Re-stuccoing and re-cladding, replacing windows and doors, rebuilding entries and porches, reworking driveways and front hardscape. Remodeling Beverly Hills handles exterior work across Beverly Hills.
Exterior work is the most visible thing you can do to a house and the most exposed to design review. Call (424) 766-1835 and we will tell you what will need approval before you fall in love with a drawing.
Wall assemblies and why stucco fails
Most Beverly Hills homes are stucco over wood framing, and stucco itself rarely fails. What fails is the water-resistive barrier behind it and the flashing at openings.
A correct assembly is two layers of building paper or a drainage-plane wrap over the sheathing, self-adhered flashing lapped correctly at every window and door head and sill, a weep screed at the base holding the stucco above grade, and control joints placed to manage shrinkage cracking. Water gets behind stucco. That is expected, and the assembly's job is to drain it back out.
The cracks owners call about are usually shrinkage or settlement rather than structural, and the honest fix is elastomeric patching and a full re-coat rather than spot repair, because a patched crack in a colour coat will always be visible. Where the barrier behind has failed, the stucco comes off. Re-coating over a failed barrier buys three or four years and costs the whole job again.
Windows and doors
Steel casements on pre-war homes
Original steel casement windows on 1920s and 1930s Beverly Hills homes are single-glazed, thermally terrible, and architecturally the most important element on the elevation. The choices are restoring them, which is expensive and correct on a significant house, or replacing them with thermally broken steel or steel-look aluminium at a fraction of the cost. Vinyl in a steel casement opening looks wrong from across the street.
Large sliding and folding systems
Multi-panel sliders and bi-fold systems are the most requested exterior change in this market. They are heavy, they require a structural header and often a steel post at the corner, and the sill detail decides whether the system leaks. Flush or recessed sills look best and demand the most careful waterproofing and drainage.
Entry doors
The entry is disproportionate to its size in how a house reads. A wide solid door, correct hardware, and a threshold and surround built to shed water. Pivot doors are current and they need a floor-mounted pivot set into the slab, decided before the entry floor is poured or tiled.
Design review and what the street sees
Beverly Hills applies design review to single-family exterior changes visible from the public right of way, and it is the item that most often surprises owners mid-project. Changes to the front elevation, roofing material and colour, window configuration, and front-yard walls and gates can all trigger it.
What passes smoothly is work that is consistent with the scale and character of the neighbouring homes and that does not radically change the massing. What draws scrutiny is a wholesale change of architectural style, a taller or blanker street elevation, and front walls or gates above the permitted height.
We prepare and submit the review package as part of the contract, and we advise on the design before it is drawn rather than after it is rejected. A design that anticipates review is not a compromised design. It is one that gets built this year.
Roof, drainage and the parts that protect everything else
Clay tile, concrete tile, composition shingle and flat membrane all appear across Beverly Hills housing stock, and the tile roofs on pre-war houses are frequently original with a failed underlayment beneath sound tile. The correct repair is lifting and stacking the tile, replacing the underlayment, and relaying, which preserves an out-of-production tile profile that could not be matched if it were discarded.
Drainage is the unglamorous half of exterior work and the half that prevents foundation problems. Gutters sized to the roof area, downspouts discharging to a drain line instead of splashing at the foundation, and grade sloping away from the house at a minimum of six inches over the first ten feet. On hillside lots above Sunset, area drains and a properly sized system are not optional. They are the difference between a wet season and a slope failure.
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
How much does an exterior remodel cost in Beverly Hills?
Re-stucco and paint on a typical home runs $35,000 to $90,000. Add window and door replacement and it moves to $120,000 to $350,000. A full exterior transformation with new cladding, roofing, entry and hardscape runs $250,000 to $800,000 or more.
Do I need approval to change my home's exterior?
Often yes. Beverly Hills reviews single-family exterior changes visible from the street, including front elevation alterations, roofing changes, window configuration and front walls or gates. We handle the submittal and advise on the design beforehand.
Should I repair or replace my stucco?
If the water-resistive barrier behind it is intact and the cracking is cosmetic, patch and re-coat. If there is evidence of water intrusion, staining at the base, or failed flashing at windows, the stucco comes off and the assembly is rebuilt. Re-coating over a failed barrier is money spent twice.
Can I keep my original steel casement windows?
Usually. They can be restored, re-glazed and weatherstripped, which is expensive but architecturally correct on a significant pre-war house. Where the budget does not allow it, thermally broken steel or steel-look aluminium replicates the sightlines far better than vinyl.
How long does exterior work take?
Six to twelve weeks for re-stucco and paint. Three to seven months where windows, doors, roofing and hardscape are all in scope, plus design review time at the front if the street elevation changes.