Whole Home Remodeling in Santa Monica
Most of the families who contact us about a whole house remodel in Santa Monica like where they live. What they don’t like is how the house works. Santa Monica was old by Los Angeles standards, founded as a seaside resort in 1875 and incorporated in 1886, with the bulk of the housing filling in through the early and middle twentieth century. The typical home is as likely to be a rental as an owner-occupied home, since about 73 percent of units are renter-occupied, so much of the work is in apartments, condominiums and older small houses with tight original kitchen footprints. A whole home remodel reworks that house as one project: several rooms at once, walls moved to change the floor plan, plumbing and wiring brought up to date, and one permit covering all of it. That’s a different job from redoing a single kitchen or bathroom, and we plan it differently from the first walk-through.
Services We Offer
Structural & Seismic Work
Roof, Windows & Envelope
Additions & ADUs
Our Whole Home Remodeling Process in Santa Monica
A whole home remodel starts with a walk-through of the entire house, not just the rooms you want changed. We look at the attic, the crawl space or slab, the electrical panel and the supply lines, and where something is in doubt we investigate before drawing: a sewer camera, asbestos testing on textured ceilings, a structural look at framing altered in past decades. Then we draw the existing house and the new layout, so you can change it on paper where changes are cheap.
Structural engineering and Title 24 energy documents go into the same plan set, which we submit for one permit. Cabinets, tile, flooring and fixtures for every room are chosen at the Horizon Design Center in Fullerton before demolition. Construction follows one order: demolition, structural work, rough plumbing, electrical and HVAC, inspections, insulation, drywall and finishes. Because it’s one plan, the plumber reroutes lines once and the floors run through without a threshold where an old project stopped. One project manager runs it through final inspection.
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A whole home remodel in Santa Monica is nearly always a full building permit with plan check, because it touches structure, plumbing, electrical and mechanical work at the same time. Permits for this work go through the City of Santa Monica Building and Safety Division. One local factor worth knowing: alterations to a designated landmark require a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Landmarks Commission before any city department may issue a permit, under Chapter 9.56 of the municipal code. We check that against your scope at the start, since it can shape exterior materials, setbacks or the review path before a single wall comes down.
The age of the house drives most of what we find. Homes built before 1978 may have lead-based paint, and contractors who disturb it must follow the EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting rule; Horizon is an EPA Lead-Safe Certified Firm. Popcorn ceilings, some older flooring and duct wrap can contain asbestos, so suspect materials are tested first and any removal goes to a licensed abatement contractor. Galvanized supply lines and undersized electrical panels are common in houses of that era, and a whole home remodel is the time to replace them, while the walls are already open.
Two state rules come up on almost every whole house job. California Civil Code 1101.4 requires older high-flow toilets, showerheads and faucets to be replaced with water-conserving models on many permitted remodels of homes built before 1994, so we put it in the fixture schedule instead of finding out at final. California’s Title 24 energy code applies to remodels as well as new homes, and the 2025 standards cover permits filed on or after January 1, 2026. New windows, HVAC changes, insulation and lighting all have to comply, and we prepare the compliance documents with the plans.
Structure is the other big variable. Taking out a load-bearing wall to open the kitchen to the living area means an engineered beam, posts and sometimes new footings. Raised-floor houses may also benefit from foundation bolting and cripple-wall bracing while the work area is open. Additions, enclosed patios and garage conversions built without permits in past decades are common, and they have to be legalized, upgraded or rebuilt before the city will sign off on the rest of the house. If you also want more space, state law allows an ADU on most single-family lots, and it can be planned alongside the remodel.
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 Santa Monica
Horizon Construction & Remodeling is a licensed Class B general building contractor, bonded and insured, with the license active since 2009. In more than 18 years we’ve completed about 1,500 projects in Southern California, and a whole house is the kind of job a Class B license exists for: several trades, structural work and one permit.
We’re design-build, so the drawings, engineering coordination, permits and construction sit under one contract with one project manager. You aren’t relaying messages between an architect, an engineer and separate trades, and the people who drew the floor plan are talking to the crew building it. Finishes for every room are picked together at the Horizon Design Center in Fullerton, which keeps the kitchen, baths and flooring consistent from one end of the house to the other.
We’re also straight about the parts people don’t like hearing: whether staying in the house during construction is realistic, what an older house probably needs behind the walls, and which items can wait without costing more later. Horizon is an EPA Lead-Safe Certified Firm and a NARI and NKBA member, holds an A+ BBB rating, and has Best of Houzz recognition across multiple years plus an Angi Super Service Award.
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Whole Home Remodeling FAQ
How is a whole home remodel different from a regular home remodel?
A typical home remodel updates one room or one area, like a kitchen or a hall bath, and works around the rest of the house. A whole home remodel treats the house as one system. Several rooms are redone at once, walls are often moved or removed to change the floor plan, and plumbing, electrical and HVAC are updated throughout. Everything is drawn, permitted and sequenced together, so trades come through once instead of reopening finished work on the next project.
What's the difference between a whole home remodel and a complete home renovation?
The terms overlap. A remodel usually focuses on changing the layout and finishes, while a renovation focuses on restoring the house itself: structure, roof, windows, plumbing, wiring and heating and cooling. Most whole house projects are some of each. We scope both together, putting anything that protects the house first, then systems that are hard to reach once walls close, then the finishes you see every day.
Do we have to move out during a whole home remodel?
It depends on the scope. If the kitchen and every bathroom are torn out at the same time, or the floors and drywall are coming out throughout, most families move out for at least the heaviest phases. If the work can be phased, with one bathroom kept working and a temporary kitchen set up in another room, some people stay. Phasing adds time, so we talk through the trade-off once the plan is drawn.
How long does a whole home remodel take?
It depends on scope, plan check and how quickly selections are made. Design and permitting often take as long as construction itself, and plan check alone can run several weeks or more in some cities. Construction on a whole house usually runs several months, longer when there’s structural work, an addition or hidden conditions behind the walls. We give you a schedule specific to your house with the proposal, and starting the drawings early is the biggest lever on your move-back-in date.
Who handles the permit for a whole home remodel in Santa Monica?
We do. Permits for whole home remodels here go through the City of Santa Monica Building and Safety Division. Our team prepares the plan set, including structural engineering and Title 24 energy documents, submits it, and answers plan-check comments until the permit is issued. During construction we schedule and attend the framing, plumbing, electrical, mechanical and insulation inspections, and we close out the permit at final. If an HOA or coastal approval also applies, we build that into the schedule.
What drives the cost of a whole home remodel?
We don’t publish price ranges, because two houses of the same size can land far apart. The biggest drivers are structural changes like removing a load-bearing wall, relocating a kitchen or bathroom (especially on a slab foundation), how much repiping, rewiring and panel work the house needs, any lead or asbestos handling, added square footage, and the finish level you choose. Your proposal breaks all of it out line by line, separating must-do items from choices.
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Horizon is a licensed Class B general building contractor serving Santa Monica and the surrounding Los Angeles County communities.