Service Area · Los Angeles County
General Contractor in Santa Monica, CA
Custom homes, ADUs, additions and new garages from North of Montana to Ocean Park, planned around Santa Monica zoning, the Coastal Zone, landmark review and the realities of building on tight lots.
- Licensed California general contractor
- Custom homes, ADUs & additions
- Permits with the City of Santa Monica
- Written, line-item estimates
Santa Monica, CA
Your Santa Monica Builder for Homes, ADUs and Additions
Simply Construction is a general contractor in Santa Monica for homeowners taking on significant projects: a new custom home, an alley ADU, a garage conversion, a room addition, a second story or a new garage. Our role as a licensed California general contractor is to carry each one from early due diligence and design coordination to permits, a well-run site and the final inspection card.
Santa Monica is its own city, with its own Building and Safety and Planning divisions, its own ADU ordinance and an active process for reviewing older buildings. Much of it also sits in the California Coastal Zone. We work out which of those layers apply to your address before design, so the plan you fall for is one the city will approve.
What We Build Here
Our Services in Santa Monica
Every project below is planned, permitted and built by one licensed team. Choose a service to see how it works in Santa Monica.
Custom Home Building in Santa Monica
New custom homes in Santa Monica often replace older houses north of Montana Avenue or in Sunset Park. The work involves the city's single-family zoning envelope, a possible historic review of the existing house before demolition, and a coastal permit on lots inside the Coastal Zone. We plan the house and the approvals together from the start.
ADU Construction in Santa Monica
Many Santa Monica lots back onto an alley, which makes a detached ADU with its own entrance unusually practical. The city applies its own ADU ordinance within state law, and lots near the Metro E Line stations may qualify for extra height under the state transit rule. We handle design, permits and any coastal review.
Garage Conversions in Santa Monica
Detached garages along the alleys north of Montana and in Sunset Park are strong candidates for conversion into ADUs or studios. Older garages may need new foundations, framing repairs or a rebuild in the same footprint, and state law removes the need to replace parking when a garage becomes an ADU.
Room Additions in Santa Monica
Room additions in Santa Monica have to work within compact lots, lot coverage limits and, on older homes, the character of the original architecture. We design additions that carry through Spanish Colonial Revival plaster and tile or a bungalow's wood details, and we check early whether the house sits in a historic district.
Second-Story Additions in Santa Monica
A second story is often the best way to add space on Santa Monica's smaller lots, especially in Sunset Park and Ocean Park. The city's zoning limits on height and upper-floor massing shape the design, and a structural engineer's review of the existing house comes first in a city that took real damage in the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
Garage Construction in Santa Monica
New garages in Santa Monica are often alley-loaded, which suits a garage with an ADU above or beside it. We design for alley access, construction staging in tight quarters, corrosion-resistant hardware near the ocean, and the coastal and zoning reviews that apply to your block.
Whole-House Remodeling in Santa Monica
Many Santa Monica homes date from the 1920s through the 1950s and may still have original wiring, plumbing and single-pane windows. A whole-house remodel updates systems and layout together, and on a landmark or historic district property we plan changes the Landmarks Commission can support.
Kitchen Remodeling in Santa Monica
A Santa Monica kitchen remodel often means reworking a small, closed kitchen in an older home. We handle layout changes, structural work, new electrical and plumbing, and the city permit, while keeping period details such as original windows, built-ins or tile intact in homes where they are worth saving.
Bathroom Remodeling in Santa Monica
We remodel bathrooms in Santa Monica's older homes, where aging drains, outdated wiring and little real waterproofing often sit behind original tile. Each project gets a proper waterproofing system, ventilation that handles the damp marine air and permitted plumbing, inspected by the city before the walls are closed.
Fire Rebuilds in Santa Monica
The January 2025 Palisades Fire burned through neighboring Pacific Palisades. For Santa Monica homes damaged by fire, we rebuild with current fire-resistant construction and manage City of Santa Monica permits, and we take on rebuilds in the Palisades as well, where permits run through the City of Los Angeles.
Junior ADUs (JADU) in Santa Monica
A junior ADU of up to 500 square feet inside the home or an attached garage can suit Santa Monica households who want a private suite for family or a caregiver. State rules call for at least an efficiency kitchen and an owner living on the property, in either the house or the suite.
SB 9 Lot Splits & Duplexes in Santa Monica
SB 9 can allow two units or a lot split on qualifying single-family lots, but historic districts and listed landmarks are generally excluded. In Santa Monica, where historic review comes up often, we confirm eligibility early, and only then do we price and build the new homes.
Patios, Decks & Outdoor Living in Santa Monica
Santa Monica's mild coastal climate makes outdoor rooms usable for much of the year. We build patio covers, decks and outdoor kitchens with materials and fasteners chosen for salt air, and we keep them within the lot's setback and coverage limits so the yard gains a room without creating a permit problem.
Local Knowledge
Building in Santa Monica: Neighborhoods, Coastal Rules and Older Homes
Santa Monica's single-family neighborhoods are concentrated north of Montana Avenue and in Sunset Park, with smaller pockets in Ocean Park and elsewhere. North of Montana is known for tree-lined streets, alleys behind many blocks and a mix of Spanish Colonial Revival, traditional and contemporary homes, including a steady stream of new houses replacing older ones. Sunset Park, beside Santa Monica Airport, has more modest post-war houses, and Ocean Park mixes early beach cottages and bungalows with apartments near Main Street.
Two overlays shape many projects. Much of the city lies in the California Coastal Zone, where a coastal development permit may be needed alongside the building permit. And because Santa Monica has a large stock of older buildings, the Landmarks Commission plays a real role: designated landmarks and historic districts need its review for exterior changes, and older houses can be screened for historic significance before demolition.
Permits run through the City of Santa Monica's Building and Safety and City Planning divisions. The city borders the City of Los Angeles on several sides, including Brentwood and Pacific Palisades to the north and Venice to the south, so we confirm the parcel is actually inside Santa Monica before assuming which rules apply.
Why Choose Us
Why Santa Monica 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 Santa Monica project.
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.
Nearby Service Areas
We Also Build Near Santa Monica
FAQ
Building in Santa Monica: Common Questions
Does my Santa Monica project need a coastal development permit?
It depends on where the property sits and what you are building. Much of Santa Monica is in the California Coastal Zone, and projects there may need a coastal development permit in addition to the building permit. We check your address against the coastal zone boundary at the start so the approval path and schedule are clear.
What if my house is older or in a historic district?
Santa Monica's Landmarks Commission reviews exterior changes to designated landmarks and properties in historic districts, and older houses may be screened for historic value before demolition. That does not rule out an addition or a new home, but it shapes the design and the schedule. We check the property's status before design begins.
Is my address in Santa Monica or the City of Los Angeles?
It matters, because the permitting agency and the rules change at the line. Santa Monica borders the City of Los Angeles on several sides, and properties near the border are easy to misread. We verify the jurisdiction on the parcel record before any design work, so the plans are drawn to the right code.
How do you handle construction on Santa Monica's tight lots?
Carefully and with neighbors in mind. Many lots have little room for staging, so we plan deliveries, dumpster placement and alley access in advance, follow the city's construction hour rules and keep the site clean and secure. A clear logistics plan protects both the schedule and your relationships on the block.
Start Your Project
Start Your Santa Monica 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]