Los Angeles Home Remodeling Costs
In contrast to a straightforward purchase, such as furniture or a vehicle, the price range for remodeling can vary significantly due to the fact there are numerous components and factors included. If two neighbors renew exactly the same area, it is very likely that one of them could easily spend twice as much as the others. Although home renovation costs are difficult to determine accurately, this article will give you some guidance on the range of costs of significant housing renovations in Los Angeles and Southern California.
The total cost of home restructuring can be divided into four major categories: labor costs, materials, soft costs, and Contractor’s Fee.
Labor Costs
The first category is Labor, in other words, manpower, which is utilized by the contractor. Since the cost of raw materials is standardized, the cost of the labour which can vary widely depends substantially on what the contractor pays for his subcontractors and employees etc.
Materials
The second category is materials. The homeowners must select materials that are sometimes referred to as ‘finish materials. These include things like tiles, faucets, door handles, and even household appliances. The overall cost of this category also varies considerably according to the materials selected.
Soft Costs
The third group is “soft costs,” which comprise variables such as architect’s plans, design costs (if required), permit and city plan review fees (and impact fees if they are capable of being put to use or account). These fees are typically NOT involved in the pricing of a contractor, however, they may be included if the contractor is providing design-build services.
Contractor’s Fee
The contractor’s fee is the final component. This figure varies depending on the work size, the project location, and a number of other factors. Within the project budget, it may vary from 15% to 30% and frequency ranges from 20% to 25%. It is vital to determine which materials, if any, are included in the quote of the contractor (as an allowance), and which are acquired by the homeowner directly.
Above are the main categories with regards to the remodeling costs discussed below. Therefore keep in mind that it may only be for labor and contractor’s fee when you evaluate the quote from a contractor. But to understand the complete home remodeling cost, you need to consider all materials and soft costs required for your project. The contractor’s pricing could also contain a good number of material allowances, design charges, or permit fees, therefore you need to cautiously analyze the estimate to understand what your quote does and does not include.
The cost of a kitchen remodel in Los Angeles ranges from $20,000 to over $100,000
While the range of remodeling costs above is broad, the majority of kitchens in L.A. fall within $25-60k. The bulk of your kitchen renovation costs are mainly in several areas: labor, countertops, appliances, cabinets, and fixtures. Let’s look at the factors that influence the overall cost of remodeling: reconfiguration, materials (including appliances), size, and scope.
Layout:
The most efficient and economical way to remodel a new kitchen is by replacing cabinets, appliances, and sinks at the same location as the old kitchen. Otherwise, it will add to the renovation costs if the kitchen is reconfigured since utilities such as water, electricity, gas, and ventilation will need to be relocated to accommodate a new design. In addition, for similar reasons to remove add walls as part of the renovation process of the kitchen will add to your project costs. The costs for restructuring a kitchen depend on such things as the need to remove load-bearing walls and the difficulty of operating utility systems at a new location.
Materials:
The cost of materials can fluctuate greatly and is depended on the type and quality level of the cabinets, countertops, and appliances. Home owners have usually two alternatives for cabinets.
- The economy level, pre-fabricated, which are available in standard types and dimentions (IKEA or Home Depot, etc)
- Customized cabinets which are made according to design specifications for each kitchen specifcally.
Countertops are similar because they are available in one of two styles:
- The prefabricated version is less expensive, but has limited size and cutting options
- Special slabs that provide homeowners a far broader selection of styles, but must be manufactured specifically and cost considerably more.
Size:
The more materials are required in the kitchen, the more effort is needed to install all the components. Furthermore, larger kitchens often include larger, more expensive equipment and maybe services to serve the kitchen’s requirements.
Scope:
Even if the majority of kitchen remodels replace the cabinets, countertops, and equipment, the scope and costs may vary according to other items that the customer wishes to include in a remodel. These items may contain new fixtures, floors, lights, customized backsplash, wallpapers or tiles, and open shelves.
The cost of a bathroom remodel in Los Angeles ranges between $12,000 and $50,000
In Los Angeles, the majority of the bathroom remodels cost around $20,000 for a small or secondary bathroom and $30,000+ for a bigger master bathroom. Let’s take a closer look at the total to remodel costs, options, designs, and considerations.
The most efficient and economical option, like a kitchen, consists in remodeling the bathroom and replacing the main elements such as toilet, vanity, or bathtub in the same location. Relocating these incurs additional costs due to the need to reroute water and waste lines and reassembling and replacing old electrical, lighting, exhaust, and possibly walls.
There are more materials available in the Bathrooms than in the kitchen so the cost is better separated among various items, such as floor tiles, shower tiles, vanity, shower door, bath, sinks, faucets, douche/bath furniture etc. For the bathroom, the value that the contractor pays against the homeowner should be clearly understood and analyzed, since this may make a substantial difference between the estimates of diverse contractors.
If we take some items that represent a substantial part of bathroom remodeling costs under our radar for instance tile, vanity, stand-alone tubs, and fixtures we can talk about the following; Tile mostly covers the full floor, walls, and floors of the shower, and any tub surround. Regardless of how much the tile costs, the installation is a high specialty labor work. Backer-board and a hot-mop or bitumen sheets as waterproofing under the tile are also necessary for the shower walls and floor, which adds another cost to this category.
Smaller and more cost-effective vanities from IKEA, Home Depot other retailers are certainly available in standard sizes, the cost can easily go up once you get into larger vanities. Large vanities up to 6″ long can be obtained from retailers, but anything of that size has to be customized to fit and the cost of remodeling will increase accordingly.
In modern master bathrooms, a separate stand-alone tub often constitutes a price difference between a small and a large bathroom. Finally, the cost of fixtures can vary widely. There are certainly cost-efficient options if you’re not very particular with high-quality showerheads and faucets. However, if you are looking for a certain modern look, these materials can cost high 4 digit dollar figures.
ADUs, Junior ADUs and Garage Conversions
New California ADU regulatory changes have been very exciting and now provide a lot of flexibility for most single-family homeowners. It means that approximately all homeowners in Los Angeles can build up an ADU, Junior ADU, in other words, convert their existing garage or previously unutilized living space to add a separate living unit to their property. ADU stands for an accessory dwelling unit, and the JADU stands for a junior accessory dwelling unit. The cost of remodeling each category differs varies greatly and let’s look at them individually.
Conversion of detached garage ranges between $60,000-$200,000
Mostly the average conversion of a standard two-car garage around 400 SF is $60-135K. Since the main structure already exists, it is a great way to convert this insufficiently utilized space into an ADU with a nice living area, a bathroom, and a kitchen to rent for an additional income if not used for long-term guests. Since you have an existing foundation, framing, stucco, and a roof, in general, you save on common renovation costs. However, it goes without saying that if any of these have to be fixed, substituted, or needs to be brought up to the code, that will increase your expenditure. To be realistic in today’s circumstances, the soft costs required in this type of project range from $6,000 to $14,000 for blueprints and permissions.
Many homeowners make the mistake to take on this type of project with unlicensed drafters for the same money. However, they quickly realize that would cause them many issues beyond the drafter’s expertise especially where utilities are involved, and in most cases more costly corrections during the construction phase. Therefore, our advice would be to work with licensed professionals with the right skill set and credentials.
When you consider a garage conversion to an ADU to build a small house, you can grasp the number of details and materials that are included in such a Project. Similar elements such as plumbing, water heater, power systems, appliances, air conditioning, and heating are needed in your existing home and the list continues. A good and experienced ADU contractor can help you understand all the relevant information.
New ADU (Detached or Attached) costs vary from $150,000 up to $350,000
You are able to build up to 1200 sq feet of ADUs under the new regulations but they can also be as small as 200 SF. Therefore, the budgets can vary greatly depending on the size of the ADU and the features. The best principle is that $300-$400 per square foot should be budgeted for construction alone. Remember that the larger you build, the lower you will pay per square foot.
Those who build 300 SF probably have a budget of $120,000 at least, but you could budget $300,000 or less to build 1,000sf. That’s because every single ADU, large or small, has some components such as a bathroom, a kitchen, a water heater, HVAC, etc that add up to the cost beyond simple facelift. Since ADU grows in size, this additional area is generally cheaper for living space, other bedrooms, and closets.
An ADU can be affixed either to the house, an existing garage, or a free-standing unit. The costs are not substantially different. As we mentioned briefly earlier, it is not really an easy undertaking to build an ADU, rather than to build a smaller version of your house. You would want to employ an experienced architect or designer for the plans and discuss their ideas, recommendations, and cost estimates with multiple quality contractors for your projects.
The plans of an ADU’s construction drawings should range from $6,000 to $14,000. Remember, saving on pre-construction studies is not a good idea due to more costly issues and corrective actions you will be dealing with during construction. It is, finally, a good thing to begin with a checklist to understand the items in an ADU project.
JADU (Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit) costs between $50,000 – $150,000
The new state regulations defined JADU as a separate maximum residential unit with a maximum of 500sf, which has to be established in the envelope of the present home. That means that you take part of your home, whether it is a bedroom or a garage attached, and convert it into a separate living room with a small kitchen, a separate entrance and an optional bathroom. This project usually includes the conversion of an attached 2-car garage into a JADU.
Converting the attached garage to the JADU is somewhat less costly than converting a detached car garage to an ADU as all required utilities such a gas, electricity, water, and waste are nearby.
Additions can cost around $250-400 per square foot
While the majority of the addition typically happening to the back of a house, the options offer a great deal of diversity, and the remodeling costs can therefore differ greatly. For instance, some additions require work to make changes to the existing building structure to accommodate new spaces, which eventually adds to the total renovation cost.
In addition, an addition of a new story to the building will be costlier than a single-story addition because of the major structural additions and upgrades to existing building elements that will eventually support the second floor.
On the other hand, rooms such as family rooms and bedrooms are cheaper to renovate than wet spaces such as bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms. That makes much sense in considering the fact that a room basically has four walls and a floor, whereas a bathroom requires tiles, plumbing, vanity, counters, and fittings, etc.
A master suite or master bedroom, which is a combination of dry space and wet space, is a popular addition. A 400-500-foot master suite might be about $150,000 but may vary between $120-200k depending on size and finish. Let’s have a closer look at some of the factors that can influence the cost of a master suite or other type additions.
If your current house is not on a raised foundation, the plumbing lines will be more difficult to modify and the costs will rise. You may need to upgrade your electrical panel to accommodate new electrical connections within your additional area where it is available.
Furthermore, if your roofing material is old or unique, the addition can be difficult to adapt and create the possibility to redo the roof. Finally, your selected materials & finishes will have an important effect on the price of your project. Some examples include lots of wood/tile floorings versus carpet, cabinetry in the bathroom/closet, luxurious bathrooms such as a wide shower and standing bathroom, and additional features, such as patio doors, wooden deck, or barn-style doors.
Cost of Whole House Remodel $100-300 per foot
Whole building remodeling is the hardest category to evaluate, because the total cost of redesign and building a new layout depends primarily on what is included. Each house is unique and needs a specific scope to perform the desired finishing work. The only way to obtain a realistic approximate number for the costs is to reach out to licensed contractors and get their opinions and bids if construction drawings are available.
One technique to develop a preliminary budget in Los Angeles for a total building remodel is to divide it into its main components. You begin with the costliest components, probably the kitchen and bathrooms, as long as all of them are included in the renovation. You can calculate your overall budget using the costs discussed above for each of these components. Depending on which elements are included in your remodel, you could incorporate the following accordingly: HVAC, windows, interior/exterior paint, doors, windows, landscape/exterior, plumbing, electrical, flooring, roofing, and so on.
The hardest part of the budget is the structural elements if you adjust or remove wall settings. The renovation cost will depend on your unique project requirements and engineering design that will include structural columns, beams, reinforcement of the foundation, etc.
Why is Gozen Construction the first choice of so many people for home remodeling?
Our goal is for you to fall in love with your home again. When the finishing touches are complete on your new remodeling project, we want you and your family to be thrilled, all at the price that you expected to pay from the initial quote.
We have satisfied homeowners in Los Angeles and surrounding areas and would love to show you our portfolio of success stories. We are a California Licensed General Building and Engineering Contractor who can help you with all your residential construction needs.
Call us today to give your old home new life!