Add a full or partial second floor without giving up the yard — structural engineering, LADBS or Burbank permits and construction under one fixed-price contract, across the San Fernando Valley.
Professional, licensed & insuredFixed-price proposalsPermits pulled & closedOur own crew, not subs
Tell us about the project. We call back to schedule the on-site estimate.
Second-story additions in Los Angeles: Right Image Builders (CSLB #1021284) adds full or partial second floors across the San Fernando Valley and Burbank — a structural engineer's evaluation of the foundation and framing first, then design, plan check and a build that ties the new floor into the house below, inside and out. Plan on 3–5 months of design, engineering and plan check, then 4–6 months of construction; one fixed written price after a free on-site estimate.
Licensed general contractor, CSLB #1021284, licensed since 2016, 5.0★ Google (45 reviews), 4.9★ Angi (103 reviews). Planning ranges by tier and neighborhood are in the room addition cost guide.
Right Image Builders designs, engineers, permits and builds second-story additions across the San Fernando Valley from our office in Valley Glen: a licensed architect draws the plans, a structural engineer evaluates the existing foundation and framing and stamps the structural set, we file with LADBS or the City of Burbank, and one crew builds from the new footings to the finished rooms. Licensed & insured, CSLB #1021284. Free consultation: (818) 210-4544.
A second story is the answer when the lot is small, the yard matters, or the floor-area limit leaves no room to spread out. It is also the most structural project a house can take on: the existing foundation, cripple walls and framing have to carry a new floor, a new roof and the lateral loads an earthquake puts on a taller building. That is why the engineer's evaluation comes first, before a single room is drawn.
What it involves: new or widened footings and anchor bolts where the evaluation calls for them, shear walls and hold-downs through the first floor, a new floor system, stairs (which take 40–50 sq ft out of the first floor), the new roof, and every system extended up — electrical, plumbing for the new bath, HVAC sized for two floors. A partial second story over part of the house is the common Valley answer; a full second story is a bigger project but changes the house completely.
Most families move out for the 6–10 weeks when the roof comes off and the new floor goes on, then return for the finish work. We schedule the roof demolition around the dry season and keep the house weather-tight at the end of every day.
A licensed engineer checks the foundation, cripple walls and framing, and orders a soils report where the site requires one, before design starts.
Architect and structural engineer coordinated by us; stamped structural set, Title 24 energy calculations, and a layout that places the stairs where they cost the least space.
LADBS inside the City of Los Angeles, the City of Burbank in Burbank; Baseline Hillside Ordinance review south of Ventura where it applies.
New footings, anchor bolts, shear walls and hold-downs carried through the first floor to the foundation.
New floor system, exterior and interior framing, the new roof tied into any remaining original roof, and the stair opening.
Electrical, plumbing for the new bath, HVAC sized for two floors, insulation, drywall, exterior matched to the original house.
Professional, licensed and insured, and we put that in writing at every step, because a remodel is a trust decision before it is a construction decision.
California general contractor license CSLB #1021284 (General Building B), active since 2016, with general liability and workers' compensation insurance. Check the license yourself at cslb.ca.gov before you sign anything, with us or anyone else.
The proposal lists what is demolished, what is built, which finishes are included and which permit covers it. If it is not written down, it is not in the job.
When walls, floors or roofs open up we photograph what is behind them and send you the pictures. Anything beyond the scope is priced in writing before the crew continues. You never find out from the invoice.
California law caps a home-improvement deposit at $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract, whichever is less. We follow it. Progress payments follow the work, and the final payment comes after your walkthrough.
We submit the plans, meet the inspector and close the permit. You get the closed-permit record, which is what a buyer, an insurer or an appraiser will ask for.
The people who estimate the job are the people who build it. No subcontractor hand-offs, no call center; your project lead answers the phone during the job and after it.
On the 1940s–50s tracts of Van Nuys, Valley Glen, North Hollywood and Valley Village the lots are 6,000–7,500 sq ft, which is exactly where a second story earns its cost: a rear addition would eat the yard, and the floor-area limit for an R1 lot is reached quickly on the ground. Sherman Oaks, Studio City and Encino add hillside review south of Ventura and larger lots north of it, where building out is often the cheaper choice. Burbank reviews through its own Building & Safety Division and has its own height and floor-area rules.
Height limits, the floor-area ratio for the zone and the setbacks for the upper floor are what we check on ZIMAS at the first visit; the engineer's evaluation of the existing structure follows, and together they decide whether a full or a partial second story is the right design.
Every room addition in Los Angeles gets one fixed, written price after a free on-site visit: we measure the house, check what LADBS requires for the lot and price the whole scope before you sign anything.
What moves the number is the scope you choose, the condition we find behind the walls and the finish level, never a surprise invoice: anything we uncover during the work is priced in writing before the crew continues, and the final payment comes after your walkthrough.
Setting a budget first? The room addition cost guide shows the current planning ranges by tier and neighborhood.
We visit your home, pull the parcel's zoning, and tell you honestly what you can build — square footage, height, setbacks — and which addition fits your goals and budget.
We produce architectural and structural plans, submit through LADBS, and manage plan check — with a written fixed-price proposal set before construction begins.
One crew builds the addition to signed-off final inspection, matched to your existing home. Final payment is due only after your walkthrough approval.
Tell us what you want to add and we'll get back to you within 4 business hours. We'll confirm what your lot allows before you spend anything on design.
Prefer to talk it through?
We had a tiny living room that opened onto a covered patio we never really used. Right Image Builders designed and built a full family room addition in its place — 400 square feet, vaulted ceiling, skylights, and bifold doors to the garden. It completely changed how we live in this house. You can't tell it's an addition — it looks like it was always there.
Our full home remodel was a massive undertaking. Right Image Builders handled it all — demo, framing, plumbing, electrical, tile, painting. One contract, one crew, one point of contact. I cannot overstate how rare that is in LA.
They walked me through every permit requirement and handled it all himself. The project finished on budget and exactly to spec. My BuildZoom contract check confirmed everything — these guys are top 1% for a reason.
Plain answers on costs, permits, materials and hiring, written for Los Angeles houses and kept current.
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Read the guide →AnswersDirect answers from the Los Angeles remodeling FAQ, kept current.
Read the answers →Usually, after a structural evaluation. Most 1940s–60s Valley houses can, with new footings, anchor bolts, shear walls and hold-downs added through the first floor; raised foundations with cripple walls need more reinforcement than slabs. The engineer's report tells you before you spend on design.
For the 6–10 weeks when the roof comes off and the new floor and roof go on, most families do; the house is open to the weather and the stair opening is cut into the first floor. Finish work can be done with you back in the house.
Plan on 3–5 months of design, structural engineering and plan check, then 4–6 months of construction. The structural review at plan check is longer than for a ground-floor addition, and hillside review adds time south of Ventura.
Yes. We coordinate the architect and the structural engineer, file with LADBS or the City of Burbank, answer the plan-check corrections and schedule every inspection; you never deal with the counter.
Right Image Builders, a licensed general contractor (CSLB #1021284) based in Valley Glen, builds second stories across Van Nuys, Valley Glen, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Encino, North Hollywood, Toluca Lake, Burbank, Tarzana, Valley Village and Woodland Hills under one fixed-price contract, with final payment only after your walkthrough. 5.0★ on Google (45 reviews) and 4.9★ on Angi (103 reviews).
Not without your written approval. The fixed price covers the scope we agreed, the LADBS permit and the inspections; if the house in Los Angeles hides a problem, you get a written, priced change order before the crew touches it, and the final payment is only due after your walkthrough. Current planning ranges are in the room addition cost guide.
Every addition type we build →
RelatedThe other way to add the missing room →
GuideStructure, stairs, roof and zoning →
By NeighborhoodFlats and hillside →
By NeighborhoodLevel 1950s lots →
By NeighborhoodOur own neighborhood →
Guide2026 planning ranges →
See Our WorkRecent additions across the Valley →
GuideWhich roof suits the house →
GuideThe 50 percent rule and the signs →
Free consultation and zoning review. Written fixed-price proposal. One licensed team from design and LADBS permits through to a finished addition matched to your home.
(818) 210-4544