By California Construction & Remodeling Experts | February 2026 Three Cities, Three Sets of Rules, One Very Confused Homeowner If you own property in the greater Los Angeles area and you're thinking about building an Accessory Dwelling Unit, you've probably already Googled "ADU rules California" and found pages of state-level information. State law says you can build up to 1,200 square feet. State law says the city must approve your permit within 60 days. State law says no ow

By California Construction & Remodeling Experts | February 2026 The Code Nobody Explains Until It's Too Late Here's a scene we see far too often. A homeowner in Los Angeles hires a contractor to remodel their kitchen. The design is finalized. The permit application is submitted. Then the city's plan checker sends back a correction notice with three words that derail the entire budget: "Title 24 compliance required." Suddenly there's an energy consultant fee they didn't expect

By California Construction & Remodeling Experts | February 2026 The $4,000 Decision That Could Save You $400,000 There's a conversation we have with homeowners in Los Angeles that almost no other remodeling contractor is having. It usually starts with a kitchen. The homeowner wants new cabinets, new countertops, new appliances, maybe a reconfigured layout. They've been saving for it. They've browsed Pinterest. They're ready. Then we ask a question that stops them cold: "When

By California Construction & Remodeling Experts | February 2026 Why Remodeling in California Is Different From Remodeling Anywhere Else If you're reading this from a home in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood or anywhere across LA County, you already know: California is not a simple state to build in. That's not a complaint. It's actually an advantage, once you understand how it works. California has the most advanced building codes in the country. Our seismic retrofi