Has anyone done a house in those areas? Wondering how easy it was to work with the city and what kind of clients you had as those areas aren't considered first tier neighborhoods ala Silverlake (nicer the parts of it at least), Westside, Weho, etc.
greenlander1
Jul 29, 09 5:33 pm
Also curious as to whether anyone built anything on those hilly areas in Mt Washington. Lots are pretty cheap now but I wonder how much more expensive it is to build on them as opposed to flat land.
A W
Jul 29, 09 5:39 pm
How much are they?
greenlander1
Jul 29, 09 5:41 pm
Seems like a lot are around 100k for a finished lot. But lotta em are pretty damn hilly.
greenlander1
Jul 29, 09 5:43 pm
But there are some for less to like 75k. I dont know the area though so dunno what is a good area within say Highland Park/ mt Washington. Is there such a thing as a higher end district of those areas?
I've been involved in a few mt. Washington projects. Mt. Washington has a specific plan. There are some unique requirements in regards to design and what is / is not allowed.
Also, a down slope site tends to be more cost effective than an up slope site since you don't have to bury the building in the hillside. Just something to keep in mind.
urbanity
Jul 30, 09 4:09 pm
Talk to a local soils engineer regarding subsurface conditions. Soils conditions within hillside areas tend to add quite a bit to the foundation budgets.
R.A. Rudolph
Aug 6, 09 4:27 pm
Done a few in silverlake/atwater/hollywood hills east. City is a lot better than it used to be, but hillside is a nightmare. Depends on width of the street, access etc. - parking can be difficult, sprinklers probably required, some issues with water hydrants, etc. Main problem though is structural requirements, and it does all depend on soil. For some reason all the projects I've worked on seem to have crazy lot things going on (wierd lot ties, issues with neighbors over boundaries), and also horrible soil - sometimes more than 20' deep fill!
We did an addition to our house on a flat lot in atwater and it felt like sneezing in comparison - so easy, no structural corrections, no issues at all. Personally I would not build a new house on a hillside in LA unless you are planning on living there for 20 years or its in a very high end area (not the neighborhoods you mentioned). There's no way you can build for anywhere close to what you can buy for right now. I also wouldn't buy anything with the intention to do an addition on a hillside. We've talked ourselves out of a lot of jobs because of it, and the problem is that you won't know how much construction will cost until you have everything designed, engineered & submitted to the city... might be ok if it's your own house but too risky for a client unless they have a very 'flexible' budget.
robertchuang
Nov 20, 19 10:34 pm
Now mount washington, highland park and silverlake in hillside has become area that is popular for most people. Currently has a project in the top of mount washington. And we are building a hillside project with canyon/small city view in eagle rock right now. Seems to make sense. I wonder what you guys think after 10 years since this comment.
Has anyone done a house in those areas? Wondering how easy it was to work with the city and what kind of clients you had as those areas aren't considered first tier neighborhoods ala Silverlake (nicer the parts of it at least), Westside, Weho, etc.
Also curious as to whether anyone built anything on those hilly areas in Mt Washington. Lots are pretty cheap now but I wonder how much more expensive it is to build on them as opposed to flat land.
How much are they?
Seems like a lot are around 100k for a finished lot. But lotta em are pretty damn hilly.
But there are some for less to like 75k. I dont know the area though so dunno what is a good area within say Highland Park/ mt Washington. Is there such a thing as a higher end district of those areas?
I've been involved in a few mt. Washington projects. Mt. Washington has a specific plan. There are some unique requirements in regards to design and what is / is not allowed.
Mt. Washington Specific Plan
Also, a down slope site tends to be more cost effective than an up slope site since you don't have to bury the building in the hillside. Just something to keep in mind.
Talk to a local soils engineer regarding subsurface conditions. Soils conditions within hillside areas tend to add quite a bit to the foundation budgets.
Done a few in silverlake/atwater/hollywood hills east. City is a lot better than it used to be, but hillside is a nightmare. Depends on width of the street, access etc. - parking can be difficult, sprinklers probably required, some issues with water hydrants, etc. Main problem though is structural requirements, and it does all depend on soil. For some reason all the projects I've worked on seem to have crazy lot things going on (wierd lot ties, issues with neighbors over boundaries), and also horrible soil - sometimes more than 20' deep fill!
We did an addition to our house on a flat lot in atwater and it felt like sneezing in comparison - so easy, no structural corrections, no issues at all. Personally I would not build a new house on a hillside in LA unless you are planning on living there for 20 years or its in a very high end area (not the neighborhoods you mentioned). There's no way you can build for anywhere close to what you can buy for right now. I also wouldn't buy anything with the intention to do an addition on a hillside. We've talked ourselves out of a lot of jobs because of it, and the problem is that you won't know how much construction will cost until you have everything designed, engineered & submitted to the city... might be ok if it's your own house but too risky for a client unless they have a very 'flexible' budget.
Now mount washington, highland park and silverlake in hillside has become area that is popular for most people. Currently has a project in the top of mount washington. And we are building a hillside project with canyon/small city view in eagle rock right now. Seems to make sense. I wonder what you guys think after 10 years since this comment.
-Robert Chuang