Expert General Contractor in Granada Hills – HomeSense Construction & Remodeling

Last updated: September 2026.

What we actually see on Granada Hills jobs

Granada Hills (ZIPs 91344 and 91345) has some of the largest residential lots in the San Fernando Valley, and that is what drives the work here. South of Rinaldi Street the homes are 1950s–60s ranches on 8,000–15,000 sq ft parcels — ideal for detached ADUs and rear additions with room to spare. North of Rinaldi and up into Knollwood the lots widen further, the streets climb, and the projects become second-story additions, full rebuilds and custom homes designed around a slope and a view.

Jurisdiction is City of Los Angeles: permits and inspections through LADBS, zoning through the Granada Hills–Knollwood Community Plan. Three overlays shape design here more than anywhere else in the north Valley. The Knollwood area carries equestrian (K) zoning that affects accessory buildings and setbacks; the parcels above the 118 fall under the Baseline Hillside Ordinance for floor area, grading and height; and the foothill ring north of Sesnon Boulevard is a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, which sets CWUIC roofing, vent and glazing requirements on any addition or re-roof.

What we check first on a Granada Hills job: the electrical panel (many original homes still run 100 amps, which will not carry an ADU plus a modern kitchen), the sewer lateral on the older streets, and — on the hillside parcels — whether a soils report will be required before LADBS accepts the structural set. Getting those three answers in the first week keeps the schedule honest.

HomeSense has worked in Granada Hills since 2011 from our shop in West Hills, about twenty minutes away. Every project is permitted under CA Lic #1125001, and by state law our down payment is capped at 10% of the contract or $1,000, whichever is less.

The question we field most often in Granada Hills is whether a second unit is even possible on a lot that already holds a house, a garage and — north of Rinaldi Street — sometimes a corral. It usually is: a conforming accessory dwelling unit is approved ministerially, without a public hearing, so the real work is the site plan rather than the entitlement. Our ADU builder in Granada Hills page sets out how the three local overlays — the Granada Hills Specific Plan, the “K” Equinekeeping District under LAMC §13.05, and the floor-area limits in the 2015 Granada Hills–Knollwood Community Plan — change where the unit can sit and how large it can be, together with 2026 costs and permit timelines.

HomeSense project pages for Granada Hills

• Custom Home Builder in Granada Hills, CA
• ADU Builder in neighboring Northridge, CA
• New Construction in neighboring Porter Ranch, CA
• ADU Builder in Granada Hills, CA

2026 code note. The wildfire construction rules described above changed on 1 January 2026. The California Building Standards Commission deleted Chapter 7A from the California Building Code and consolidated it — together with Residential Code Section R337 and Fire Code Chapter 49 — into the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code (CWUIC), Title 24 Part 7, which took effect the same day. A 2026 plan set that still cites “Chapter 7A” is citing a chapter that no longer exists. One threshold catches most homeowners by surprise: replacing 50 percent or more of a roof covering within 12 months triggers the full Class A new-construction standard rather than a like-for-like repair. Full detail is in our Los Angeles wildfire home hardening guide. Last reviewed September 2026.

Sources & official references

• Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) — permits, plan check, hillside review and inspections for Granada Hills (ZIPs 91344 / 91345), handled through the LADBS Van Nuys district office.
• Los Angeles City Planning — zoning, the Granada Hills–Knollwood Community Plan, equestrian (K) districts and the Baseline Hillside Ordinance on the parcels above the 118.
• California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) — licence lookup and classification. HomeSense holds CA Lic #1125001 (Class B General Building), active since January 2011 — verify any contractor here before signing.
• Business and Professions Code section 7159.5 — the statutory cap on home-improvement down payments in California: 10% of the contract price or $1,000, whichever is less. Any contractor asking for more is out of compliance.
• California Building Standards Commission — the 2025 California Building Standards Code (Title 24), the edition that governs permits pulled from 1 January 2026 onward.
• California Energy Commission — Title 24, Part 6 — Building Energy Efficiency Standards, including the alterations pathway that applies when windows, roofing, HVAC or ductwork are replaced during a remodel.
• CALGreen (Title 24, Part 11) — California Green Building Standards Code, including construction-and-demolition waste diversion requirements on additions and alterations.
• LADWP — electrical service and panel upgrades for Granada Hills homes — the utility for all City of Los Angeles addresses.
• CAL FIRE — Fire Hazard Severity Zones — the state map that determines whether a parcel sits in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone and therefore triggers CWUIC ignition-resistant construction and defensible-space requirements.