Whole-Home Remodeling in Los Angeles, CA
Every room, system, and permit on one plan. Older LA houses remodeled from the crawlspace up, by one team.
- Structure, wiring, and pipe checked first
- Budget set during design, not after
- LADBS permits pulled for you
- Phased so you can stay home
CSLB Lic. [#000000] | Bonded & Insured | Written Workmanship Warranty
Book a Free Consultation
We walk the house, the attic, and the crawlspace, then talk through scope and phasing. No charge, no obligation.
Form fields: Full name, Email, Phone, Project address, Scope (Whole-home remodel, Design-build project, Open concept / wall removal, Custom home or rebuild, Attic or basement conversion, Not sure yet), Preferred date, Tell us about your house and plans. Submit button: Book My Free Visit (red #E12228).
Free Whole-House Walk-Through
We check the panel, the pipes, the attic, and the foundation before we talk layout. Book a slot.
One Plan, One Contract
Design and permits, engineering, and the build under one contract. See how it works.
Whole-House Remodels Built Around How You Live
Serving: Sherman Oaks, Encino, Highland Park, Eagle Rock, Pasadena, Hancock Park, and Brentwood.
Los Angeles Home Remodelers handles whole-home remodeling in Los Angeles for houses that no longer fit the people in them. You get one team for the floor plan, the structure, the systems, and the finishes, so the kitchen and bathrooms, the wiring, and the permits all move on one schedule.
A whole house remodel starts behind the walls, not in a tile showroom. We look at what’s holding the house up and what’s running through it before anyone draws a new layout.
Older LA houses carry their age in the same places: knob-and-tube wiring in a 1920s attic, galvanized pipe under a 1950s slab, and an unbolted sill plate on a raised foundation. We price those fixes into the plan from day one.
- Attic and crawlspace checked
- Budget built during design
- Engineered beams and posts
- Panel, pipe, and HVAC upgrades
- Phased schedule in writing
- Warranty terms in writing [confirm]
Certified Service
CSLB Lic. [#000000]
Four Ways We Remodel an Entire LA Home
Most whole-house projects use one or more of these. Each page covers how the work runs in an LA house, what it takes to permit, and what to ask before you sign.
Not sure where to start?
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Design-Build Remodeling
One contract for design, engineering, permits, and construction, with a budget set early.
SEE THE SERVICE →
Open-Concept Remodels & Wall Removal
Take out walls safely, with an engineered beam, posts, and footings where the load lands.
SEE THE SERVICE →
Custom Home Building
Knock down and rebuild, or build new on your lot, within LA zoning and hillside rules.
SEE THE SERVICE →
Basement & Attic Conversions
Turn an attic or crawlspace into a legal bedroom, office, or suite with headroom and egress.
SEE THE SERVICE →
Choosing a Home Remodeling Contractor in Los Angeles
Check the CSLB license first, then ask who designs, who engineers, and who builds. If the answer is three different companies, ask who owns the problem when the drawings and the site don’t match.
Compare what each bid covers, not just the total. A thin bid often leaves out the beam, the panel, or the plan check fees, then adds them back as change orders. Your contract lists every line below.
- Walk-through and feasibility check
- Structural engineering and beams
- Full repipe and new drain lines
- HVAC and ductwork replacement
- Insulation, windows, and Title 24
- LADBS permits and inspections
- Floor plan and layout design
- Electrical panel and rewiring
- Foundation bolting and bracing
- Kitchen and bathrooms rebuilt
- Flooring, doors, trim, and paint
- Lead-safe work in pre-1978 homes
What Working With Us Looks Like
One project manager
Your project manager runs design, permits, and the build, and answers your calls. You never referee a designer and a contractor over whose fault a problem is.
Written scope, written changes
Every room and system is a line item. Any change gets priced and signed before a crew touches it, so your final invoice matches the paper you already agreed to.
A livable house, every evening
Dust walls, floor protection, and a locked site at the end of each day. If you're living in the house, we phase the work so you always have a kitchen or a bathroom.
Five Ways to Remodel a Whole House in LA
Most whole-house projects mix these five pieces. Pick the ones your house needs, and we’ll tell you which order keeps the budget intact and the inspections passing.
Design-Build
One contract covers design, engineering, permits, and construction. You get a construction budget while the drawings are still drafts, so the plan you love is one you can afford to build. See Design-Build Remodeling.
Open Concept
Walls between the kitchen, dining, and living rooms come out, and an engineered beam carries what they held. We check joist direction before we promise a thing. See Open-Concept Remodels & Wall Removal.
Custom Home
Sometimes the old house costs more to save than to replace. We knock down and build new within your lot's zoning limits. See Custom Home Building.
Attic or Basement
A steep attic or a deep crawlspace can become a bedroom, an office, or a suite without growing the footprint. Headroom, stairs, and an egress window decide if it works. See Basement & Attic Conversions.
Systems Overhaul
A new electrical panel, a full repipe, foundation bolting, and new HVAC. Open walls are the cheapest time to replace what's behind them, so we fold this into every whole-house plan.
Whole-Home Styles That Fit LA Architecture
Let the house pick the style. A remodel that respects the original architecture reads as finished and protects resale value; one that fights it reads as flipped.
Craftsman Restoration
Built-ins, wood trim, and a front porch kept or rebuilt, with an open kitchen hidden behind the old footprint. It fits the bungalows of Highland Park and Pasadena.
Spanish Revival
Arched openings, plaster walls, and clay tile kept where they’re sound. New wiring and plumbing go in quietly, so the house looks original and works like new.
Mid-Century Modern
Post-and-beam lines, walls of glass, and flat or low roofs. We keep the beams exposed and route new ducts where they won’t show. It suits the Encino and Studio City hills.
California Contemporary
White oak, plaster finishes, big sliders, and indoor-outdoor flow. It’s the common choice when a Valley ranch gets opened up and pushed out to the yard.
Modern Farmhouse
Board-and-batten, a gable roof, and black window frames. It works on wider Valley lots and on rebuilds where the old house had no style to save.
Remodel, Restructure, Add On, or Rebuild in LA?
The scope level sets the permit path, the schedule, and whether you can stay home. Find the row that matches your house, then read the card below it.
Scope level
What changes
Watch out for
Stay home?
Cosmetic refresh
Finishes, fixtures, paint, floors
Old wiring and pipe stay hidden
Usually, yes
Systems + layout
Panel, repipe, HVAC, room moves
Plaster and lath in older homes
In phases, often
Structural remodel
Walls out, beams and posts in
Engineering and plan check time
Rarely during beam work
Add up or down
Attic, second story, basement
Zoning limits on floor area
Sometimes, by phase
Knock down & rebuild
Everything, from the foundation up
Longest permit path
No, plan to move
Keep the footprint
Remodeling inside the walls you have skips zoning review for new floor area and keeps the permit simpler. Most Craftsman and ranch houses have room to rework before they need more.
Add square footage
Go up into the attic, out into the yard, or down into the crawlspace. LA City Planning’s floor-area limits for your lot decide how much you can add [verify via ZIMAS].
Stay in the house
A phased remodel keeps one bathroom and a working kitchen open while crews move room to room. It stretches the schedule but saves months of rent.
When rebuilding wins
If the foundation, the framing, and every system need replacing, you may be paying to save a shell. At that point, a rebuild is worth pricing side by side. See Custom Home Building.
What Your LA Home Era Means for a Whole-House Remodel
The year your house was built sets the first half of the scope. Here’s what a whole-house plan usually has to fix, era by era.
1910s–30s
Craftsman & Spanish
Expect knob-and-tube wiring, galvanized supply lines, plaster over lath, and a raised foundation that may not be bolted. Replace the wiring and pipe while the walls are open, and bolt the sill before new finishes go on.
1940s–60s
Post-War Ranch
Low attics, an undersized panel, and cast-iron drains under a slab. The walled-off kitchen is the usual open-concept target, and the slab makes any plumbing move a saw-cut job.
1950s–70s
Mid-Century & Hillside
Post-and-beam framing leaves little room to hide ducts or new wiring. Hillside lots add access limits and grading rules, so staging and deliveries get their own line in the plan.
1980s–90s
Stucco Tract Homes
The wiring and pipe are often fine, so the money goes to the floor plan, the kitchen and bathrooms, and the windows. Old HVAC and leaky ducts are the usual systems fix.
Any era
Tear-Down Candidates
A cracked foundation, a sagging frame, and failing systems all at once usually point to a rebuild. We price both paths before you commit to either one.
Whole-House Remodel Permits in Los Angeles
Almost every whole-house remodel needs LADBS permits, because it touches structure, wiring, plumbing, or HVAC. Bigger scopes go through plan check before work starts. We file, answer corrections, and book every inspection.
Permit needed in most cases
- Removing or moving a load-bearing wall
- Upgrading the panel or LADWP service
- Repiping supply or drain lines
- Replacing a furnace, AC, or ductwork
- Adding floor area or a habitable attic
Often no permit needed
- Paint, patching, and trim
- Flooring over a sound subfloor
- Swapping fixtures in the same spot
- Interior doors and hardware
- Window coverings and built-in shelves
Structural work goes to plan check
LADBS reviews engineered drawings for beams, posts, footings, and new floor area before a permit issues. Plan check for a whole-house remodel often runs [6–12] weeks, so we start it while you pick finishes.
New systems meet Title 24
California’s Title 24 energy code applies to the systems you replace. New HVAC can trigger duct testing, and new lighting has to meet efficiency rules [verify current cycle].
LA City Planning caps added size
If you add floor area, the lot’s zoning sets the ceiling. The Baseline Mansionization and Hillside rules, R1 Variation Zones, and HPOZ districts can all limit what you build [verify for your address].
Why Homeowners Pick Us Over the Lowest Bid
The lowest whole-house bid in Los Angeles usually leaves out the beam, the panel, or the permit. We price the real scope during design, so your change-order column stays close to empty.
- Line-item scope, including structure and systems
- One project manager answers your calls start to finish
- Materials get ordered only after you sign off on the plan
- Phased work, so you can stay in the house when it makes sense
- Payments tied to milestones, never to a calendar
- A written workmanship warranty you can hold us to
- Crews who work on our jobs only, not day labor
Licensed & Insured
CSLB Lic. [#000000]
Free On-Site Estimates
Measured, not guessed
Written Warranty
On our workmanship
Local LA Crews
No day labor on site
How a Whole-House Remodel Runs in Los Angeles
A whole-house remodel runs in six phases. Structure and systems come before anything you can see, so the finishes go on once and stay on.
Phase 01
Walk-through & scope
We walk every room, the attic, and the crawlspace, then map what has to change and what can stay. You leave with a scope, not a sales pitch.
Phase 02
Design & budget
We draw the new floor plan and price it as we go. Your construction budget gets set in [4–8] weeks, before the drawings are final.
Phase 03
Engineering & permits
The engineer sizes beams and footings, and we file with LADBS. Plan check runs about [6–12] weeks while materials get ordered.
Phase 04
Demo & structure
Walls open, rot gets photographed and priced, and beams, posts, and bolting go in. A framing inspection closes the phase.
Phase 05
Systems rough-in
New wiring, the electrical panel, the repipe, and HVAC ducts go in while the walls are bare. Each trade passes its rough inspection before insulation.
Phase 06
Finishes & final
Drywall, flooring, the kitchen and bathrooms, then paint. After final inspection, we walk the punch list with you, room by room.
Get Your LA House Scoped Before You Draw Plans
One visit tells you what’s holding the house up, which systems are due, and whether remodeling or rebuilding makes more sense. You don’t pay for it, and you don’t sign anything.
- Walls, attic, and crawlspace checked on site
- Remodel vs. rebuild talked through
- No obligation and no pushy follow-up calls
or send the form and we’ll call you back.
Book a Free Consultation
We walk the house, the attic, and the crawlspace, then talk through scope and phasing. No charge, no obligation.
Form fields: Full name, Email, Phone, Project address, Scope (Whole-home remodel, Design-build project, Open concept / wall removal, Custom home or rebuild, Attic or basement conversion, Not sure yet), Preferred date, Tell us about your house and plans. Submit button: Book My Free Visit (red #E12228).
Whole-Home Remodeling Across Los Angeles County
We remodel whole houses from Woodland Hills to Pasadena, in Valley ranches, hillside homes, and Westside Craftsmans. Mar Vista or not listed? Call and ask.
- Sherman Oaks
- Studio City
- Encino
- Tarzana
- Woodland Hills
- Valley Village
- Van Nuys
- North Hollywood
- Toluca Lake
- Burbank
- Glendale
- Pasadena
- South Pasadena
- Altadena
- La Cañada Flintridge
- Eagle Rock
- Highland Park
- Mount Washington
- Silver Lake
- Los Feliz
- Echo Park
- Atwater Village
- Hancock Park
- Windsor Square
- Larchmont
- Mid-Wilshire
- Miracle Mile
- West Hollywood
- Beverly Hills
- Beverlywood
- Cheviot Hills
- Brentwood
- Pacific Palisades
Whole-Home Remodeling FAQs for LA
Click a question to see the answer. The first one is open to start.
How long does a whole-home remodel take in Los Angeles?
Most whole-house remodels run about [6–12] months from the first walk-through to final inspection. Design and plan check take about [3–5] months of that, and construction the rest. Structural work, added floor area, and hillside lots push the schedule longer.
Can I live in the house during a whole-house remodel?
Often, yes, if the work is phased. We keep one bathroom and a working kitchen open, wall off dust, and move crews room to room. Beam work, a full repipe, and floor refinishing usually mean a few [1–3] week stretches away.
Is it cheaper to remodel or rebuild in LA?
Remodeling usually costs less when the foundation and framing are sound. Rebuilding starts to make sense when the foundation, the frame, and every system all need replacing. We price both paths side by side so you’re comparing real scopes, not guesses.
Do I need permits for a whole-house remodel in Los Angeles?
Yes, in nearly every case. LADBS permits cover structural changes, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC, and bigger scopes go through plan check first. Unpermitted work can surface when you sell or file an insurance claim. We pull the permits and book every inspection.
What does design-build mean on a whole-house project?
Design-build means one company designs and builds under one contract. Your budget gets checked against the drawings while they’re still drafts, so you don’t pay for plans you can’t afford to build. See our Design-Build Remodeling page for the full process.
Which walls can come out for an open floor plan?
Most interior walls can come out. A load-bearing wall needs an engineered beam and posts down to footings, and walls with plumbing or ducts need rerouting. We check the attic and joists before promising anything. See Open-Concept Remodels & Wall Removal.
How do you phase a whole-house remodel?
Structure first, systems second, finishes last. That order means nobody tears out new tile to fix old pipe. If the budget needs splitting, do the structure and systems now and the finishes in a second phase, with permits planned for both.
What systems should I replace while the walls are open?
Replace knob-and-tube wiring, galvanized pipe, and an undersized electrical panel while the walls are open. Old ductwork and cast-iron drains usually belong on that list too. Doing them later means cutting into finished walls, and some insurers balk at old wiring [verify with your carrier].
Should I bolt my foundation during a remodel?
If your house sits on a raised foundation and was built before modern bolting rules, yes. Foundation bolting and cripple wall bracing tie the frame to the concrete. It’s a small scope inside a whole-house plan, and it protects everything you’re about to spend on finishes.
What's in your whole-home remodel estimate?
Every line of scope: design, engineering, permits, demo, structure, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, insulation, finishes, and cleanup, plus the payment schedule. Allowances for items you haven’t picked yet are marked clearly. If a line isn’t on the estimate, it isn’t in the price.
Other Remodels We Handle in LA
Kitchen Remodeling
Cabinets, countertops, islands, and permits under one contract.
Bathroom Remodeling
Walk-in showers, tub conversions, vanities, and accessible baths.
ADU Builders
Detached ADUs, garage conversions, and JADUs, designed and built.
Whole-House Planning Guides for LA
BOOKING WALK-THROUGHS FOR [MONTH] AND [MONTH]
Get Your Whole House Planned in One Visit
A whole-house plan with the structure and systems handled first is one you can budget, phase, and live with for decades. Los Angeles Home Remodelers designs, permits, and builds it under one contract. Book your free walk-through today.
- Free walk-throughs, Mon–Sat
- CSLB Lic. [#000000], bonded and insured
- Written workmanship warranty
Mon–Sat, 8am–6pm
Book a Free Consultation
We walk the house, the attic, and the crawlspace, then talk through scope and phasing. No charge, no obligation.
Form fields: Full name, Email, Phone, Project address, Scope (Whole-home remodel, Design-build project, Open concept / wall removal, Custom home or rebuild, Attic or basement conversion, Not sure yet), Preferred date, Tell us about your house and plans. Submit button: Book My Free Visit (red #E12228).