ADU Builder in Marquez Knolls, Pacific Palisades

Hillside ADU Design in Marquez Knolls

Streets in the Knolls climb and wind, and most lots tilt one way or the other. On an upslope lot the house usually sits above the street with the garage at the curb. On a downslope lot the house sits at street level and the yard drops away toward the view. Each shape suggests a different kind of unit.

Downslope lots often have space under or beside the house where the grade falls, which can become a lower-level ADU with its own entrance from the side yard. Upslope lots tend to favor a unit over or beside the street-level garage. A detached cottage in the back yard works where there is a usable pad, but cutting a new pad into the hillside brings grading, retaining walls and engineering.

• Lower-level ADU under a downslope house
• Unit above a street-level garage on upslope lots
• Backyard cottage where a flat pad exists
• Soils report on almost every Knolls lot

Marquez Knolls ADUs After the 2025 Fire

The fire hit Marquez Knolls hard. Marquez Elementary was destroyed, and much of the neighborhood is in some stage of rebuilding. For owners starting over, the ADU can be designed with the replacement house from the beginning, and the City lets it be built first and leaves its area out of the house's floor area total.

Rebuilding on a hillside lot also creates a chance to rethink the site. A new foundation for the main house and a lower-level ADU can be engineered together. Utility lines can be run once. It is also when the most fire-resistant details can be built in, from noncombustible decks on the view side to enclosed eaves and ember-resistant vents.

ADU Permits for Marquez Knolls Hillside Lots

LADBS issues ADU permits in the Knolls, as part of the City of Los Angeles. Hillside lots draw additional review. Soils and geology reports go through the City's grading review, grading above small amounts needs its own permit, and height is measured in a way that accounts for the slope. On steep or narrow streets, the Fire Department may also look at access and hydrant distance.

For rebuild projects, the City's Palisades Inspections and Permitting Support Center sits right on Marquez Avenue. It brings LADBS, Planning, the Fire Department, the Bureau of Engineering and LADWP under one roof, which helps when a house and an ADU are both under review.

Ocean Views and Privacy in a Knolls ADU

Views are part of what makes the Knolls desirable, and an ADU can share in them. A lower-level unit on a downslope lot can open onto a deck facing the ocean. An upper unit above a garage can catch the horizon over the rooftops below.

At the same time, hillside neighbors look down on each other. We place windows, decks and roof lines to protect privacy for the main house, the ADU and the homes nearby. Where an HOA or deed restriction addresses views, we review it before design.