Service Area · Los Angeles County
General Contractor in San Marino, CA
Custom homes, additions and guest houses for San Marino's estate lots, prepared for the Design Review Committee and built to the standard of the city's Period Revival streets.
- Licensed California general contractor
- Custom homes, ADUs & additions
- Permits with the City of San Marino
- Written, line-item estimates
San Marino, CA
Building and Remodeling in San Marino
Simply Construction works as a general contractor in San Marino for owners planning new custom homes, major additions, ADUs and full renovations. The city was incorporated in 1913 as a residential community, and its rules still protect that intent: generous lots, gardens, mature trees and houses reviewed for how they sit among their neighbors.
We handle each project under a single contract, from site analysis and the Design Review Committee submittal through plan check, construction and final sign-off. As a licensed California general contractor based in nearby Monterey Park, we can walk a San Marino site with your architect early, while the big decisions about massing, placement and trees are still open, and price the work against real conditions rather than assumptions.
Local Knowledge
What Shapes a Building Project in San Marino
San Marino grew from the ranch lands of Henry E. Huntington, George S. Patton and the heirs of Benjamin Davis Wilson, and its founders laid it out as a residential city of large properties, gardens and wide streets. Its R-1 zone is divided into eight residential districts, with minimum lot sizes ranging from 9,000 to 60,000 square feet. Height, yards, lot width and frontage all vary by district, so confirming which one applies is the first step on any project.
The housing stock runs from early Victorian and Craftsman houses through a strong wave of 1920s Period Revival design, followed by Ranch, Minimal Traditional and Mid-Century Modern homes. The city's first citywide historic resources survey identified 264 individual buildings and 13 historic districts that appear eligible for local landmark listing, a measure of how much of San Marino is considered architecturally significant.
Design review is the other constant. The Design Review Committee, five members and two alternates appointed by the City Council, looks at new houses, additions and exterior remodels for compatibility with the site and the visual character of the neighborhood. Trees get similar attention: oaks are protected in every yard, and removing a protected tree without a permit can bring fines of $5,000 to $25,000 depending on its size.
Services
Construction & Remodeling Services in San Marino
From ground-up homes to kitchens, here is how each of our services applies to San Marino properties.
Custom Home Building in San Marino
A new custom home in San Marino is judged as much from the street as by the building code. The Design Review Committee weighs massing, materials and placement against the neighborhood, and the city's Good Neighbor Guide asks applicants to design a new house as if they were going to live next door to it. We bring structural, grading and utility realities into the architect's early studies so the approved design can be built as drawn. On a larger lot, planning also covers protected trees, drainage across the site and where a garage or guest house can sit.
ADU Construction in San Marino
San Marino allows an ADU and a junior ADU on a single-family lot, and the city's current ADU ordinance, adopted in 2024, was reviewed by the state housing department for consistency with state law. On the city's larger parcels, a detached unit of up to 1,200 square feet can usually be placed without crowding the main house, so the real questions become privacy, views and the root zones of established trees. We shape the unit's roofline and materials to sit comfortably beside a Period Revival or Ranch house and confirm the local standards at intake.
Garage Conversions in San Marino
Where a San Marino house has a detached garage toward the back of the lot, turning it into an ADU does not trigger a replacement parking requirement under state law, which removes the usual obstacle. The practical work is upgrading an older structure: foundations, framing, insulation, windows, and new utility runs that can stretch a long way from the main house on a deep parcel. Because exterior changes may come before the Design Review Committee, we plan doors and windows that keep the converted garage looking like it belongs to the property.
Room Additions in San Marino
San Marino's larger lots often leave room for an addition to grow sideways or toward the garden rather than up. The limits come from the property's R-1 district, which sets yards and coverage, and from the Design Review Committee, which looks at how an addition reads from the street and from neighboring homes. We match foundations, roof framing and finishes so the new wing looks original to a Period Revival or Ranch design. Oaks and established trees near the work area are mapped before design is finalized, since permits and heavy fines attach to them.
Second-Story Additions in San Marino
A second story on a San Marino Ranch or Minimal Traditional house is one of the clearest ways to add space, and one of the most closely watched. Height limits vary by residential district, and the Design Review Committee pays attention to privacy, bulk and how a new roofline relates to the houses around it. We help the architect test options such as a partial upper floor held back from the street, which keeps the bulk away from the front. Structurally, a single-story post-war house often needs new footings and shear walls to carry the added floor.
Garage Construction in San Marino
On a large San Marino lot, a new detached garage can be planned with a motor court, a workshop or generous storage, and accessory buildings visible from the street deserve the same design care as the house. We work out driveway grades, drainage and utility runs together, and we build the garage with the foundation and electrical capacity for EV charging or a later ADU conversion. Tree protection frequently decides the driveway route, because damaging the roots of a protected oak can be as costly as removing it.
Whole-House Remodeling in San Marino
Some San Marino homes appear in the city's historic resources survey as eligible landmarks, so the first question on a whole-house remodel is what should be preserved. On a 1920s Period Revival house, that may mean keeping plaster, ironwork and original windows while replacing wiring, plumbing, heating and insulation. We coordinate structural upgrades and new systems so they disappear into the walls, and we prepare any exterior changes for design review. Owners of a potentially eligible house should understand how landmark status could affect later plans before committing to a design.
Kitchen Remodeling in San Marino
A kitchen in a large San Marino house can be planned at the scale of the home, with a working island, a butler's pantry, a professional range and a connection to a family room or terrace. The engineering behind it includes removing bearing walls, adding beams, upsizing the electrical service and venting a high-output hood correctly. In a Period Revival house, we keep the new kitchen consistent with original ceiling heights, casings and window patterns so it doesn't feel like another building. Interior kitchen work generally stays with plan check rather than design review.
Bathroom Remodeling in San Marino
Bathrooms in pre-war San Marino houses may still have original galvanized supply lines and cast iron drains hidden behind the tile. A remodel is the chance to replace all of it, add proper waterproofing and exhaust, and rethink the layout of a primary suite. When a bath grows into an adjacent bedroom or closet, we handle the structural changes, along with heated floors and large showers that need careful slope and drainage. Where a bathroom window faces the street, we keep its size and style consistent with the facade.
Fire Rebuilds in San Marino
A fire rebuild in San Marino is a full custom project with an insurance claim attached. The January 2025 Eaton Fire, which burned 14,021 acres and destroyed 9,414 structures mostly in Altadena, showed San Gabriel Valley owners how quickly a foothill fire can reach established neighborhoods north of Pasadena. After a loss, we document the damage with your adjuster, stabilize what remains, and plan a rebuild that meets current code. If the rebuilt exterior differs from the original, we prepare it for the Design Review Committee.
Junior ADUs (JADU) in San Marino
A junior ADU suits San Marino owners who want space for a caregiver, an adult child or visiting family without adding a building to a carefully landscaped lot. It is created within the walls of the house or an attached garage, is limited to 500 square feet, and needs at least an efficiency kitchen, with the owner living in either the main house or the JADU. In a large home, a guest wing or a seldom-used group of rooms can often be adapted with modest structural work.
SB 9 Lot Splits & Duplexes in San Marino
San Marino adopted its own local standards for SB 9 lot splits, and they are demanding. The city's rules have addressed minimum street frontage for each new lot, how the split line is drawn, whether projects can be phased, and green-building performance for new units, and new construction must also satisfy the fire code for access, sprinklers and water supply. Layered on the state's 1,200 square foot and 40 percent minimums, these standards narrow the field, so we confirm the current rules with the city and run a feasibility review before design money is spent.
Patios, Decks & Outdoor Living in San Marino
Outdoor living in San Marino is mostly about the garden: loggias, covered terraces, outdoor kitchens and paths that tie the house to lawns and mature trees. Work near oak, heritage or established trees needs care, since removal requires a permit and pruning 10 percent or more of a tree's foliage within twelve months needs one too. We route footings and trenches around root zones and design structures in the materials of the house, whether that means clay tile and plaster or brick and painted wood.
Why Choose Us
Why San Marino 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 San Marino
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 San Marino, 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 San Marino 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 San Marino
FAQ
Building in San Marino: Common Questions
How does the Design Review Committee affect my San Marino project?
The committee reviews new houses, additions and exterior remodels for compatibility with the site and the character of the neighborhood, and it meets on the first and third Wednesday of each month. We prepare the exterior design with that review in mind. The city's Good Neighbor Guide is worth reading before your first architect meeting, since it explains the thinking the committee applies.
Can I remove a tree to make room for an addition?
Sometimes, but plan on a permit. Removing an oak or a heritage tree, or an established tree in a front or street-side yard, requires a tree removal application to the Community Development Director, and oaks are protected in every yard. Unpermitted removal can bring fines of $5,000 to $25,000. We map trees before design so the addition can work around them where possible.
Why does my lot's residential district matter?
San Marino's R-1 zone has eight residential districts, with minimum lot sizes from 9,000 to 60,000 square feet. The district also sets building height, yard dimensions, lot width and frontage, so it directly affects how large an addition or new house can be and where it can go. We confirm the district for your parcel at the very start.
Start Your Project
Start Your San Marino 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]