. Owners who assume state law shortcuts the local process lose a season finding out.
How long do PVE ADU permits take?
Plan check at the Building Department runs a published 8 to 14 weeks with no expedited option, and Art Jury review adds 4 to 8 weeks depending on meeting cadence and revisions. The lever we control is running the two tracks in parallel and designing to the Art Jury's expectations up front — that's the difference between the low end and the high end of those ranges.
What does the Art Jury cost and look for?
The review fee is $650, and the Jury looks for architectural compatibility — Mediterranean and Spanish character — plus how the structure reads from the street and against neighbors' sight lines under the city's view-preservation rules. We design to that from sketch one; resubmittals are where PVE schedules go to die.
How much does an ADU cost in Palos Verdes Estates?
It depends on the type — garage conversion, detached new-build, or junior ADU — plus the PVE-specific scope: Art Jury design standards, possible geotech, and fire-zone assemblies where they apply. We don't quote a figure before we've walked the lot. On the free consult you get an honest range and a design that works backward from your budget.
Where is the PVE Building Department?
340 Palos Verdes Drive West, (310) 378-0383, open Monday through Thursday 7:30am–5:30pm. We file there, run the corrections cycle, and coordinate the Art Jury track alongside it so you have one point of accountability instead of two counters to chase.
Do you do garage-conversion ADUs and junior ADUs (JADUs) in PVE?
Yes — and in PVE a garage conversion has a quiet advantage: reusing the existing structure means less new exterior for the Art Jury to weigh. Junior ADUs of up to 500 square feet fit within the home. We also design and build detached ADUs to the Jury's standards where the lot supports one.

Service areas

Palos verdes estates adu across the South Bay.

Born in Harbor City, working across LA County since 1978. Same crew, same license number, same shop at 25941 Frampton Ave, Harbor City.

Continue exploring

More from palos verdes estates.

All of palos verdes estates

Talk to a contractor

Tell us about your project.

One business day for a scope, timeline, and budget range. CSLB #375508 A/B.

Request consultation(310) 418-0258