Backyard Remodeling & Outdoor Living in Lakewood, CA

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Last modified: 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
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Image: Side-yard patio with a fire bowl, lounge seating and turf joints at dusk

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Design · Permit · Build

Backyard & Outdoor Living in Lakewood

We design the whole backyard as one, so patio, kitchen and shade fit together.

Book a Consultation Call 818-300-2393

Built for Lakewood Homes

Lakewood went up almost in a single motion. In early February 1950 the Lakewood Park Corporation, the partnership of Louis Boyar, Mark Taper and Ben Weingart, broke ground, and at a pace of one finished house every seven and a half minutes it built 17,500 homes in less than three years.

In 1954 residents voted to incorporate, and Lakewood became the nation's first city by contract. The land under those streets has little topographic relief, falling only from about 60 feet at the north boundary to 35 feet at the south, so the backyards are flat and regular, and many of the houses in front of them are now past seventy years old.

Before a pool, patio cover or ADU reaches Building Plan Check here, it passes through the City's Planning review.

Lakewood is overwhelmingly single-family: roughly 93 percent of its residentially zoned land is zoned for and built with single-family homes, and more than half of all homes date from the 1950s, when the Lakewood Park houses went up as two- and three-bedroom designs, every one with a garage.

Two-story homes came later, first in the Pennswood Square tract in 1965 and then at Westgate. The zoning code limits the first floor of the house plus any enclosed accessory structures to 45 percent of the lot and living area to 60 percent of lot area, and it requires lots of 5,000 square feet or more to keep at least 750 square feet of open space in the rear half.

Side and rear setbacks are four feet, habitable accessory buildings including ADUs must stay four feet from side and rear lot lines, and in the Lakewood Gardens tracts the front setback is 14 feet with no porch allowed to project into 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 Lakewood: Building permits are issued by the Building and Safety Division of the Community Development Department, and most permit applications and plan check submittals go through the City's online permit center on OpenGov. Pools and spas, porches and patio covers, walls and fences, additions and new dwelling units, including ADUs, are all on the City's list of residential projects that go through Planning review, and plans move on to Building Plan Check once Planning approval is in hand.

Under the zoning code, new dwelling units on R-1 and R-A lots, ADUs and JADUs among them, receive a ministerial staff design review against the City's Administrative Manual for Residential Development, which looks for consistent architectural compatibility among all the dwellings and structures on a lot.

The City's ADU guidance adds that materials must equal or exceed the quality of the main house, with roofing, paint color, windows and doors, landscaping and trash storage all part of that review.

Permit details checked September 2026 against City of Lakewood and Lakewood Municipal Code . Rules change, so we confirm them again for your parcel.

What We Build

Local Conditions

What to Know in Lakewood

These local conditions change the scope, the schedule and the budget.

01

Lakewood is relatively flat, and the City's Housing Element notes that no residentially zoned property sits on or near a slope subject to landslides. With so little natural fall, drainage has to be designed: the zoning code bars regrading that diverts runoff onto an abutting property, keeps roof water from accessory structures, ADUs included, from falling off the lot, and has lot drainage directed to the public right-of-way and storm drain system in a manner the Public Works Director accepts.

02

The General Plan's technical background report describes the city's alluvial soils as mostly clay and silt loams that are relatively impermeable and cause some subsurface drainage problems. It identifies the Ramona-Placentia and Chino soil associations in parts of the city as expansive, noting that the City required stronger foundations for new construction on them.

03

The same report documents sulfate attack on slab-on-grade foundations in a handful of tracts, most notably the one bounded by Studebaker Road, Del Amo Boulevard, Interstate 605 and Chadwell Street, where salt-laden moisture drawn up from shallow groundwater degraded the concrete. It names a moisture barrier with reinforced, sulfate-resistant concrete as the most effective slab repair.

04

Pools and their equipment may sit within the required side and rear setbacks, but an enclosure for pool equipment may not exceed six feet in height, and where the heater or filter sits in a side yard or within three feet of the rear property line, the side and rear perimeter walls must be of one-hour fire-resistive construction.

05

The City's Hazard Mitigation Plan, as summarized in the 2022 Housing Element, scores the relative risk of fire, including wildland and urban interface fire, as very low, and places all residentially zoned property in areas of low flood risk.

Areas we serve in Lakewood:Lakewood ParkMayfairLakewood GardensCherry CovePennswood SquareWestgate

Investment

What It Costs in Lakewood

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 Lakewood property

The Process

How We Work in Lakewood

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 Lakewood that submittal goes to City of Lakewood Community Development Department, Building and Safety Division.

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 Lakewood Homeowners Ask

Who issues the permits for this work in Lakewood?

City of Lakewood Community Development Department, Building and Safety Division. Building permits are issued by the Building and Safety Division of the Community Development Department, and most permit applications and plan check submittals go through the City's online permit center on OpenGov.

Pools and spas, porches and patio covers, walls and fences, additions and new dwelling units, including ADUs, are all on the City's list of residential projects that go through Planning review, and plans move on to Building Plan Check once Planning approval is in hand.

Under the zoning code, new dwelling units on R-1 and R-A lots, ADUs and JADUs among them, receive a ministerial staff design review against the City's Administrative Manual for Residential Development, which looks for consistent architectural compatibility among all the dwellings and structures on a lot.

The City's ADU guidance adds that materials must equal or exceed the quality of the main house, with roofing, paint color, windows and doors, landscaping and trash storage all part of that review. 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 Lakewood different?

Lakewood is overwhelmingly single-family: roughly 93 percent of its residentially zoned land is zoned for and built with single-family homes, and more than half of all homes date from the 1950s, when the Lakewood Park houses went up as two- and three-bedroom designs, every one with a garage.

Two-story homes came later, first in the Pennswood Square tract in 1965 and then at Westgate. The zoning code limits the first floor of the house plus any enclosed accessory structures to 45 percent of the lot and living area to 60 percent of lot area, and it requires lots of 5,000 square feet or more to keep at least 750 square feet of open space in the rear half.

Side and rear setbacks are four feet, habitable accessory buildings including ADUs must stay four feet from side and rear lot lines, and in the Lakewood Gardens tracts the front setback is 14 feet with no porch allowed to project into it. One local condition that shapes the work: Lakewood is relatively flat, and the City's Housing Element notes that no residentially zoned property sits on or near a slope subject to landslides.

With so little natural fall, drainage has to be designed: the zoning code bars regrading that diverts runoff onto an abutting property, keeps roof water from accessory structures, ADUs included, from falling off the lot, and has lot drainage directed to the public right-of-way and storm drain system in a manner the Public Works Director accepts.

Which parts of Lakewood do you work in?

All of it, including Lakewood Park, Mayfair, Lakewood Gardens and Cherry Cove. 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 Lakewood?

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 Lakewood

Pool & Spa Remodeling in Lakewood ADUs & Additions in Lakewood Everything we build in Lakewood

Backyard & Outdoor Living Nearby

Backyard & Outdoor Living in Long Beach Backyard & Outdoor Living in Cerritos Backyard & Outdoor Living in Downey Backyard & Outdoor Living in Cypress Backyard & Outdoor Living in Los Alamitos Backyard & Outdoor Living in Huntington Beach

Planning Guides

Before You Build in Lakewood

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 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 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 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

Planning a Backyard in Lakewood?

Sit down with your project manager and get an accurate estimate. We call you back within one business day.

Book a Consultation 818-300-2393

Licensed, bonded & insured · CSLB license #1119054

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