Upgrade the heart of your home. We design and build luxury kitchens featuring custom cabinetry, premium countertops, and state-of-the-art plumbing and electrical updates.
Apex Build plans and builds kitchen remodels for Los Angeles homeowners, from a cosmetic cabinet and countertop refresh to a full layout change with new plumbing and electrical. If your project covers more than the kitchen, our home remodeling team handles multi-room and whole-house work, and our bathroom remodeling team covers bath-only projects. This page is for the kitchen and the kitchen alone.
Licensed general contractor, CSLB Class B
Serving the City of Los Angeles and surrounding LA County communities
Design, permitting, and construction handled by one team
Kitchen-focused crews, not a whole-home team pulled onto a single room
A kitchen remodel with Apex Build can include any combination of:
Cabinetry: stock, semi-custom, or fully custom
Countertops: quartz, natural stone, and other surface materials
Appliance removal and installation
Flooring
Layout and wall changes, including load-bearing wall removal with engineered structural support
Plumbing fixture relocation, including sink, dishwasher, and gas line moves
Electrical and lighting upgrades
Ventilation
Design and LADBS permit management for anything that isn't purely cosmetic
Consultation and walkthrough. We look at the space, talk through your goals and budget, and scope whether the project is a cosmetic refresh or a full layout change.
Design and scope definition. We finalize cabinetry, countertops, appliances, and finishes, and confirm whether any walls, plumbing, or electrical are moving.
Permitting. Cosmetic-only work typically doesn't need a permit. Anything touching plumbing, electrical, walls, or layout does, and we prepare and submit that through LADBS.
Construction. Our crews build to the approved plans, with scheduled updates so you know what's happening at each stage.
Inspection and walkthrough. We coordinate the required LADBS inspections, then walk the finished kitchen with you before final sign-off.
Nationally, kitchen remodels run $14,585 to $41,534, averaging around $26,962, per NerdWallet's national kitchen remodel cost data. Los Angeles labor and material costs push most local projects toward the higher end of that range and beyond it, especially once layout or systems work enters the scope.
Cost in LA tracks scope closely. Based on NPLine Design's Los Angeles kitchen cost and timeline data, here's how that typically breaks down:
|
Scope |
Typical cost |
Typical timeline |
|---|---|---|
|
Cosmetic refresh |
$15,000-$30,000 |
2-4 weeks |
|
Minor remodel |
$35,000-$60,000 |
4-6 weeks |
|
Mid-range remodel |
$60,000-$100,000 |
8-12 weeks |
|
Major renovation |
$100,000-$175,000 |
10-14 weeks |
|
Luxury build-out |
$175,000-$300,000+ |
12-16 weeks |
A full gut renovation, tearing out and rebuilding the kitchen down to the studs with relocated plumbing, commonly adds another 15-25% on top of a base project budget, per Sweeten's Los Angeles kitchen remodel guide. Sweeten also recommends setting aside a 10-15% contingency for a non-gut renovation, since existing wiring, plumbing, or framing issues often surface once demolition starts.
Two cost drivers worth knowing going in. In the LA market specifically, labor typically runs 25-35% of total project cost, per Sweeten's research. And nationally, cabinets account for roughly 35% of a typical kitchen budget and countertops about 15%, per GreatBuildz's national kitchen budget breakdown. Cabinet pricing itself has a wide spread: stock cabinetry starts around $188 per linear foot, while fully custom cabinetry with decorative elements can run up to $606 per linear foot, per Sweeten.
These are starting ranges, not quotes. Your number depends on cabinet grade, countertop material, appliance package, and whether plumbing or walls are moving. Get a project-specific number with a Free Estimate.
Timeline scales with scope, using the same tiers as cost above: 2-4 weeks for a cosmetic refresh up to 12-16 weeks for a luxury build-out. Looking at the full arc from first design meeting to handover, a complete kitchen project typically runs 4 to 6 months including design and permitting, per NPLine Design's project data.
If your scope requires LADBS plan check, any structural, electrical, or plumbing change qualifies, expect plan check itself to take about 4-8 weeks within that design-and-permit window, per Crest Real Estate's LADBS permit guide. Cosmetic-only projects skip plan check entirely and move straight to construction.
It depends on what's changing, not how big the kitchen is. This section covers City of Los Angeles rules; if your property sits in another incorporated city, that city's own building department sets the rules, not LADBS.
Generally no permit needed: Cosmetic-only work, paint, hardware swaps, like-for-like cabinet refacing, typically doesn't require a permit. LA also runs an express, same-day permit path through PermitLA for like-for-like equipment swaps and countertop replacement.
Permit required: Per PermitLA's kitchen remodel permit guidance, you need an LADBS permit when the project adds or relocates plumbing or electrical fixtures with wall penetration, modifies a wall or opening, or changes the layout in a way that involves structural elements. Wall or opening changes require plan check at an LADBS Construction Services Center.
Load-bearing walls specifically: Removing or modifying a load-bearing wall requires a permit and engineered structural support. Relocating plumbing or gas lines, or changing electrical, also triggers a permit, per Crest Real Estate's guide above. You can reach the LADBS Customer Call Center at 311 inside LA County, or (213) 482-0000 from outside the county.
Final inspection: Permitted kitchen work typically closes out with a final inspection (LADBS inspection code 335-Final) before the project is considered complete.
Apex Build handles permit prep and submittal as part of the project, so you're not tracking LADBS paperwork on top of managing the build itself.
Kitchen remodels that involve framing or multiple trades legally require a CSLB Class B General Building Contractor license in California, per the CSLB's official license classification library. Apex Build carries that credential, so structural and multi-trade kitchen work is handled by a contractor who's licensed for exactly that scope.
We know the line between cosmetic work that skips permitting and work that triggers LADBS plan check, and we scope your project against the right one from day one instead of guessing mid-project.
Design, permitting, and construction run through one team, so your scope and schedule don't get lost between a designer, a separate permit expediter, and a separate builder.
This is a kitchen-dedicated crew, not a whole-home team splitting attention across multiple rooms. If your project extends beyond the kitchen, our home remodeling team is built for that scope instead.
You get real cost and timeline ranges tied to your actual project up front, not a placeholder number that moves once demolition starts.
Apex Build takes on kitchen remodeling projects across the City of Los Angeles and surrounding Los Angeles County communities, including areas such as Santa Monica, Pasadena, Encino, Calabasas, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Studio City, Glendale, and Long Beach.
A quick note on permits: the LADBS-specific process described above applies to projects inside the City of Los Angeles. Santa Monica, Pasadena, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Glendale, Long Beach, and Calabasas are each their own incorporated city with a separate building department. We work within whichever jurisdiction your property falls under.
Have questions? We've got answers. Here are some of the most common questions we receive from our customers.
Get a clear estimate and a realistic timeline before you commit to anything. We'll walk your property and tell you exactly what the work involves.
Request a no-obligation estimate based on your home and needs.
We're based in Los Angeles for fast response and scheduling.
We pull permits and manage inspections, so the paperwork doesn't land on you.
Consistent finishes that hold up over time
