ADU Construction in Whittier
Whittier ADUs placed from the electrical panel out, with feeder and sewer trenches routed so they never undercut a new or existing footing.
We start a Whittier ADU layout at the house's electrical panel. Its rating and spare breaker space show whether the unit can feed from it or the service needs an upgrade, and its spot on the wall sets where the feeder trench leaves the house. That trench has to clear the new footings and the old ones, so the unit's position on the lot shifts to keep the run short and both foundations undisturbed.
Feeder, trench and footing
Power for a detached unit travels underground in conduit from the main panel to a subpanel inside the ADU. The trench cannot undercut a footing, since digging beside and under a foundation removes the soil that supports it. We keep the trench outside a line sloping down and away from each footing's base, or the engineer adds protection. Gas, if the unit uses any, follows its own trench, and a water line may share one with power where code allows the separation. At the unit, the conduit rises through a sleeve beside the slab edge, so the footing pour is not interrupted.
Plan check for a Whittier ADU
Electrical load figures, the subpanel size and the feeder route are drawn into the Whittier submittal beside the structural sheets with shear walls and footings. A soils report sets the footing design whenever the lot slopes or the ground is in doubt. For an inland lot we specify a reflective roof and enough roof insulation to handle hard sun. We submit, respond to each plan check comment and schedule inspections, starting with the footing trench and the conduit before any concrete is placed.
About our adu construction serviceEverything we do in Whittier
ADU Construction in Whittier: questions
A footing of concrete, either a slab with a thickened edge for firm ground or stem walls carrying a raised floor where the soil is weak or a utility line must pass under. Hold-downs and anchor bolts set in that concrete tie the walls down, at the spacing in the engineer's design.
In many cases, yes, as long as the slab edge has adequate depth and the concrete is sound. The new bedroom walls need bolts into that edge and shear panels. If the edge fails our check, short footing runs are added under the shear walls, and the panel is checked for the new circuits at the same time.
Single-story ADUs at 500 square feet or under are what it covers, and a second story or a larger plan is priced once we have looked at the lot. In Whittier we take particular care with the site plan, because the feeder and sewer routes on it fix where the unit can go.
ADU Construction in other cities
More we build in Whittier
Book an inspection in Whittier
Describe the house and what it needs. We look at the structure first and send the quote in writing.