New Construction in Valley Village
Valley Village houses priced after we dig beside boundary block walls, with LADBS plan check ahead of demolition and any ADU placed clear of the wall.
Hollow block walls along a Valley Village property line can stand on a footing far too small for their height, and nothing above ground shows it. A hand-dug pit beside the wall tells us. A shallow or cracked footing changes where the new house's foundation can go, whether the wall needs bracing during excavation and whether a backyard ADU can sit close to it. We dig that pit before pricing.
What the pit can show
If the wall rides on a thin strip of concrete, digging new footings beside it can undermine it, so the new trench may need to step back or the wall may need temporary shoring. A wall shared with a neighbor cannot be removed or rebuilt without their agreement, which adds a step to the schedule. Rebar that has rusted inside the block cells shows up as stained cracks, and that finding can mean the wall is replaced as part of the job. Each outcome is a separate line in the written quote.
Order with LADBS
Plans for Valley Village go to LADBS, since the neighborhood is inside the City of Los Angeles. Plan check of the new house runs before demolition, or alongside the demolition permit, so the lot is not cleared before the new design is approved. Wall findings appear on the site plan with any shoring or replacement shown, and an ADU in the same set is drawn with its distance to the wall marked. Gas, power and water are shut off and the sewer line is plugged at the property before the old house comes down, and excavation follows once the building permit is issued.
New Construction in Valley Village: common questions
Where Valley Village zoning permits a second unit, yes. Placing it on the first site plan settles its distance from walls and lot lines, lets it share the utility trench with the house and keeps the backyard layout from being redrawn after approval.
Probing any boundary wall happens with the survey and the soils report, ahead of design and engineering. LADBS plan check of the new house runs while the old house still stands, with the demolition permit pulled alongside. After approval the utilities are cut, the old house comes down, and excavation for footings begins.
City of Los Angeles zoning sets height, setbacks and floor area for the lot. The house itself answers to state building, energy and green building codes, the grading plan meets stormwater requirements, and an ADU must also meet state law and the city's ADU rules.
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