ADU Construction in Valley Village
Backyard ADUs and garage conversions in Valley Village, planned from level readings of your yard, permitted through the City of Los Angeles and built.
A laser level set up at the back door is the first tool we unpack on a Valley Village ADU visit. We shoot readings across the yard to the rear fence, because any fall the ground has decides whether a new drain can reach the house sewer by gravity and where roof water should go. Those numbers go straight onto the site plan. Plan check at the City of Los Angeles sees those readings too, and the build follows the approved set.
Reading the yard before drawing it
Readings start at the floor line of the main house and step out every few paces toward the back fence. If the yard falls toward the rear, a drain from the new bathroom may sit too low to meet the house lateral by gravity, and a small ejector pump goes on the drawings. Where the yard is flat or climbs toward the back, a gravity line is usually possible. We also open the cleanout, run a camera down the old lateral and let you watch the screen with us, so the pipe's condition is known before any trench is dug. The same readings set how high the new slab stands above finished soil and which way the pad sheds water.
Roof and walls for heat and the odd downpour
Strong sun, dry wind and a rare heavy rain are what an inland backyard building has to answer for. Our roof assembly pairs a light, high reflectance covering with vented soffits and a ridge vent, and the ceiling gets dense batts or blown insulation to the depth the energy forms require. Walls take cement plaster over a 2-layer weather barrier, with formed sill pans and head flashing at each window. Gutters drain into solid pipe that follows the fall we recorded on the first visit. Your written quote keeps the drawing package on its own line, and a pump or a soils report, should the readings call for either, is priced apart.
ADU Construction in Valley Village: questions
Clearances from the side and rear property lines, plus the gap the code keeps between buildings, frame the usable ground. Our level readings narrow the choice from there. A Valley Village yard that sits low at the back may favor a unit closer to the house, where the sewer run stays short, while a shallow lot may suit an attached unit or a garage conversion.
Valley Village sets go to City of Los Angeles plan check, where the reviewer's questions center on the site plan, so our level readings land on it: the new slab height against the house floor, the sewer route and its fall, and each setback line. Our package stops at 500 square feet on a single floor, and we file it, answer corrections and book inspections.
Often, if the slab is sound. A garage floor commonly sits lower than the house floor, so we confirm a new shower drain can still fall to the sewer, sound the concrete for cracks and damp, and measure headroom with insulation allowed for. On a Valley Village conversion we close the old door opening with new studs, a window or an entry, and flashing.
ADU Construction nearby
More we do in Valley Village
Talk to us about your Valley Village project
Ask for a written quote or a call back. If photos would help, we ask for them when we reply.