The Ellery ADU Studio Westchester Guarantee
When we say we stand behind our work, we mean it in writing. Every ADU project in Westchester - whether it’s a garage conversion on West 83rd Street, a new detached unit near LAX, or a junior ADU tucked into a corner of a Playa del Rey-adjacent lot - starts with a single written price under Haven Standard Clause 1 and ends with our 365-Day Done Right Promise. If the finished ADU is not built to the permitted drawings, we make it right. Not eventually. Not after a fight. In writing, before the first shovel hits the dirt, and enforceable for a full year after final inspection. That’s what a guarantee means when your name is on the studio door.
What’s Covered
- Workmanship to the permitted drawings. Our crews build what the city approved, not what seemed faster that morning - and if there’s a discrepancy, we fix it under the 365-Day Done Right Promise.
- Parts and material handling with full documentation. Every delivery, every substitution, every prefab panel from Abodu or Mighty Buildings arrives with a photo record you receive, not a verbal summary of what “should be there.”
- Site cleanup as a line item, not an afterthought. Westchester lots are tight - between the airport noise contour and the narrow alleys off Manchester Avenue, there’s nowhere to hide debris, so we haul it daily.
- Scheduled arrival windows we honor. Our live person answers calls 24/7 because we know a no-show on a foundation pour day costs you rent money on a project already running through a city process that doesn’t pause for your contractor’s scheduling error.
- Honest pricing locked at signing. Under Haven Standard Clause 5 (No Surprises), the scope is locked when you sign; no door-side upsells, no scope creep, no “we found something” that doubles the foundation budget after you’ve already given notice to your tenant.
Our Satisfaction Promise
If something’s not right, here’s what happens. You call (213) 698-7591 - a live person answers, 24/7, no voicemail queue, no callback promise that evaporates into the Westchester afternoon. You describe what you’re seeing: a wall out of plumb, a window rough opening that doesn’t match the permit set, a utility trench that missed the mark for your Dvele unit’s connection specs. We schedule a return visit, usually within 48 hours for active concerns, and we bring the photo record from the original work so we’re comparing your issue to documented evidence, not memory.
If it’s our error, we fix it at our cost. If it’s a design-permit mismatch, our one-contract model means nobody points at the other party - Ellery ADU Studio designed it, Ellery ADU Studio builds it, Ellery ADU Studio fixes it. The 365-Day Done Right Promise covers anything that fails to meet the permitted drawings or the written scope you signed. After resolution, you get updated photos and, if the fix altered the original work, a written addendum to your project record. We’ve handled 900+ ADUs since 2015, and the ones that needed callback attention got it without a dispute process, because the documentation already existed.
Licensed & Insured Backing
A guarantee is only as solid as the entity standing behind it. Ellery ADU Studio Westchester is licensed and insured, with background-checked, uniformed technicians and crews whose license numbers appear on every page of our site - verified, not just claimed. That matters in Westchester specifically because Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) inspectors know which contractors show up with complete permit sets and which ones wing it. Our insurance and bonding mean that if a catastrophic error occurred - a foundation undermined by unexpected soil conditions near the Ballona Creek watershed, a structural issue with a prefab module during crane placement - you’re not pursuing a personal judgment against an individual. You’re dealing with a properly capitalized studio that has completed ADUs in this market since 2015. The Haven Standard requires this baseline because a “lifetime warranty” from an unlicensed operator who disappears in six months is worth the paper it’s printed on, which is nothing.
How the Haven Standard Protects Your Investment
We’ve seen too many Westchester homeowners learn the hard way that “trust me” isn’t a contract term. The Haven Standard is our response - five clauses that govern every project:
- Clause 1 - Written Price Before Any Work Starts. You’ll never see “call for a quote” on our site because those words don’t appear anywhere in our process. We deliver a line-item written price before you commit, period.
- Clause 2 - Documented Photo Record on Every Visit. You receive evidence of what was found and what was done, not a summary of how it felt. On a recent garage conversion near Kentwood Avenue, the photo record showed the existing slab was 4 inches - within range for conversion, but worth noting for the foundation line item. That’s the level of specificity you get.
- Clause 3 - 365-Day Done Right Promise. Active for a full year after final inspection. If it’s not built to the permitted drawings, we make it right - in writing, before the project starts.
- Clause 4 - Free Second Opinion. Already have a written estimate from another ADU contractor in Westchester? Bring it in. We’ll review it against code requirements and market pricing, no charge, no obligation.
- Clause 5 - No Surprises. Scope locked at signing. The price you see is the price you pay, adjusted only by written change order that you initiate and approve.
Prefab and Modular: Same Guarantee, Same Contract
Westchester’s narrow lots and LADBS coastal zone requirements make prefab and modular ADUs increasingly practical. We specify and coordinate systems from Abodu, Cover, Dvele, Mighty Buildings, Boxabl, Plant Prefab, Tuff Shed, and James Hardie - all under the same single contract, same written price, same 365-Day Done Right Promise. The factory warranty on your Mighty Buildings unit is separate and manufacturer-specific; our workmanship guarantee covers how we site it, connect it, and finish it to the approved drawings. One contract means one throat to choke if the interface between module and foundation doesn’t match the stamped plans.
What We Ask of You
A guarantee works both ways. We ask that you review the written scope before signing, raise questions about anything unclear (we’ve had homeowners in the Westchester area surprised that a junior ADU requires a separate electric meter - that’s in the LADBS code, and we’ll flag it early), and communicate concerns during construction rather than after final inspection when possible. The photo record helps here - you see progress in real time, not at a final walkthrough when changes are expensive. If you do wait, the 365-Day Done Right Promise still applies. We’d just rather fix it at the framing stage than after you’ve installed flooring.
Common Questions About Our Guarantee
Does the 365-Day Done Right Promise cover manufacturer defects in prefab materials?
No - factory defects in your Abodu, Cover, or other prefab module are covered by the manufacturer’s warranty. Our promise covers Ellery ADU Studio’s workmanship in siting, connecting, and finishing the unit to the permitted drawings. If a factory defect appears during our work, we document it in the photo record and coordinate the replacement with the manufacturer, but we don’t warrant their product. Call (213) 698-7591 to discuss how this applies to your specific prefab selection.
What if LADBS changes a code requirement mid-project?
City-mandated changes are outside our written scope, but we handle the resubmission and revised drawings as a documented change order with a new written price - never a verbal “it’ll be more.” Under Haven Standard Clause 5, you approve or decline before work proceeds. In Westchester’s LADBS jurisdiction, this is rare but not impossible; we’ve navigated it on three projects since 2015, all with full documentation.
How do I start a claim under the Done Right Promise?
Call (213) 698-7591 - live person, any hour. Describe the issue. We pull your project photo record and permit set, schedule a site visit, and deliver a written assessment within 48 hours. If it’s our responsibility, we fix it and add the resolution to your project file. Estimates for any claim-related work are free.
Is the Free Second Opinion really free if I don’t hire you?
Yes. Bring any written ADU estimate from a licensed competitor in the Westchester area. We’ll review it against current LADBS requirements and typical market pricing for your project type - garage conversion, detached new build, junior ADU, or interior conversion. No obligation, no follow-up pressure. We offer this because informed homeowners make better clients, and better clients get better outcomes.
What documentation do I receive at project closeout?
Your closeout packet includes: the final permit set with LADBS sign-off, the complete photo record from every site visit, your written warranty under the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and a final line-item invoice matching your original written price plus any approved change orders. On a recent new detached ADU near Loyola Boulevard, this packet ran 340 pages - every receipt, every inspection card, every photo. That’s what accountability looks like in writing.
Written by Nadia Ellery, Owner at Ellery ADU Studio Westchester, serving Westchester and surrounding Los Angeles communities since 2015.