Step-Free ADU Construction in North Hills
Step-free ADUs and garage conversions for North Hills yards, with a level entry and a curbless shower, taken through City of Los Angeles plan check.
"Can we walk in without a single step?" When an owner asks that on our first visit to a North Hills lot, the answer starts at the ground. Siding and framing have to stay up out of the soil, so a level entry needs a concrete landing that falls away from the door and a drain to catch the water. We check the yard for that before drawing, then take the unit through City of Los Angeles plan check and build it.
A unit you can enter and use without steps
At the door, the threshold sits barely above the landing, and a slot drain runs across the concrete where roof water would otherwise gather. Gutters above that door carry rain to a downspout piped away from the slab. Inside, the same thinking runs through the plan: wide doorways, a shower with no curb and a floor that slopes gently to its drain, solid blocking in the bathroom walls so grab bars can go up later, and lever handles on every door. Switches sit at an easy reach. Most of these choices cost little floor area, so they suit a compact footprint.
Review, inspections and the quote
Plan check for a North Hills unit happens at the City of Los Angeles, where a reviewer reads setbacks, height, the spacing from the main house and the routes for sewer, water and power. For a door set near grade, the drawings also have to show how water drains clear of it. We file the set, reply to every correction and call for each inspection from footings to final. Before pricing, we probe the soil and show you what we found. Your written quote lists the drawings on one line, and city charges and any special engineering the lot needs appear as their own items.
ADU Construction in North Hills: questions
We work it out on paper from a survey. The setbacks along the sides and rear come off first, followed by the distance code requires between two buildings on one lot, and what open ground remains is the buildable area. A deep yard may take a detached cottage on one level, which keeps a step-free plan simple. A shallow one may lead toward attaching the unit or reusing the garage.
Grading at the door has to be shown for a step-free North Hills unit, and the site plan does that with spot levels around the landing. The floor plan then records door widths and the curbless shower. Both sheets belong to our set for a one-level unit that stays at or under 500 square feet.
A garage floor tends to sit near driveway height and slope toward the door, so a level entry can be within reach once that slope is fixed. We test the concrete for cracks and moisture, open a section of wall to look at the bottom plate and studs, and measure headroom. If the shell holds up, we frame the old car opening with a window beside a wide, level door.
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Talk to us about your North Hills project
Ask for a written quote or a call back. If photos would help, we ask for them when we reply.