Remodeling Beverly Hills takes on three quite different kinds of work in Brentwood: whole-house renovations in Brentwood Park, careful modernist work in Crestwood Hills, and hillside projects up Mandeville and Kenter Canyons.
Brentwood is five miles west of our Beverly Hills office and, unusually, contains three distinct construction environments inside one neighbourhood name. Call (424) 766-1835 and tell us which one you are in.
Brentwood Park and the flat traditional lots
South of Sunset around the San Vicente median, Brentwood Park holds large, flat lots with 1930s and 1940s traditional, Colonial Revival and Tudor houses on them. This is the easiest construction environment in the neighbourhood: good access, room to stage, and no slope.
The work here is usually whole-house renovation and additions. What we find behind the walls is consistent for the era: lath and plaster, original knob-and-tube on at least one circuit, galvanised supply, a 100-amp panel that needs to become 400, and no wall insulation. Original steel casements and leaded glass are common and worth preserving.
Because the houses are large and the lots are generous, floor area ratio is less often the binding constraint here than it is in the Beverly Hills flats, and rear additions frequently pencil out where they would not elsewhere.
Crestwood Hills and the modernist stock
Crestwood Hills is a post-war cooperative development in the hills above Kenter, and it holds one of the significant concentrations of mid-century modern architecture in Los Angeles, much of it associated with A. Quincy Jones. Post-and-beam framing, exposed roof decking, glass walls and low horizontal compositions.
Remodeling these houses is specialist work and we treat it that way. There is no ceiling cavity to run ductwork through, no attic for wiring, and no interior structural wall where you expect one. Insulating the roof means building above the deck and re-detailing the fascia so the roof edge stays thin. Replacing glazing means matching slim sightlines rather than installing whatever is available.
The market has moved decisively toward valuing these houses intact, so the renovations that add most value here are the ones that are hardest to notice: modern systems, modern kitchens and baths, and the original architecture left legible.
Mandeville Canyon, Kenter and the hillside lots
Mandeville Canyon runs several miles north from Sunset on a single access road, and that fact governs every project in it. There is one way in and one way out for deliveries, for concrete and for the fire service. Construction traffic on a road that carries every resident is a genuine neighbour-relations exercise, and we plan deliveries outside peak hours as a matter of course.
The canyon lies within the Getty Fire burn area from 2019 and within a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. Wildland-urban interface construction standards apply: Class A roofing, ember-resistant venting, enclosed eaves, ignition-resistant cladding and tempered glazing, and defensible space requirements shape the landscape as well as the building.
Slope brings the usual hillside package: a geotechnical investigation before foundation design, likely caissons and grade beams on the steeper parcels, drainage designed rather than assumed, and Baseline Hillside Ordinance limits on floor area and grading.
Permits and jurisdiction
Brentwood is part of the City of Los Angeles, so permits run through LADBS, with the West Los Angeles office being the usual counter. That is a different process from the surrounding independent cities, each of which runs its own building department with its own local amendments, and we work across all of them.
Two Brentwood-specific items to plan for. Hillside parcels add geotechnical review and, where soil is exported, a haul route approval. And street-visible work in the flat neighbourhoods often runs into private homeowners association guidelines, which are not city requirements but do carry practical weight with neighbours.
Talk to a Beverly Hills remodeling contractor
On-site estimate, straight answers on budget and schedule, and a written scope before anyone swings a hammer.
Call (424) 766-1835Frequently asked questions
Which building department handles Brentwood?
Brentwood is in the City of Los Angeles, so permits go through LADBS, generally the West Los Angeles office. That differs from the surrounding independent cities, which each run their own building department with their own plan check, inspectors and local amendments.
Can you work on a Crestwood Hills modernist house?
Yes, and it is work we take seriously. Post-and-beam houses have no ceiling cavity for ducts, no attic for wiring and exposed roof decking that cannot take recessed lighting. The right approach preserves the roof line, the glazing sightlines and the structure while replacing everything behind them.
What extra requirements apply in Mandeville Canyon?
It is in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone and within the 2019 Getty Fire burn area, so wildland-urban interface standards apply to roofing, venting, eaves, cladding and glazing. Slope adds a geotechnical report and Baseline Hillside Ordinance limits, and the single access road governs delivery scheduling.
Are Brentwood Park lots easier to build on?
Considerably. They are flat, generous and have good access, which removes the grading, geotechnical and haul route costs that hillside parcels carry. Additions there are frequently viable where they would not be on a smaller or steeper lot.
How far is Brentwood from your office?
About five miles west along Sunset or Wilshire from our Beverly Hills office: fifteen to twenty-five minutes depending on traffic. It is well within our regular service area.