Remodeling a home in Los Angeles typically costs $100 to $300 per square foot, so a whole-house remodel runs from roughly $100,000 for a cosmetic update to $350,000 or more for a full gut renovation. Costs depend on the scope, the finishes, and how much you change the layout and systems. Here’s a room-by-room cost breakdown for a Los Angeles remodel.
Learn how much it will cost to remodel your home in Los Angeles – understand accurate pricing for your kitchen, bathroom, addition, ADU, or whole home renovation projects.
Unlike a simple purchase like buying a car or vacuum, the price range for a house remodel cost can vary greatly because there are so many factors and variables involved. If two neighbors renovate the exact same space in each of their homes, it’s quite possible one of them could easily spend double what the other spends. So, although home renovation costs are hard to pin down accurately, this article will provide you with some guidance about the range of costs for major home remodeling in Los Angeles and Southern California.
Here at GreatBuildz, a free service that connects homeowners in Los Angeles, Orange County, Ventura & San Diego with reliable full service general contractors, we talk to our pros every day and track the real-life home remodel costs of major home renovations that Los Angeles homeowners are paying – below is an overview of the data we’ve collected.
Key Takeaways
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- Homeowners should carefully review contractor bids, as some may only cover labor and profit, requiring additional consideration for finish materials and soft costs.
- Remodel costs for specific projects, such as kitchen and bathroom remodels, ADUs, garage conversions, home additions, and backyard remodels, come with unique considerations.
- Remodeling timelines vary, with bathroom remodels taking 6 to 12 weeks from planning to finish, kitchen remodels 4 to 16 weeks of construction depending on scope, full Los Angeles home remodels lasting 3-6 months, and larger ADUs requiring 6-9 months. Delays are common, so homeowners should anticipate a longer timeline.
- In neighborhoods with starter homes, homeowners should be mindful of renovating within the market’s resale value limits. Over-renovating might not yield a proportional return on investment.
Summary of Home Remodeling Costs in Los Angeles
- Cosmetic Refresh: $100–$175 per sq ft
- Full Remodel: $175–$250 per sq ft
- Gut Remodel: $250–$300+ per sq ft
- Cosmetic Refresh: $25,000–$45,000
- Mid-Range Remodel: $45,000–$65,000
- High-End or New Layout: $65,000–$100,000+
- Hall or Guest Bathroom: $20,000–$30,000
- Primary Bathroom: $35,000–$50,000
- High-End or New Layout: $60,000+
Home Addition
- Single-Story Addition: $300–$500 per sq ft
- Primary Suite (400–500 sq ft): $150,000–$250,000
- Garage Conversion ADU: $120,000–$150,000
- Detached New Build: $150,000–$400,000
When it comes to a Los Angeles home remodel, the total remodel cost can be broken down into four major categories: Labor, Materials, Soft Costs, and Contractor Profit.
Home Remodeling Los Angeles
- First is the ‘labor’ charged by the contractor. Although it’s called labor, it also includes ‘rough materials’ (items the contractor buys like lumber, nails, drywall, etc.). Since the cost of rough materials is somewhat standard, the cost of the labor category is largely dependent on what the contractor pays for his staff, subcontractors, etc., and this can vary a lot.
- Second is materials (sometimes known as ‘finish materials’) which have to be selected by the homeowner. This includes things like faucets, tile, door knobs, and even appliances.
- The third category is ‘soft costs’ and includes items like the costs to create plans by an architect, the costs to hire a designer (if needed), and city plan check & permit fees (and impact fees if applicable). Usually, these fees are NOT included in a contractor’s price.
- The last category is contractor profit. This number varies based on the size of the job, location, and several other variables. It can range from 15-30% of the total project budget and is typically between 20-25%.
It’s important to understand which finish materials, if any, are included in the contractor’s bid (as an allowance) and which ones will be purchased directly by the homeowner. When it comes to the cost to remodel in Los Angeles discussed below, these are the total of all the categories above.
Therefore, you’ll need to be aware that when you review a contractor’s bid, it may be just for the labor and contractor profit portions. Keep in mind that you will need to add finish materials and soft costs to get to the total cost to remodel. Alternatively, the contractor’s price could include quite a few allowances for materials, design fees, or permit fees, so please review the estimate carefully to understand what it does and doesn’t include.
You should know upfront that every contractor’s estimate format will vary significantly because there is no standard template. Each contractor uses their own format, and they will all vary in terms of the level of detail included. Sadly, that will leave you, the homeowner, with the responsibility of comparing these bids carefully in an attempt to figure out what is and isn’t included in each.
In the construction business, there is even a term for this process… It’s called “bid spreading”. I’ve written a detailed blog on how to correctly compare contractor bids here. The GreatBuildz free service includes helping clients compare and analyze bids.
One more important tip about selecting a contractor for your home remodel based on price. Sometimes, it’s appealing to just get three contractor estimates and choose the middle one…since that feels like the right thing to do. Try to resist the urge to just pick the middle bid and truly review both the contractors and bids carefully.
Even worse is the temptation to select the lowest bid. This can be a recipe for disaster if you end up hiring a contractor that bids low just to get the job but fully intends to charge you lots of ‘extra costs’ along the way to increase their profit margin.
Los Angeles Home Remodel Contractors
All the projects in this article will require hiring a licensed General Contractor (B-license). Only this category of contractor is legally qualified to take on any of these major projects that require a multitude of different trades (ie. electrician, plumber, carpenter, etc).
If you have an interest in taking on a major home remodeling project, a qualified contractor should be your first call. They can give you a rough estimate of the cost to remodel.
Some people start by hiring a designer or architect to help plan out their home improvement project and new space. But, if you are working within a specific budget (like most people), meeting with one or more contractors who have the necessary certification will give you some general insight into the reality and approximate costs of their intended project, along with their professionalism. If you’d like a referral to a great local architect or designer, reach out to the Remodeling Advisors at GreatBuildz.
Preparing for a Renovation
Regardless of the exact remodel you decide to undertake, one thing you should do in advance is prepare yourself for the process.
Specifically, you’ll need to start planning on adjusting your lifestyle during your remodel. If you’re undertaking a substantial remodel like a major home addition or complete Los Angeles home remodeling, you may need to consider moving out of the home for several months. You might look into a 6-month apartment lease or a long-term Airbnb rental as your entire house may not be suitable to stay in.
If you’re doing a smaller project like a bathroom remodel, you’ll just need to think through how to adjust your family’s lifestyle to one less bathroom.
If you’re planning to remodel a kitchen, please consider what you’ll do for cooking and meal preparation for around two months. One idea is to set up a makeshift kitchen in your garage or other room…where you can have access to your fridge and a source of water/sink.
How Much Does a Los Angeles Kitchen Remodel Cost?
$25,000 – $100,000+
Although the range of remodel costs above is wide, most kitchen remodels in Los Angeles land between $25,000 and $65,000. The majority of your kitchen remodel cost will primarily be from a few categories: cabinets (including custom cabinetry), countertops, appliances, and labor. Let’s discuss the variables that affect the total remodeling cost: project size, reconfiguration, materials (including appliances), and scope.
Size: This one is pretty obvious; the larger the kitchen, the more materials it requires, and the more labor it takes to install those materials. In addition, larger kitchens usually incorporate larger appliances, which are more expensive.
Reconfiguration: A new kitchen renovation that replaces the cabinets, appliances, and sinks in the same location as the old kitchen is the most efficient and cost-effective. On the other hand, reconfiguring the kitchen will add to the remodel cost because ‘utilities’ like water, electrical, gas, and venting have to be relocated to accommodate the new design.
Also, removing and/or adding walls as part of the kitchen redesign will add costs for similar reasons. The costs of reconfiguring a kitchen vary depending on things like the need to remove load-bearing walls and the difficulty of running utilities to a new location.
Materials: The costs of this category can vary greatly and are most affected by just a few items – cabinets, countertops, and appliances. Homeowners generally have two cabinet options.
- The lower-cost option is pre-fabricated cabinets that come in standard sizes (IKEA or Home Depot, etc)
- Custom cabinets are manufactured specifically for each kitchen based on the design requirements.
Countertops are similar in that they come in either:
- The pre-fab variety that’s cheaper but has limited size & customization, or,
- Custom slabs give homeowners a much greater variety of styles & design options but have to be ‘fabricated’, so you end up spending significantly more.
Lastly, appliance pricing can run the gamut from cost-effective, $2,500 total, to wildly expensive high-end brands, which can easily be over $50,000.
Scope: Although most kitchen remodels replace the cabinets, countertops, and appliances, the scope and cost can vary depending on other items the client wants to include in their renovation. Such items may include flooring, lighting, custom backsplash, wallpaper or paneling, and open shelves.
When you start thinking about remodeling your kitchen and budgeting for this project, it’s a good idea to start with a plan and a checklist of the items to be included in your scope. Check out this blog outlining the 10-step process to planning for remodeling your kitchen.
This helpful kitchen remodel checklist can also help you detail what items should be included in your scope of work to ensure a smooth construction process. Once you complete this checklist, you can hand it to each contractor who is bidding on the project so they all have the exact same understanding of your scope and can provide more accurate estimates. This will help ensure that all contractor bids are more consistent.
How Much Does a Los Angeles Bathroom Remodel Cost?
$20,000 – $60,000
The average cost of a bathroom remodel in Los Angeles is $20,000 to $30,000 for a hall or guest bathroom and $35,000 to $50,000 for a larger primary bathroom. It depends on the scope of the project. Let’s break down the total remodel cost, options, designs, and considerations further.
Just like a kitchen, the most efficient and cost-effective option is to remodel the bathroom and replace the major items in the same location – toilet, vanity, shower, and tub. Relocating these means increased costs from re-routing water and waste lines as well as removing and installing new electrical, lighting, exhaust, and potentially walls.
Bathrooms require more different materials than kitchens, so expenses are more distributed among multiple items like floor tile, shower tile, vanity, shower door, tub, sinks, faucets, shower/tub fixtures, and more. In the case of a bathroom, it’s important to clearly understand and quantify which of these materials are paid for by the contractor versus the homeowner, as this can make a drastic difference between various contractors’ estimates.
Let’s discuss a few items that make up a significant portion of the bathroom remodel costs: Tile, vanity, stand-alone tubs, & fixtures. Tile is expensive because it’s very labor-intensive to install. So, regardless of the cost of the tile itself (which can certainly be expensive), this is a major cost of the project as it encompasses laying the entire floor, shower walls, shower floor, and any tub surround.
The shower walls and floor also require the installation of a backer-board and a ‘hot-mop’ as waterproofing under the tile, which adds another cost in this category.
Although there are certainly inexpensive, small vanities available (IKEA or other retailers) in standard sizes, once you get into larger, two-sink vanities, the costs can easily get into the thousands. Large vanities up to 6’ in length can be purchased from retailers, but anything over that size will need to be custom made and that will further increase the remodeling cost.
A separate tub (not paired with a shower) is often found in elegant master bathrooms and can help create the bathroom of your dreams, making up some of the price differentials between a small bathroom and a large one. Finally, plumbing fixtures can vary greatly in cost. If you are not picky about faucets and showerheads, there are certainly cost-effective options. But if you’re trying to achieve a certain contemporary look, you’ll find these materials can run into the thousands.
ADUs, JADUs & Garage Conversions
There has been a lot of excitement about new California ADU regulation changes that now allow a great deal of flexibility for most single-family homes in the Los Angeles area. These changes mean that just about every Los Angeles homeowner can add living space to their property by building an ADU, JADU, or garage conversion, which will ultimately boost the value of your home. ADU stands for an accessory dwelling unit and JADU stands for junior accessory dwelling unit.
For more details on these new regulations and what you might be allowed to build on your Los Angeles property, check out my blog: Los Angeles ADUs – What You Need To Know. The remodel costs of each of these categories are quite different, so let’s take each one separately.
How Much Does a Detached Garage Conversion Cost?
$120,000 – $200,000+
In most cases, converting a standard two-car garage (about 360 sq ft) into an ADU with standard finishes runs $120,000 to $150,000, and upgraded finishes and systems push it to $150,000 to $200,000. A simpler conversion into a home office, gym or bonus room, with no kitchen, can cost less, from around $80,000. Because the structure already exists, turning this space into an ADU (with a living space, a bathroom, and a kitchen) is an efficient way to go. Generally, you’re saving on home remodel costs because you already have a foundation, framing, stucco, and a roof.
However, if any of these need to be repaired, replaced, or brought up to code, that will obviously increase your budget. The soft costs (non-construction related costs) involved in this project (including building permits) are reasonably small, ideally between $9,000 – $18,000 for your plans and permits.
If you think of a garage conversion to an ADU as building a small house, it can help you understand the number of details and materials that go into a project like this. All the same elements that are in your existing house are required like plumbing, a water heater, electrical systems, appliances, air conditioning, heat, and the list goes on.
A good ADU contractor with pertinent experience can help you understand all the details involved, but to give you an idea of the list of elements involved, check out my blog Construction Checklist For Building An ADU.
With a project like this, it’s extremely important to document in detail which materials are paid for by the contractor and which are paid for by the client. Finally, make sure to include in your total budget both the contractor’s bid and the price of materials you’re buying directly. This will help you better evaluate the full remodel cost of the project.
How Much Does an ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) Cost?
$150,000 – $400,000
The new regulations allow you to build an ADU up to 1200 square feet, but they can also be as small as 200 square feet. So, depending on the size of the ADU you desire, the budgets can vary widely. A good rule of thumb is to budget $300 to $450 per square foot. Also, keep in mind that the bigger you build, the lower you’ll be paying on that cost per square foot range.
So, a 400 to 500 sq ft ADU typically runs $150,000 to $200,000, while a 1,000 sq ft ADU runs about $250,000 to $300,000. The reason for this is that any ADU, large or small, has one set of the most expensive components like a bathroom, a kitchen, a water heater, an HVAC system, etc. As an ADU gets bigger, that additional area is usually a cheaper space to build, like larger living areas, more bedrooms, and closets.
An ADU can either be attached to the house, an existing garage, or a free-standing unit – the remodel costs of these are not significantly different. As mentioned briefly above, building an ADU is no different than building a small version of your house, so it’s not a simple project.
You’ll want to make sure to engage an experienced architect/designer for the plans and speak to several quality contractors to get their opinions, recommendations, and cost estimates for your desired project. The architecture plans for an ADU should run you between $8,000 – $15,000.
Finally, it’s a good idea to start with a checklist to get a sense of what items go into an ADU project. See my ADU Checklist article for a full list of requirements you can use as a resource.
Note: The latest regulations in California may require you to add some features to your ADU you may not expect. These include the requirement to have solar panels, interior fire sprinklers or all-electric appliances, etc. Check with your ADU advisor or local architect to determine which of these will be required.
How Much Does a JADU (Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit) Cost?
$80,000 – $100,000
According to the new state regulations, a JADU is defined as a 500sf maximum separate living unit that must be created from within the ‘envelope’ of the existing home. So, that means taking part of the space within your home, be it a bedroom or an attached garage, and converting that to a distinct living unit containing a small kitchen, a separate entrance, and (optionally) a bathroom. Most of the time, this project involves converting an attached 2-car garage into a JADU.
An attached garage conversion to a JADU is somewhat cheaper than a detached garage conversion to ADU because all the necessary utilities (gas, electrical, water, waste) are available nearby. The other items and remodel cost ranges are similar, like the bathroom, kitchen, flooring, windows, etc. Like the discussion above, you’ll want to engage an architect and contractor when starting such a project. Check out more info about building a JADU here.
How Much Does a Home Addition in Los Angeles Cost?
$300 – $500 per square foot
Although most additions are ‘attached’ to the rear of the house, there is quite a bit of variety concerning the possibilities, and therefore the remodeling costs can vary significantly. For example, some additions require quite a bit of reconfiguration within the existing home to accommodate the new space, and that will add to the total remodel cost.
Also, a two-story room additions will be more expensive than a single-story addition due to the structural elements required to support the second floor. Finally, ‘dry’ rooms such as family rooms and master bedrooms are cheaper than ‘wet’ rooms like bathrooms, kitchen & laundry rooms. This makes a lot of sense when you think about the fact a master bedroom is essentially four walls and a floor, while a bathroom needs plumbing, tile, vanity, countertops, fixtures, etc.
For more detailed information about building an addition to your home, check out my home addition blog.
In Los Angeles, a very common addition is a master suite, which is a combination of dry space (bedroom, closet) and wet space (a master bathroom). A primary suite of 400 to 500 square feet typically costs $150,000 to $250,000, depending on the size and finishes. I’ll discuss below some variables that can affect the remodel cost of a master suite or other addition.
Another common project is just to add a bathroom to a home. Older homes were often built with a limited number of bathrooms compared to what homeowners expect today. Creating a bathroom addition will range between $60-100k, depending on whether it’s a standard-sized guest bathroom or a luxurious master bathroom. Get more details about bathroom additions costs and tips here.
If your existing house is on a slab foundation (not a raised foundation), it will be more difficult to connect the plumbing (waste lines) and could increase costs. Also, if your electrical panel is at capacity, you may need to upgrade it to accommodate new electrical circuits in your additional space.
Next, if your roofing material is old or unique, it might be difficult to match it in constructing the addition, creating the possible need to re-roof the entire home. Finally, your chosen materials & finishes will have a significant impact on your project pricing. Some examples are lots of cabinetry in the bathroom/closet, wood/tile flooring versus carpet, luxury bathroom elements such as a large shower & freestanding tub, and extra features like patio doors, wood deck, or barn-style doors.
How Much Does a Backyard Remodel Cost?
A backyard remodel could include a variety of different projects with different budgets so your costs will depend on what you choose to build. Here are some price ranges depending on your selections:
Pool Installation: $65,000 – $150,000
Spa construction: $10,000 – $35,000
Outdoor patio area or deck: $8,000 – $25,000 for a deck, or $10 – $18 per sq ft for a concrete patio,
Patio cover or pergola: $5,000 – $25,000
Landscaping: $2,000 – $15,000
Outdoor BBQ/kitchen: $10,000 – $100,000
Firepit: $2,000 – $20,000
How Much Does Whole Home Cost to Remodel in Los Angeles?
$100 – $300+ per square foot
Whole-home remodel costs in Los Angeles are the most difficult category to estimate because the total remodel cost will largely depend on what’s included. Every home is unique and requires a specific scope to accomplish the desired remodel. Therefore, the only way to get a true, realistic estimate is to invite several contractors to bid on the job (and potentially have an architect design the plans).
One way to create a rough budget for a whole house remodel in Los Angeles is to separate it into its major components. You start with the most expensive parts, which are likely the kitchen and bathrooms, assuming these are all included in the remodel. Based on the potential costs discussed above for each of these components, you can add these up to establish your overall budget.
Then, you might add in the following elements, depending on which are included in your whole home remodel: changing the floor plan, flooring, windows, interior/exterior paint, doors, windows, landscape/exterior, any systems such as plumbing, electrical, HVAC, roofing, etc. My ADU checklist blog is a good place to consider all the elements you might need in a remodel.
Unfortunately, the hardest part of budgeting is the structural elements if you are doing any reconfiguration of your space by adding or removing walls. The cost to remodel will depend on your unique situation and the structural engineer’s design, which could include structural support, beams, foundation reinforcement, shear walls, etc.
Because this is just too difficult for the layperson to budget, your best bet is to get multiple contractor estimates. Make sure each contractor breaks down his bid into all the various elements so you can compare these structural costs on each bid in an apples-to-apples way.
For whole home remodeling, you’ll most likely need a set of architectural plans before a contractor can give you an accurate estimate. Although you can do some research online regarding budgets per square foot, these will be large ranges. The only way to narrow down the actual price is to either have a detailed set of plans or develop a detailed renovation checklist that outlines for the contractor every item that’s included in your project.
How Long Does a Home Remodel Usually Take?
That ultimately depends on how in-demand your contractor is, the time of year, and access to materials. And, of course, many, many other factors. If you’re not prepared, though, the time can take some by surprise. It’s a long-term commitment to the process.
It’s difficult to estimate an “average” time for remodels, but to give you an idea, a bathroom remodel usually takes 6 to 12 weeks from planning to finish, while kitchen remodels take 4 to 6 weeks of construction for a refresh or 10 to 16 weeks for a full remodel. Full home renovations can easily take 3-6 months and a larger ADU can take 6-9 months. Either way, it’s best to be prepared in case you’re required to move out for any amount of time during the renovations.
Whatever the estimated timeline that you get from the contractor, you should be aware that the project will invariably take longer. So, you should add a month or two to the timeline you receive. A vast majority of projects experience delays, so if you prepare yourself at the outset for an expanded time horizon, you won’t be shocked when this occurs.
Even if you can stay at home throughout the entire length of the renovation process, it can be a significant life adjustment to live in a house while it’s being remodeled. However, as long as you are prepared, you can rest assured as you watch your home transform into something even more beautiful than it was before. The process of renovating brings a lot of homeowners joy.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How do I get the exact cost to remodel my home?
In a perfect world, all the data on the internet would allow you to find the exact costs you should budget for your specific remodel just like you can find the exact cost of a television or car. In reality, you can get some sense of your remodeling costs by reading blogs like this one which are specific to your local area. But, in the end, the only real way to get accurate costs for your unique home remodel needs is to get free estimates from a few general contractors. You might get some approximate numbers from them over the phone, but you’ll need to show them your space to get exact numbers.
How many contractor bids do I need?
The common wisdom is that everyone should get three bids for their remodeling project. And that’s a good starting point, especially if the prices are all within a reasonably small range, say 10% of one another. But if the bids are all over the place, you may need to get more contractor estimates. Also, if the bids are too far apart, it’s likely your contractors each have a different understanding of the project and your requirements, so you may want to provide them with a remodeling checklist to clarify your needs. Finally, think twice before choosing the lowest price, and try to determine why their cost to remodel bid is so low…sometimes you get what you pay for.
When it comes to finding the best renovation contractor in Los Angeles, Orange County, Ventura or San Diego – GreatBuildz is simplifying the contractor search. GreatBuildz is a free service that connects homeowners with reliable, thoroughly screened general contractors and provides project support from start to finish.
Call now (818.317.3567) to chat with a real person about your next renovation project or visit our website for more information: www.greatbuildz.com.
Check out the GreatBuildz Guide Blog for more construction tips and advice for any type of home remodeling project!
