ADU Construction in South Pasadena, Sink Wall First
South Pasadena ADUs planned from the sink wall out, with a dishwasher, plate storage and trash pull-out in reach and setbacks measured before the footprint.
Dinner plates for 6 have to be washed, dried and put away within a couple of steps in a South Pasadena ADU, so the sink wall is the part of the unit we draw ahead of everything else. A dishwasher sits on one side of the sink, the plate cabinet and a drying rack on the other, and a trash pull-out goes under the counter right beside it. With that wall set, the range, refrigerator and remaining rooms take their places.
Light and air over the sink
A window above the sink gives whoever is washing up a view of the yard and lets steam escape when the dishwasher opens. We size that window alongside the energy calculations, with low-e glass so a small room stays comfortable when the window faces afternoon sun. An inside wall holds the range, letting its hood duct out through a short run. Across the room, a wall-mounted ductless head keeps the kitchen comfortable without blowing across the cooktop flame or the pans, and its line set runs to an outdoor unit beside the cottage.
Placing the footprint on the lot
Side and rear lot lines can come within 4 feet of a detached unit under state ADU law, and the city's plan reviewer checks the site plan against that and against the gap left between the unit and the main house. We measure both on site before settling a footprint. Facing the plumbing wall toward the house sewer line keeps the drain short, and a shorter drain has an easier time holding its slope. Where the yard is shallow, a unit attached to the house can work, with a rated shared wall and its own outside door.
ADU Construction in South Pasadena: questions to settle first
Room for a sink, range, refrigerator and dishwasher fits in a straight run or an L inside most detached footprints, and a peninsula with stools can face the living area when the width allows. Each piece goes onto the floor plan at its real size, so the walkways around it are settled before framing.
Expect the South Pasadena reviewer to spend the most time on the site plan, where setbacks and the gap to the house are dimensioned, and on the energy calculations that cover the windows and the heat pump. Remaining sheets, the filing and each correction are handled by our office.
A buried drain carries waste to the house sewer line or to the public sewer, chosen by depth and fall after a camera check. Water comes through a valved branch off the house supply. Electricity reaches a subpanel in the unit from the main panel when a load calculation allows, or from a separate meter.
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More work we plan in South Pasadena
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Describe the space and the change you want. We reply with what the first visit covers.