# Backyard Remodeling & Outdoor Living in Cerritos, CA [Browser-friendly HTML version](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/website-guide/pages/services/exterior-remodeling/cerritos/index) Source: https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/services/exterior-remodeling/cerritos Last modified: 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z Text part: 1 of 1 [Full website text index](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/llms-full.txt) | [Services by city](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/llms/services-by-city-004.txt) | [Previous page](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/llms/pages/services/exterior-remodeling/lakewood/index.txt) | [Next page](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/llms/pages/services/exterior-remodeling/downey/index.txt) --- Image: Side-yard patio with a fire bowl, lounge seating and turf joints at dusk 1. [Home](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/) 1. [Services](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/services) 1. [Backyard & Outdoor Living](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/services/exterior-remodeling) 1. Cerritos Design · Permit · Build ### Backyard & Outdoor Living in Cerritos We design the whole backyard as one, so patio, kitchen and shade fit together. [Book a Consultation](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/contact-us) [Call 818-300-2393](tel:+18183002393) #### Built for Cerritos Homes Cerritos was incorporated in 1956 as the City of Dairy Valley and took its present name in 1967, and most of its neighborhoods were built in the 1960s and 1970s as cow pastures and other agricultural land gave way to subdivisions. Today the city is almost entirely developed, with lawns and tree-lined streets throughout, and some older houses are being bought, torn down and replaced with new, contemporary homes. The City sets its residential standards in specific detail, from how far pool water and equipment must sit from neighboring homes to how much of a side or rear yard a patio roof may cover, and a City planner reviews each home improvement project before work begins. On a typical lot here, those numbers settle where the pool, the equipment and any shade structure can go before a single finish is chosen. Most Cerritos neighborhoods were developed in the 1960s and 1970s, and single-family lots outside the planned communities are zoned RS-5000 or RS-6500. Building coverage, counting the first floor, the garage and overhangs deeper than 30 inches, is capped at 45 percent of the lot in RS-5000 and 40 percent in RS-6500, floor area ratio at 0.70, and at least 20 percent of the property area must stay open within the rear 30 feet. Planned communities such as Shadow Park and Granada Park were laid out around shared landscaped open space, and where an HOA exists its written approval precedes the City's. We are a design-build team, which means the people who draw your project are the people who build it. Design, engineering, permits and construction run through one project manager and our own crews, so nothing gets lost in a handoff between a salesperson and a subcontractor. We are licensed, bonded and insured, [CSLB license #1119054](https://www.cslb.ca.gov/OnlineServices/CheckLicenseII/LicenseDetail.aspx?LicNum=1119054) . Permits in Cerritos: Planning Division approval is required before any home improvement project or construction activity begins, and the City keeps separate Planning applications for pools, spas and equipment, patio structures, block walls and fences, and major and minor room additions. Homes inside a homeowners association need written HOA approval, recorded on the City's HOA Approval Form, before the City grants plan approval or building permits. Building and safety services are contracted to Los Angeles County, so plan check follows the Los Angeles County Building Code and the County's plan check and permit fees are passed on to applicants by the City. Additions over 900 square feet or 70 percent of the existing floor area, and additions or exterior remodels that significantly change a home's appearance from the street, go to the Planning Commission as a Precise Plan, and a pool that encroaches more than 25 percent into the side yard or into any portion of the front yard also needs Planning Commission approval. The City also accepts ADU plans for pre-approval under AB 1332. Permit details checked September 2026 against [City of Cerritos](https://www.cerritos.gov/media/e5fetrd4/swimming-pool-spa-and-equipment-application.pdf) . Rules change, so we confirm them again for your parcel. What We Build - Pool and equipment setback planning on tract lots - Planning Division and HOA approval packages - Patio cover coverage calculations for RS-5000 and RS-6500 lots - Liquefaction-aware soils and foundation design - Precise Plan packages for large additions - Full backyard transformations - Paver patios, driveways and walkways - Outdoor kitchens and BBQ islands - Pergolas, patio covers and shade structures - Fire pits, fire tables and fireplaces - Retaining walls and seat walls - Artificial turf and drought-tolerant planting - Drainage correction and grading - Landscape and architectural lighting - Front yard and curb appeal remodels Local Conditions #### What to Know in Cerritos These local conditions change the scope, the schedule and the budget. 01 The entire city lies in a state-mapped liquefaction hazard zone over roughly 1,000 feet of alluvial sand and silt, and the General Plan notes perched water within several feet of the surface in many areas, conditions that bear on pool excavation and addition footings. 02 Cerritos sits on the coastal plain, where the state's seismic hazard evaluation found no landslide potential, no Alquist-Priolo fault zone lies within city limits, and CAL FIRE's March 2025 hazard map classes the whole city as non-wildland, so soil and groundwater, not slope or wildfire, are the conditions that shape a build. 03 Pool water must sit at least 15 feet from every neighboring home (10 feet when the pool is in the rear yard and the rear lot line meets a neighbor's side lot line), and pool equipment must stay 15 feet from neighboring homes, 40 feet back from the front property line and at least a foot below the surrounding block wall or solid fence, which often fixes a pool's position before its shape. 04 Street-facing perimeter block walls cannot be demolished for excavation access, a wall between two lots may come down only with an access agreement from the neighbor submitted with the plans, and during construction materials may extend no more than eight feet from the curb line, with the street occupied for no more than seven days unless a separate permit is granted. Areas we serve in Cerritos:Shadow ParkGranada ParkThe CourtsEncoreCenter Stone Investment #### What It Costs in Cerritos Real Southern California price ranges, not teaser numbers. ##### Full backyard transformation $50,000 to $250,000+ What moves it: how much hardscape is involved, whether a pool or outdoor kitchen is included, grading and retaining, and the level of lighting and planting ##### Paver patio and hardscape from about $13,000 What moves it: square footage, paver type, base preparation, drainage, and any steps or retaining involved ##### Outdoor kitchen and BBQ island $10,000 to $50,000+ What moves it: counter length, appliance package, countertop material, and whether gas, water and power need to be run a long distance ##### Pergola and shade structure from about $9,500 What moves it: span, material (wood, aluminum or louvered), footing requirements, and integrated lighting or heating ##### Artificial turf from about $9,900 What moves it: area, turf grade, base depth, drainage, and any pet-specific infill Your lot, access and finishes set the price. We walk the site, then show you where every dollar goes. [Get a line-item price for your Cerritos property](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/contact-us) The Process #### How We Work in Cerritos 01 ##### Site Review We measure the yard, check drainage and grade, and find the constraints before design starts. 02 ##### Design & 3D You walk the whole yard in 3D, so layout and materials are settled before we build. 03 ##### Plans & Permits Structures, walls and electrical get drawn and permitted where the work requires it. In Cerritos that submittal goes to City of Cerritos Department of Community Development, Building and Safety Division (building and safety services contracted to Los Angeles County Public Works). 04 ##### Demo & Grading Old surfaces come out, levels are set and drainage is corrected properly. 05 ##### Build Hardscape, structures, kitchen, features and lighting go in, sequenced by our own crews. 06 ##### Planting & Handover Planting, turf and final detail, then a full walkthrough of the finished yard. Questions #### What Cerritos Homeowners Ask Who issues the permits for this work in Cerritos? City of Cerritos Department of Community Development, Building and Safety Division (building and safety services contracted to Los Angeles County Public Works). Planning Division approval is required before any home improvement project or construction activity begins, and the City keeps separate Planning applications for pools, spas and equipment, patio structures, block walls and fences, and major and minor room additions. Homes inside a homeowners association need written HOA approval, recorded on the City's HOA Approval Form, before the City grants plan approval or building permits. Building and safety services are contracted to Los Angeles County, so plan check follows the Los Angeles County Building Code and the County's plan check and permit fees are passed on to applicants by the City. Additions over 900 square feet or 70 percent of the existing floor area, and additions or exterior remodels that significantly change a home's appearance from the street, go to the Planning Commission as a Precise Plan, and a pool that encroaches more than 25 percent into the side yard or into any portion of the front yard also needs Planning Commission approval. The City also accepts ADU plans for pre-approval under AB 1332. We prepare the drawings, make the submittal and handle plan-check corrections ourselves, so you are not the one chasing plan check. What makes building in Cerritos different? Most Cerritos neighborhoods were developed in the 1960s and 1970s, and single-family lots outside the planned communities are zoned RS-5000 or RS-6500. Building coverage, counting the first floor, the garage and overhangs deeper than 30 inches, is capped at 45 percent of the lot in RS-5000 and 40 percent in RS-6500, floor area ratio at 0.70, and at least 20 percent of the property area must stay open within the rear 30 feet. Planned communities such as Shadow Park and Granada Park were laid out around shared landscaped open space, and where an HOA exists its written approval precedes the City's. One local condition that shapes the work: The entire city lies in a state-mapped liquefaction hazard zone over roughly 1,000 feet of alluvial sand and silt, and the General Plan notes perched water within several feet of the surface in many areas, conditions that bear on pool excavation and addition footings. Which parts of Cerritos do you work in? All of it, including Shadow Park, Granada Park, The Courts and Encore. Our crews run every job out of our Cahuenga Pass base in Los Angeles, with our own people on site. What does a backyard or outdoor living project cost in Cerritos? Full backyard transformation: generally $50,000 to $250,000+ across Southern California. What moves it is how much hardscape is involved, whether a pool or outdoor kitchen is included, grading and retaining, and the level of lighting and planting. We give line-item pricing after seeing the site rather than quoting a number over the phone. How long does a backyard remodel take? A patio and turf refresh often finishes in three to five weeks. A full transformation with hardscape, an outdoor kitchen, structures and lighting typically runs ten to sixteen weeks, and longer if a pool is part of the same phase. Pavers or poured concrete? Pavers cost more up front but flex with ground movement instead of cracking, and individual units can be lifted and replaced. Poured concrete is cheaper initially, but a crack means cutting out and repouring a section that rarely matches. On most Southern California soil we recommend pavers for anything you will look at every day. Can you fix drainage at the same time? Yes, and on most projects we insist on it. Correcting grade and adding proper drainage while the yard is already open is far cheaper than retrofitting it after new hardscape is down. Do you handle the whole yard in one project? Yes. Design, permits, hardscape, structures, kitchen, lighting and planting run through one team and one project manager, so nothing gets lost between trades. #### More Services in Cerritos [Pool & Spa Remodeling in Cerritos](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/services/swimming-pool-spa/cerritos) [ADUs & Additions in Cerritos](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/services/adus-additions/cerritos) [Everything we build in Cerritos](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/service-areas/cerritos) #### Backyard & Outdoor Living Nearby [Backyard & Outdoor Living in Long Beach](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/services/exterior-remodeling/long-beach) [Backyard & Outdoor Living in Lakewood](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/services/exterior-remodeling/lakewood) [Backyard & Outdoor Living in La Mirada](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/services/exterior-remodeling/la-mirada) [Backyard & Outdoor Living in Cypress](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/services/exterior-remodeling/cypress) [Backyard & Outdoor Living in Downey](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/services/exterior-remodeling/downey) Planning Guides #### Before You Build in Cerritos Costs, materials and process notes from our own projects. [Whole-Home Remodel Sequencing: What to Do First A whole-home remodel done in the wrong order costs 15 to 25 percent more. Here is the correct sequence, from structural and roof through to paint, and why each stage has to precede the next. Read guide](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/articles/whole-home-remodel-sequencing-guide) [Indoor-Outdoor Living Conversions in Southern California A 16-foot multi-slide door runs $18,000 to $45,000 installed. Here is how the full indoor-outdoor conversion works, from structural header to flush threshold to covered patio tie-in. Read guide](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/articles/indoor-outdoor-living-conversion-guide) [Tarzana Outdoor Living: Costs by Lot Type Tarzana backyards run hot and deep. A working outdoor living build here (shade, hardscape, kitchen, lighting) typically lands between $85,000 and $220,000, and the ground drives most of the number. Read guide](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/articles/tarzana-outdoor-living-guide) [Porter Ranch Backyards: Wind, Slope and Fire Zones A full backyard transformation in Porter Ranch runs $95,000 to $280,000. Wind exposure, slope, HOA review and fire-zone material rules shape the design before anything about style enters the conversation. Read guide](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/articles/porter-ranch-backyard-transformation) #### Planning a Backyard in Cerritos? Sit down with your project manager and get an accurate estimate. We call you back within one business day. [Book a Consultation](https://www.remodelyourvibe.com/contact-us) [818-300-2393](tel:+18183002393) Licensed, bonded & insured · [CSLB license #1119054](https://www.cslb.ca.gov/OnlineServices/CheckLicenseII/LicenseDetail.aspx?LicNum=1119054) --- End of text part 1 of 1. This page is complete.