Service Area · Los Angeles County
General Contractor in Calabasas, CA
Custom homes, ADUs and additions in Calabasas, planned from the start around city permits, oak tree protection, homeowners association design review and brush-covered Santa Monica Mountains terrain.
- Licensed California general contractor
- Custom homes, ADUs & additions
- Permits with the City of Calabasas
- Written, line-item estimates
Calabasas, CA
Building and Remodeling in Calabasas
Simply Construction is a general contractor in Calabasas for owners planning custom homes, ADUs, additions and major remodels in the Santa Monica Mountains and the Las Virgenes area. Calabasas is its own incorporated city, with its own planning and building departments and its own ADU ordinance layered on state law, so projects here follow city rules rather than Los Angeles or county ones.
Many Calabasas projects answer to two reviewers: the city and a homeowners association. We prepare drawings that satisfy both, work through the city's oak tree and grading requirements, and manage the build, as a licensed California general contractor, through to final inspection.
Local Knowledge
Building in Calabasas: Oaks, Hillsides and HOAs
Calabasas runs from Old Town, where the Leonis Adobe on Calabasas Road recalls the area's ranching past, into canyons along Las Virgenes Road and Mulholland Highway. Much of the housing sits in planned neighborhoods such as Calabasas Park, Mulwood, Park Sorrento and Saratoga Hills, or in gated enclaves such as Mont Calabasas, The Oaks and Calabasas Hills, many of them governed by CC&Rs and an architectural committee that reviews exterior changes.
The landscape sets many of the rules. Native oaks are protected by the city, so removing one, or trenching and grading inside its root zone, calls for a permit and an arborist's input. Hillside lots bring grading and geotechnical review, and brush-covered slopes border much of the city. During the 2018 Woolsey Fire, Calabasas neighborhoods were evacuated, and damage assessments followed once the fire moved on.
State law also limits what an association can do. Rules that prohibit or unreasonably restrict ADUs are unenforceable, although reasonable design standards still apply. We work with the city and the association in parallel so neither review surprises the other.
Services
Construction & Remodeling Services in Calabasas
From ground-up homes to kitchens, here is how each of our services applies to Calabasas properties.
Custom Home Building in Calabasas
A custom home in Calabasas is shaped by three things before the architect draws a room: the oaks on the lot, the slope, and the association's design guidelines. We commission the arborist survey and soils report early, confirm the fire hazard designation, and read the CC&Rs so massing and materials fit what the architectural committee will accept. New homes are built to wildland-urban interface standards and include Title 24 solar, and we run city plan check alongside association approval so one does not stall the other.
ADU Construction in Calabasas
Calabasas has its own ADU ordinance on top of state law, and many lots also answer to an HOA. The association cannot ban an ADU or unreasonably restrict one, but it can apply reasonable design rules on materials, colors and placement. Whatever the local rules say, state law protects a unit of at least 800 square feet with 4-foot setbacks from the side and rear lines. On sloped or oak-studded lots, the real limit is often where a unit can sit without cutting into a hillside or a protected root zone.
Garage Conversions in Calabasas
Many homes in neighborhoods such as Calabasas Park and Mulwood have attached garages that can become an ADU or a guest suite. The state drops the replacement parking requirement when a garage is converted to an ADU, but association rules on exterior appearance still apply, so we design the new front wall, windows and entry to match the house. Inside, we add insulation, egress, a moisture barrier over the slab and new electrical and plumbing runs.
Room Additions in Calabasas
Ground-floor additions in Calabasas often push toward a slope or an oak, and both change the design. An addition that reaches into an oak's protected area needs a city oak tree permit, and footings near a slope may need to go deeper based on the soils report. We plan the footprint around those limits, submit to the HOA's architectural committee, and match rooflines, stucco and windows so the addition looks original to the house.
Second-Story Additions in Calabasas
A second story can add space in Calabasas without disturbing oaks or regrading a hillside, but it faces two height reviews: the city's zoning limits and any height or view provisions in the association's CC&Rs, which we read before design starts. Structurally, an engineer sizes new footings and shear walls, and the added walls and roof must meet wildfire construction standards. Framing the upper floor to sit within a lower roofline can help it pass design review.
Garage Construction in Calabasas
New garages in Calabasas are often part of a larger project, such as a custom home or a garage with an ADU above it. On hillside streets, a garage may be cut into the slope behind retaining walls, which requires engineering and grading review. Driveway grades, fire department access and the association's rules on garage door styles and orientation all shape the design, and we settle each one before submitting to the city.
Whole-House Remodeling in Calabasas
Whole-house remodels in Calabasas often update homes in the city's earlier planned neighborhoods, replacing original systems and opening floor plans while keeping an exterior the association will approve. Where the roof or siding is being replaced, we use ignition-resistant materials suited to a fire-prone hillside setting. We sequence the work so city plan check and HOA approval run side by side, which keeps the schedule tighter than taking them one after the other.
Kitchen Remodeling in Calabasas
Calabasas kitchen remodels often involve larger homes where the kitchen, family room and outdoor living area work as one space. We plan structural changes, added gas and electrical capacity, and ventilation for professional-style ranges, and we coordinate any exterior changes, such as new windows or a sliding wall system to the patio, with the association. Purely interior work usually needs only city permits, though we check the CC&Rs to be sure.
Bathroom Remodeling in Calabasas
In Calabasas, primary bathroom remodels frequently expand into an adjacent closet or bedroom to create a larger suite. We build with full waterproofing under tile, curbless showers where the structure allows, heated floors and exhaust fans vented outside. Where a home sits on a slab, relocating drains means saw-cutting and trenching the concrete, which we plan and price before demolition rather than discovering it halfway through.
Fire Rebuilds in Calabasas
Calabasas sits among brush-covered hills with a long history of wildfire, and the 2018 Woolsey Fire forced evacuations here before damage assessments began. If a home is lost or damaged, we manage the rebuild through the City of Calabasas, coordinate with the insurance adjuster and the HOA, and build to current wildfire construction standards. Oaks that survived a fire still need attention, so an arborist should assess them before heavy equipment returns to the lot.
Junior ADUs (JADU) in Calabasas
A junior ADU fits well in larger Calabasas homes with a spare bedroom suite or an attached garage bay. It stays within 500 square feet, uses space inside the existing walls, and requires a kitchen of at least efficiency size. With no new footprint, a JADU usually avoids oak tree and grading questions, and the exterior change is often limited to a new door or window that the association may still want to see.
SB 9 Lot Splits & Duplexes in Calabasas
SB 9 applies in Calabasas as in every California city, but many lots here are excluded or constrained. Parcels in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone need the required fire mitigation measures, and much of the city carries that designation. Private CC&Rs, steep slopes and protected oaks can also limit what a split or second unit can do in practice. We review the parcel, the fire map and the CC&Rs before recommending whether SB 9 is worth pursuing.
Patios, Decks & Outdoor Living in Calabasas
Hillside views make decks and covered patios worth building on many Calabasas lots. Decks attached to a home in a fire zone need ignition-resistant or noncombustible decking, and outdoor kitchens and fire features need clearance from the house and from vegetation. Associations typically review patio covers and hardscape visible from the street or from neighbors, so we submit early and design the structure to match the home's architecture.
Why Choose Us
Why Calabasas 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.
Permits Handled With the City of Calabasas
Most delays on large residential projects start at the permit counter. We prepare the drawing set, coordinate structural and Title 24 energy calculations, answer plan-check comments and schedule inspections with the City of Calabasas, so you are not the one chasing corrections. For ADUs, state law requires the agency to act on a complete application within 60 days, and a complete, well-coordinated submittal is what starts that clock.
Care for Your Street and Your Neighbors
Large projects happen next door to people who live there. We plan staging, dumpster placement, deliveries and working hours around Calabasas rules, keep the site secured at the end of each day, and give you notice before loud or disruptive phases such as demolition, concrete pours or crane lifts, so you can give your neighbors a heads-up too.
Nearby Service Areas
We Also Build Near Calabasas
FAQ
Building in Calabasas: Common Questions
Do I need an oak tree permit for my Calabasas project?
If a protected oak is on or near the work area, very likely. Calabasas regulates encroachment as well as removal, which covers trenching for utilities, grading and even parking equipment close to the tree. An arborist report documents the trees and recommends protection measures for construction. We identify oaks on the first site visit so the design can avoid them wherever possible.
Can my HOA stop me from building an ADU in Calabasas?
No. California law makes CC&R provisions that prohibit or unreasonably restrict ADUs and junior ADUs unenforceable. An association can still apply reasonable standards on appearance, such as materials and colors, as long as they do not effectively block the unit. We submit to the architectural committee with the same drawings the city reviews, so the two approvals stay consistent.
Who issues building permits in Calabasas?
The City of Calabasas does, through its Community Development Department, not Los Angeles County Public Works or LADBS. The city applies its own zoning code, ADU ordinance and oak tree rules, and fire review involves the Los Angeles County Fire Department, which serves the city. HOA approval is separate and runs alongside the city process.
Start Your Project
Start Your Calabasas 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]