Mar Vista Remodel + ADU

Quick facts: Full remodel + 695 SF addition + new 432 SF detached ADU | House 2,280 SF, ADU 432 SF | Mar Vista, Los Angeles | Mid-Century Modern

An investor working the Westside brought us this one in summer 2019: an outdated 1,585 SF three-bedroom she wanted transformed into a Mid-Century Modern home for a young family, with a detached ADU that could work as a home office or playroom.

We reorganized the whole plan. Bedrooms moved to the front so the living spaces could take over the back of the house, where large sliding doors, vaulted ceilings, skylights, and a wall of windows blur the line between the kitchen and the backyard. The house finished at 2,280 SF, but the back half feels bigger than the number because almost nothing stands between you and the yard; in SoCal weather, that’s square footage you use all year. The old garage came down, and a 432 SF one-bedroom ADU took its place, connected to the main house’s flow for the family we designed it around.

One hard lesson worth sharing: the property had no survey. When the city inspector required one during construction, we learned the fence line sat on the neighbor’s land. Fixing it meant a supplemental permit through plan check in the middle of COVID, with construction stopped and our client carrying a hard money loan the entire wait. We tell every client the same thing now: if you’re adding on to your house, get a property survey first.