ADU Construction in Glendale
ADU construction in Glendale with siding and roofing picked for an inland lot, utilities checked with Glendale Water & Power, and an older-house match.
For the walls of a Glendale ADU we can specify lap boards made of fiber cement, because they hold paint under strong sunlight and gusty dry air on an inland lot and give termites nothing to eat. Cut to the same reveal as an older main house's wood siding, the boards read as original from across the yard. We pair them with a cool-rated roof and dual-pane windows, choices that keep the unit comfortable and easier to cool.
Glendale permits and the city utility
Glendale reviews ADU plans through its own building and safety division, and the city also runs Glendale Water & Power, the utility that sets the terms for any new electric service or meter. We prepare the load calculation, the utility request and the permit submittal together, so the city sees one consistent design. An older Glendale house may still have its original panel, and if the ADU pushes it past its rating, the service upgrade is folded into the same permit and shows up as its own line in the written scope.
Keeping the main house intact
Building a unit behind an occupied older house means trenching past old roots, clay sewer pipe and sometimes a raised foundation with vents near grade. We mark the old lines before any digging, protect the foundation vents and keep heavy equipment off an original driveway that may be thin. If the tie-in calls for a new sewer connection at the main house, we replace the fragile section between the cleanout and the junction while it is exposed. The goal is a new unit and an older house that both come through the work sound.
About our ADU Construction serviceEverything we do in Glendale
ADU Construction in Glendale: common questions
Through the panel, the lateral and the water service, checked in that order. Glendale Water & Power decides whether a new meter is possible, so we size the loads first. A video inspection shows whether the sewer line is clay, cast iron or plastic and where it has cracked. If the old water line is galvanized, replacing it out to the street is the sensible move.
Usually it can, provided the structure is worth saving. We look for a level slab, straight walls and a roof that can carry insulation and new drywall. Older garages tend to have single top plates and no anchor bolts, and adding them is routine work. Where the slab is cracked through or the walls lean, a new building on the same footprint may make more sense.
Before any drawing, the main house is photographed and measured: its roof slope, the shape of its rafter tails, the head height of its windows and the width of its casings. Those measurements go straight into the ADU design. Matching paint is the easy part. Matching proportions is what makes a small unit look as if it always stood behind the house.
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Talk to us about your house in Glendale
Send the details and we will set up a walk-through and a written scope.