The Ellery ADU Studio Pasadena Guarantee
Every ADU we design, permit, and build in Pasadena comes with three things in writing before we touch your property: a fixed price, a clear scope, and our promise to make it right. Since 2015, we’ve delivered 900+ ADU projects - garage conversions, detached units, junior ADUs, and full interior conversions - and every single one started with a written quote that didn’t change and ended with a documented photo record of what was done. That’s not marketing language. It’s the Haven Standard, and it’s how we work.
We’re Nadia Ellery and the team at Ellery ADU Studio Pasadena. We’re independently owned and operated, not a franchise, and we answer our own phones. A live person picks up 24/7 - no voicemail queue, no callback that never comes. When you hire us, you’re dealing directly with the people who sign the drawings, pull the permits, and stand on your slab during inspection. If something’s off, we don’t point at a subcontractor or a separate designer. We fix it. That’s what “we stand behind our work” means in Pasadena: one contract, one written price, one team responsible from first site visit to final sign-off.
What’s Covered
- Workmanship on every phase of design and build. From the initial measured drawings through permit approval, site prep, utility tie-ins, and final inspection, our labor is covered by the 365-Day Done Right Promise. If the finished ADU isn’t built to the permitted drawings, we make it right - in writing, before your project starts, under Haven Standard Clause 5.
- Parts and material specification handled, not handed off. We specify and coordinate prefab and modular systems from Abodu, Cover, Dvele, Mighty Buildings, Boxabl, Plant Prefab, Tuff Shed, and James Hardie within the same single contract. If a factory delivery arrives out of spec or a material doesn’t match what we quoted, we manage the replacement. You don’t chase manufacturers.
- Site condition left as found, or better. Our crews are background-checked and uniformed, and they clean up daily. The photo record we deliver after each visit shows what we found and what we did - not a summary of how it felt. If we trench for utilities or demo a garage slab, we backfill, compact, and restore. No debris piles, no “that’s the homeowner’s job.”
- Permit and inspection timeline accountability. We pull permits and we meet inspectors. If a Pasadena Building & Safety inspector flags a correction, we address it and reschedule. The permit set, approved drawings, and inspection sign-offs are documented and delivered to you. We don’t disappear after rough-in.
- Honest pricing with zero scope creep. Under Haven Standard Clause 1, every project is quoted with a written price before any work begins. The words “call for a quote” do not appear anywhere on our site because they don’t apply to how we work. Your scope is locked at signing. No door-side upsells, no “while we’re here” additions, no change orders unless you request them in writing.
Our Satisfaction Promise
If something isn’t right, here’s exactly what happens. You call (626) 427-9813. A live person answers, 24/7. We schedule a site visit within our standard response window - not “someone will get back to you,” but a confirmed appointment. Our technician or project lead arrives with the original permit set, the written scope, and the photo record from every prior visit. We compare what was built to what was approved. If there’s a deviation, we document it with new photos and give you a written correction plan with a completion date.
The 365-Day Done Right Promise covers the gap between permitted drawings and finished construction. If your garage conversion ADU in Bungalow Heaven has a window placed off the approved elevation, we move it. If your new detached ADU in Linda Vista doesn’t match the roof pitch on the structural plans, we fix it. If a junior ADU interior conversion in Madison Heights has a kitchen vent that doesn’t terminate per code, we correct it and re-inspect. We don’t debate whether the issue is “cosmetic.” We check the permit set, check the photo record, and make it right.
This promise is backed in writing before your project starts, not offered as an afterthought when something goes wrong. It’s Haven Standard Clause 5 - No Surprises - and it’s in every contract we sign.
Licensed & Insured Backing
A written guarantee is only as solid as the company behind it. We’re licensed and insured, and our license number appears on every page of this site - verified, not just claimed. That matters in Pasadena, where ADU permits require structural calculations, Title 24 energy compliance, and sewer capacity verification. An unlicensed operator can disappear mid-project, leaving you with an open permit and no recourse. Our insurance and bonding protect your property during construction. If a crew member is injured on your site or a utility line is damaged during trenching, you’re not liable and you’re not fighting with subcontractors’ insurers.
Licensing also means we understand Pasadena’s specific requirements: the hillside grading ordinances that affect Linda Vista and San Rafael properties, the historic district review for certain Bungalow Heaven blocks, the fire department access rules for detached units on narrow lots. We don’t learn these on your dime. We’ve been navigating them since 2015. The license is the floor. The real backing is 900+ completed projects, every one with a written price, a photo record, and a homeowner who can verify we showed up and finished.
How Our Guarantee Compares
Most ADU “guarantees” we see in Pasadena are verbal assurances or one-year limited warranties that exclude the parts of the project most likely to fail - permitting delays, utility coordination, factory defects on prefab modules. We do it differently. Our guarantee covers the full design-build chain because we control the full chain. We’re not a designer who hands off to a contractor you’ve never met. We’re not a builder who blames the architect for a code violation. One contract means one throat to choke, and that’s ours.
We also offer a Free Second Opinion on any written estimate already in hand. Bring us another contractor’s quote for your garage conversion or detached ADU, and we’ll review it against Pasadena’s actual permit requirements and current construction costs. We’ll tell you if it’s realistic, where the gaps are, and whether the scope matches what the city will approve. No charge, no obligation. It’s a useful check, and we’ve found that homeowners who use it make better decisions.
What We Need From You
Our guarantee works both ways. We need you to review and sign the written scope before work starts. We need access to the property for scheduled inspections. We need timely decisions on finish selections so we don’t hit material lead-time delays. And we need you to call us if something looks off during construction - not after the drywall is up and the fix is ten times harder. The photo record helps here: you’ll see progress in real time, not just at walkthrough.
If you’re comparing ADU contractors in Pasadena, ask each one these questions: Is the price in writing before work starts? Is the scope locked at signing? Who pulls the permits? Who meets the inspector? What happens if the finished build doesn’t match the approved drawings? If you get hesitation, referrals to “our guy at the city,” or a handshake instead of a written promise, that’s information. Call us at (626) 427-9813 and we’ll give you straight answers - or a Free Second Opinion on what you’ve already been quoted.
Written by Nadia Ellery, Owner at Ellery ADU Studio Pasadena, serving Pasadena since 2015.