Whole Home — Cost
What it costs,
line by line
What drives the budget in Los Angeles — and how we keep it transparent line-by-line.
Whole Home — Cost
What drives the budget in Los Angeles — and how we keep it transparent line-by-line.
A whole-home budget is not a single number. It is a sequence of decisions, each one priced honestly before the next is made.
Most whole-home remodels in Los Angeles land between $400 and $900 per square foot, depending on structure, finishes, and how much of the existing house stays. We share line-item budgets early, track allowances openly, and never bury labor inside a finish number. Change orders are pre-approved in writing — no surprises at month nine.
Back to Whole HomeA typical whole-home budget breaks roughly into six bands. The exact ratio shifts when the timeline compresses, when scope concentrates in kitchen and bath, or when the lot supports an ADU on site.
Existing footprint, refreshed envelope, mid-grade finishes, no structural reframing.
Plan changes, opened ceilings, custom millwork in primary rooms, specified glazing.
Full structural reconfiguration, stone, integrated lighting, fully custom cabinetry.
These are construction numbers only. Soft costs — design, structural, MEP engineering, surveys, permits — add 10–18% on top, and the whole-home overview explains how we sequence them so nothing gets discovered halfway through framing.
For LA and Orange County, $400–$900/sf covers most projects. Light cosmetic refreshes can come in lower; full structural reconfiguration with high-end finishes runs higher. We give a tight bracket after walking the property.
Each allowance line (tile, plumbing fixtures, lighting, appliances) shows the assumed unit cost. When you select, the real number replaces the allowance and the budget updates the same week.
Moving plumbing walls, structural reframing for open spans, custom millwork, and natural stone. None of those are wrong — they just need to be chosen knowingly.
Yes, once design and selections are complete. Pre-construction is time-and-materials so we don't pad a number to cover unknowns.
Weekly cost-to-date reports against the budget, with variances flagged. The number you see is the number we see.
Design, permitting, and construction phases — how long each takes, and why.
Move out, phase the work, or live in part of the house — making the call honestly.
Hillside lots, hard-coat stucco, Title 24 — what the city's housing stock asks of a remodel.
Ranches and mid-century tracts opened up for daylight, airflow, and a quieter material palette.
Coastal envelopes, salt air, and the planning culture of OC's older neighborhoods.
Many projects pull from more than one capability. Here's the rest of what the studio handles in-house.
The two rooms you use most, designed around how the day actually moves through them.
Paint as a finish, not a coverup — proper prep, the right system, brushed and tipped-off by hand.
Detached units, attached additions, JADUs, and SB-9 lot splits — California's legal paths to more home.
Tile, metal, composition, slate, and low-slope — the full assembly, properly flashed, warrantied.