Pasadena-based · Serving Greater Los Angeles
Room additions built to look like they were always there
We're a Pasadena-based room addition contractor working across Greater Los Angeles. Five generations of family carpentry behind us, a veteran running the company now, and one licensed crew handling design, permits and construction, so there's nobody to pass the blame to when something doesn't line up.
Why homeowners add on
Moving costs more than you think
Every homeowner who calls us has already done the math on moving, and most of them didn't like it. Between transfer taxes, agent commissions, moving costs and the gap between what your house sells for and what the bigger one costs, the transaction alone eats a large share of what an addition would cost outright.
Then there's Proposition 13. If you've owned your house for a while, your assessed value is well below market, and buying a different house resets that entirely. An addition adds only the new construction to your assessment and leaves the rest of your basis alone. For long-time owners, that single factor often decides it.
- Keep the neighborhood, the schools and the neighbors you already chose
- Keep your Proposition 13 assessment on the existing house
- Avoid transfer taxes, agent commissions and moving costs entirely
- Get exactly the space you need rather than the closest listing available
What we build
Additions of every kind
Nine specialties, all of them room additions at heart. Each page below covers what the work actually involves, what drives the budget, and the questions homeowners ask us most.
Custom Room Additions
Ground-up additions designed around your lot's actual buildable envelope.
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Kitchen Additions
Bump-outs and full expansions, including the bearing wall nobody wants to talk about.
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Bathroom Additions
Second and third bathrooms in houses that were built with exactly one.
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Master Suite Additions
Bedroom, en-suite and closet, planned so it actually functions as a suite.
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Home Office Additions
Attached offices and detached backyard studios with real power and data.
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Sunroom Additions
Glazing and shading specified for LA sun, so it's usable in August.
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Garage Conversions & Additions
The cheapest square footage you already own, converted legally.
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Basement Conversions
Headroom, moisture and egress assessed before a dollar goes into finishes.
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Outdoor Living Spaces
Covered patios, outdoor kitchens and fire features built for nine usable months.
See details →How it goes
Four stages, and you always know which one you're in
The permit stage depends on a plan checker's queue rather than on our crew, so we show it separately in your schedule. Everything else, we control.
Consultation
We come out, look at the house and the lot, and talk through what's realistic. You get an itemized written estimate at no cost and with nothing attached to it.
Design & permits
We produce the drawings, submit to your city's building department, and handle every plan check correction. Permit fees are passed through at cost as a separate line.
Construction
One crew, a written schedule, and the work area sealed off from your living space. Change orders get priced and approved in writing before anything proceeds.
Walkthrough & sign-off
Final inspection, a punch list we work through together, and the paperwork you'll want on file the day you eventually sell.
Who you're hiring
A family carpentry business, now veteran-led
The business started as a small custom carpentry workshop and has been passed down through five generations of the same family. What began as handcrafted woodwork grew into full-scale remodeling, but the part that didn't change is the standard the first generation set.
The company is led today by a former U.S. Air Force veteran, and the discipline shows up in unglamorous places: schedules that mean something, sites that get cleaned at the end of the day, and estimates that account for what we expect to find rather than what's convenient to quote.
Why us
What you get that a low bid doesn't include
We tell you what we find
Old houses hide things: knob-and-tube, termite damage, a foundation that isn't where the plans say. We photograph it, price the fix in writing, and get your approval before proceeding. No discoveries presented as done deals.
We know which rules apply to you
Pasadena, Glendale and Burbank each run their own building departments. LA properties go through LADBS, and hillside parcels face the Baseline Hillside Ordinance. Knowing this before design is most of what keeps a project on schedule.
Permits under our license
We pull every permit under CSLB #886079. If a contractor asks you to pull an owner-builder permit for work they're doing, they're shifting liability onto you, and that should end the conversation.
One crew, not a brokerage
The people who quote your project are the people who build it. We're not a marketing front subcontracting the work out to whoever bids lowest that month.
Estimates that include the hard parts
Panel upgrades, structural engineering, permit fees. The lowest bid is usually the one that left those out, and they don't go away. They arrive as change orders.
You can stay in the house
On most single-story additions we seal the work area off and keep your kitchen and bathrooms functional. Where that isn't possible, we tell you at the estimate, not in week six.
Where we work
Greater Los Angeles, from a Pasadena base
Every city we serve has its own building department, its own zoning standards, and its own quirks: Pasadena's historic districts, Glendale's hillside grading rules, the Baseline Hillside Ordinance in the LA hills, HOA architectural review in Santa Clarita, protected oaks in Thousand Oaks. Knowing which rules apply to your address before design starts is most of what keeps a project on schedule.
We work in Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank, Beverly Hills, Hollywood Hills, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Woodland Hills, Northridge, Reseda, Santa Clarita, Thousand Oaks.
Get started
Tell us what you're planning
We'll come out, look at the house, talk through what's possible on your lot, and give you a written estimate. There's no charge for that and no obligation attached to it.
If you'd rather just ask a question first, call (626) 726-3989 and you'll reach someone who actually builds these, not a call center.
Room Additions Los Angeles
81-93 E Green St, Pasadena, CA 91105
CSLB #886079
Request a Free Estimate
Tell us about your project and we'll call you back, usually the same day.
Straight answers
Questions homeowners ask us first
How much does a room addition cost in Los Angeles?
The honest answer is that it depends on the foundation, the roof tie-in, how far the new plumbing has to run, whether your electrical panel needs upgrading, and what finishes you choose, which is why nobody credible quotes a real number over the phone. Our cost guide breaks down planning ranges by project type and explains what moves each one, and an in-person visit produces a written estimate at no charge.
How long does a room addition take?
For a typical single-story addition of 300 to 600 square feet, plan on three to five months from signed contract to final inspection. Design and permitting take a meaningful share of that, and plan check timelines depend on your city's queue rather than on our crew, which is why we show the permit phase separately in your schedule.
Do I need a permit for a room addition?
Yes. Any addition that changes the footprint, alters structure, moves plumbing or adds electrical circuits requires a permit, and there are no meaningful exceptions. We handle the entire process under our license, from the drawings through final sign-off. Unpermitted work becomes a disclosure problem and a price reduction the day you sell.
Can I live in my house during construction?
In most single-story additions, yes. We build temporary walls to seal the work area off from your living space and keep the existing kitchen and bathrooms in service. The exceptions are projects that cut into the main electrical service or take the only bathroom offline, and we'll tell you upfront if yours is one of them.
Will an addition raise my property taxes?
Under Proposition 13, your existing assessment stays where it is. Only the new construction is assessed at current value and added to your base. The LA County Assessor makes that determination after the permit is finalized. This is a large part of why adding on beats moving for anyone who has owned their home for a while.
What areas do you serve?
We're based in Pasadena and work across Greater Los Angeles: Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank, Beverly Hills, the Hollywood Hills, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Woodland Hills, Northridge, Reseda, Santa Clarita and Thousand Oaks. If you're just outside that list, call and ask. We'll tell you honestly whether we're the right fit.
Ready to talk about your addition?
Free in-home consultation and a written estimate at no cost.