New Construction in West Hills, CA
Short answer, updated July 2026: new construction in West Hills means a licensed home builder takes your lot from design and LADBS permitting through a finished, code-current, fire-hardened home — whether that is a brand-new custom home, a knock-down-rebuild of an aging house, or a second dwelling on your parcel. HomeSense Construction & Remodeling is headquartered right here in West Hills at 6571 Ponce Ave (91307), a licensed California general contractor (CA Lic #1125001) building across the San Fernando Valley since 2011. Call (818) 300-3422 to talk through your build.
Why build new (or knock-down-rebuild) in West Hills
West Hills sits at the far west edge of the San Fernando Valley, with large lots, hillside parcels near the Simi Hills, and an aging housing stock that often makes a full rebuild smarter than a partial remodel. Building new lets you set the floor plan, ceiling heights, energy performance, and fire resilience from the ground up instead of working around a 1960s footprint. A knock-down-rebuild keeps the thing you can never buy back — your lot and neighborhood — while replacing the structure with a home built entirely to current California code. When a tired house would cost nearly as much to gut and reconfigure as to replace, new construction is usually the better return. If you would rather keep and transform the existing structure, we also do a full whole-home remodel in West Hills.
West Hills is a fire-zone city — new homes are built to Chapter 7A and Zone 0 from day one
Parts of West Hills, especially parcels backing up to the Simi Hills and Santa Susana foothills, fall in or beside a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. That is not a drawback of building new — it is one of its biggest advantages. A new home is designed to California Building Code Chapter 7A from the first drawing: a Class A fire-rated roof, ember-resistant attic and eave vents, ignition-resistant or non-combustible siding, tempered multi-pane windows, and enclosed under-eaves. New builds also lead on Zone 0 — California’s emerging ember-resistant rule for the first five feet around the house (grounded in AB 3074 and SB 504, with the Board of Forestry’s updated draft issued April 2026). Zone 0 takes effect for new construction first, so a home built today is already designed around it: non-combustible ground cover, no wood fencing touching the walls, and a clean ground-to-wall junction. For qualifying homeowners hardening a property, the new AB 888 “California Safe Homes” grant (effective January 2026, run by the CA Department of Insurance, with its application portal opening in 2026) is designed to help cover part of a fire-safe roof and Zone 0 work. We walk every West Hills client through exactly what their site requires — the same 2026 rules we break down in our guide to wildfire home hardening in Los Angeles.
What a HomeSense new-construction project includes
- Feasibility & site assessment — zoning, lot coverage, hillside/soils review, and fire-zone status before you commit.
- Architectural design & engineering — floor plans, structural, Title 24 energy, and (on sloped lots) grading and retaining.
- Permitting through LADBS — plan check, corrections, and approvals, including Chapter 7A and Zone 0 compliance in fire zones.
- Full ground-up construction — foundation, framing, roofing, MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing), insulation, drywall, and finishes.
- Fire-hardened envelope — Class A roof assembly, ember-resistant vents, and non-combustible detailing where the code requires it.
- Final inspections & certificate of occupancy — we manage sign-offs so your home is legal and move-in ready.
Permitting and timeline in West Hills
West Hills is within the City of Los Angeles, so new homes are permitted through LADBS. Design and plan check typically take about 6 to 12 months depending on hillside review and fire-zone conditions, and construction of a custom home usually runs another 12 to 18 months. Most West Hills ground-up projects therefore span roughly 18 to 30 months from first sketch to move-in. Hillside lots, soils reports, and haul routes can add time, which is why we front-load the feasibility work before design begins.
What does new construction cost in West Hills?
As of 2026, a new custom home in the West San Fernando Valley generally runs about $350 to $700+ per square foot, driven by finish level, hillside and soils conditions, and fire-zone envelope requirements. A simpler production-style build lands toward the lower end; a high-end hillside custom home lands higher. For a full breakdown of allowances, soft costs, and where the money actually goes, see our cost to build a custom home in Los Angeles guide, and our broader remodeling cost guides.
SB 9: a second home or lot split on your West Hills parcel
If your goal is more units rather than one large home, California’s SB 9 (effective 2022) allows a ministerial lot split and/or up to two units on many single-family lots, and state ADU law allows a detached ADU plus a junior ADU. On the right West Hills parcel that can mean two new homes where one stood, or a new primary home plus an income unit. We assess zoning, lot size, and access and lay out the most valuable legal option for your property. Learn more about our full new home construction and custom home building and home builder services across LA and the Valley.
Why West Hills homeowners choose HomeSense
We are not a Valley-wide contractor who occasionally works out here — West Hills is our home base. Our office is at 6571 Ponce Ave, 91307, minutes from most of the lots we build on. HomeSense is a licensed California general contractor (CA Lic #1125001), building and remodeling across the San Fernando Valley and greater Los Angeles since 2011, with a 5-star Google rating. You get one accountable builder from feasibility through certificate of occupancy, deep familiarity with LADBS and West Hills fire-zone requirements, and honest cost and timeline guidance up front. We also build new homes in nearby Woodland Hills, Chatsworth, and Calabasas, and serve the whole region — see our service areas.
Frequently asked questions
Does a new home in West Hills have to meet wildfire building codes?
Parts of West Hills (91307) sit in or beside a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone along the Simi Hills. Any new home there is built to California Building Code Chapter 7A — a Class A fire-rated roof, ember-resistant vents, ignition-resistant siding and enclosures — and to the emerging Zone 0 standard that keeps the first five feet around the house non-combustible.
How much does it cost to build a new house in West Hills?
As of 2026, a new custom home in the West San Fernando Valley generally runs about $350 to $700+ per square foot, depending on finishes, hillside and soils conditions, and fire-zone requirements. Our Los Angeles custom-home cost guide has the full breakdown.
How long does new construction take in West Hills?
Design and permitting through LADBS typically take about 6 to 12 months, and building a custom home another 12 to 18 months, so most West Hills ground-up projects run roughly 18 to 30 months from first sketch to move-in.
Can I tear down my old West Hills house and rebuild?
Yes. A knock-down-rebuild keeps your lot and location while giving you a brand-new, code-current, fire-hardened home. It is often the smarter path when an older house would cost nearly as much to fully gut and reconfigure as to replace.
Can I add a second home on my West Hills lot?
Often yes. California’s SB 9 allows a ministerial lot split and/or up to two units on many single-family lots, and state ADU law allows a detached ADU plus a junior ADU. We assess your parcel and zoning to find the most valuable legal option.
Planning to build in West Hills? Call HomeSense Construction & Remodeling at (818) 300-3422 or reach us on WhatsApp at (818) 266-1292 for a straight answer on feasibility, cost, and timeline. See our remodeling FAQ and West Hills service page for more.