Full Home Remodeling in Pasadena
A Pasadena whole-house remodel that opens the ceiling to check rafters before the roof is chosen, with fire hazard zone rules and a JADU option drawn in.
Rafters sized for a lighter roof than the one now planned are the surprise that can rewrite a Pasadena whole-home plan the moment the ceiling comes down. Where a Pasadena parcel falls under a mapped fire hazard designation, a heavier ember-resistant roof surface may be required, so what the attic framing turns out to be decides whether the roof is simply replaced or first strengthened.
What the open ceiling can reveal
Until a ceiling is open, the rafters and ceiling joists are a guess. Pulling a small section of drywall or plaster shows their size, spacing and condition, plus any past cuts for ducts, stair openings or an attic fan. Undersized or cracked members get sistered with new lumber or tied with steel plates, and the engineer decides which. A roof that has been redone before may be carrying extra layers, and the framing has been quietly supporting that weight. Whatever the opening shows goes to the engineer before the roofing order is placed, so the weight is known first.
Fire hazard zones and the roof edge
Inside a mapped fire hazard zone, the reviewer expects an ember-resistant roof covering, vents with fine metal screening and eaves that are closed or protected. Roofing of that kind can weigh more than what it replaces, which is why the framing check comes before the roofing order. The City of Pasadena building department reads the roof details beside the structural notes, so a framing repair drawn early travels through plan check with the rest of the remodel, and the roofing order can then be written against a known load.
Full Home Remodeling in Pasadena: common questions
Yes, if a bedroom or den on an outside wall can be given its own door to the yard. The junior unit stays within the existing house and may take in an attached garage bay. Its floor area tops out at 500 square feet, and an efficiency kitchen is required. In a mapped fire hazard zone, its door and wall finishes follow the ember rules for the main house.
Staying through the work is possible in phases, but it asks for patience. Dust barriers, a temporary kitchen and a single working bath make staying possible while rooms are opened in turn. Weeks with the water shut off, floors being finished or the roof open are the ones to plan a stay elsewhere around, and they are listed before demolition.
A site visit and measuring come first, then drawings of what exists and of the new layout. Structural calculations come from an engineer wherever a wall opens or a roof is reinforced. Pasadena's building department checks the set and the ember rules that reach the lot, and inspectors visit at framing, rough-in and final stages.
Full Home Remodeling in other cities
More we build in Pasadena
Start your full home remodeling in Pasadena
Tell us about the property and the project. We reply with what it involves and how we would price it.