Openings, decks and shade in Hawthorne, Los Angeles County
Hawthorne Houses Opened to the Yard
Palmcrest Contractors starts a Hawthorne door or deck job by measuring the step from floor to yard, then checks the wall, sizes a header and files plans.
At a Hawthorne house, the first measurement Palmcrest takes is the drop from the finished floor inside to the yard outside. That figure decides whether a new door can step straight onto a patio, needs a short landing, or calls for a low deck. Next comes the wall itself: what sits above it, what runs through it, and how wide an opening the framing could support.
Floor height and the step outside
A small drop lets a patio meet the sill almost level, so the room and the yard share one floor line. A larger drop calls for a low deck framed to the door height, with joists on concrete footings and a landing sized for the door swing. Where the yard sits close to the slab, the ground is graded away first so water cannot pool against the wall. On an urban lot with neighbors close by, a solid panel or a planter along the deck edge can add privacy and still let light through.
Inside the wall and the permit
Above the wall, the attic shows whether joists or rafters bear on it. Inside the cavity, a stud finder and a small inspection hole reveal wiring, gas lines or drain vents that would have to move. With that known, an engineer sizes the header, and the drawings go to the City of Hawthorne building department for plan review. Inspections follow at the footing, the framing and the finished opening. For an inland lot under hard sun, low emissivity glass and a shade cover over the doors keep the room cooler through the afternoon.
What we build in Hawthorne
Every service below is available here, from a wider opening at the back of the house to a full remodel.
Open up your house in Hawthorne
Tell us which wall, room or yard you have in mind, and we will arrange a measure.