West Hills ADU Construction, Measured From the Lot Lines
West Hills ADUs sized from measured setbacks and building separation, with the kitchen placed for daylight and short runs, and LADBS plan check.
Distances to the rear and side lot lines, taken from the back wall of the house, are the first numbers we record on a West Hills lot, read with a tape and checked against the parcel map. They show how much room the state's ADU setbacks leave, how wide the unit can be and which wall of the kitchen can face open yard.
Setbacks and the space between buildings
State law lets a detached ADU sit as close as 4 feet to the side and rear lot lines, and that is the starting point for the footprint. We also measure the gap to the main house, because a short gap brings fire-rated wall and opening limits for the facing walls. Trees, a pool, sheds and any easement on the title get located on the same sketch, since a recorded easement can rule out a spot that looks open on the ground. With those in place we can test a studio, a one-bedroom or a two-bedroom shape against the open area.
Where the kitchen lands on the footprint
The kitchen goes on the wall that gets daylight and sits near the utility route back to the house, which keeps drains and circuits short. A window over the sink faces the open part of the yard where privacy allows. Bedrooms take the quieter side away from the main house, and a sliding door from the living area can open onto the same stretch of yard as the sink window. LADBS reviews the setbacks and building separation for West Hills, a City of Los Angeles community, and the measurements we took become the dimensions on the drawings.
ADU Construction in West Hills: questions to settle first
In a studio, one straight run covers the sink, cooking and cold storage, and a one-bedroom layout can bend into an L with a dishwasher. Lot width often sets the unit's shape, so we draw the West Hills kitchen once the setbacks are measured and the footprint is fixed.
For West Hills, LADBS works from the site plan, which carries our measured setbacks and building separation, and from the wall sections wherever a wall sits close enough to a line to need a fire rating. We prepare the full package, file it and write back on each correction.
Drain lines connect to the house lateral if a camera inspection finds the depth and condition to accept them, and otherwise run to the street main. The unit draws water through a branch with its own shutoff. Power comes in a buried conduit from the house panel or from a separate meter.
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More work we plan in West Hills
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