Structural Work in Playa Vista, One Step at a Time
Playa Vista wall removals done in a set order: shoring, footings, posts and beam, LADBS inspections, then finishes, so the house stays livable throughout.
Shoring goes up before anything else on a Playa Vista structural job, because a wall cannot come out until the ceiling above it has somewhere else to rest. Temporary stud walls are set a short step back on each side, snug under the joists, and only then does the old wall start to come down. Each later step waits on the one before it, so the house is supported the whole time the family lives in it.
Step by step under the shoring
With the shoring in place, the old wall comes out and the floor is opened where the posts will land. Footing holes are dug to the depth on the drawings, and the inspector sees the excavation and its steel before concrete goes in. Once the concrete has gained strength, the posts are set on their hardware and the beam is lifted into position. Straps tie the beam to the framing it carries, and only after all of that is the shoring taken down.
Inspection, then the finish
LADBS inspects the beam, posts and hardware while everything is still bare. When the plan adds a shear wall, its plywood goes on first and the nailing is inspected for size and spacing before anything covers it. After approval, insulation and drywall go back, the ceiling is textured to match and the floor is patched. On a lot near the ocean, connectors are specified with heavy galvanizing or stainless steel, which keeps the hidden hardware from rusting inside the wall.
Structural Work in Playa Vista: what families ask
That is a question for an engineer with the existing plans or a look inside the walls. The footings, first-floor framing and roof connections are compared with the load a new story would add, along with earthquake forces. If the house falls short, the design adds what it needs. Zoning rules for the lot also limit height, which we check alongside the structure.
It takes a set sequence: shoring, removal, footings, posts and then an engineered beam. A permit from LADBS covers the change, with inspections before the work is covered. In a Playa Vista home the patching at the end ties the ceiling and floor together, so the opened room looks as if it was always built that way.
LADBS does, in stages. Footing holes get a visit before the pour, and shear wall nailing gets one after the plywood is fastened. The frame and its connectors are signed off before insulation. A parcel mapped into the coastal zone might also need its own coastal sign-off ahead of the permit, and we confirm that by address at the start.
Structural Work in other cities
Other projects we take on in Playa Vista
Your Playa Vista project, start to finish
Tell us about the house and the space you need. We reply by phone or email to plan a visit.