All posts tagged: ADU

Julie Burton creates glass jewelry, ceramics by hand in her L.A. ADU

Julie Burton creates glass jewelry, ceramics by hand in her L.A. ADU

Published by Sam Flores

Just about every corner of Julie Burton’s Silver Lake studio is filled with sparkling glass jewelry — some real, some symbolic — and whimsical ceramic figures inspired by Midcentury Modern design. Elegant hand-blown glass vases sit beside ceramic crater pots on warm cherry shelves. Bright teardrop earrings hang from metal tins filled with Japanese cooling beads. In the kitchen, hand-carved ceramic birds, whales, elephants and owls look out from the counters, surrounded by lidded cache pots and heavy candlestick holders that feel good in your hand. Nature shows up everywhere in her studio: rocks in glass jars, pieces of driftwood and tiny “forests” she’s made from glass, brass and walnut. “I’m a full-time hallucinator without drugs,” Burton says jokingly about her wide range of work. “If I’m not making something, I’m always looking around and thinking about what to make next.” Glass necklaces by Julie Burton for Verre Modern, starting at $120. (Julie Burton) A metal desk she found on Craigslist anchors the 546-square-foot accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, where she works. Architect Peter Kim …

Tiny ADU houses young adult children struggling to pay rent in L.A.

Tiny ADU houses young adult children struggling to pay rent in L.A.

Published by Sam Flores

When Tina LaMonica and Warren Wellen purchased their South Pasadena Craftsman home in 2001, the one-car garage dated back to 1917, a time when people parked their narrow Ford Model T cars inside garages like this one. “We bought it for $650,000,” LaMonica says of the house. “Of course, we could never afford to buy it now.” The couple moved in when their daughters, Sophie and Ruby Wellen, were little, and their tree-lined street was full of families with young kids who rode their scooters throughout the neighborhood. “We all grew up together and had block parties,” says Sophie, 30. Now, she adds, “There are no new families moving in. No one left. Why would they?” Tina LaMonica and Warren Wellen sit on the patio with their daughter, Sophie Wellen, and their dog, Hazelnut, next to the 230-square-foot ADU where Sophie lived for two years. Her younger sister is now living in the ADU. Music was always a part of their home, Sophie says, thanks to her father, Warren, 65, who is both an attorney …

A retired couple downsize to a tiny modular ADU in L.A.

A retired couple downsize to a tiny modular ADU in L.A.

Published by Sam Flores

Ever wondered how long it would take to build an accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, in your backyard? In the case of Alvaro “Al” and Nenette Alcazar, a retired couple, who downsized from a six-bedroom home in New Orleans to a one-bedroom ADU in Los Angeles, it took just 3½ months. “We went on vacation to the Philippines in November, right as they were getting started on construction,” Al says of the ADU his son Jay Alcazar and his partner Andy Campbell added behind their home in Harbor Gateway. “When we returned in March of this year, the house was ready for us.” The Alcazars were surprised by the rapid completion of their new 570-square-foot modular home by Gardena-based Cover. By the time construction was finished, they hadn’t yet listed their New Orleans home, where they lived for 54 years while raising their two sons. Andy Campbell, seated left, and his partner Jay Alcazar’s home is reflected in the windows of the ADU where Alcazar’s parents Al and Nenette Alcazar, standing, now reside. Jay Alcazar …

How to build an ADU in California

How to build an ADU in California

Published by Sam Flores

p]:text-cms-story-body-color-text clearfix”> One thing you’ll definitely need is a plan that meets the local design and building codes. Los Angeles and many other cities offer preapproved ADU designs on their websites, but few people use them — according to the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, only about 20 applications have been submitted with one of the city’s standardized plans. Builders say the preapproved plans are often costly to build, and every project requires some degree of customizing. “An ADU for the Joneses is not going to work for the Jacksons next door,” Acton said, noting that “every lot is different, setbacks are different, utility hookups are different, motivations are different, financing is different.” Besides, he said, “if you’re going to be spending six figures on something, you’re going to want to make it your own. … How often do you go down and buy a car and say, ‘It just needs to have four wheels’?” Nevertheless, the standardized plans are a good place to start because they give you an idea of what …