Converting a Palisades Garage Into an ADU

Which Pacific Palisades Garages Convert Well to an ADU

Since the fire leveled most structures north of Sunset, garage conversions here are now largely a story about houses that survived, much of it south of Sunset in places like Huntington Palisades, El Medio Bluffs and the Riviera. Many of those homes date from the 1930s through the 1960s and have a detached two-car garage at the end of a driveway, which is close to an ideal starting shell.

A good candidate has a sound roof structure, walls that are reasonably plumb, and enough interior height to finish a ceiling once insulation is added. Attached garages work too, though the shared wall with the house needs a rated separation. We inspect the framing and slab before design, because a garage that looks fine can hide termite damage, an undersized footing or a sloped floor that needs leveling.

What a Garage-to-ADU Conversion Involves

The garage door opening is framed in and replaced with a wall, windows or a glass door. The slab usually needs a moisture barrier and a raised or leveled floor system, and some older slabs have no real footing under the walls, which means a new perimeter foundation. Walls and ceiling get insulation to current energy code, and windows are sized for light, ventilation and emergency escape from any sleeping room.

Inside, the plan typically fits a kitchen along one wall, a bathroom and either a studio layout or one bedroom. Plumbing is often the largest unknown. If the garage sits below the level of the sewer main, as it can on a downslope lot, the bathroom and kitchen may need a sewage ejector pump.

On the outside, the converted building has to meet fire-zone standards like any other dwelling in the Palisades, so vents, eaves and roofing are brought up to current ember-resistant requirements.

• Garage door opening infilled with wall, windows or a door
• Slab moisture barrier, leveling or new perimeter footing
• Insulation and windows to current energy and egress rules
• Kitchen, bathroom and possibly a sewage ejector pump
• Ember-resistant vents, eaves and roofing

Garage Conversion Rules That Help Palisades Owners

State law treats conversions generously. Space converted from an existing structure is not subject to the size limits that cap new ADUs, so a large garage can become a large unit. An ADU created inside an existing accessory building needs no parking, and the covered spaces you give up do not have to be replaced elsewhere on the lot.

Conversions also have a dedicated by-right slot. Under Government Code 66323, a single-family lot can have one ADU created from existing space in addition to a junior ADU and a newly built backyard unit capped at 800 square feet. That stacking option interests owners on bigger Riviera or Huntington Palisades parcels who want more than one rental or family unit.

Old Garages, Setbacks and LADBS Review in the Palisades

Many older Palisades garages were built close to a side or rear property line, sometimes closer than a new building could be placed today. Converting the existing structure generally lets it keep its footprint, which is one reason conversions can fit where a new cottage could not. If the work expands the building or adds a second story, the added portion has to meet current setbacks.

LADBS reviews a conversion as a change of occupancy from garage to dwelling, so the plans address structure, fire separation, energy and accessibility details. We also check the permit history. A garage that was altered without permits years ago may need those changes legalized or undone before the conversion can be approved.