This Los Angeles ADU Builder Says It Can Add a Home to Your Backyard in Nine Months

Welcome to Prefab Profiles, an ongoing series of interviews with people transforming how we build houses. From prefab tiny houses and modular cabin kits to entire homes ready to ship, their projects represent some of the best ideas in the industry. Do you know a prefab brand that should be on our radar? Get in touch!

In Los Angeles, discussions around accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, can be more common than the weather—after all, everyone knows what to expect from the climate here. One company turning all that talk into action is Cover, a prefab builder making clean-lined units that property owners can add to their empty backyards.

"The founders, Alexis and Jemuel, met in architecture school and saw a clear problem: Traditional homebuilding was costly, time consuming, and unpredictable," says Alden Kramer, a business development specialist at the brand. "At Cover, we’re reimagining the entire homebuilding process from the ground up. We’re using software to streamline the design, engineering, and permitting process, and we’re building homes on a production line more like how cars are made."

Cover’s prefabs are built using a panelized system, which allows the company to complete a build in nine months or less, permits and drawings included, they say. "Think of it as life-size Lego blocks that form the floors, walls, windows, and roofs of a home," Kramer says. "These panels arrive from our factory waterproofed, insulated, structurally sound, and pre-equipped for plumbing and electrical connections. The home can be assembled on-site in about a month, without the need for a crane, and with the precision and quality that’s normally only found in ultra-high-end construction."

Here, Cover shares what to expect when hiring them for a backyard build in Los Angeles.

What’s the most exciting project you’ve realized to date?

One of our favorite projects is a backyard home we built in Brentwood to bring a family closer together. Amid the pandemic, Claudia Buchanan and her family sought a living arrangement that would provide both togetherness and independence for her mother, Alice. Opting for our prefabricated accessory dwelling unit, the family was drawn to our emphasis on flexible, speedy, and sustainable design.

Their Cover backyard home features two bedrooms and one bathroom alongside an open kitchen, living, and dining area. There are expansive windows that connect to a deck where Alice and her family enjoy their coffee together each morning. While the ADU provides privacy, the family still enjoys close interactions, making the most of their new living space.