Remodeling, ADUs and New Homes in Los Angeles

Los Angeles is not one housing market but dozens. A Craftsman bungalow, a Valley ranch on a large flat lot, a hillside post-and-beam house and a coastal home on a bluff all sit inside the same city and answer to the same building department, yet each needs a different approach. Mr Build has worked across this range since 1984, from our office in North Hollywood.

This page covers what it takes to build and remodel in the City of Los Angeles and the surrounding county, and points you to our detailed service and neighborhood pages.

Building and remodeling in Los Angeles

A few factors shape most projects here. Lot type comes first: the city treats flat lots and designated hillside lots very differently. Fire risk is next, since large parts of the city's hillsides and canyons are in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, where new exterior construction must meet the state's wildland-urban interface standards. Along the coast, some lots fall in the coastal zone. Then there is the age of the housing stock, which means old wiring, galvanized plumbing and unbolted foundations are routine findings once walls open.

Demand for ADUs is another defining feature. Los Angeles has been one of the busiest places in California for accessory dwelling units, driven by state law, high housing costs and lots with room in back. Many homeowners add one for family, for rental income or to make a large property work harder.

Neighborhoods and housing stock

The city's housing reflects when each area grew:

• Early 20th-century neighborhoods with Craftsman, Spanish Colonial Revival and Tudor homes, some within Historic Preservation Overlay Zones that review exterior changes.
• The San Fernando Valley, including Encino, Sherman Oaks, Studio City and North Hollywood, with postwar ranches on generous lots that suit additions and ADUs.
• The Westside, including Brentwood and Pacific Palisades, with traditional estates on flat streets and hillside homes in canyons.
• Hillside areas across the Santa Monica Mountains and other ranges, with mid-century and contemporary homes on steep lots.
• Condos and townhomes throughout the city, where remodels also need HOA approval.

Our neighborhood pages go into detail: see Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, where the 2025 fire has made rebuilding the main focus, and Encino in the Valley.

Permits and approvals in the City of Los Angeles

Inside city limits, the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) reviews plans, issues building, demolition and grading permits, and performs inspections. LA City Planning handles zoning and discretionary approvals such as variances, adjustments and coastal permits. Other rules often in play:

• Baseline Mansionization Ordinance for house size on flat single-family lots
• Baseline Hillside Ordinance for house size, grading and height in the Hillside Area
• Coastal Development Permits for some projects in the coastal zone
• Protected tree rules for native oaks, sycamores, black walnuts and bay trees
• State ADU law, applied through the city's ADU standards
• Title 24 energy standards for new construction and altered systems

Outside the city, other cities in Los Angeles County run their own building departments, and unincorporated areas are permitted by the county. We confirm which authority applies before design begins. Our article on the ADU permit process in Los Angeles shows how one common project moves through LADBS.

What to check before you start

A little homework before design saves months later. For any Los Angeles property, we look at:

1. The parcel's zoning, hillside status, fire zone and any overlays, which the city publishes through its ZIMAS mapping tool
2. The permit history at LADBS, to confirm that past additions and conversions were permitted
3. The electrical service size, since many older homes cannot support added load without an upgrade
4. The sewer lateral, ideally with a camera inspection, especially under mature trees
5. The foundation, for anchor bolts and bracing on older raised floors
6. Protected trees and site access for equipment

Unpermitted work found at this stage is common and fixable, but it is much easier to handle in the plan than in the middle of construction.

Projects Los Angeles homeowners take on

• Kitchen remodeling: opening closed kitchens, updating electrical for induction and modern appliances, and reworking layouts
• Bathroom remodeling: replacing old tile baths, adding walk-in and curbless showers, and fixing ventilation
• Complete remodeling: whole-home renovations that update layout, systems and finishes together
• ADUs and additions: detached units, garage conversions, JADUs, second stories and primary suites
• Custom homes: new homes on flat, hillside and coastal lots
• Demolition and rebuild: replacing homes that are past saving or were lost to fire

Working with Mr Build in Los Angeles

Mr Build is a design-build general contractor with California license #439166, 130+ homes transformed, 50+ ADUs delivered and a 4.9/5 average client rating. We handle design, architectural plans, engineering, permits and approvals through our in-house team and partners. Every project gets a fixed, detailed written scope, a dedicated project manager and our five-step process: consultation, design and permits, selections, construction and final walkthrough. It starts with a free on-site consultation at your home.