Service Area · Los Angeles County
General Contractor in Silver Lake, CA
Hillside additions, ADUs and modern custom homes around the Silver Lake Reservoir, engineered for steep lots and permitted through LADBS under one contract.
- Licensed California general contractor
- Custom homes, ADUs & additions
- Permits with LADBS
- Written, line-item estimates
Silver Lake, CA
Building and Remodeling in Silver Lake
For hillside additions, ADUs, garage conversions and new custom homes, Simply Construction serves as a general contractor in Silver Lake with the structural depth that steep lots demand. Much of the neighborhood is built on steep, irregular lots, and its houses range from pre-war Spanish and Craftsman homes to modernist designs by architects whose work is still studied around the world.
We manage the job under one contract, from site analysis and engineering through LADBS plan check, construction and final inspection. On a Silver Lake hillside, access, grading and structural design drive the schedule far more than finishes do, so we resolve them first and give you a realistic plan and budget before construction starts.
Local Knowledge
Building in Silver Lake: Steep Streets and Modern Landmarks
Silver Lake is organized around the Silver Lake and Ivanhoe reservoirs, with streets that climb sharply from Sunset Boulevard and Silver Lake Boulevard into the surrounding hills. Some blocks are steep enough that public stairways stand in for sidewalks, including the Music Box Steps made famous by a Laurel and Hardy film. Lots are often narrow, sloped and oddly shaped, with a house at street level on one side of the road and dropping away from the curb on the other.
The neighborhood is also known for modernist houses. Richard Neutra built his own home and studio, the VDL Research House, on Silver Lake Boulevard facing the reservoir, and a group of Neutra-designed houses stands nearby. Owners of mid-century homes here usually want more space without losing the clean lines, glass walls and low roofs that define them, which puts real weight on how an addition is massed.
As a City of Los Angeles neighborhood, Silver Lake falls under LADBS for permits and LA City Planning for zoning. Lots in the city's mapped hillside areas are subject to the Baseline Hillside Ordinance, which limits floor area and addresses grading and height, and projects on steep lots generally need soils and geology input before the foundation design can be approved.
Services
Construction & Remodeling Services in Silver Lake
From ground-up homes to kitchens, here is how each of our services applies to Silver Lake properties.
Custom Home Building in Silver Lake
A custom home on a steep Silver Lake lot puts much of its structural budget into the ground. Caissons, grade beams and retaining walls are common, and the design has to fit within the Baseline Hillside Ordinance's limits on floor area, height and grading. A modern design with generous glass and simple forms fits the neighborhood's mid-century context well, but it demands careful structural detailing on a slope. We plan crane access, material staging and parking on narrow hillside roads before the first day of work.
ADU Construction in Silver Lake
On a sloping Silver Lake lot, a simple flat-backyard ADU often isn't an option, so placement takes more thought. Possibilities include converting or extending a street-level garage, stepping a unit down the slope, or adding an attached ADU that shares a wall with the main house. State law allows an attached ADU up to 25 feet tall or the height of the main house, whichever is lower, and a detached unit up to 16 feet, with more near major transit. We check utility routes, fire access and the hillside designation before design.
Garage Conversions in Silver Lake
On Silver Lake hillsides the garage is often a separate structure at street level, sometimes dug into the slope below the house. Converting it into an ADU requires no replacement parking under state law, which is a real advantage where curb space is scarce. The work often includes waterproofing the retaining walls that form part of the garage, cutting in windows for light and egress, and bringing utilities down from the house. An engineer reviews the existing structure first, since hillside garages were rarely designed to be lived in.
Room Additions in Silver Lake
On a sloping Silver Lake lot, a room addition may extend over the hillside on a raised floor, fill in the space under an existing deck, or expand a lower level into the slope. Each of those needs structural engineering, and some need new retaining walls and subdrains. Under the Baseline Hillside Ordinance floor area is limited, so we measure what remains of the allowance before design starts. On a mid-century house, we match rooflines, glazing and siding so the addition reads as part of the original.
Second-Story Additions in Silver Lake
A second story on a Silver Lake hillside house has to stay within the city's hillside height rules, which work differently than on flat lots. On a low mid-century house, a full second floor can change the character entirely, so a partial upper level or a lower-level expansion may serve the design better. When going up does make sense, the engineer's review of the existing foundation and hillside soils decides how much new structure goes in below before any framing starts upstairs.
Garage Construction in Silver Lake
New garages on Silver Lake's steep streets are frequently built at the street edge, with the house higher or lower on the lot. A garage cut into the hill can need retaining walls on several sides, a structural roof if a deck or terrace goes above, and careful drainage. We design new hillside garages with the space and utility capacity for a future ADU where it fits, and we coordinate the driveway approach so it works with the street grade.
Whole-House Remodeling in Silver Lake
A whole-house remodel of a Silver Lake mid-century home is often about restoring what made it notable while replacing what has worn out. That can mean swapping single-pane glass for insulated units in frames that keep thin sightlines, rebuilding a low-slope roof with insulation above the deck, and modernizing the heating system. For the neighborhood's older Spanish and Craftsman houses, the focus is more often foundation work, rewiring and opening closed floor plans.
Kitchen Remodeling in Silver Lake
In Silver Lake's mid-century houses, the kitchen is often compact and open to a dining area, and a remodel usually aims for more storage and counter space without blocking the view. We plan flat-panel cabinetry, clean detailing and lighting that fit the house, then handle the practical side: new circuits, gas or induction, and venting a range hood through a low-slope roof without creating a leak. In older hillside homes, we also check whether the floor framing needs reinforcement before heavy stone counters arrive.
Bathroom Remodeling in Silver Lake
Bathroom remodels in Silver Lake hillside homes often run into tight plumbing routes, especially where a bath sits over a sloped crawlspace or on an upper level with little access below. We plan drains and vents first, then build waterproofed wet areas with correct slope and a properly ducted fan. For a mid-century house, simple materials, large-format tile and frameless glass tend to suit the architecture better than heavy ornament.
Fire Rebuilds in Silver Lake
Rebuilding a fire-damaged Silver Lake hillside home means dealing with slope, access and code at the same time. If the parcel is in a mapped fire hazard severity zone, ignition-resistant construction and brush clearance rules apply, and narrow streets complicate staging and fire access. We coordinate the insurance scope, structural and soils evaluations, and LADBS plan check. If the house lost was a notable modernist design, we work with your architect on how closely the new house should follow the original.
Junior ADUs (JADU) in Silver Lake
A junior ADU can be the simplest way to add a unit to a Silver Lake house on a steep lot, because it stays inside the existing home or an attached garage and avoids new grading. The state caps it at 500 square feet and requires at least an efficiency kitchen, and either the JADU or the main house must be the owner's home. Lower-level rooms with their own exterior door, which many hillside houses have, are often good candidates.
SB 9 Lot Splits & Duplexes in Silver Lake
SB 9 can apply to qualifying single-family lots in Silver Lake, but the neighborhood's slopes and lot shapes often decide feasibility more than the law does. A lot split needs each new parcel to be at least 1,200 square feet and 40 percent of the original lot, and access to the rear parcel has to work on a hillside. Local rules can't block two units of at least 800 square feet each, with side and rear setbacks as small as 4 feet. We review topography, access and fire designations first.
Patios, Decks & Outdoor Living in Silver Lake
Outdoor living in Silver Lake tends to be vertical: decks off the main floor, terraces over garages and small gardens held up by retaining walls. Views toward the reservoir or the surrounding hills make these spaces valuable, and each one needs engineered footings or structural framing. We use fire-resistant decking where the parcel's designation calls for it, and we design railings and shade structures to follow the lines of the house.
Why Choose Us
Why Silver Lake Homeowners Choose Simply Construction
Licensed, Bonded and Easy to Verify
Simply Construction inc. is a licensed California general contractor, CSLB [CSLB LICENSE # PLACEHOLDER]. State law requires a license for any job of $1,000 or more in labor and materials, and anyone can check a contractor's license, bond and workers' compensation status on the CSLB website in about a minute. We encourage every Silver Lake homeowner to do exactly that before signing with anyone, including us.
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 Silver Lake 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 Silver Lake
FAQ
Building in Silver Lake: Common Questions
Do I need a soils report to build on my Silver Lake lot?
On most sloped lots, yes. LADBS generally expects geotechnical information for foundations and grading on hillside properties, and that report shapes the design of caissons, retaining walls and drainage. We bring the geotechnical engineer in early so the findings inform the design rather than forcing revisions after plan check comments come back.
Can I add on to a mid-century modern house without spoiling it?
Yes, with care. The most successful additions keep the original roof lines and glass walls legible, often by placing new space on a lower level, behind the house or in a separate structure. We work with your architect on proportions, window systems and materials so the addition supports the original design rather than competing with it.
What limits how large I can build in Silver Lake?
Silver Lake is part of the City of Los Angeles, so single-family lots fall under the Baseline Mansionization Ordinance on flat lots or the Baseline Hillside Ordinance on hillside lots. Both cap floor area, and the hillside rules add grading and height limits. We calculate your remaining allowance at the start of the project so the design is sized correctly.
Start Your Project
Start Your Silver Lake 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]