Service Area · Los Angeles County
General Contractor in Toluca Lake, CA
Custom homes, ADUs, additions and careful remodels for Toluca Lake's Spanish Revival and Tudor houses, Toluca Woods ranches and the lots around Lakeside Golf Club, planned and permitted under one contract.
- Licensed California general contractor
- Custom homes, ADUs & additions
- Permits with LADBS
- Written, line-item estimates
Toluca Lake, CA
Building and Remodeling in Toluca Lake
Simply Construction is a licensed California general contractor in Toluca Lake, building custom homes, ADUs, room additions and second stories for owners who plan to stay. The neighborhood began in the early 1920s as a planned community north of Lakeside Golf Club, and many of its houses still carry the Spanish Colonial, Tudor and American Colonial details their first owners chose. We scope new work around those details from the first site visit.
Every project here starts with two practical questions: which city issues the permit, since Toluca Lake crosses into Burbank, and how much floor area the lot has left under the rules that apply to it. From there we coordinate design, engineering, permits and construction under one contract, with one point of contact from plan check to final inspection.
Local Knowledge
Building in Toluca Lake: Period Houses, Quiet Enclaves and Two Permit Offices
Toluca Lake grew out of a 1920s land venture. As Lakeside Golf Club took shape beginning in 1922, investors bought the farms north of the course, and by 1923 the Toluca Lake Company was planning a tract bounded by the Los Angeles River, Camarillo Street, Clybourn Avenue and Cahuenga Boulevard. Early buyers were required to build in the Spanish Revival style, though Tudor Revival, American Colonial and post-war ranch houses followed. The 1926 Klump Estate on Forman Avenue, with its archways and barrel ceilings, shows the level of craft many owners want to match or restore.
The neighborhood is not one uniform tract. Hidden Village, between Riverside Drive, Cahuenga, Camarillo and Forman, was laid out as a country-estate enclave with wide streets and no curbs, sidewalks or streetlights. Toluca Woods, north of Camarillo toward Magnolia Boulevard, mixes mid-century and ranch homes. A small number of houses front the private lake, and fewer still back onto the golf course.
Most of Toluca Lake is inside the City of Los Angeles, where LADBS issues building permits and the Baseline Mansionization Ordinance caps floor area on flat single-family lots. The Burbank side follows Burbank's own building code and ADU ordinance, which is why the parcel's city is the first thing we pin down.
Services
Construction & Remodeling Services in Toluca Lake
From ground-up homes to kitchens, here is how each of our services applies to Toluca Lake properties.
Custom Home Building in Toluca Lake
A custom home in Toluca Lake almost always means replacing a house on an established lot rather than building on open land. On the Los Angeles side, the Baseline Mansionization Ordinance sets how much floor area the new house can hold, so we run those numbers with your architect before design gets expensive. Owners in Hidden Village and near the lake often want a house that reads as Spanish Revival or Tudor from the street, with current framing, insulation and systems behind the plaster. We price period details such as arched openings, deep window returns and clay tile roofs as defined line items, and new homes include the solar PV that California has required since 2020.
ADU Construction in Toluca Lake
Toluca Lake lots can often fit a detached ADU, but mature trees, pools and older garages usually decide where it goes. California protects the right to an ADU of at least 800 square feet with 4-foot side and rear setbacks, and the permitting city has 60 days to act once the application is complete. On a period property we match the ADU's roofline, stucco texture and window style to the main house so it reads like an original outbuilding rather than a later box. If your lot sits on the Burbank side, Burbank's ADU ordinance applies on top of state law, and we design to its rules instead of Los Angeles'.
Garage Conversions in Toluca Lake
Many older Toluca Lake houses have a detached garage at the back of the lot, often with thin wall framing, an uneven slab and wiring that predates modern loads. Converting one into a studio, office or ADU means new insulation, egress windows, a proper floor system and dedicated utilities. Once it becomes an ADU, the city cannot make you replace the lost parking, which keeps the project simple on a lot with a single driveway. We inspect the slab and framing before pricing, because on a garage of this age that inspection is what sets the budget.
Room Additions in Toluca Lake
Ground-floor additions are how many Toluca Lake owners add a primary suite or family room while keeping the scale of a ranch or cottage. The skill is in the tie-in: matching floor heights between old and new foundations, carrying rooflines across without awkward valleys, and blending new stucco or siding with finishes that in the oldest part of the neighborhood are close to a century old. Before design starts, we confirm how much floor area your lot has left under the single-family rules that apply to it, since earlier additions count against that total.
Second-Story Additions in Toluca Lake
Adding a floor to a Spanish Revival or Tudor house in Toluca Lake takes more design care than stacking rooms on a plain ranch, because the original roof forms define how the house looks from the street. Engineering comes first: the existing footings and walls have to carry the new load, and older houses often need new foundations or shear walls to do it. The upper floor is then set back and given the same roof pitch and materials so it looks planned. Floor area limits count both levels together, so we check the numbers before drawings begin.
Garage Construction in Toluca Lake
A new garage in Toluca Lake often replaces a narrow early structure that is too tight for today's cars. Many owners now build the garage with a studio or ADU above or behind it, and the ADU portion then follows state ADU rules for size and setbacks. We match the new building to the main house, whether that calls for clay tile and smooth stucco, half-timbering on a Tudor, or lap siding on a Colonial, and we coordinate the driveway approach with whichever city has jurisdiction, Los Angeles or Burbank.
Whole-House Remodeling in Toluca Lake
Whole-house remodels in Toluca Lake often start with a house that has been updated in pieces over the decades, leaving mismatched wiring, plumbing and finishes behind original plaster. We open the systems once, correct past work, and rebuild kitchens, baths and layouts in one sequence. For the Spanish and Tudor houses in the original tract, we plan around features worth keeping, such as coved ceilings, arched doorways, ironwork and original windows, and repair them rather than replace them wherever their condition allows.
Kitchen Remodeling in Toluca Lake
Kitchens in Toluca Lake's older houses were built as closed service rooms, and many owners want them opened to a family room without losing the plaster archways that define the rest of the house. That usually means a beam in place of a bearing wall, added circuits or a new subpanel for modern appliances, and gas and venting reworked to current code. We lay out custom cabinetry and stone to suit the house's era, from painted inset doors in a Colonial to warm wood and tile in a Spanish Revival.
Bathroom Remodeling in Toluca Lake
Original bathrooms in 1920s and 1930s Toluca Lake houses may still have tile set in thick mortar beds and aging cast-iron or galvanized lines, and a full remodel usually replaces both. We rebuild with modern waterproofing, exhaust fans vented to the outside and new supply lines, then set tile that suits the house, whether patterned cement tile in a Spanish Revival bath or classic white field tile in a Colonial. Primary baths in new additions and ADU baths are built to the same waterproofing standard.
Fire Rebuilds in Toluca Lake
A fire rebuild in Toluca Lake starts with the insurance adjuster and a structural review to sort out what can be saved, what must be replaced and what now has to meet current code, including energy rules the original house never faced. For a period home, we photograph and measure surviving trim, tile, ironwork and window profiles early, so the rebuilt house can match what was lost. Permits go through LADBS or Burbank depending on the lot, and we manage demolition, rebuilding and final sign-off under one contract.
Junior ADUs (JADU) in Toluca Lake
A junior ADU suits the larger Toluca Lake houses, where an attached garage, a guest wing or a bedroom near a side door can become a private suite of up to 500 square feet inside the existing walls. The unit needs its own entrance and at least an efficiency kitchen, and the owner must live in either the main house or the JADU. For families bringing a parent home or housing a caregiver, it keeps everyone on one property without adding a building to the garden.
SB 9 Lot Splits & Duplexes in Toluca Lake
SB 9 allows two primary units on a qualifying single-family lot, or an urban lot split into two parcels of at least 1,200 square feet each and at least 40 percent of the original. Whether a Toluca Lake lot qualifies depends on its zoning and on state exclusions, such as historic districts. Owners who split a lot must sign an affidavit that they intend to live in one unit for three years. We review the parcel before any design money is spent, then build the units to SB 9 standards and to LADBS or Burbank requirements.
Patios, Decks & Outdoor Living in Toluca Lake
Toluca Lake's tree-lined streets and period houses suit covered outdoor rooms: a loggia off a Spanish Revival living room, a pergola beside the pool, or an outdoor kitchen with gas and power run from the house. Structures like these generally need permits, and patio covers attached to the house must be engineered to the existing wall and roof framing. Near the lake and the golf course, we plan layouts around views and drainage and keep new paving and garden walls consistent with the original materials.
Why Choose Us
Why Toluca Lake 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 Toluca Lake project.
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 Toluca Lake 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 Toluca Lake
FAQ
Building in Toluca Lake: Common Questions
Is my Toluca Lake home permitted through Los Angeles or Burbank?
Most of Toluca Lake is inside the City of Los Angeles, where LADBS issues building permits and LA City Planning handles zoning. Part of the area across the Burbank line is governed by the City of Burbank, which has its own building rules and ADU ordinance. We check the parcel's city before sketching anything, since the answer changes floor area limits, setbacks and how review works.
Can I add onto a 1920s Spanish Revival house without losing its character?
Yes, with planning. We document the original rooflines, wall thickness, window proportions and trim before design starts, then have the addition repeat those forms instead of competing with them. Structural work, such as new footings or shear walls, stays hidden behind finishes that match the original. The goal is an addition that a visitor cannot easily pick out from the street.
How long does the city have to review an ADU application?
Under state law, the local agency must act on a complete ADU permit application within 60 days. That clock starts once the application is complete, so we assemble drawings, engineering and energy calculations carefully before submitting. Plan check corrections can add rounds of review, and we respond to them directly so the project keeps moving.
How much can a contractor collect up front on a home improvement project?
On a California home improvement contract, the deposit is limited to the lesser of $1,000 or 10 percent of the price. From there, billing can only cover work already performed or materials already delivered. Jobs over $500 require a written contract, and the CSLB website lets you confirm any contractor's license, bond and workers' comp coverage.
Start Your Project
Start Your Toluca 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]