Home Building and Remodeling in Encino

Encino is one of the San Fernando Valley's most established neighborhoods, and building here has its own rhythm. Lots are generous, homes are mostly single-family, and much of the housing stock dates from the 1950s and 60s. Owners tend to stay a long time, so they remodel, add on and sometimes start over rather than move. Mr Build Co. has worked as a licensed design-build general contractor since 1984 (California license #439166), and Encino is one of the neighborhoods we serve from our North Hollywood office.

This page covers what to expect when you build or remodel in Encino: the areas and the houses, the permits, and the projects homeowners here take on most.

The lay of the land in Encino

Ventura Boulevard runs east to west through the neighborhood and divides it into two very different building environments.

The flats

North of Ventura Boulevard, toward the 101 Freeway and beyond it toward the Sepulveda Basin, the streets are mostly level. Lots here are large by Los Angeles standards, many with deep backyards, pools and detached garages. That space is why Encino works so well for ground-floor additions and detached ADUs.

The hills

South of Ventura Boulevard, streets climb into the Santa Monica Mountains toward Mulholland Drive. Hillside lots offer views and privacy but add grading, retaining walls, soils and geology reports and fire-zone construction requirements. Narrow, winding streets make deliveries and staging harder.

Climate

Valley summers are hot, often much hotter than the Westside or the coast. Shade, insulation, good windows and correctly sized cooling are central to every Encino project.

Encino's housing stock

Most Encino homes fall into a few groups, each with its own remodeling patterns:

• 1950s and 60s ranch homes: single-story, low-pitched roofs, closed kitchens, small primary baths, slab or raised foundations, and original plumbing and electrical in many cases.
• Later two-story homes: built or rebuilt from the 1970s onward, often with dated kitchens and bathrooms and aging systems.
• Hillside homes: varied ages and styles, frequently with multiple levels, decks and complex structure.
• New construction: teardown-rebuilds of older homes, increasingly common across the neighborhood.

Encino also came through the 1994 Northridge earthquake, and some homes still show signs of past repairs. Raised-foundation houses without anchor bolts or cripple wall bracing benefit from a seismic retrofit.

Permits and approvals in Encino

Because Encino is part of the City of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety issues permits and runs inspections, and LA City Planning sets the zoning rules. A few rules come up again and again:

• Floor area: the Baseline Mansionization Ordinance on flat lots and the Baseline Hillside Ordinance on hillside lots cap how much you can build.
• Protected trees: native oaks and certain other species need Urban Forestry permits for removal or work near their roots.
• Fire zones: many hillside parcels sit in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone with ignition-resistant construction and brush clearance rules.
• ADUs: state ADU law applies, and LADBS offers a Standard Plan Program of pre-reviewed designs.

Simple electrical and plumbing work can often use an express permit, while structural changes, additions and new homes go through plan check. ZIMAS, the city's online zoning map, is the best place to check your parcel's zone and overlays.

Projects Encino homeowners take on

Here is how the work usually breaks down, with links to our detailed pages for each service in Encino.

Kitchens and bathrooms

Opening a closed ranch-house kitchen to the family room and the backyard is the most requested change. Our page on kitchen remodeling in Encino covers beams, slab plumbing and Valley heat. For original 1960s bathrooms, curbless showers and pool baths, see bathroom remodeling in Encino.

More space

Large lots make additions practical. Our room addition contractor page for Encino compares rear additions, second stories and bump-outs. For a separate unit, from a detached cottage to a garage conversion or JADU, see our ADU builder page for Encino.

Whole-house work

When the whole house needs updating, from systems and windows to layout and finishes, our whole-home remodeling in Encino page explains how those projects are planned. For projects that combine structural changes, seismic retrofits and multiple trades, our general contractor services in Encino cover how we coordinate the work and the permits.

Starting over

For worn-out homes, rebuilding can give a better result than remodeling. Our demolition and rebuild page for Encino walks through the decision, asbestos surveys and utility disconnects, and our custom home builder page for Encino covers designing a new home on flat and hillside lots.

Working with Mr Build in Encino

Every project starts with a free on-site consultation, followed by design and permits, selections, construction and a final walkthrough. We handle design, architectural plans, engineering and permits in-house through our partners, price the work as a fixed, detailed written scope and assign a dedicated project manager. Call 888-792-8453 to schedule a visit.