Where We Build in Southern California

From Flat Grids to Steep Hillsides

Life Behind the 50-Foot Setback

The Rules Climb with the Hill

Stairways, Hills and Modernist Houses

Level Lots by the Los Angeles River

Once Its Own City, Still Its Own Valley

Built in Layers Since 1886

A Quiet Jobsite Is Part of the Job

Planned Around Septic, Salt and Slope

Narrow Lots with an Alley Behind

Slope and Access Before Style

Old Sycamores, Single-Lane Canyon Roads

Our Home Turf and Our Hardest Work

Compact Lots, Carefully Staged

Two Markets, One Boulevard Apart

Room to Move, Not Room to Fill

Where a Resort Backyard Fits

Hotter and Drier Than the Valley

Fire Maps Set Much of the Plan

Planning Beats Square Footage

Big Yards, Wide Streets, Old Panels

Turning the Rear Garage Into an ADU

Predictable Ground for an ADU

At the Headwaters of the LA River

Horse Country with Rock Underfoot

Rare in the Valley: Real Lot Size

How Close to the Slope Can a Pool Go?

Flat Tracts, Rocky Foothills

Barns, Arenas and Private Roads

Room for Real Outdoor Rooms

Built for June Through September

Estate Work Behind the Guard Gates

Pools Sited Around the Oaks

From Rossmoyne to Chevy Chase Canyon

Straightforward, Except in the Rancho

Different Rules on the Same Street

Wildfire Hardening Is Part of the Build

Roof Decks and Plunge Pools on Sand

Steps From the Strand

Raised Pools on the Riviera Slopes

Coastal, Methane and Historic Rules

Flat 1950s Yards, Drained by Design

The 15-Foot Rule Places the Pool

Pool Houses That Match the Main House

Hillside Rules Only Voters Can Change

Avocado Slopes Zoned for One-Acre Lots

Mid-Century Streets Where Olives Grew

Postwar Flats and Baldwin Hills Slopes

Walk Streets, Canals and Crane Lifts

Every Cubic Yard Counts

Single-Family Streets Beyond UCLA

Prewar and Postwar Homes by Rancho Park

Laid Out in 1940 Around Circle Park

One-Story Houses and a Modernist Tract

On Ancient Dunes Above Ballona Creek

Between the Bluffs and the Airfield

Upper Ladera Climbs to the Baldwin Hills

Skyline to the East, Ocean to the West

Rural Villages Along Scenic Canyon Roads

Century-Old Homes on Deep, Narrow Lots

Heritage Oaks Over Cobble and Gravel

Formal Fronts and Generous Rear Yards

Canyon Cottages From the Early 1900s

Deep Lots That Fit a Studio or ADU

Foothill Slopes and Local Fieldstone

Wild Rose Tract to the Foothills

A 1923 Townsite Outside Any Fire Zone

Where the 1771 Mission Still Stands

Period Homes on a Gently Sloping Plain

Mid-Century Homes Among the Repetto Hills

A Route 66 Town Below the San Gabriels

Cottage Streets West of Citrus Avenue

Two Eras, Two Kinds of Backyard

Black Walnut Slopes and Riding Trails

Where the Pad Ends and the Slope Begins

Larger Lots Up in the Puente Hills

Orchards Gave Way to Cul-de-Sacs

Homes That Follow the Hill

Lordsburg Bungalows to Foothill Oaks

Guest Houses on the Oldest Blocks

Historic District or Hillside?

Simi Hills Beyond the Back Fence

Growing Out Into the Garden, Not Up

Stone Bungalows on Hillside Ground

Art Jury Review Since 1923

Geology Sets the Terms

Flat Lots with Real Rear Yards

A Small Beach City, Fully Built Out

Bridle Trails Behind the Backyards

Harbor Streets and Shifting Bluffs

Shaped by the Harbor and the Salt Air

One Pool, Two Approvals

Soil Reports Before Renderings

Built to the Fill Line, Not the Lot Line

Horse Trails, Slopes and Fire Zones

Historic Old Town, Planned Tustin Ranch

Old Roots Under Shallow Rear Yards

Where a Crane Clears the Block Wall

From the Plaza to the Foothills

Quiet Pool Equipment on Estate Lots

Room for a Pool, Pavilion and Guesthouse

Craftsman Streets and Historic Review

Fire-Resistant Decks in Foothill Ranch

Groundwater Less Than Ten Feet Down

Ranch Homes Open to the Patio

Tracts Built Where Farms Once Stood

Flat Lots Over a High Water Table

Beneath the Parkway Canopy

Coastal Permits on Compact Beach Lots

Bungalows Below the Coyote Hills

A Pass Through the Hills

Named for Tar, Founded on Oil

Old Town, Golf Views and Oil Wells

Terraces Shaped by the Ridgelines

Lakefront Lots and Island Cul-de-Sacs

A Planned Community Ringed by Parkland

The Slope Decides Where the Pool Goes

Citrus Groves, Arroyos and Hillsides

Shade and Soils Lead Every Plan

Pools That Leave Room for the Horses

Between the River and the Mountains

Villages Set Among Open Hills

Dairy Country Still Shapes the Lots

Historic Districts and Ontario Ranch

Pergolas Built for Santa Ana Winds

In Sight of the San Gabriels