Meet the Simi Valley Team Behind Ellery ADU Studio Simi Valley
We’re the crew that shows up in Simi Valley, Moorpark, and Thousand Oaks when an ADU project needs to move from idea to permitted, built reality. What ties us together isn’t a motivational poster. It’s the Haven Standard: written price before work starts, documented photo record on every visit, and a 365-Day Done Right Promise backed in writing. Nadia Ellery built this studio in 2015 around the idea that design and construction should sit under one contract so neither side can blame the other. The people below are the ones who make that actually happen on your property.
Our People
Nadia Ellery, Owner & Principal Designer
I started Ellery ADU Studio in 2015 after watching too many Simi Valley homeowners get stuck between an architect who wouldn’t talk to the builder and a builder who wouldn’t read the drawings. Before that, I spent eight years in residential permitting and plan check, first in Ventura County and then at the City of Simi Valley counter. I know what the plan checker is actually looking for when they flag a parking calculation or ask for a soils report on a hillside lot near Santa Susana Pass. I still do the initial site measure on most projects because I’ve seen too many conversions go sideways when someone assumed the garage slab was 4 inches and it turned out to be 2.5. My dry sense of humor shows up most at permit counter, where the gap between what they expect and what contractors usually submit is basically a comedy routine at this point. I sign every written scope under Haven Standard Clause 1, and I answer the phone when the live person transfers you through.
Marcus T., Lead Technician & Site Supervisor
Marcus runs the crew that handles ADU site prep and utility rough-ins across Simi Valley and the surrounding Ventura County corridor. He’s been in the field for fourteen years, starting as a laborer on foundation digs in the Santa Clarita Valley before moving into lead roles on accessory dwelling units specifically. His specialty is reading existing conditions, especially the older ranch-style homes common in neighborhoods like Wood Ranch and Big Sky, where the original sewer lateral or electrical service was never sized for a second dwelling. Marcus holds a C-36 Plumbing license and a C-10 Electrical certification, which means he can spot when a “simple” garage conversion is going to need a 200-amp service upgrade before the framing even starts. Off the clock, he restores vintage motorcycles and applies the same tolerance-for-no-surprises philosophy to both jobs.
Elena R., Senior Installer & Finish Carpenter
Elena handles the interior conversion work and finish details on our Junior ADU and garage conversion projects. She came up through the carpenters’ union in Los Angeles, spent six years on high-end residential remodels in the San Fernando Valley, and joined us in 2019 because she wanted to work on projects where the design drawings and the built reality were actually the same thing. Her particular skill is matching existing finishes, the kind of work that matters when you’re converting part of a 1970s Simi Valley tract home and the homeowner doesn’t want the new drywall to scream “addition.” She’s certified in EPA RRP lead-safe practices, which comes up more than you’d think on pre-1978 homes in the older neighborhoods near downtown Simi Valley. She keeps a notebook of paint formulas and trim profiles from every job, which she’s happy to show you if you ask.
Derek K., Service Coordinator & Permit Runner
Derek is the person who makes sure your project doesn’t sit in permit review for three weeks because someone forgot to check a box on the fire sprinkler worksheet. He joined us in 2021 after five years as a permit expediter in Ventura County, and he knows the specific reviewers at Simi Valley Building & Safety by name, including which ones want structural calcs submitted as separate PDFs and which ones prefer them bundled. He coordinates our documented photo record system, uploading and tagging images from every site visit so clients can see what was found and what was done, not a summary of how it felt. Derek also manages our Free Second Opinion program, the one where you bring us a written estimate from another contractor and we tell you what’s actually in scope and what might be missing. He grew up in Moorpark, still lives there, and can tell you which Simi Valley neighborhoods have HOA restrictions that predate the state ADU laws.
Jin W., Apprentice Installer
Jin is in the second year of our apprenticeship program, rotating through site prep, framing, utility rough-in, and finish work. He came to us with a background in architectural drafting from Moorpark College, which means he can read a plan set and catch discrepancies before they become expensive field changes. Right now he’s specializing in prefab and modular coordination, learning the specific installation requirements for Abodu, Cover, Dvele, Mighty Buildings, Boxabl, Plant Prefab, Tuff Shed, and James Hardie systems. That matters because specifying and coordinating these brands under one contract is a core part of what we do, and each system has its own foundation specs, crane access needs, and utility connection points. Jin asks more questions than anyone on the crew, which is exactly what we want in someone who’ll be running his own sites in a few years. He commutes from Thousand Oaks and has developed strong opinions about the 23 freeway.
One Standard, Every Job
The Haven Standard applies to every person on this page, on every project we touch in Simi Valley. Clause 1 means the written price is locked before any work starts. Clause 5 means the scope doesn’t creep once we begin. The 365-Day Done Right Promise means if the finished ADU isn’t built to the permitted drawings, we make it right, in writing, before the project starts. The documented photo record means you receive evidence of what was found and what was done, not a narrative about how it felt. These aren’t marketing phrases. They’re the operating system we use to keep a design-build studio running across five service categories without the designer and builder pointing at each other when something is off. When you call (820) 444-6584, a live person answers, and that person can connect you directly to any of us.
Written by Nadia Ellery, Owner at Ellery ADU Studio Simi Valley, serving Simi Valley since 2015.