Why Building in Brentwood Is Different
On a flat Brentwood lot, an addition is a design question. On a hillside lot, it is a math question first. The Baseline Hillside Ordinance calculates a maximum Residential Floor Area from your lot’s slope, and no amount of good design gets you past that number without a discretionary approval and a hearing. The ordinance also treats a project as a major remodel once the value of work in a one year period passes half the replacement cost of the house, which changes which rules apply. We run those numbers before design, not after.
Our Services in Brentwood
Kitchens, bathrooms, additions and exteriors on flat lots and hillside lots throughout Brentwood and the canyons above Sunset.
Recent Work In and Around Brentwood
Permitted, built and inspected by our own crews. Filter to the closest match to your project, and ask us which of these you can see in person.
Brentwood Remodeling Questions, Answered
Straight answers about permits, design review, timelines and what the city actually requires.
1. Is my Brentwood property in the Hillside Area?
It is a mapped designation, not a judgement call about how steep your street feels. The city’s parcel system shows whether your lot carries the Hillside Area designation. If it does, the Baseline Hillside Ordinance applies to new construction, additions and major remodels, and it changes how much you can build. We check this before quoting.
2. How much can I add to a hillside house?
Your maximum Residential Floor Area is calculated from your lot’s slope, not from a flat percentage. Steeper lots get less. There are bonus provisions and there are discretionary paths for going beyond the limit, but those involve City Planning approval and a public hearing, which adds months. Run the calculation before you fall in love with a design.
3. What counts as a major remodel?
Under the hillside rules, once the aggregate value of work within a one year period exceeds fifty percent of the replacement cost of the building, the project is treated as a major remodel and the full standards apply. Splitting a job into phases to stay under that line is a strategy people try, and it is one the city already accounts for.
4. Will I need a haul route?
If your grading exceeds the amount allowed by right, yes. A haul route approval carries conditions on truck size, routes, hours and bonding, and it takes time. On tight canyon streets it can also come with neighborhood opposition, so it belongs in the schedule from day one.
5. Do I need a soils report?
On hillside lots, new construction and larger additions, assume yes. A licensed geotechnical engineer prepares it and it goes in with both the grading and building permit applications. It determines your foundation, so it is the first consultant we bring on, not the last.
6. My street is very narrow. Does that affect my permit?
Yes for anything beyond finish work. Moving plumbing, adding circuits or altering framing all require an LADBS permit. Interior work that does not add floor area is also the fastest project type on a hillside lot, because it avoids the floor area and grading questions entirely.
7. Do I need a permit to remodel a kitchen or bathroom?
Yes for anything beyond finish work. Moving plumbing, adding circuits or altering framing all require an LADBS permit. Interior work that does not add floor area is also the fastest project type on a hillside lot, because it avoids the floor area and grading questions entirely.
8. What does a Brentwood remodel cost?
Finish level drives it on flat lots. On hillside lots, site conditions drive it, and the geotechnical work, foundation design and access constraints can add materially before you spend a dollar on finishes. We estimate line by line after a site visit.
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