Playa Vista Structural Work for Older Homes
Wondering if a wall can come out of an older Playa Vista house? We answer from the attic and crawl space, with an engineer and an LADBS permit behind it.
Could the wall dividing kitchen from dining room be taken out? In an older Playa Vista house, the answer starts overhead. Where ceiling joists bear on that wall or a post above presses down on it, the wall carries load and a beam has to take over its job. If the joists run past it untouched, removal is simpler, though wiring and ducts hidden inside still need a new route before anything is cut.
Answering it from the attic
We climb in with a flashlight and tape and trace each ceiling joist to its ends. Joists lapped and nailed over the wall, a post standing on its top plate or a roof strut braced against it all mean the wall is bearing. Down in the crawl space, we check whether a footing sits under it or whether it lands on a floor joist alone. Those notes decide whether the beam can sit flush inside the ceiling plane or must hang below it, and they set what the engineer draws.
Permits and the original finishes
Any bearing change in Playa Vista goes through LADBS, with plan review before work and inspection of the beam, posts and connectors before drywall. Should the lot lie inside the coastal zone boundary, work on the outside of the house can carry its own approval. Crown molding, door casings and original hardware near the opening are removed by hand and tagged for return. Damp sea air near the ocean also means the steel connectors we choose carry a corrosion-resistant coating. Wall paint and plaster beside the opening are taped and covered before the first cut.
About our Structural Work serviceEverything we do in Playa Vista
Structural Work in Playa Vista: common questions
Walk the floors first. A bounce in the middle of a room, a sloping hallway or a gap opening between the floor and baseboards can point to sagging joists or a girder that has dropped. Windows that suddenly bind and a chimney leaning away from the wall call for a look from below as well.
Yes to both whenever a load path changes. LADBS reviews the engineer's beam size, post locations and footing details, then inspects each stage. A simple retrofit of bolts and plywood may use the city's standard plan, which skips custom calculations, though it still carries a permit and an inspection before the crawl space is closed.
Mostly. Work under the floor never reaches the walls above. When a beam goes into a ceiling, we cut a clean line along the plaster, shore the joists from both sides and remove only the strip the beam needs. Trim pieces are numbered as they come off so each one returns to its original spot.
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Other work we do in Playa Vista
Talk to us about your house in Playa Vista
Send the details and we will set up a walk-through and a written scope.