Valley Village, Los Angeles County
Additions, Decks and Walls in Valley Village
Second stories, decks and retaining walls in Valley Village, run in one order from lot measurements to LADBS approval to footings and framing.
Valley Village sits among North Hollywood, Studio City, Toluca Lake, Sherman Oaks, Valley Glen and Van Nuys, and every job across that group runs through one sequence. The lot and the house are measured, any rise or drop across the yard is marked, drawings go to LADBS, and footings and framing are ordered after approval. The same steps apply whether the job is a deck, a wall or a second story.
Second stories and the existing frame
Adding a floor over a single-story house puts new weight on walls and footings that were sized for one level. The engineer traces each new load down to the soil, and that tracing shows where a beam, a post or a deeper footing is needed below. Shear walls for seismic forces are laid out on the plans, with hold-downs anchored into concrete. Before design starts we open a ceiling or a closet wall to confirm how the roof and floor are framed, since the drawings depend on what is actually there.
Retaining and drainage on a mixed lot
Where a Valley Village yard steps between levels, a low wall can hold the upper part while a deck or patio uses the flat ground in front. Walls past the permit limit, or with a load on their high side, get engineered footings. Gravel backfill and a perforated drain behind the wall relieve water pressure and send runoff to an approved outlet. For an inland lot exposed to strong sun, new concrete is kept damp while it cures and wood gets a finish meant to hold its color. Patios are pitched away from the house so water drains clear of the sill.
Work we take on in Valley Village
Each service is planned around the lot, sloped or level.
Building in Valley Village?
Send the address and the job, and a builder will arrange a visit to read the lot.