Notes from the field

What we learn building in Los Angeles

Short, specific writing about how custom homes actually get built here: the consultants, the approvals, the timelines, and the decisions that quietly set your budget. Written by us, not by a marketing department.

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  What does remove and recompact mean, and why is it in my soils report?October 22, 2026
  Remove and recompact (R&R) is one of the most common lines in a Los Angeles soils report. What it means, what happens on site, and the two numbers that set the cost.
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  What plan check actually checks, and why it takes more than one roundOctober 8, 2026
  What LADBS plan check reviews on a Los Angeles custom home, why it takes 2 to 3 rounds of corrections at 3 to 5 weeks each, and how to keep it to two.
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  EO1 or EO8? How to choose your Palisades rebuild pathOctober 2, 2026
  EO1 rebuilds like for like plus 10 percent with a fast 30 day review. EO8 lets Coastal Zone homes build bigger without a coastal permit. Here is how to choose.
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  Survey or soils report? You need both, and here is whySeptember 24, 2026
  You need both. The survey tells your architect what is on the lot, the soils report tells your structural engineer what is under it. Order them together.
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  The soils report nobody ordered in time, and the four consultants your build actually depends onSeptember 20, 2026
  Your structural engineer cannot design a foundation without the soils report, and that report takes weeks in a lab. Here is the order that keeps a build moving.