Room Additions in West Hollywood, Water Routed Away
West Hollywood room additions with roof water routed off a tight side yard, flashed tie-ins and sill pans, and an attached ADU weighed beside them.
Where a West Hollywood lot leaves little side yard, roof water from a new addition cannot simply spill at the property line, so we plan where each downspout ends before the roof is drawn. Gutters lead to outlets that carry water to the street through a curb drain, or into a planter or dry well where the soil allows. At the wall, flashing and a weather-resistive barrier keep water out of the seam with the old house.
Choosing between the two in West Hollywood
The city's building and safety division handles both permits, but the zoning questions differ. A room addition is held to the single-family limits on setbacks, height and the floor area allowed on the lot. An attached ADU follows state ADU law, needs its own kitchen, bath and entrance, and is separated from the house by a fire-rated assembly. If the goal is rental income or a home for a relative, the ADU fits. If it is more room for you, the addition does.
Water at the tie-in and the footing
The seam between old and new is where leaks start. We lap a weather barrier from the new wall onto the old, add a self-adhered membrane at the roof valley, and use step and kickout flashing where the new roof meets a wall. Underground, the new foundation gets a damp-proofing coat and the soil outside slopes away from it. Every window and door goes in over a sloped sill pan. Before drywall, a water test on the openings shows any weak spot.
Room Additions in West Hollywood: common questions
Decide by use. An addition enlarges the home you live in and leans on its existing kitchen and systems. An attached ADU gives someone a separate home with their own door, and it may be rented. On a West Hollywood lot the ADU rules can allow more room than the addition rules, or the reverse, so we check both against the parcel.
West Hollywood requires its own permit to build a room addition, with the trade work listed on it. Planning staff confirm the zoning numbers, and if the property is in a historic district or holds a designated structure, a preservation review is added. We prepare the plans and calculations, file the set and respond to plan check until the permit issues.
Provided the foundation and walls take the added load and zoning permits the height, yes. A structural engineer's review may call for new footings or shear walls. On a West Hollywood house we also plan drainage for the upper roof, so its water reaches the ground without spilling across the lower roof edge.
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