Whole-House Renovation in Los Angeles | Cost Per Square Foot & Timeline

Cosmetic: $60 to $120 / sq ftPaint, floors, fixtures
Full replacement: $150 to $300 / sq ftKitchens, baths, systems
Gut renovation: $300 to $600 / sq ftWalls move, high-end finishes
Doing it at once saves: 15 to 25%Versus room by room

A whole-house renovation does everything in one go: kitchen, bathrooms, floors, wiring, plumbing, heating and air, windows, roof, exterior, and often the floor plan. It is the right call when the house has had nothing done to it in decades, when you just bought and want it finished before moving in, or when you are getting it ready to sell or rent.

Doing it all at once costs less than doing it in pieces, because the trades show up once instead of five times and the house is torn open for one stretch instead of several. One contract, one price, one schedule, and a weekly update so you always know where it stands.

Three levels, three budgetsWhich one you need decides the drawings, the permit and the price. Most people describing a remodel mean the middle one and budget for the first.

What it costs in Los Angeles

What	Typical Los Angeles range	Notes
Cosmetic, whole house	$60 to $120 per sq ft	A 1,600 sq ft house: $100k to $190k
Full replacement	$150 to $300 per sq ft	A 1,600 sq ft house: $240k to $480k
Gut renovation with structural work	$300 to $600 per sq ft	A 1,600 sq ft house: $480k to $960k
Full rewire	$15,000 to $40,000	Depends on size and access
Repipe	$8,000 to $20,000	Copper or PEX
Contingency we recommend	10 to 15%	Held back, on any house built before 1970

Planning ranges for Los Angeles County, reviewed 2026-10-29. Not a quote. We price every job after walking it.

What's included

A walk through what exists now and a priority list
Floor plan changes, removing walls, structural beams
Full rewire and a bigger electrical panel
Repipe and a new sewer line where it is needed
New heating and air, ducts and insulation
Kitchen and bathroom remodels
Windows, doors, floors, drywall, trim and paint
Roof, stucco, exterior and the edges of the landscaping

What drives the price

How old the house is, and the state of the wiring, pipes and foundation
How much of the floor plan changes, and which walls are holding the roof up
Finish level, and how many kitchens and bathrooms there are
Whether anyone is living there during the work
What the permit triggers: detectors, water-saving fixtures, gas shutoff valves

Permits and approvals

A whole-house renovation is a stack of permits: building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical. Structural changes need engineered drawings. Rewires, repipes and new heating systems each get their own permit and inspection. A big enough renovation in the City of Los Angeles also triggers upgrades like smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, low-flow fixtures and an earthquake gas shutoff valve. We bundle the filings and sequence the inspections so they do not hold up the trades.

How long it takes

Cosmetic runs 4 to 8 weeks. Full replacement is 3 to 5 months. Custom with structural work is 6 to 12 months including drawings and permits. Cabinet, window and stone lead times are built into the schedule from day one instead of discovered halfway through.

Three ways to scope it

Cosmetic

Paint, floors, fixtures, lighting and hardware throughout. Common for rentals and quick pre-sale work.

Full replacement

Kitchens, baths, wiring, plumbing and finishes replaced, same floor plan.

Custom

The plan changes, walls come out, everything is new. Needs drawings.

How we run the job

1. Walk the property

We meet you on site, listen, and look at what the building and the city will need. You get a written scope and a budget range.

2. Drawings

When drawings are needed we bring in the architect and engineer, and price the design while it is being drawn.

3. Permit

We file with the city, handle the corrections they send back, and tell you where it stands.

4. Price and contract

An itemized price, a schedule and payment terms. Anything new after signing gets priced in writing first.

5. Build

One supervisor on your job, licensed trades, inspections in order, and a weekly update with photos.

6. Walkthrough

A final fix list, the city's sign-off, and a written warranty on our work.

Questions

All at once or one room at a time?

All at once is usually 15 to 25 percent cheaper and far less disruptive, because the house gets opened once and the trades do not keep coming back. Phasing only makes sense when cash flow forces it.

Do you work with investors and flippers?

Yes, a lot of our renovation work is for investors. We scope to the resale or rent number you are targeting, not to the biggest possible spend.

How do you keep the budget from running away?

An itemized contract with set dollar amounts held for anything unselected, all your finish choices made before demolition, a contingency we tell you to hold, and written pricing for anything outside the original scope before we touch it.

Can you handle the design too?

For cosmetic and replacement work, yes. When walls are moving we bring in an architect, ours or yours, and price the design as it is drawn.

What should I check before buying a house to renovate?

Foundation, sewer line with a camera, electrical panel and wiring type, plumbing material, roof age, and the permit history on file with the city. We will walk a property with you before you close.

Complete Home Renovation by city

Same work, different building department. Pasadena, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Long Beach, Santa Monica, Burbank, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Glendale, Studio City, West Hollywood. Or see every city.

Related work

Primary bathroom, green zellige tile and oak vanity

Whole-House Renovation