Service Area · Los Angeles County
General Contractor in Bel Air, CA
Large hillside projects in Bel Air, from new estates to additions and rebuilds, planned around slope-band floor area, grading limits, haul route hearings and the fire-zone construction standards that govern the canyons.
- Licensed California general contractor
- Custom homes, ADUs & additions
- Permits with LADBS
- Written, line-item estimates
Bel Air, CA
Building and Remodeling in Bel Air
Simply Construction is a general contractor in Bel Air for homeowners taking on new custom homes, major additions, rebuilds and full renovations on hillside lots. Nearly every Bel Air project starts with the same three questions: how much floor area the slope allows, how much earth can leave the site, and how trucks and equipment will reach a lot on a narrow, winding road.
As a licensed California general contractor, we manage the job from feasibility through LADBS plan check, grading and building inspections, and final sign-off. We bring the civil engineer, geologist and structural engineer into the conversation early, because on a Bel Air lot their findings drive the budget and schedule more than any finish selection does.
Local Knowledge
What Shapes Construction in Bel Air
Bel Air climbs from its East Gate and West Gate entrances on Sunset Boulevard toward the Mulholland Drive ridgeline, with Stone Canyon cutting north through the middle. Nearly all of it is hillside under City of Los Angeles rules. The Baseline Hillside Ordinance sets allowable floor area by slope band, so the steep parts of a lot count for less, and it caps cumulative grading. Lots that front a street the city classifies as a Substandard Hillside Limited Street face tighter limits on importing and exporting earth, and any hillside job moving more than 1,000 cubic yards on or off the site needs a haul route hearing before the Board of Building and Safety Commissioners.
Fire history runs through every plan here. The Bel Air Fire of November 1961 burned 6,090 acres and destroyed 484 homes. Afterward, Los Angeles outlawed wood shake and shingle roofs and started the brush clearance program that now requires owners in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone to clear vegetation up to 200 feet from structures. In January 2025, the Palisades Fire pushed inland toward Brentwood and Bel Air. New work in Bel Air is built to California's wildland-urban interface standards.
Services
Construction & Remodeling Services in Bel Air
From ground-up homes to kitchens, here is how each of our services applies to Bel Air properties.
Custom Home Building in Bel Air
Custom home building in Bel Air is shaped by the lot before it is shaped by the architect. The slope-band floor area calculation, the grading cap and the classification of the fronting street together set how large the house can be and how much excavation a basement or motor court can involve. We work through those numbers with the civil engineer and geologist first, then plan logistics: staging on narrow roads, crane placement, and a haul route application when export will pass 1,000 cubic yards. The house is then built to ignition-resistant standards from the roof covering to the foundation vents.
ADU Construction in Bel Air
An ADU on a Bel Air estate is usually a guest house or staff quarters, and the challenge is finding a buildable pad rather than meeting size limits. State law allows detached ADUs up to 1,200 square feet, with a height limit of 16 feet for most detached units. On a sloped lot, placing the ADU on an existing flat area, such as a former tennis court or a wide motor court, can avoid new grading entirely. Because Bel Air lies in the fire zone, the ADU follows the same ignition-resistant construction rules as the main house.
Garage Conversions in Bel Air
Garage conversions in Bel Air call for more thought than in flatter neighborhoods, because street parking on steep, narrow roads is limited. Where a large garage has more bays than a household needs, one or two can become a guest suite or ADU, and state law does not require replacing parking lost to an ADU conversion. We look at whether the garage slab sits on cut or fill, how the space drains, and whether egress windows can be added without disturbing a retaining wall behind it.
Room Additions in Bel Air
A ground-floor addition on a Bel Air hillside lot often means building out over a slope, which brings caissons or grade beams, retaining walls and an updated geology report into the scope. Every added square foot counts against the hillside floor area allowance, so we confirm how much remains before design begins. For houses rebuilt in the years after the 1961 fire, an addition is also a natural time to bring the older structure's roofing, vents and eaves closer to current fire-zone standards.
Second-Story Additions in Bel Air
Adding a second story in Bel Air runs directly into the hillside ordinance's height envelope and its slope-based floor area limits, so feasibility comes first. When a second floor does fit, the existing foundation on a sloped lot needs engineering review and often new caissons or grade beams to carry the load. Views are part of the calculation too: we model the new massing early so owners can see what the added height means for their own outlook and for the houses around them.
Garage Construction in Bel Air
New garages in Bel Air are frequently cut into the hillside at street level with the house above or below, which makes the garage as much a retaining structure as a place to park. That excavation counts toward the grading limits, and on a tight street the dig and concrete pours have to be scheduled around limited staging and truck access. We permit and build the garage, its retaining walls and the driveway approach as a single scope so structural and grading inspections line up.
Whole-House Remodeling in Bel Air
Whole-house remodels in Bel Air often involve homes that span several eras, from early houses to post-1961 rebuilds and large later additions. We start with a full condition review of the roof, drainage, retaining walls, electrical service and plumbing, because hillside houses can hide water intrusion and settlement that only shows once finishes come off. A full remodel is also the best opportunity to replace exterior materials, vents and glazing with ignition-resistant versions suited to the fire zone.
Kitchen Remodeling in Bel Air
Kitchen remodels in Bel Air are often large in scale: a catering kitchen behind the main kitchen, professional ranges with commercial-grade ventilation, and walls of glass facing the canyon. Hillside houses can have limited paths for new ductwork, gas lines and drains, so we map those routes before cabinets are ordered. On a lot reached by a narrow road, getting stone slabs and oversized appliances to the door needs its own delivery plan.
Bathroom Remodeling in Bel Air
Bel Air primary baths are often full suites with steam showers, soaking tubs and dressing rooms. A steam shower needs a vapor-tight enclosure, a sloped ceiling and a serviceable location for the generator, and a heavy stone tub on an upper floor may need framing reinforcement. On hillside houses, we also confirm that new drain lines can reach the existing connection with proper slope, which is not always simple when a bath moves across a split-level plan.
Fire Rebuilds in Bel Air
Bel Air is where Los Angeles learned some of its hardest fire lessons, and the 1961 fire led directly to the city's wood shake roof ban and its brush clearance program. A rebuild here, whether after wildfire or a house fire, goes through LADBS and the hillside ordinance with wildland-urban interface construction throughout: Class A roofing, ember-resistant vents, ignition-resistant siding and tempered glazing. We coordinate soils, survey, structural and fire-zone requirements into one permit set and manage the insurance scope alongside it.
Junior ADUs (JADU) in Bel Air
In a large Bel Air house, a junior ADU can turn an existing guest suite, or part of an attached garage, into a separate unit of up to 500 square feet with its own entrance and an efficiency kitchen. It stays inside the existing walls, so it adds no grading and no new footprint on the slope, and the permit is far simpler than a detached guest house. The owner must occupy either the main residence or the junior unit.
SB 9 Lot Splits & Duplexes in Bel Air
SB 9 is a difficult fit for most Bel Air lots. The law excludes very high fire hazard severity zones unless the project adopts the required fire mitigation measures, and Bel Air sits largely within that zone. Hillside grading limits and substandard street classifications add further hurdles. We give owners a straight feasibility answer early, and where SB 9 does not work, we look at an ADU or junior ADU instead, since state ADU law is considerably more flexible.
Patios, Decks & Outdoor Living in Bel Air
Outdoor space in Bel Air usually means terraces cut into the hillside, view decks, pool surrounds and outdoor kitchens. Decks and patio covers attached to the house must meet wildland-urban interface standards for ignition-resistant or noncombustible materials, and the 200-foot brush clearance zone limits what can be planted close to structures. On a slope, a deck can involve caissons and engineering as serious as a room addition, so we permit and inspect it with the same care.
Why Choose Us
Why Bel Air 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.
One Team From Plans to Final Inspection
Design, engineering, permitting and construction sit under one contract and one project lead, so nobody points fingers between the designer, the engineer and the builder when a detail changes. You get one schedule, one point of contact and regular progress updates from the first site visit through the final inspection and sign-off on your Bel Air project.
Built to Current California Energy Code
New homes and ADUs in California are built to the Title 24 energy code, which has required solar PV on most new single-family homes since 2020, and permit applications filed on or after January 1, 2026 fall under the 2025 Energy Code. We plan insulation, windows, mechanical systems and solar into the design from the start instead of treating compliance as a late fix.
Nearby Service Areas
We Also Build Near Bel Air
FAQ
Building in Bel Air: Common Questions
What is a haul route hearing, and will my Bel Air project need one?
In the city's hillside grading areas, importing or exporting more than 1,000 cubic yards of earth requires a public hearing before the Board of Building and Safety Commissioners. The approval sets truck routes, hours and other conditions that become part of the grading permit. New homes in Bel Air with basements or large garages dug into the slope can reach that threshold, so we build the hearing into the schedule.
How does the Baseline Hillside Ordinance limit the size of a new house?
The ordinance divides a lot into slope bands and applies a floor area ratio to each, so flatter portions support more square footage and steep portions support less. The total sets the maximum residential floor area for all buildings on the lot, and the ordinance also caps cumulative grading. We have a surveyor and engineer run these numbers before design so the architect starts from a real envelope.
Are there special construction rules because of fire risk in Bel Air?
Yes. Bel Air lies within the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, so new construction follows California's wildland-urban interface standards for roofs, vents, siding, windows and decks. The Fire Department requires brush clearance up to 200 feet from structures. The city's restrictions on wood shake roofs trace back to the 1961 Bel Air Fire.
Start Your Project
Start Your Bel Air Project
Tell us what you are planning. We will visit the property, talk through options and costs, and send a written, line-item estimate.
Licensed California General Contractor · CSLB [CSLB LICENSE # PLACEHOLDER]