ADU Construction in Chatsworth
ADUs in Chatsworth built with ember-resistant details where a lot is mapped for fire, and planned so the older main house is touched as little as possible.
How much of our old house does this project have to touch? That question deserves a straight answer on a Chatsworth walk-through, and in most cases the answer is very little. The ADU connects to the main house at the panel, the water line and the sewer, and each connection is a short, planned opening. The original siding, windows and roof stay as built, even on a lot where the new unit must meet fire hazard zone rules.
Where the unit meets the main house
Power usually leaves the main panel or a new meter beside it, so that work stays on an outside wall. The water branch is cut in where the supply enters the house, often below it or near a hose bib. The sewer joins the lateral outside the foundation through a new wye fitting. Inside the older house, the most a typical tie-in asks is a panel swap and a patched opening in plaster, and we cover nearby floors and trim before that wall is opened.
Fire rules that stay with the new building
Parts of Chatsworth fall in mapped fire hazard severity zones. On such a lot the ADU gets a Class A roof covering, vents screened against embers, ignition-resistant walls and dual-pane windows with a tempered pane. Those requirements attach to the new construction, so the older house keeps its materials unless other work on it triggers a change. We also keep the space between the two buildings clear of stacked wood and dry planting, which helps both of them, and we end any wood fence near the unit with a metal gate or a masonry post.
About our ADU Construction serviceEverything we do in Chatsworth
ADU Construction in Chatsworth: common questions
From outside wherever we can. The panel rating and the unit's planned loads decide whether LADWP sets a second meter or the main service grows. A camera run through the sewer looks for cracks and roots, and gas is sized for both buildings or left off with an all-electric design, which removes a connection and a meter from the plan.
Many can. A converted garage still has to meet dwelling standards, and on a mapped lot it may need ember-resistant vents, a rated roof covering and new exterior cladding as well. We check the slab, framing and roof first, and if too much would be replaced, building new on the same footprint can make more sense.
Rated materials come in shapes that suit an older house. Fiber cement is made in lap and shingle patterns, a Class A shingle can match the color of the main roof, and window frames can follow the original proportions. We set the unit's pitch and eaves from the main house so the outline matches before the surfaces do.
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Other work we do in Chatsworth
Talk to us about your house in Chatsworth
Send the details and we will set up a walk-through and a written scope.