The Pacific Palisades Courtyard
The Brief
The homeowners had lived in their 1948 Pacific Palisades bungalow for twelve years. Their planning horizon had shifted — aging parents on one coast, a daughter heading into college, and the growing realization that their detached garage, used for storage and one rarely-moved sedan, occupied the most privileged piece of the lot: a southwest corner with afternoon sun and a view clear to the ridge.
They came to WDC with three overlapping questions: Could the garage become a real living space? Could the yard become a room? And could both happen without the house feeling like a remodel project for the next year of their lives?
The Approach
The design response treated the garage, the house, and the yard as a single composition rather than three separate projects. WDC served as design-build lead, with architectural authorship in-house and a collaborating landscape designer for the courtyard planting and hardscape.
- ADU conversion. The original 440 sq ft detached garage was expanded by 300 sq ft to the north — a move that stayed within Los Angeles ADU by-right zoning — and completely rebuilt above the slab. The new studio contains a full kitchenette, a three-quarter bath, a sleeping alcove with built-in storage, and a 10-foot sliding door to the courtyard.
- Courtyard as connective tissue. Between the main house, the ADU, and the rear ipe fence, we laid a DG-and-limestone courtyard anchored by an outdoor wood-burning fireplace, a compact built-in kitchen with a plaster-wrapped grill enclosure, and a steel-framed pergola planted with Lady Banks rose. The courtyard is lit by concealed linear fixtures under the bench seating — no visible poles.
- Main house continuity. We made only the interventions the new composition required: a reconfigured rear door with a matching Fleetwood slider, an exterior plaster refresh to tie house and ADU into one material reading, and a repaired section of original clay tile roof.
- Planting. Low-water California natives — ceanothus, manzanita, and native meadow grass — selected to read as intentional rather than as a compromise. The existing coastal live oak in the northeast corner was preserved; the courtyard was drawn around it.
The Result
The homeowners now describe the rear of their property as “the part of the house we actually live in.” The ADU is in regular use as a guest suite and periodically as a rental — a flexibility the city’s ADU framework made possible. Energy performance of the new studio is approximately 45% better than the original garage it replaced, and the full project was delivered without the main house being vacated.
The larger design result: a lot that had read as house-plus-garage-plus-yard now reads as a single quiet composition. The ADU is legible as its own structure while sharing a family resemblance with the main house.
“ADUs in Los Angeles are often built as what they technically are — an accessory unit. We treat them as what they can be, which is the most privileged room on the lot. In Pacific Palisades, that distinction matters. The yard, the light, the privacy from the street — those are real design assets. The ADU here earned them.”
— Jacob Ruiz, Design Principal, WDC
Project Credits
| Design-Build | WDC |
|---|---|
| Design Principal | Jacob Ruiz |
| Landscape Design | Collaborator — confidential |
| Photography | Editorial shoot scheduled Q2 2026 |
Key Specifications
| ADU Area | 740 sq ft (440 existing + 300 addition) |
|---|---|
| Zoning Path | Los Angeles by-right ADU ordinance; no variance required |
| Courtyard Hardscape | Decomposed granite with honed limestone inset pavers, plaster-wrapped fireplace, steel pergola, built-in plaster grill surround |
| Planting | California native palette — ceanothus, manzanita, meadow grass; existing coastal live oak preserved |
| Mechanical | Ductless mini-split (ADU), dedicated tankless water heater, solar-ready conduit stub |
| Permits | LADBS ADU permit + landscape permit; no coastal review required at this parcel |
Thinking about an ADU or outdoor living build?
WDC designs and builds ADUs, garage conversions, and rear-yard reorganizations across Los Angeles. Every project begins with a Discovery conversation — no estimate, no obligation.
All WDC project details anonymized at client request. Specifications available under NDA for qualifying inquiries.