Whole Home Remodeling in Long Beach
Most Long Beach homeowners who call us about a whole home remodel are happy with their neighborhood but frustrated with the way their house actually functions. The city grew in distinct waves, from the 1897 incorporation and the 1920s oil boom through heavy postwar construction, so a 1920s California Heights bungalow with a closed-off kitchen sits a few blocks from a postwar tract house in the north end of the city. A whole home remodel addresses that as a single project: multiple rooms reworked at once, walls relocated to open the floor plan, plumbing and electrical brought current, and one permit set coordinating all of it. That scope is a fundamentally different undertaking than a single-room job, and we approach the planning that way from the very first walk-through.
Services We Offer
Structural & Seismic Work
Roof, Windows & Envelope
Additions & ADUs
Our Whole Home Remodeling Process in Long Beach
Whole home remodeling in Long Beach starts with a thorough walk-through of the entire house, not just the rooms on your wish list. Long Beach housing spans a wide range of eras, from 1920s bungalows in California Heights and Bixby Knolls with their original framing and separate kitchens to postwar tract construction in the northern neighborhoods, and the starting condition of your home shapes everything that follows. We look at the attic, the slab or crawl space, the electrical panel, and the supply lines before we draw a single line. Where something is unclear, we investigate first, whether that means a sewer camera, asbestos testing on older textured ceilings, or a close look at framing that was altered in past decades. Structural engineering and Title 24 energy documents go into one plan set so we submit a single permit application.
Permitting runs through the City of Long Beach Community Development Department Building and Safety Bureau, and homes inside the coastal zone may also require a local coastal development permit or a categorical exclusion, with some mapped areas remaining appealable to the California Coastal Commission. We account for that review process before demolition begins, not after. Selections for cabinets, tile, flooring, and fixtures for every room are made at the Horizon Design Center in Fullerton so materials are confirmed before any walls come down. Construction follows a fixed sequence: demolition, structural work, rough plumbing, electrical and HVAC, inspections, insulation, drywall, and finishes. Because it runs as one coordinated project, the plumber reroutes lines once and the floors run continuously without a threshold marking where an old project stopped. One project manager carries it through final inspection.
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Long Beach sits on decades of layered residential construction, and that history shows up the moment we open a wall. The city grew through the 1920s oil boom, then expanded rapidly with postwar tract development in the 1940s and 1950s. A 1920s California Heights bungalow and a postwar north Long Beach tract house are built differently, finished differently, and hide different problems. Homes from before 1978 may contain lead-based paint, and any contractor who disturbs it must follow the EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting rule; Horizon is an EPA Lead-Safe Certified Firm. Popcorn ceilings, older vinyl flooring, and duct wrap from that period can contain asbestos, so we test suspect materials before work begins and send any confirmed material to a licensed abatement contractor. Galvanized supply lines and undersized electrical panels are also common in houses of that era, and a whole home remodel gives us the chance to address them while the walls are already open.
Permitting a whole home remodel in Long Beach runs through the City of Long Beach Community Development Department Building and Safety Bureau. Because this scope touches structure, plumbing, electrical, and mechanical systems at the same time, it typically requires a full building permit with plan check rather than a simple over-the-counter pull. For properties inside the coastal zone, a local coastal development permit or a categorical exclusion is also required, and certain mapped areas remain appealable to the California Coastal Commission. We verify your parcel’s status at the very start of planning, since coastal review can affect exterior materials, setbacks, and the overall approval path well before demolition begins.
Two state requirements come up on nearly every permitted whole house job in California. Civil Code 1101.4 requires older high-flow toilets, showerheads, and faucets to be replaced with water-conserving fixtures on many remodels of homes built before 1994, so we build that into the fixture schedule from the beginning rather than catching it at final inspection. California’s Title 24 energy code applies to remodels as well as new construction, with updated standards covering permits filed on or after January 1, 2026. New windows, insulation, lighting, and any HVAC changes all need to comply, and we prepare the required compliance documents as part of the plan set.
Structure is often where the scope grows. Opening the wall between a small 1920s bungalow kitchen and the living area, a common request in districts like Bixby Knolls or California Heights, means an engineered beam, new posts, and potentially new footings below. Raised-floor homes may benefit from foundation bolting and cripple-wall bracing while the work area is already accessible. Unpermitted additions, enclosed patios, and garage conversions are common throughout Long Beach and generally have to be legalized or rebuilt before the building department will sign off on the rest of the house. If additional square footage is part of the goal, state law allows an accessory dwelling unit on most single-family lots, and that work can be planned alongside the primary remodel to share permit and design costs.
Other Remodeling Services We Offer
A kitchen remodel touches more trades than any other room in the house: layout, cabinetry, plumbing, electrical, ventilation and finishes. Horizon designs and builds kitchen remodels under one contract, from the measured layout to the final inspection.
Whether you envision a classic Southern California pool or a fully customized backyard oasis, Horizon Construction & Remodeling delivers the highest level of quality and service. Our comprehensive pool design and remodeling services cover everything from layout and decking to built-in BBQs and final touches like landscaping. Let Horizon be your trusted partner in transforming your backyard into the perfect outdoor retreat.
If you are planning a complete bathroom remodel or simply want to change your tub, shower, update your plumbing fixtures, or make the space more efficient, our team at Horizon will help you through the process with expert advice, professional craftsmanship, and affordable options with beautiful results. Learn more about our bathroom remodeling services.
Transform your space with our expert interior work services. We offer a comprehensive range of solutions — from space planning and custom design to the selection of high-quality finishes and materials. Our team of experienced professionals works closely with you to create a space that’s both functional and stylish, tailored to your unique needs, goals, and budget. Whether you’re updating a single room or overhauling your entire interior, we bring precision, creativity, and craftsmanship to every project.
At Horizon, we believe your home is more than just four walls — it’s where life happens. It’s the place you relax, gather with family and friends, and create lasting memories. That’s why we offer a full range of exterior work services designed to elevate your outdoor living space. From patios and hardscaping to custom decks and exterior renovations, we help turn your vision into a dream yard that complements your lifestyle and enhances curb appeal.
At Horizon Construction & Remodeling, our expert team includes a dedicated design and planning division that works hand-in-hand with licensed architects and structural engineers. We take care of everything — from detailed plans and blueprints to securing city permits — so you don’t have to deal with delays or red tape. Our goal is to streamline the process and provide a fully approved set of documents that aligns with both your vision and city regulations, saving you time and stress.
Why Choose Horizon Remodeling For Whole Home Remodeling in Long Beach
Why Long Beach Homeowners Work With Horizon
Horizon Construction and Remodeling is a licensed Class B general building contractor, bonded, and in business since 2009. A whole home remodel is exactly what a Class B license covers: structural work, multiple trades, and coordinated permitting under one contractor of record. Long Beach permits for this kind of project run through the City of Long Beach Community Development Department Building and Safety Bureau, and properties inside the coastal zone may also require a local coastal development permit or a categorical exclusion, with some areas remaining appealable to the California Coastal Commission. We know that paperwork matters before a single wall comes down.
Our approach puts drawings, engineering coordination, permits, and construction under one contract with one project manager. You are not passing messages between an architect, separate engineers, and individual trades. The people who worked out the floor plan are in direct contact with the crew building it, which keeps decisions consistent from the kitchen through the bathrooms to the back bedroom.
We are also straightforward about the things homeowners would rather not hear: whether living in the house during construction is realistic, what a 1920s bungalow or a postwar tract house in the north of the city is likely to need behind the walls, and which items can reasonably wait without costing more down the road.
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Whole Home Remodeling FAQ
How is a whole home remodel different from a regular home remodel?
A whole home remodel treats the house as a single system rather than a collection of separate jobs. Instead of updating one room at a time and working around everything else, several rooms are addressed together, walls are relocated or removed to reshape the floor plan, and plumbing, electrical, and HVAC are brought up to date throughout the house. In Long Beach, where many homes date to the 1920s and 1940s, that kind of coordinated approach matters. Everything is drawn, permitted, and sequenced as one project, so the trades move through in order without reopening finished work later.
What's the difference between a whole home remodel and a complete home renovation?
Those two terms overlap more than most people realize. A remodel centers on changing layouts and finishes, while a renovation addresses the house itself, meaning structure, windows, plumbing, wiring, and mechanical systems. Most whole home remodeling projects in Long Beach draw from both categories, especially in the 1920s bungalows of California Heights or the postwar tract houses in the north end of the city. We sequence the work deliberately: protection first, then the systems buried inside walls, then the finishes you live with every day.
Do we have to move out during a whole home remodel?
The honest answer is that it depends on the scope of your project. Whole home remodeling in Long Beach often means working through houses built in the 1940s and 1950s, where a full gut of the kitchen and all bathrooms at once typically pushes families out during the heaviest phases. If the work can be staged, keeping one bathroom functional and setting up a temporary kitchen elsewhere, some homeowners do stay. Phasing adds time to the schedule, so we walk through that trade-off once the plan is drawn.
How long does a whole home remodel take?
How long a whole home remodel in Long Beach takes depends on scope, how fast selections are made, and how the plan check moves. In a city where much of the housing stock ranges from 1920s bungalows in California Heights to postwar tract houses in the north end, hidden conditions behind walls are common and can stretch the build phase. Design and permitting frequently take as much time as construction itself, and plan check alone can run several weeks. Construction on a whole house typically runs several months, longer when structural work or an addition is involved. We provide a schedule tied to your specific home with the proposal, and starting drawings early is the single biggest factor in when you move back in.
Who handles the permit for a whole home remodel in Long Beach?
Yes, we handle permits for whole home remodeling in Long Beach from start to finish. Our team prepares the full plan set, which includes structural engineering and Title 24 energy documents, submits everything to the City of Long Beach Community Development Department Building and Safety Bureau, and works through plan-check comments until the permit is issued. We schedule and attend all required inspections during construction and close the permit at final. Where coastal zone approvals or HOA review also apply, we build that into the project schedule from the beginning.
What drives the cost of a whole home remodel?
Whole home remodeling costs vary widely, and two houses of the same size can land far apart in price, which is why we do not publish ranges. The real drivers are structural changes such as removing a load-bearing wall, relocating a kitchen or bathroom on a slab foundation, how much repiping, rewiring, and panel work the house needs, any lead or asbestos handling, added square footage, and your chosen finish level. Many Long Beach homes from the 1940s and 1950s postwar era carry all of those variables at once. Your proposal separates every must-do item from optional choices, line by line.
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Horizon is a licensed Class B general building contractor serving Long Beach and the surrounding Los Angeles County communities.