
Pool & Spa Remodeling in Highland Park
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 Highland Park properties
Highland Park was laid out in 1886 as one of the earliest Los Angeles subdivisions, between downtown and Pasadena, and its streets still read as a record of the decades that followed: Victorian cottages, Craftsman bungalows, Mission Revival and Tudor Revival houses stand side by side in the salt-and-pepper mix the preservation plan describes. Large parts of the neighborhood, including Garvanza and Mount Angelus, sit inside the Highland Park-Garvanza HPOZ, so work the street can see is designed with that plan open. The rear yard offers the most freedom, since an in-ground pool behind the house on an interior lot is exempt from HPOZ review. Up toward Mount Angelus, hillside grading limits, construction-hour rules and fire hazard mapping come into play as well.
Compact lots with old houses: the median single-family parcel is about 5,500 square feet in LA County Assessor data, the middle half runs from roughly 4,700 to 7,000 square feet, and the median home was built in 1924. Lots fronting York Boulevard mostly sit outside the Hillside Area, while the streets climbing toward Mount Angelus fall inside it.
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 Highland Park: Private pools in the City of Los Angeles are permitted through a Combined Building-Mechanical permit, while pools serving more than two dwelling units need separate building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits. Using a City of Los Angeles standard plan on file with LADBS reduces plan check time. City maps place every single-family lot in Highland Park inside the Hillside Grading Area, so a pool that needs a building permit here also needs an LADBS grading permit for its excavation. In the Highland Park-Garvanza HPOZ, an in-ground pool in the rear yard of a non-corner lot is exempt from HPOZ review, but rear-yard grading on hillside lots, pools on corner lots and most work visible from the street are still reviewed. Most single-family lots here also carry the Hillside Construction Regulation (HCR) zoning suffix, which Ordinance 187,900 brought to the Northeast Los Angeles Community Plan Area effective July 24, 2023: weekday work runs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and only interior work is allowed on Saturdays.
Permit details checked September 2026 against LADBS and LA City Planning. Rules change, so we confirm them again for your parcel.
What We Build
- HPOZ review for street-visible work
- Hillside grading permits and earth export planning
- Arroyo stone retaining wall restoration
- Rear-yard ADUs scaled to historic homes
- Fire-hardened decks and shade structures
- 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 Highland Park actually involves
Every city in Southern California builds differently. These are the things that change the scope, the schedule or the budget on Highland Park projects.
About two-thirds of single-family parcels sit in the city's Hillside Area, where the Baseline Hillside Ordinance limits grading quantities and the combined import and export of earth
Much of the neighborhood, the Mount Angelus hillside included, is mapped as a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, so each lot is checked against that map before decks, shade structures or an ADU are designed
Historic retaining walls, often of arroyo stone, are part of the HPOZ setting, and the preservation plan asks that they be rehabilitated in place or replaced in kind, and left unpainted
On steep lots the preservation plan can count a side or rear facade as street visible when the slope exposes it to a street beyond the lot, which widens what goes through HPOZ review
Investment
What this costs in Highland Park
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 Highland Park propertyHow We Build
Your Highland Park project, step by step
Site Review
We walk the property, check access, soil and slope, and confirm what the yard can actually take.
Design & 3D
You see the pool in 3D before anything is dug, with finishes, tile and decking chosen.
Plans & Permits
We draw the plans, handle engineering where the site needs it, and pull the permits. In Highland Park that submittal goes to Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS).
Excavation & Shell
Dig, steel, plumbing and gunite. This is where site access and grading matter most.
Finishes
Tile, coping, decking and your chosen interior finish go in.
Startup & Handover
We fill, balance the water, commission the equipment and walk you through every control.
Highland Park Questions
Common questions from Highland Park homeowners
Who issues the permits for this work in Highland Park?
Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS). Private pools in the City of Los Angeles are permitted through a Combined Building-Mechanical permit, while pools serving more than two dwelling units need separate building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits. Using a City of Los Angeles standard plan on file with LADBS reduces plan check time. City maps place every single-family lot in Highland Park inside the Hillside Grading Area, so a pool that needs a building permit here also needs an LADBS grading permit for its excavation. In the Highland Park-Garvanza HPOZ, an in-ground pool in the rear yard of a non-corner lot is exempt from HPOZ review, but rear-yard grading on hillside lots, pools on corner lots and most work visible from the street are still reviewed. Most single-family lots here also carry the Hillside Construction Regulation (HCR) zoning suffix, which Ordinance 187,900 brought to the Northeast Los Angeles Community Plan Area effective July 24, 2023: weekday work runs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and only interior work is allowed on Saturdays. 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 Highland Park different?
Compact lots with old houses: the median single-family parcel is about 5,500 square feet in LA County Assessor data, the middle half runs from roughly 4,700 to 7,000 square feet, and the median home was built in 1924. Lots fronting York Boulevard mostly sit outside the Hillside Area, while the streets climbing toward Mount Angelus fall inside it. One local condition that shapes the work: About two-thirds of single-family parcels sit in the city's Hillside Area, where the Baseline Hillside Ordinance limits grading quantities and the combined import and export of earth.
Which parts of Highland Park do you work in?
All of it, including Garvanza and Mount Angelus. 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 Highland Park?
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.
More services in Highland Park
Highland Park Guides
Planning guides for Highland Park homeowners
Costs, materials and process notes from our own projects.
Building a Pool in Northridge: Costs, Soil and the LADBS Process
A new pool in Northridge typically runs $85,000 to $165,000 all-in with decking and equipment. The tract lots are generous, the soil is workable, and the real variables are access, spa and deck square footage.
Read guideVan Nuys Pool and Backyard Guide: Costs on the Valley Floor
A new pool in Van Nuys runs $75,000 to $145,000, and a pool-plus-backyard package $110,000 to $220,000. Flat lots keep excavation honest; older service panels and gas meters are where budgets slip.
Read guideTravertine vs Porcelain Pavers: The Honest Comparison for SoCal Yards
Travertine installs at roughly $22 to $30 per square foot, porcelain at $24 to $34. The real difference is heat, staining and how each one handles a chlorinated pool deck over ten years.
Read guidePool Coping Compared: Cast Concrete, Natural Stone and Porcelain
Coping runs $28 to $55 per lineal foot in concrete, $55 to $110 in natural stone and $60 to $120 in porcelain. On an average pool perimeter that is a $2,500 to $11,000 decision.
Read guidePlanning a pool or spa project in Highland Park?
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