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Sunken fire-pit lounge with built-in seating below a modern home at twilight
Chino Hills, California

Pool & Spa Remodeling in Chino Hills

New pools, spa additions, replastering, tile and coping, and full pool remodels. Designed, permitted and built by our own crews.

Pool & Spa Remodeling built for Chino Hills properties

Chino Hills was planned before it was a city: in 1979 San Bernardino County began the Chino Hills Specific Plan for 18,000 acres, the first in California designed for an unincorporated area, and it called for homes clustered in village cores so that as much open space as possible stayed open. A few places are older than the plan, among them Sleepy Hollow, a weekend getaway from Los Angeles in the 1920s with about 90 cabins by 1928, and Los Serranos, whose golf and country club opened in 1925. The grassroots group Hills for Everyone led the preservation of 14,102 acres that became Chino Hills State Park, and the Development Code still keeps the city's mapped prominent ridgelines undeveloped. For a pool, a terrace or an ADU, the fire overlay, the slope, protected native trees and any mapped fault, landslide or drainage course shape the plan before style does.

Lots in Planned Development districts, Butterfield Ranch among them, follow the PD documents adopted for each project, while the base single-family R-S zone sets a 7,200 square foot minimum lot, Rural Residential 20,000 square feet and Agriculture-Ranch five acres, with larger minimums shown on the Zoning Map where terrain calls for them. The English Road area, designated Agriculture Ranch in the General Plan as large-lot land suitable for equestrian estates, sits in the Level 1 equestrian overlay, where horses and other large animals may be kept as an accessory use to the home.

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.

Permits in Chino Hills: Room addition and remodel plans start with the Building and Safety Division of the Community Development Department; once a submittal is complete it routes to both Building and Safety and Planning, a separate submittal goes to the Chino Valley Fire District, and the city puts plan review at generally 15 business days, longer for larger projects. On residentially zoned lots a pool or spa may not sit in the front setback and must stay at least five feet from rear and side property lines, measured from the water's edge for an in-ground pool, while mechanical equipment needs three feet and must be screened where visible from a right-of-way. New construction, ADUs included, and additions that enlarge a structure by 50 percent or more must keep ten feet of exterior wall separation from other structures unless built entirely of noncombustible materials, and must fit ember screens on attic vents and evaporative coolers. Inside the Fire Hazard Overlay District the same work must also meet Section 7A of the Building Code and keep thirty feet, clear to the sky, from structures on adjoining lots unless the Chino Valley Fire District and the Community Development Director approve an equivalent alternative.

Permit details checked September 2026 against Chino Hills Municipal Code. Rules change, so we confirm them again for your parcel.

What We Build

  • Fire Hazard Overlay and Section 7A detailing
  • Native tree permits before grading
  • Geologic hazard overlay studies
  • Hillside adaptive design near Carbon Canyon Road
  • New gunite pool and spa construction
  • Full pool remodels and replastering
  • Pebble, quartz and plaster interior finishes
  • Waterline tile and coping replacement
  • Raised and attached spas with spillways
  • Baja shelves, benches and sun ledges
  • Water features, fire bowls and sheer descents
  • Equipment upgrades, heaters and automation
  • Pool decking in pavers, concrete or travertine
  • LED lighting and salt-water conversions

Local Conditions

What building in Chino Hills actually involves

Every city in Southern California builds differently. These are the things that change the scope, the schedule or the budget on Chino Hills projects.

01

CAL FIRE's local responsibility area map dated March 24, 2025 places much of the city's canyon and hillside terrain, Carbon Canyon included, in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, while parts of the north end map as nonwildland, so the zone is checked parcel by parcel.

02

On developed lots inside the Fire Hazard Overlay, native California sycamores, live oaks, black walnuts and coastal scrub oaks four inches or more in diameter at breast height need a tree permit before any grading or building permit issues, unless they cannot be seen from streets, rights-of-way, parks or trails.

03

The Geologic Hazard Overlay covers the Chino Hills fault hazard zone and known or suspected landslide and liquefaction areas, where development permits require a study by a registered geologist scoped by the Building Official, although uses accessory to a home and additions of no more than half the existing structure's value or area are exempt.

04

Within 600 feet of the Carbon Canyon Road centerline, the code's hillside adaptive standards require buildings to follow the natural topography, bar terracing for flat pads where the natural slope exceeds 15 percent and limit retaining walls built for side and rear yard space to 36 inches above grade, though modifications to existing structures can be exempt with city approval.

05

Tract 2557 in Los Serranos lies within a natural drainage course and about half of it is subject to inundation during storms, so finished floors must sit at least one foot above the street's finished centerline on lots west of or adjacent to Carmelita Avenue and one and a half feet on lots east of or adjacent to Monterey Avenue.

Areas we serve in Chino Hills:Los SerranosSleepy HollowCarbon CanyonButterfield RanchVellanoHunters Hill

Investment

What this costs in Chino Hills

Real Southern California ranges, not a teaser number. Every project is priced line by line after we have seen the site.

New pool construction

$70,000 to $150,000+

What moves it: size and shape, spa, water and fire features, decking material, automation, and how much access and grading the site needs

Pool remodel and resurfacing

$15,000 to $45,000

What moves it: finish choice (plaster versus pebble or quartz), tile and coping replacement, new equipment, and whether the deck is being replaced at the same time

Paver patio and hardscape

from about $13,000

What moves it: square footage, paver type, base preparation, drainage, and any steps or retaining involved

Your number depends on your lot, your access and your finishes. We walk the site, then price every line so you can see exactly where the budget goes.

Get a line-item price for your Chino Hills property

How We Build

Your Chino Hills project, step by step

01

Site Review

We walk the property, check access, soil and slope, and confirm what the yard can actually take.

02

Design & 3D

You see the pool in 3D before anything is dug, with finishes, tile and decking chosen.

03

Plans & Permits

We draw the plans, handle engineering where the site needs it, and pull the permits. In Chino Hills that submittal goes to City of Chino Hills Community Development Department, Building & Safety Division.

04

Excavation & Shell

Dig, steel, plumbing and gunite. This is where site access and grading matter most.

05

Finishes

Tile, coping, decking and your chosen interior finish go in.

06

Startup & Handover

We fill, balance the water, commission the equipment and walk you through every control.

Chino Hills Questions

Common questions from Chino Hills homeowners

Who issues the permits for this work in Chino Hills?

City of Chino Hills Community Development Department, Building & Safety Division. Room addition and remodel plans start with the Building and Safety Division of the Community Development Department; once a submittal is complete it routes to both Building and Safety and Planning, a separate submittal goes to the Chino Valley Fire District, and the city puts plan review at generally 15 business days, longer for larger projects. On residentially zoned lots a pool or spa may not sit in the front setback and must stay at least five feet from rear and side property lines, measured from the water's edge for an in-ground pool, while mechanical equipment needs three feet and must be screened where visible from a right-of-way. New construction, ADUs included, and additions that enlarge a structure by 50 percent or more must keep ten feet of exterior wall separation from other structures unless built entirely of noncombustible materials, and must fit ember screens on attic vents and evaporative coolers. Inside the Fire Hazard Overlay District the same work must also meet Section 7A of the Building Code and keep thirty feet, clear to the sky, from structures on adjoining lots unless the Chino Valley Fire District and the Community Development Director approve an equivalent alternative. 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 Chino Hills different?

Lots in Planned Development districts, Butterfield Ranch among them, follow the PD documents adopted for each project, while the base single-family R-S zone sets a 7,200 square foot minimum lot, Rural Residential 20,000 square feet and Agriculture-Ranch five acres, with larger minimums shown on the Zoning Map where terrain calls for them. The English Road area, designated Agriculture Ranch in the General Plan as large-lot land suitable for equestrian estates, sits in the Level 1 equestrian overlay, where horses and other large animals may be kept as an accessory use to the home. One local condition that shapes the work: CAL FIRE's local responsibility area map dated March 24, 2025 places much of the city's canyon and hillside terrain, Carbon Canyon included, in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, while parts of the north end map as nonwildland, so the zone is checked parcel by parcel.

Which parts of Chino Hills do you work in?

All of it, including Los Serranos, Sleepy Hollow, Carbon Canyon and Butterfield Ranch. Our crews run every job out of our Cahuenga Pass base in Los Angeles, with our own people on site.

What does a pool or spa project cost in Chino Hills?

New pool construction: generally $70,000 to $150,000+ across Southern California. What moves it is size and shape, spa, water and fire features, decking material, automation, and how much access and grading the site needs. We give line-item pricing after seeing the site rather than quoting a number over the phone.

How long does a pool remodel take?

A straightforward replaster with new tile and coping usually runs three to five weeks. A full remodel that includes new decking, equipment and features typically runs eight to twelve weeks. Site access and permit timing are the two things that move that most.

How long does a new pool take to build?

Most new pool builds run about three to five months from permit to first swim. Hillside sites that need engineered retaining or difficult access sit at the longer end of that range.

Should I replaster or fully remodel?

If the shell and plumbing are sound and you only dislike the surface, replastering with new tile and coping is the efficient choice. If the equipment is aging, the deck is cracked or the shape no longer suits how you use the yard, a full remodel costs less than doing it in two separate phases.

Do you self-perform the work?

Yes. Our own crews handle the build rather than passing it to a rotating set of subs, which is why the schedule and the finish standard stay consistent.

Planning a pool or spa project in Chino Hills?

Sit down with your project manager, go through the details, and get an accurate estimate for your property. We call you back within one business day.

Licensed, bonded & insured · CSLB license #1119054