Remodeling Contractor in Mar Vista

Mar Vista, California

What remodeling in Mar Vista actually involves

Mar Vista is a post-war neighborhood almost end to end. Most of the housing stock is 1940s and 1950s two- and three-bedroom homes on 5,000 to 6,500 square foot lots, with larger properties up around Mar Vista Hill. They were built with closed-off galley kitchens, one bathroom, a single-pane window package and a detached garage off the alley — which is exactly the list of things homeowners here call us about.

So the work is predictable: take down the kitchen wall, carve a second full bath out of the hallway, and convert the alley garage into a permitted ADU. What is less predictable is what a 1948 house hides behind the plaster. On a Mar Vista remodel we budget for the electrical panel, the supply lines and the structural beam up front, in the written scope — not as a change order in week three.

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Remodeling work by New Cali Construction

Where we work in Mar Vista

Mar Vista Hill, Grand View, the McLaughlin and Beethoven Street blocks, the Venice Boulevard corridor, and the streets bordering Palms and Del Rey.

Our Services

What we build in Mar Vista

Kitchen Remodeling by New Cali Construction

Kitchen Remodeling in Mar Vista

Opening the closed 1950s galley kitchen into the living room is the single most requested Mar Vista project on our board.

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Bathroom Remodeling by New Cali Construction

Bathroom Remodeling in Mar Vista

Adding a second full bathroom to a two-bed, one-bath house — usually taken out of a hallway closet and the back bedroom.

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ADU & Garage Conversion by New Cali Construction

ADU & Garage Conversion in Mar Vista

Alley-access garages convert into permitted one-bedroom ADUs about as cleanly as anywhere on the Westside.

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Whole-Home Remodel by New Cali Construction

Whole-Home Remodel in Mar Vista

Whole-house remodels on and around Mar Vista Hill, where the floor plan needs to change and not just the finishes.

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Fire Rebuild & Smoke Damage by New Cali Construction

Fire Rebuild & Smoke Damage in Mar Vista

Ground-up rebuilds on total-loss lots, and renovation of homes left standing that took smoke, soot and heat damage. We read the insurance scope against what the city will actually require you to build, and put the gap in writing before you commit.

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Permits & Local Rules

Who approves your project in Mar Vista

Mar Vista is not its own city — it is a neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles, so every permit goes through LADBS (Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety) and its West LA district office. We pull them, we meet the inspectors, and the permit path is written into your scope before you sign.

LADBS plan check for anything structural, plus separate electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits on a full remodel.
Panel upgrades are routine here. Plenty of Mar Vista homes still run 100-amp service (some with the original fuse box). New kitchen circuits generally will not pass inspection without addressing it.
Garage-conversion ADUs are unusually straightforward in Mar Vista — the alley access, the sewer lateral and the power drop are already at the back of the lot.
Galvanized supply piping is common in this vintage. If we open the walls anyway, repiping to copper or PEX during the remodel costs a fraction of doing it later.

Local Experience

Three things we plan for on every Mar Vista job

01

That wall is almost always load-bearing

In these floor plans the wall between the kitchen and living room usually carries roof load. Removing it means a beam, an engineer’s calculation, and posts carried down to new footings — real money that belongs in the estimate on day one, not week three.

02

Raised foundations, not slabs

Most Mar Vista homes sit on a raised perimeter foundation over a crawl space. That makes repiping and rewiring far cheaper than in a slab house — and while we are under there we check whether the cripple walls were ever seismically braced.

03

Fifty-foot lots set the ceiling

Side yards are tight, so additions here go to the rear or up rather than out. We confirm the buildable envelope against setbacks and lot coverage before anyone pays for a design.

Transparent Pricing

Typical investment ranges

Every Mar Vista project gets its own written, line-item quote. These ranges are for planning.

Refresh

$15K - $40K

Single-room refresh — bathroom, kitchen facelift, or flooring throughout. Typically 2-4 weeks.

Renovate

$40K - $120K

Full kitchen, primary suite, or multi-room remodel with layout changes. Typically 4-10 weeks.

Transform

$120K - $500K+

Whole-home remodel or ADU build, design through final inspection. Typically 3-6 months.

Free estimates always. Every quote is line-item and locked in writing before work begins.

Recent Work

Craftsmanship you can look at

A sample of completed New Cali Construction projects across the Westside. See the full portfolio →

Completed remodel by New Cali Construction

Common Questions

Mar Vista FAQs

What does a kitchen remodel cost in Mar Vista?

Most Mar Vista kitchens land between $25,000 and $100,000+ depending on whether you keep the layout or open the wall. Budget separately for what the house’s age brings with it — a service panel upgrade and a structural beam are the two line items that most often surprise homeowners here. Both are in our written estimate before work starts.

Who issues building permits for Mar Vista?

The City of Los Angeles does. Mar Vista is an LA neighborhood, not a separate city, so plans go to LADBS and are typically handled through the West LA district office. New Cali Construction pulls the permits, schedules the inspections and carries California Contractor License #1008892.

Can I convert my Mar Vista garage into an ADU?

In most cases yes. California ADU law lets homeowners convert an existing detached garage on a single-family lot, and Mar Vista’s alley-facing garages already have the access and utilities nearby that make it economical. We handle the design, the engineering, the LADBS submittal and the build.

Building in Mar Vista? Let's talk.

Free in-home consultation. Written line-item scope. Locked price before we start.

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We also work nearby

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