Custom Home Building · Pacific Palisades
Custom Home Building in Pacific Palisades, CA
New homes on Palisades lots, planned around LADBS review, the Coastal Zone, hillside floor area limits and wildfire construction standards, then built under one contract from foundation to final.
- Licensed California general contractor
- Permits with LADBS
- Written, line-item estimates
- Design, engineering & construction
Pacific Palisades, CA
Custom Home Building for Pacific Palisades Homeowners
Custom home building in Pacific Palisades now happens mostly on lots cleared after the January 2025 fire, and each one carries its own mix of rules. Some owners want the house they lost, built better. Others want a different plan, a second story or a larger footprint. We work with your architect and engineers, or help you assemble them, and then manage permitting through LADBS, coastal clearance and construction to a certificate of occupancy. The aim is a home that fits the lot, the code and your budget before a single footing is poured.
Local Knowledge
What Shapes a New Home in Pacific Palisades
Size is set by City of Los Angeles zoning. Flat lots fall under the Baseline Mansionization Ordinance and sloped lots under the Baseline Hillside Ordinance, which calculates allowable floor area from lot size, zone and slope and also limits grading. On streets that climb toward the Palisades Highlands or drop toward Pacific Coast Highway, the hillside rules usually decide how big the house can be and how much earth can move.
Most of the burn area lies in the City's Coastal Zone. A home that stays within 110 percent of what burned can apply for a coastal exemption, while a larger design that complies with zoning can use the streamlined review created by Emergency Executive Order 8. Parcels within the dual permit jurisdiction, closer to the sand and the bluff edges, add a Coastal Commission step.
Geology deserves early attention around Castellammare, where the Tramonto and Castellammare slides have affected homes and Pacific Coast Highway over the years, and where Caltrans began field investigations near Sunset Boulevard in February 2026. Every new home here is also built in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, so Chapter 7A governs the roof, walls, vents, windows and decks.
What's Included
What Our Palisades Custom Home Service Includes
- A feasibility review of zoning, floor area limits, coastal status and hillside grading limits before design begins
- Coordination with your architect, structural engineer, geotechnical engineer and Title 24 energy consultant
- LADBS plan check management, coastal exemption or EO8 filings, and responses to correction notices
- Foundation systems built to the soils report, including caissons or grade beams where the engineer calls for them
- Chapter 7A exterior assemblies, including Class A roofing, ember-resistant vents, ignition-resistant cladding and multipane tempered glazing
- Solar PV as required for new single-family homes, plus coordination with LADWP on the underground electric service
- Regular schedule and budget updates through framing, inspections, finishes and the certificate of occupancy
For the full scope, process and options, see our main custom home building page, or browse everything we build on our Pacific Palisades service area page.
Planning Considerations
Planning Considerations for a Palisades Custom Home
Like-for-like or a new design
The 110 percent like-for-like path is the most streamlined option, and the City suspended permit and plan check fees for that portion of the work. A redesign opens up the floor plan but moves you onto a different review track. We compare both against your insurance settlement, the lot's zoning capacity and how long you can stay in temporary housing, so the choice is made with the trade-offs laid out plainly.
Hillside lots and soils
Hillside lots often need a geotechnical investigation before an engineer can finalize the foundation, and the findings can change the design: deeper footings, retaining walls, subdrains or limits on where the house sits. After the fire, the Mayor also directed the Bureau of Engineering to report on strengthening hillside protections and controlling erosion. We start the soils work early because it tends to set the schedule for everything that follows.
Utilities and the underground service
LADWP is placing the Palisades' power lines underground in sections, with parallel trenches planned for power and for telecommunications. A new home needs a planned service route and a panel sized for solar, EV charging and an all-electric kitchen if you choose one. We coordinate the service point with LADWP's plans for your block so the house is not finished and then left waiting for power.
Why Choose Us
Why Pacific Palisades Homeowners Choose Simply Construction
Contracts Written the Way California Law Requires
California caps a home improvement down payment at $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less, and after that a contractor may only bill for work completed or materials delivered. Our contracts follow that structure: a line-item scope, a payment schedule tied to finished milestones, and written change orders before any extra work begins. You always know what you are paying for and why.
Straight Answers on Feasibility
Some lots cannot fit the project an owner has in mind. We check zoning, setbacks, height limits, easements, slope and utility capacity early, and we tell you plainly what is achievable before you spend money on full drawings. When state law opens a path that the local code seems to block, as ADU and SB 9 rules often do, we explain how it applies to your property.
Written, Line-Item Estimates
Before you commit, you receive a written estimate that breaks the project into its real parts: design and engineering, permit and utility fees, foundation, framing, systems, finishes and site work. Allowances are named and priced, so you can see where your selections move the budget. If the scope changes, the numbers change on paper first, never as a surprise on the final invoice.
More in Pacific Palisades
Other Services in Pacific Palisades
Nearby
Custom Home Building Near Pacific Palisades
FAQ
Custom Home Building in Pacific Palisades: Common Questions
How big can a new custom home in Pacific Palisades be?
It depends on the lot. The City's baseline ordinances cap residential floor area using lot size and zone, and on hillside lots, slope as well. A home within 110 percent of the one that burned can follow the like-for-like path; a larger zoning-compliant home can use the streamlined coastal review in Emergency Executive Order 8. We run the floor area math before design starts.
Do new homes here need fire-resistant construction?
Yes. The Palisades lies entirely within a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, so every new home follows California Building Code Chapter 7A. That means a Class A roof, ember-resistant vents, ignition-resistant or noncombustible exterior walls, multipane windows with tempered glass, and deck materials that meet the code. We detail these on the drawings rather than leaving them to field decisions.
Can you work with an architect we have already hired?
Yes. Many owners come to us with an architect already on board. We review the drawings for constructability and cost early, flag anything likely to stall plan check, and coordinate the structural, geotechnical and energy consultants through permitting. If you have not chosen a designer yet, we can help you put the team together.
Start Your Project
Planning a Custom Home in Pacific Palisades?
Tell us about your property and goals. We will walk the site, flag anything LADBS will care about, and give you a written, line-item estimate.
Licensed California General Contractor · CSLB [CSLB LICENSE # PLACEHOLDER]