A straight line from estimate to handoff.
No general contractor juggling subs, no framer waiting on someone else's mistake, no new face every time a stage changes. One crew runs your job from the first site walk to final walkthrough — six stages, one accountable scope, one number that doesn't move unless you change something.
Six stages, no handoffs between them
Every color you see on this page maps to one of these six stages — the same six that show up again in the schedule board below and the gate table further down. One thread, not six separate sections.
Plan
We walk the lot, read the soils report and the survey, and price the actual scope rather than a square-foot average. You get an itemised estimate and a stage-by-stage schedule before you sign anything. Structural drawings go to the engineer in this stage, not later.
Gate: signed contract and a stamped, permit-ready plan set
Prepare
Permits through LADBS or the relevant city, then the site gets set up properly — protection for what stays, fencing, dust and erosion control, staging and access worked out with the neighbours before trucks arrive. Demo and excavation close this stage out.
Gate: permit issued and posted, site secured
Build
The structure goes in: foundation poured to the soils report, frame stood dead-square, steel set where the plan calls for moment frames or columns wood can't carry. This is the stage where the same FRAMO crew doing the framing also does the steel — no scheduling gap between them.
Gate: foundation and framing inspections signed
Enclose
Getting the building weather-tight: roof, sheathing, windows and doors, weather-resistive barrier and flashing detailed at every penetration. Rough electrical, plumbing and mechanical go in behind the walls and get inspected while everything is still open.
Gate: rough MEP and insulation inspections passed
Finish
Insulation and drywall, then the finishes you actually see and touch — flooring, trim, cabinetry, fixtures, paint — plus the exterior: stucco or siding, hardscape, and anything the plan set calls out. Selections are locked earlier so this stage doesn't stall waiting on a decision.
Gate: all finishes installed, systems commissioned
Deliver
Final inspection and sign-off, then we walk the whole job with you and write the punch list down rather than promising to remember it. Everything on that list gets closed before we call it finished. You get the permit card, warranty terms and the documentation in one handover.
Gate: final sign-off, punch list closed, keys handed over
What actually happens inside each stage
Eighteen real sub-steps, not a vague bar on a sales sheet. Every one of them has the same crew's name on it — that's the difference between a schedule on paper and one that actually holds.
Illustrative schedule weighting for a mid-size ground-up project — your actual stage-by-stage timeline comes with the estimate, sized to your scope and lot.
Why "one crew" is the actual point, not a slogan
Coordinated by you, accountable to no one
A GC bids the job, then hires separate subs for foundation, framing, MEP, and finishes — each one only accountable for their own piece. When something doesn't line up between two subs' work, there's no single party responsible for the gap. The number quoted at bid time is rarely the number at closeout once change orders from each sub stack up. You're the one relaying information between subs who don't talk to each other directly.
One crew, one accountable scope
One crew carries the job through all six stages, which means the person who poured your foundation is on-site when your framer needs to know exactly where the anchor bolts landed — no drawings-only handoff, no guessing. One scope, one accountable party if something doesn't line up, and one number that only changes if you change something, not because a sub found a reason to add one.
"The stages are the same six on every job. What's different is that one crew runs through all of them instead of five separate ones handing off drawings and hoping nothing got lost in translation."
How long each stage actually takes
Ranges from real Los Angeles projects, not a marketing average. The bar under each row is sized to the range — the longer the bar, the longer that stage can run.
You shouldn't have to call to find out what's happening
Crew on site
A named lead is on your job every working day. You know who they are and you can talk to them without going through an office.
Progress update
Photos of what got done, what's next, and any decision we need from you — sent before you have to ask for it.
Gate review
At each of the six gates we confirm the inspection is signed, the schedule still holds, and the next stage is clear to start.
Change orders
Anything that moves the price or the date is written up and approved by you before the work happens. No surprises on the final invoice.
What has to be true before the next stage starts
Each stage ends at a gate, not a guess. Here's what closes each one out.
| Gate | Plan | Prepare | Build | Enclose | Finish | Deliver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steps | 01–03 | 04–06 | 07–09 | 10–12 | 13–15 | 16–18 |
| Typical span | 4–8 wks | 4–16 wks | 6–15 wks | 4–8 wks | 6–12 wks | 1–3 wks |
| Inspection | Plan check | Grading / shoring | Pre-pour & framing | Rough MEP, insulation | Title 24 & systems | Final sign-off |
| You decide | Scope and budget | Access and staging | Structural options | Windows, envelope | All finish selections | Punch list sign-off |
| We deliver | Estimate + schedule | Issued permit | Structure standing | Weather-tight shell | Finished spaces | Docs, warranty, keys |
| Gate to pass | Stamped plan set | Permit posted | Framing signed | Rough inspections passed | Systems commissioned | Punch list closed |
Built around how LA permitting and lots actually work
Permitting sets the real clock
LADBS plan check on a standard residential permit typically runs several weeks depending on scope and current department load; deferred submittals add a review cycle on top of that. We build the Prepare stage around this instead of assuming permits will just clear "on schedule."
Special inspection, arranged for you
Where structural steel or certain concrete work requires it, special inspection is scheduled through a licensed inspector and coordinated as part of the Build stage — not left for you to arrange on your own.
Hillside and infill add real steps
Geotechnical review, and sometimes an additional planning entitlement, get added to the Plan stage on the hillside and infill lots common across LA — a flat suburban lot doesn't need either.
Flagged at the estimate, not after
We work out of Van Nuys within roughly a 60-mile radius, and we flag site-specific complications at the estimate stage so the six-stage timeline you're quoted reflects your actual site, not a generic one.
What owners ask before we start
The estimate and contract take one to two weeks, but the real gate is permitting — four to sixteen weeks depending on the city and whether the lot triggers hillside or coastal review. We start engineering and order long-lead items during that window so nothing waits on us once the permit is issued.
The structural scope — foundations, framing, retaining walls and steel — is our own crew. That's the part where hand-offs cause the most damage, so we own all of it under one contract. Specialty trades like electrical, plumbing and mechanical are licensed subs we schedule and supervise directly; you still have one contractor responsible for the outcome and one number to call.
We correct it and re-book. Because the crew is still on site and the work is ours, corrections generally happen within the same week rather than waiting for a trade to come back. A failed inspection on our scope is our cost, not a change order to you.
Anything that moves the price or the schedule is written up, priced and approved by you before the work is done — no verbal approvals, no discovering it on the final invoice. Genuine unknowns do come up on remodels and hillside lots, which is why we flag them at the estimate stage rather than pretending they are not possible.
Often, yes. We start with a site assessment and a review of the existing permit, plan set and inspection history to see what has actually been signed off. If prior work does not match the approved plans it has to be corrected before we can build on top of it — we will tell you that honestly before quoting, because inheriting someone else's unpermitted work is not something we will sign our license to.
Yes — a named crew lead is on your job daily, you get a weekly progress update with photos and any decisions we need from you, and every one of the six stages ends with a gate review confirming inspections are signed and the schedule still holds.
Ready to see how this looks for your project?
Send us the scope, and we'll walk you through exactly which of these six stages apply, what happens in each one, and a real number — not a range that moves later.
CA Lic #1138219 · Bonded $25,000 · Workers'-comp insured