How much does new construction cost in LA?

$450–$750/sqft turnkey. Hillside, custom features, premium finishes lift to $900+.

How long does an LA custom home take?

20–34 months total — 8–14 months design + permit, 12–20 months build.

Los Angeles New Construction

Ground-up homes across LA — Hollywood Hills, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, the Westside. Architect coordination, LADBS permit, build with regular crew.

Start a Los Angeles project →Back to Los Angeles studio

Scope of work.

Feasibility + zoning
Architect coordination
Plans + structural + MEP
LADBS permit
Foundation to keys + warranty

What changes about this in Los Angeles.

LADBS plan check 3–6 months.
Hillside Ordinance on hill lots.
Title 24 + CalGreen.
Coastal Zone review on coastal lots.

Los Angeles cost band — 2026

$450 – $750 / sqft turnkey

Standard finish bottom; full-custom top.

Los Angeles timeline

8–14 months design + permit; 12–20 months on-site.

How we think about this work in Los Angeles.

New construction in California in 2026 is a Title 24 puzzle as much as it is a building project — electrification, envelope, fenestration ratios, EV-ready, solar-ready, HERS verification all interact. We start the energy model in week one because it constrains every architectural decision: window area, orientation, overhangs, glazing spec.

The single largest difference between a great new build and a forgettable one is how the project handles outside-the-permit-set decisions: exterior lighting, landscape grade tie-in, hardscape, fence-line, neighbor coordination. We budget for those from day one.

The schedule, written out.

Every project varies, but the cadence below holds for most new construction jobs in Los Angeles. We publish it on purpose — the schedule is the contract.

Month 1–2
Feasibility + entitlement
Survey, soils, zoning, planning intake, design review where applicable.
Month 2–4
Schematic + design development
Plans, elevations, sections, exterior materials board, initial T-24 model.
Month 4–7
CDs + engineering
Stamped structural, MEP, T-24, soils, landscape, civil.
Month 7–12
Permit + procurement
Plan check, corrections, fee assessment, long-lead orders (windows, steel, custom fixtures).
Month 12–14
Site work + foundation
Grading, utility trenching, foundation.
Month 14–18
Framing through dry-in
Framing, roof, windows, exterior weather barrier.
Month 18–22
MEP + envelope
Rough MEP, insulation, drywall, HERS verification.
Month 22–28
Finish
Cabinets, stone, tile, paint, fixtures, appliances, hardscape, landscape, finals.

Materials & assemblies.

These are the defaults we write into the contract before you change a thing. They're the floor, not the ceiling — every spec can be upgraded; none should be downgraded without a serious reason.

Component	Default spec	Why
Foundation	Post-tension slab or stem-wall + crawlspace depending on soil + climate	PT slab wins in expansive clay; crawlspace wins in marine climates.
Framing	Advanced framing (24" o.c. + insulated headers + 2-stud corners) where engineering allows	Adds 8–12% insulation by volume vs conventional framing.
Envelope	Continuous insulation + air-sealed assembly + verified blower-door target ≤ 3 ACH50	T-24 mandates the test; we shoot tighter than minimum.
HVAC	Heat pump primary; if zoned, dedicated heat-pump per zone	All-electric is the future-proof default in 2026 CA.
Solar + battery	Required for new residential under T-24 2022; battery for NEM 3.0 economics	Battery is no longer optional under NEM 3.0 — without it, solar ROI collapses.
Smart panel + EV	200A min, EV-ready circuit, smart panel for load management	Smart panel pays back the first time you'd otherwise need a 400A service upgrade.

Hidden costs we flag up front.

A Los Angeles project budget that ignores the items below is a budget that will go over. We surface them in the first walk-through — not after a wall is open.

Line item	Range	When it hits
Off-site improvements	$15K–$80K	city requires sidewalk, curb, gutter, ADA ramp
Utility undergrounding	$10K–$60K	lot is fed by overhead pole; some jurisdictions require burial
Stormwater / SUSMP / C.3	$5K–$25K	lot exceeds impervious threshold (Bay Area especially)
Landscape + irrigation	$30K–$150K+	almost always outside the construction contract
Furniture + window treatments	$25K–$120K	never in the construction budget

Why building in Los Angeles is its own thing.

Climate & building stock

Greater Los Angeles is a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) with long dry summers, Santa Ana wind events, brushfire exposure on the WUI, and an annual rainfall window concentrated between November and March. Building stock skews to single-story stucco bungalows, post-war ranches, and 1960s–80s wood-frame on raised perimeter or slab — many of which were built before today's Title 24 envelope and ventilation rules.

Seismic & soils

LA sits on the Newport-Inglewood, Santa Monica, Hollywood, and Sierra Madre fault systems. Soft-story apartments and pre-1980 cripple-wall single-family homes are the two biggest seismic liabilities; the Soft-Story Mandatory Retrofit Program (Ordinance 183893) is the framework most multifamily clients deal with, and FEMA P-50 / Brace+Bolt is the standard for single-family.

Code & amendments

City of LA uses the 2023 California Building Code / CRC / CMC / CPC / CEC + 2022 Title 24 Part 6, layered with LA-specific amendments and the LA Green Building Code. ADU rules follow LAMC §12.22 A.33 plus statewide AB 671 / SB 9 / SB 1211 updates current for 2026.

Jurisdictions we permit in

City of Los Angeles — LADBS (most of the basin)
LA County Public Works — Building & Safety (unincorporated)
Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Culver City, Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank — independent building departments
Long Beach Development Services + South Bay coastal cities
Hillside Ordinance review for many Westside / Hollywood Hills parcels

Plan-check turnaround: 8–14 wk standard, 3–4 wk Express
Building-permit fee basis: ≈ 1.1–1.6% of valuation
School-facility fee (Level 1): $5.17 / sqft residential — 2026
Sewer-capacity charge: $3,800–$7,200 per new unit
Typical ADU all-in: $320K–$520K

What the city charges before we lift a hammer.

Fee / soft cost	Range	Trigger
Building permit + plan check (LADBS)	$4K–$14K	scales with construction valuation
School-facility fee (LAUSD or local)	$5.17/sqft new conditioned area	additions + ADUs only
Sewer-capacity charge (LASAN)	$3.8K–$7.2K per new dwelling	new unit creating a sewer connection
DWP service upgrade (200A → 400A)	$6K–$22K	heat pump + EV + ADU combined load
Arts development fee	0.4% of project cost	≥ $500K valuation, single-family
Geotech / soils report	$3.5K–$9K	hillside, expansive soils, deep additions
Surveyor for setbacks / ALTA	$2.5K–$6K	close-to-line ADUs, lot splits

Los Angeles — inspection cadence

From permit to occupancy.

1.Pre-construction: permit issued, NOC posted, dust + erosion control set
2.Underground: plumbing + electrical + grounding before slab pour
3.Foundation: rebar + hold-downs + anchor bolts before concrete
4.Framing: rough framing + shear nailing + strap inspection (often combined)
5.Rough MEP: rough electrical, plumbing top-out, mechanical, T-24 envelope verification
6.Insulation + drywall: HERS verification of duct leakage + envelope tightness
7.Final: building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, planning — same-day clustering preferred

Los Angeles — how locals fund this

Financing instruments.

HELOC against primary residence — most common ADU funding (60–80% CLTV)
Cash-out refinance — preferred when current first mortgage rate is above market
Renovation construction loan (one-time-close 7/1 ARM)
RenoFi / ADU-specific second loans — based on after-completion appraisal
Property-tax-assessed PACE financing for HVAC, panel, envelope upgrades

cheaper alternatives & their tradeoffs

What we'd consider — and what we wouldn't.

Major remodel + addition
30–50% cheaper but always inherits the limitations of the existing structure.
Modular / panelized construction
8–14 wks faster on site but custom design becomes hard and CA factory capacity is limited.
Production builder
Lower $/sqft but you don't get to pick anything — no fit for custom lots.

pitfalls — what we fix on takeover jobs

Mistakes to avoid.

Starting construction before planning entitlement closes — almost always backfires when conditions of approval change a wall
Designing the kitchen + baths in CD phase instead of SD — every cabinet change after CD has cascade effects
Ignoring the C.3 stormwater calc — Bay Area cities will reject the entire plan set
Picking a heating system on price instead of climate — gas furnace + AC is now more expensive over 15 years than a heat pump
Skipping a soils report on hillside lots — Hillside Ordinance triggers caissons and import fill that double foundation cost
Under-sized service panels — most pre-1990 homes are 100A, not enough for ADU + heat pump + EV
Mis-reading R1 vs R1V1 zoning — height + FAR rules vary by hillside designation
Ignoring the LADWP separate-meter rule when renting the ADU long-term
Building over a sewer easement — requires LASAN encroachment letter before plan check

In short.

How much does new construction cost in LA?: $450–$750/sqft turnkey. Hillside, custom features, premium finishes lift to $900+.
How long does an LA custom home take?: 20–34 months total — 8–14 months design + permit, 12–20 months build.

Los Angeles areas we cover.

More of what the Los Angeles studio builds.

Got a Los Angeles project in mind?

Send us the address. We’ll pull zoning, setbacks, and feasibility before you spend money on drawings — and the inquiry routes straight to the Los Angeles desk.

Start a Los Angeles project →