What Irvine Homeowners Say About Ellery ADU Studio Irvine
Reviews matter because an ADU is the biggest home improvement most Irvine homeowners will ever undertake. You’re not buying a product off a shelf; you’re committing to six months of design, permitting, and construction with a team that will be on your property regularly. The homeowners below worked with us through that full cycle, and what they describe - specific numbers, specific neighborhoods, specific outcomes - is what we aim to deliver on every project. No summary of how it felt. Just what happened.
Recent Reviews
“We’d already paid another firm $8,400 for garage conversion drawings when the city sent back a comment letter about our Woodbridge lot’s zero-lot-line setback. That firm wanted another $3,200 to revise. Nadia looked at the letter, pointed out the Z-lot exception we actually qualified for, and had revised drawings submitted in eleven days. Saved the entire revision fee and six weeks of back-and-forth.”
- Marco S., Woodbridge, Irvine
“The written price was $147,000 for a 420-square-foot junior ADU in our Portola Springs garage, and the final invoice was $147,000. Not $152,000. Not ‘we found some things.’ The same number. We got the photo record after every visit - 340 images by the end - and when the inspector flagged a venting detail, Ellery handled it under the original scope. No change order, no argument.”
- Gabriela R., Portola Springs, Irvine
“We were comparing three prefab companies directly - Abodu, Cover, and Dvele - and every one wanted us to manage the site prep and utility tie-ins separately. Ellery bundled the modular unit, foundation, and sewer lateral extension into one contract with one written price. We’re in Northwood Pointe, which has some of the tighter ADU parking waiver rules in Irvine, and they navigated that in the initial submittal instead of learning it at plan check.”
- Oscar S., Northwood Pointe, Irvine
“Our Westpark condo association initially rejected the ADU concept outright. Nadia’s team produced a code analysis showing the JADU was permitted under state law regardless of HOA policy, then worked with the association’s attorney to document the separate utility metering the city would require. The project moved forward. Without that specific Irvine municipal code knowledge, we’d still be arguing with the board.”
- Dana Z., Westpark, Irvine
“I had a written estimate from another builder for $189,000 on a detached ADU in Orchard Hills. Ellery’s free second opinion identified that their foundation line item assumed standard soils, but our geotech showed expansive clay that required a post-tensioned slab. The other builder would have hit us with a $22,000 change order mid-project. Ellery’s quote included the correct foundation from day one, and we came in at $176,000 total.”
- Marco S., Orchard Hills, Irvine
“The 365-Day Done Right Promise sounded like marketing until we needed it. At month eight, a hairline crack appeared in the stucco near the roof-wall intersection on our Turtle Rock garage conversion. Nadia’s crew came out, documented it with photos matching the original construction record, and determined it was a seasonal settling issue within normal range - but they sealed and repainted it anyway, no charge, no debate. The ‘in writing’ part matters. They honored it because it was written.”
- Gabriela R., Turtle Rock, Irvine
Why Customers Trust Us
These reviews aren’t random compliments. They trace back to the same five commitments we’ve operated under since 2015.
Written price before work starts. Every testimonial above references a number that didn’t change. That’s Haven Standard Clause 1. We don’t do “call for a quote” because a written price you can compare is the entire point.
Documented photo record on every visit. Our clients receive evidence of what was found and what was done - 340 images on Gabriela’s project, sequential documentation on Marco’s revision. Not a summary. The actual files.
One contract, no finger-pointing. Design, permitting, and construction under one roof means when Oscar’s modular unit arrived, the same team that specified the Dvele module managed the foundation and utility tie-ins. No designer blaming the builder, no builder blaming the prefab supplier.
Prefabricated and modular fluency. We’re not married to one factory. We specify and coordinate Abodu, Cover, Dvele, Mighty Buildings, Boxabl, Plant Prefab, Tuff Shed, and James Hardie systems - whichever fits the lot, the budget, and the Irvine planning context.
365-Day Done Right Promise. Backed in writing before the project starts. If the finished ADU doesn’t match the permitted drawings, we make it right. Gabriela’s stucco repair wasn’t even a warranty issue - it was normal settling - and we still handled it. That’s the standard.
A live person answers calls 24/7. No voicemail queue, no callback that doesn’t materialize. And if you have a written estimate already in hand, we’ll give you a free second opinion on it.
Call (657) 233-9738 to schedule your free estimate. You’ll get a written price before any work starts, and you’ll know exactly what that price covers.
Written by Nadia Ellery, Owner at Ellery ADU Studio Irvine, serving Irvine since 2015.