Question 1

The lots here are tiny. How precise do the drawings need to be?

Accepted Answer

Very. Setbacks, height and buildable area leave almost no slack, so the difference between a measured building and an assumed one is the difference between a design that fits and one that has to be redrawn. We scan the property before anything is laid out.

Question 2

What does a walk street lot involve?

Accepted Answer

No vehicle frontage, so access, staging and how the building presents to the pedestrian street all become design questions rather than construction ones. The entry elevation matters more than it would on a normal street, and the logistics belong in the planning rather than in the site meeting.

Question 3

How is height established on a sloping lot?

Accepted Answer

Against grade, by the method the city's standards set, and on beach-area lots the method matters more than the number. We capture the existing grades with the scanner so the design is not working from an estimate, and coordinate with a surveyor where the project needs surveyed levels.

Question 4

How is height measured?

Accepted Answer

Against grade, with the specific method set by the city's standards, and on sloping beach-area lots the method matters more than the number. Getting the existing grades measured properly is what keeps a design from losing a storey at plan check.

Question 5

Can you document the existing house before we design?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and we would recommend it here. The older stock has usually been added to repeatedly, and on a small lot every square foot of existing building counts against what you can add. A measured record is what makes the early answer reliable.

Drafting and Permit Documents in Hermosa Beach

01The lots here are tiny. How precise do the drawings need to be?

02What does a walk street lot involve?

03How is height established on a sloping lot?

04How is height measured?

05Can you document the existing house before we design?