Clybourn Remodel, Addition & ADU

Quick facts: Full remodel + 1,303 SF addition + 435 SF detached ADU | 4 bed, 3 bath main house | Toluca Lake | 2018

One of our first projects. A group of developers, on their first flip together, met us on another job site and took a chance on us. The scope was everything at once: remodel the existing 997 SF one-bedroom bungalow, add 1,303 SF including a new second floor, and build a 435 SF detached ADU behind it.

We flipped the plan back to front. Bedrooms and the office moved to the street side so the living room, dining room, and kitchen could flow together and open to the backyard through large sliding glass doors. The new second floor holds the main bedroom, with its own balcony, plus another bedroom. The ADU got the same open-concept treatment: 435 SF that feels far larger than the number because the ceilings are tall, glass runs floor to ceiling, skylights pull light in from above, and no interior walls stop any of it.

This was also our first trip through LA City plan check and every clearance that comes with it. We worked alongside an experienced residential architect on the developer’s team, and the lessons about layouts, window placement, and flow still show up in our projects today.