Building an ADU upstairs
Two-Story and Above-Garage ADUs, Beverly Hills
Building up is how you add a unit without giving up the garage or the garden. Beverly Hills height rules leave room for a real second floor on most Central Area lots, though not in the hills.
Height Limits for a Two-Story ADU in Beverly Hills
The Central Area guide sets the height of a detached ADU by geography. Above Santa Monica Boulevard a detached unit can rise 25 feet. Below the boulevard the limit is 22 feet. Either number clears a two-story building with a modest roof pitch, which is why above-garage units are a practical choice in the Flats and in the southeast and southwest residential districts.
An attached unit gets the state allowance instead, which tops out at two stories and 25 feet unless the zone sets a lower number. In Trousdale Estates, the 14-foot cap on structures means a two-story ADU is not possible. Other hillside lots may allow height on paper but run into slope, setback and view issues that make building up harder than it looks. If a design needs more height than the objective standard permits, the city's Minor Accommodation Permit is available on single-family lots, but it adds discretionary review.
Building an ADU Over an Existing Beverly Hills Garage
Some garages can carry a second story and many cannot. A detached garage from the 1920s or 1930s was built for a roof and nothing more. Its footings are usually shallow, its walls have no shear panels, and its slab may be cracked. Before we draw an upstairs unit, we look at the foundation, measure the walls, and get a structural engineer's view on what would need to change.
Often the answer is to demolish the old garage and rebuild it as a new two-story building, garage below and ADU above. That costs more than a simple conversion, but it delivers covered parking, a full unit upstairs and a structure that meets current seismic and energy codes. When the existing garage is sound, we can reinforce it and add the second floor on top. Either way, the stair matters. An exterior stair takes yard space but keeps the garage clear. An interior stair saves yard but takes a parking bay.
Two-Story ADU Privacy on Flats and Southwest Lots
A second-floor window can see into a neighbor's backyard, and Beverly Hills neighbors notice. On narrower lots south of Wilshire, where houses sit closer together, we aim upstairs windows toward an alley where the block has one, or back toward the owner's own house, use clerestory glass on walls that face neighbors, and turn decks toward the owner's own garden.
In the Flats, deep lots give more distance between buildings, but the rear corner of one lot often meets the rear corners of two or three others. Window placement and a landscape screen on the property line do most of the work. Where a two-story unit faces a neighbor's yard directly, we step the upper floor back from that line.
- Clerestory windows on neighbor-facing walls
- Decks oriented toward the owner's yard
- Exterior stair placed away from side property lines
- Landscape screening at rear corners
Structural and Utility Work for Above-Garage ADUs
A second story adds weight and lateral load, so the foundation is usually upgraded with new continuous footings or grade beams. Shear walls go into the garage level, and steel posts or moment frames may be needed where the garage door opening is wide. These details are where a two-story ADU earns its cost.
Plumbing and power have to climb. Waste lines from an upstairs kitchen and bath run down through the garage wall to the sewer lateral. Water and electrical feeds come in at the garage level. On many older lots in Beverly Hills, adding a second household means upgrading the main electrical service with Southern California Edison.
Above-Garage ADUs Outside the Beverly Hills City Line
In Beverlywood and Beverly Grove, both in the City of Los Angeles, above-garage units go through LADBS and follow LA's hillside or flat-lot height rules depending on the parcel. Beverlywood also has a homes association with its own architectural guidelines, which can shape window placement and rooflines. LA reviews these under its own code.
In West Hollywood, which has its own ADU code, height and second-story rules differ again. We check the specific rule for each parcel during design rather than assuming Beverly Hills standards carry over. Some West Hollywood lots back onto alleys, which can make an upstairs unit over a rear garage easier to reach and to light.
Reasons to Build an ADU Over the Garage in Beverly Hills
Keeps Covered Garage Parking
The garage stays a garage. In neighborhoods where street parking is limited by permit districts, keeping two covered spaces while adding a unit upstairs is the main reason owners choose this type. Tenants upstairs and cars below share one footprint.
Builds the ADU Up Instead of Out
On a lot where the garden or pool already fills the rear yard, building up adds a full unit without touching any of it. The ADU footprint is the garage footprint. Nothing in the garden has to move.
Upstairs ADU Light and Views
A second-floor unit sits above fences and hedges. It gets more daylight, more breeze and in some cases a view across the rooftops toward the hills that a ground-floor unit would never have.
A Separate Upstairs Unit for a Tenant
With its own stair and entry, an upstairs unit feels removed from the main house. That suits a long-term tenant on a lease of 31 days or more, or adult children who want independence.
Above-Garage ADUs: Build and Finish Photos
Above-Garage and Two-Story ADU Across Beverly Hills
FAQs
Two-Story ADU FAQ, Beverly Hills
Can I build an ADU on top of my existing garage?
Sometimes. It depends on whether the garage foundation and walls can carry a second story after reinforcement. Many older Beverly Hills garages cannot, and the better plan is to rebuild the garage as the ground floor of a new two-story building.
How tall can a two-story ADU be in Beverly Hills?
Detached ADUs under the Central Area guide can reach 25 feet north of Santa Monica Boulevard and 22 feet to the south. Attached units are capped by the state at 25 feet, or less where the zone says so. Trousdale Estates caps structures at 14 feet, which rules out a second story.
Will an above-garage ADU need fire sprinklers?
It depends on the project scope, the fire zone and whether the main house has sprinklers. In the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone north of Sunset, fire requirements are stricter. We confirm sprinkler requirements with the city during plan check.
Does a two-story ADU cost more than a single-story one?
Per square foot, usually yes. The foundation, shear walls, stair and structural engineering add cost that a single-story unit avoids. The tradeoff is keeping both the garage and the yard.
ADU consultation
Explore an Upstairs ADU on Your Beverly Hills Lot
Tell us about your garage, its age and how you use it now. Within a day we reply by phone or email, ready to discuss whether your garage can carry a second floor.
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