Question 1

How restrictive are the hillside standards?

Accepted Answer

Restrictive enough to design around from the start. Grading quantity, height from natural grade and how a building may step down a slope all constrain the envelope. We capture the slope with drone and scan data so the designer is working from measured ground rather than an estimate off an aerial.

Question 2

What does oak protection involve?

Accepted Answer

Protecting the root zone as well as the trunk, which constrains foundations, driveways and trenching well beyond the tree itself. We locate protected trunks, diameters and driplines by measurement so the site plan reflects the real constraint rather than an approximation from an aerial.

Question 3

What do the fire requirements add?

Accepted Answer

Ignition-resistant assemblies throughout: roofing, eaves, vents, siding, glazing, decks, plus defensible space around the structure. In a very high fire hazard severity zone these shape the detailing and the specification across the whole set, so we confirm the designation and detail to it rather than adding it at the end.

Question 4

Does the HOA review it too?

Accepted Answer

In the gated communities, usually yes, and it is entirely separate from the city. HOA architectural review has its own standards, its own calendar and its own submittal requirements, and clearing the city does not clear the HOA. It is worth running them in parallel deliberately rather than in sequence by accident.

Question 5

Where can an ADU go on a hillside lot?

Accepted Answer

Where the slope, the oaks, the fuel modification and the services all permit at once, usually fewer places than the lot appears to offer. We capture the property and show the workable envelopes before a design commits to one.

Drafting and Permit Documents in Calabasas

01How restrictive are the hillside standards?

02What does oak protection involve?

03What do the fire requirements add?

04Does the HOA review it too?

05Where can an ADU go on a hillside lot?