Culver City, Los Angeles

Dawes Avenue ADU

A self-contained ADU with its own entrance and utility connections — full kitchen, bathroom, and in-unit laundry.

ADU

Scope

Culver City, Los Angeles

Location

Completed

Status

Project Story

Bela Development built this self-contained accessory dwelling unit with its own entrance, its own gas and electrical meters, and a dedicated tankless water heater. Inside, a full kitchen with quartz-look countertops and stainless appliances sits near a bathroom finished in marble-look stone and matte black fixtures, with a stacked washer and dryer tucked into its own closet and a wall-mounted mini-split for climate control. The unit is fully independent from the main house — its own systems, its own entrance, its own everyday living space.

The Goal

The owners wanted a genuinely independent living space on the same lot as the main house — one with its own entrance and utilities, not a garage with a bed in it. That meant a real kitchen, a real bathroom, in-unit laundry, and mechanical systems sized and permitted for full-time living.

The Challenge

Turning an existing structure into a standalone unit means every system has to work independently of the main house. The unit needed its own electrical subpanel and metering, its own gas service to a tankless water heater, and its own sewer connection — routed and inspected via camera before any concrete came up. Fitting a full kitchen, bathroom, and laundry closet into the footprint took careful framing and a completely reworked interior layout, all while keeping the unit's own entrance and street presence clean.

The Solution

Bela Development ran the unit as an independent scope from the main house: a new subpanel and metering, a dedicated tankless water heater and gas line, and a new sewer connection tied in after camera inspection. Inside, the team framed a new interior layout around the kitchen and bathroom, finished the kitchen with quartz-look counters, shaker cabinetry, and stainless appliances, and built out the bathroom with a marble-look vanity, matte black fixtures, and a fully tiled shower with a built-in bench. A stacked washer and dryer went into a dedicated closet, and a wall-mounted mini-split gives the unit its own climate control — independent of the main house in every way that matters.

Final Outcome

The finished unit functions as a genuine standalone home — its own entrance, its own utilities, a full kitchen, a full bathroom, and in-unit laundry, all on the same lot as the main house. It gives the owners real flexibility: extended family, guests, or rental income, without touching the primary residence.

After