Why do hillside projects cost more per square foot?

Foundations, access, and exports. A hillside house may need caissons drilled 20-40 feet, grade beams, retaining walls, and a haul route before any framing starts — often 20-40% more structural cost than a flat lot.

Do I need a haul route permit?

If you are exporting more than 1,000 cubic yards of soil in the City of LA, yes. It is a separate approval with neighbor notification and a hearing, and it takes months, so we start it early.

Can you fix an existing hillside foundation?

Yes. We replace post-and-pier systems with engineered caissons and grade beams, add shear walls, and permit the work so it is documented for any future sale.

How do you handle narrow street access?

Smaller trucks, scheduled deliveries, off-site material staging, and crew shuttle parking. We coordinate with neighbors and keep at least one lane clear at all times.

Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles

General contractor in Hollywood Hills

Building in the Hollywood Hills is a structural problem before it is a design problem. Narrow streets, steep slopes, and old post-and-pier foundations mean the money goes into caissons, grade beams, and access long before anyone picks a countertop. We price that honestly at the start.

Get a Hollywood Hills estimate

Hillside custom home under construction in the Los Angeles hills

What we build in Hollywood Hills

Hillside custom homes

Ground-up hillside builds with caissons, grade beams, shoring, and retaining designed with your geotechnical engineer.

Foundation & structural repair

Replacing failing post-and-pier foundations, adding shear walls, and correcting unpermitted additions.

Kitchen & bathroom remodeling

Remodels in tight hillside floor plans, including view-driven layout changes and window relocations.

Whole-home renovation

Full renovations of mid-century and Spanish hillside homes, with new systems and seismic upgrades.

Hollywood Hills housing stock

The hills hold everything from 1920s Spanish and Storybook cottages to mid-century post-and-beam houses hanging off the slope. Older hillside homes often have undersized foundations, unpermitted additions, and knob-and-tube wiring that surfaces the moment walls open.

Permitting in Hollywood Hills

Permits go through LADBS under the Baseline Hillside Ordinance, with grading review, soils and geology reports, and haul route approval for larger exports. Methane, fire district, and very-high fire hazard severity zone requirements can also apply depending on the parcel.

Related projects

Modern Brentwood custom home with a pool terrace and full-height glass walls

Boca de Canon

Brentwood, Los Angeles · Ground-up custom home

Traditional custom estate under construction in Brentwood, Los Angeles

Cliffwood Avenue

Brentwood, Los Angeles · Ground-up traditional estate

Neighborhoods we cover around Hollywood Hills

Hollywood Heights
Laurel Canyon
Nichols Canyon
Beachwood Canyon
Outpost Estates
Mount Olympus
Sunset Strip hillside

Hollywood Hills questions we get asked

Why do hillside projects cost more per square foot?: Foundations, access, and exports. A hillside house may need caissons drilled 20-40 feet, grade beams, retaining walls, and a haul route before any framing starts — often 20-40% more structural cost than a flat lot.
Do I need a haul route permit?: If you are exporting more than 1,000 cubic yards of soil in the City of LA, yes. It is a separate approval with neighbor notification and a hearing, and it takes months, so we start it early.
Can you fix an existing hillside foundation?: Yes. We replace post-and-pier systems with engineered caissons and grade beams, add shear walls, and permit the work so it is documented for any future sale.
How do you handle narrow street access?: Smaller trucks, scheduled deliveries, off-site material staging, and crew shuttle parking. We coordinate with neighbors and keep at least one lane clear at all times.

Other areas we serve

Building or remodeling in Hollywood Hills?

Send over plans, photos, or a short description and we'll come back with scope, budget range, and a realistic schedule.

Request a free estimate