Home Remodeling

Home remodeling in Fullerton, by an architect who builds.

Kitchens, bathrooms, whole-house remodels, and structural changes — designed, permitted, and built by one licensed firm.

We design and build home remodels in Fullerton and North Orange County — kitchens, bathrooms, whole-house remodels, and structural changes like opening up walls. Many of the homes we work on were built between the 1920s and 1960s, and the drawings account for what's behind the walls before construction starts.

What we remodel

Kitchens and bathrooms

Layout changes, plumbing relocations, new electrical circuits, and the structural work that often comes with them.

Whole-house remodels

Reworking how an older house lives — circulation, light, storage — while keeping what makes it worth keeping.

Opening up walls

Removing or relocating load-bearing walls with properly designed beams and posts, permitted and inspected.

Older and historic homes

Pre-1970 houses often hide outdated electrical, plumbing, foundations, or past unpermitted work. We plan for these in design rather than discovering them mid-construction. AS Design Build is an EPA Lead-Safe Certified Firm, required for paid work that disturbs paint in homes built before 1978.

Why an architect who builds

Remodels go over budget when the drawings don't match what's in the walls, or when the designer and the contractor disagree about who owns a problem. When one licensed firm designs and builds, the person who drew the detail is the one standing in front of it on site.

If the remodel needs more square footage, see room additions — or compare all three options in Remodel, add on, or build an ADU?

Remodeling questions

Usually, if the work goes beyond cosmetic updates. Replacing finishes in the same layout often doesn't need a permit, while moving walls, structural changes, new electrical circuits, relocated plumbing, and changes to window or door openings usually do. The City's Building Division makes the final call for each scope — we confirm it for your project during design.
Usually, yes — with a beam and posts sized by structural design, a building permit, and inspection. The cost depends on the span, what the wall carries above it, and whether the new beam can be hidden in the ceiling. We evaluate this at the first site visit.
Many of Fullerton's 1920s–1960s homes have solid structure and a lot-size advantage that newer tracts lack. The deciding factors are foundation condition, the cost of bringing electrical and plumbing up to current standards, and how far the layout is from what you need. We walk the house and give you a rough comparison of remodeling versus larger reconstruction before you commit.
Fullerton has designated historic districts, and several are Residential Preservation Zones under Fullerton Municipal Code Chapter 15.48. In those zones the City's Design Guidelines for Residential Preservation Zones apply on top of normal zoning — additions and exterior changes are expected to fit the neighborhood's original architecture in scale, materials, and rooflines. Minor work that follows the guidelines can typically be approved at staff level; major additions and new dwellings go through a more formal design review. We confirm your parcel's status in the first consultation.
Unpermitted additions and conversions are common in older homes and often surface during a sale or refinance. The usual path is to document the existing condition with as-built drawings, evaluate structure and life-safety items, and submit to the City for a permit. The City decides what must be opened up, corrected, or removed. Because we both draw and build, we scope the paperwork and the corrective construction together.
Yes, in most cases. Under the California Residential Code (Sections R314 and R315), when a permit is issued for alterations, repairs, or additions valued over $1,000, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms must be installed in the existing home — smoke alarms in each bedroom, and smoke and carbon monoxide alarms outside each sleeping area and on every level. The City of Fullerton requires an owner certification form confirming the alarms before the permit is finaled.
If your home was built on or before January 1, 1994, yes. California Civil Code Section 1101.4 requires noncompliant plumbing fixtures — older high-flow toilets, showerheads, and faucets — to be replaced with water-conserving fixtures as a condition of final permit approval for additions, alterations, or improvements to a single-family home.
Federal law requires that anyone paid to disturb painted surfaces in housing built before 1978 be an EPA lead-safe certified firm using certified renovators and lead-safe work practices, unless the components are tested and found lead-free. Many Fullerton homes predate 1978, so this applies to most remodels of older houses. AS Design Build is an EPA Lead-Safe Certified Firm. If you hire anyone else, ask for their EPA firm certification before work starts. More at epa.gov/lead.
Possibly. California's Mills Act lets cities offer property tax reductions to owners who rehabilitate and maintain qualifying historic properties. In Fullerton, owners of properties in Historic Districts, and of National Register, Local Landmark, and Significant Properties, may apply to the City's Mills Act program. The program guidelines and application are on the City of Fullerton website.
In 2026, a permitted kitchen remodel in Orange County or Los Angeles typically ranges from $45,000 to $120,000+, and a bathroom remodel from $25,000 to $65,000+, depending on size, layout changes, and finishes. Moving walls, relocating plumbing or electrical, and older-home conditions behind the walls push projects toward the higher end. We give you an itemized cost range during design, before construction pricing is final.
AS

Written by Aaron Song — licensed architect and general contractor

CA Architect License #C-42133 · CSLB #1152969 (B - General Building Contractor) · EPA Lead-Safe Certified Firm · Master of Architecture, Harvard
Last updated October 2026. Code references are to California law as of this date; your City's review of your specific project governs.

Planning a remodel? Start with a walk-through.

A free consultation at your house covers scope, a rough budget range, and what to expect from permits. English or Korean.

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