---
title: Whole-Home Remodel Design in Los Angeles
description: Whole-home remodel design in Los Angeles: new floor plans, finishes and procurement, modeled in 3D and walked in a 360° tour before demo. Fewer change orders.
url: https://vividlybuilt.com/services/whole-home-remodel-design
type: service
updated: 2026-10-18
---

Service · Whole-Home Remodel

# Whole-home remodel design, resolved before demo.

*Floor plan, finishes, lighting and procurement for luxury Los Angeles homes, walked room by room in 3D before a wall comes down.*

## A full remodel is a new house inside an old one.

A whole-home remodel changes how a house works, not just how it looks. Walls move, the kitchen relocates, light gets pulled into rooms that never had it, and every finish, fixture and piece of furniture is chosen together. Most of the risk sits in decisions that are hard to picture on a drawing: how wide a new opening feels, whether an island crowds the path to the garden, how a stone looks next to an oak floor at dusk.

      We take those decisions out of the field. Vividly Built measures the existing house, redraws the plan in AutoCAD and Revit, and builds the finished home as a true-to-scale 3D model. You walk it in a 360° virtual tour, change what doesn't feel right, and sign off room by room. Your general contractor then builds from the same model and drawings, so there's very little left to interpret on site.

      On our [Santa Monica Spanish bungalow](https://vividlybuilt.com/projects/spanish-bungalow-remodel-santa-monica), the contractor built from our 360° walkthrough and the project finished with zero change orders.

    
    
      What's included
      
        - Existing-conditions measure and as-built drawings

        - Floor plan redesign and space planning, with options tested in 3D

        - Kitchen, bath and millwork design with elevations

        - Lighting plan and fixture specification

        - Finish palette: stone, tile, plaster, wood, metal

        - Furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) selection

        - Physical samples, showroom visits and full procurement

        - Photoreal renderings and a 360° walkthrough for sign-off

        - Builder-ready drawings and a model your GC can open on site

## How a remodel moves with us.

1. **Measure and understand.** We document the house as it stands and learn how you actually live in it: who cooks, where the light falls, what never works.
2. **Redraw the plan.** We test layout options in 3D, from opening a closed kitchen to relocating a stair or reworking a primary suite, until the plan is right.
3. **Design every surface.** Finishes, lighting, millwork and furniture are designed together in the model, with physical samples so nothing is chosen from a screen alone.
4. **Walk it and sign off.** You review each room in a 360° tour or VR. Changes cost nothing at this stage, so this is where we make them.
5. **Hand off to your builder.** Your GC gets drawings, schedules and the walkthrough itself. Questions are answered by looking at the model, not by guessing.
6. **Procure and support.** We order and track every finish and furnishing and stay on call through construction.

## Whole-home remodels we have designed.

- [Spanish Bungalow Full Remodel & Backyard ADU - Modern Coastal Interior Design, Santa Monica](https://vividlybuilt.com/projects/spanish-bungalow-remodel-santa-monica): Spanish bungalow, new open plan and backyard ADU. Zero change orders.
- [Complete Home Transformation, Los Angeles](https://vividlybuilt.com/projects/complete-transformation-los-angeles): A complete interior transformation, every room redesigned.
- [Mediterranean Estate - Full Remodel, Interior & Exterior, Pasadena, California](https://vividlybuilt.com/projects/mediterranean-estate-pasadena): Mediterranean estate: exterior envelope and full interior reconfiguration.
- [Craftsman Reimagined, Pasadena](https://vividlybuilt.com/projects/full-remodel-pasadena): Craftsman reimagined inside and out. Five weeks design to sign-off.
- [Architectural Remodel, Beverly Hills](https://vividlybuilt.com/projects/full-remodel-modernization-beverly-hills): Full modernization with FF&E and VR sign-off.
- [Hillside Estate Remodel, Westlake Village](https://vividlybuilt.com/projects/full-remodel-westlake-village): Hillside estate remodel. Nine weeks design to sign-off.

## What a whole-home remodel costs in Los Angeles.

Construction cost per square foot, before design fees and furnishings. These are the same planning ranges we publish in our remodel and cost guides.

| Scope | Typical range | What it usually includes |
|---|---|---|
| Cosmetic remodel | $150–$350 / sf | New finishes, fixtures, lighting and paint; layout mostly unchanged |
| Full whole-home remodel | $350–$700 / sf | New kitchen and baths, reworked floor plan, new systems where needed |
| Down-to-the-studs | $600–$1,100+ / sf | Gut to framing, structural changes, new envelope, luxury finish level |

Hillside, coastal and historic properties sit at the top of each range. Use the cost calculator for a number specific to your city and size.

## Where remodel budgets actually go wrong.

Most remodel overruns aren't caused by bad contractors. They come from decisions made too late: a kitchen layout changed after rough plumbing, a tile that arrives in the wrong size, an opening that turns out to be structural. Each one becomes a change order, and a change order in the field costs many times what the same decision costs on paper.

    That's why our process front-loads the decisions. By the time demolition starts, you've already walked the finished house, the products are specified and ordered, and your builder has a complete picture. Our guide to [walking a home in VR before construction](https://vividlybuilt.com/answers/vr-walkthrough-luxury-interior-design) explains how this works in more detail.

## Neighborhoods we design in most.

- [Santa Monica](https://vividlybuilt.com/locations/santa-monica)
- [Brentwood](https://vividlybuilt.com/locations/brentwood)
- [Pacific Palisades](https://vividlybuilt.com/locations/pacific-palisades)
- [Beverly Hills](https://vividlybuilt.com/locations/beverly-hills)
- [Bel Air](https://vividlybuilt.com/locations/bel-air)
- [Hollywood Hills](https://vividlybuilt.com/locations/hollywood-hills)
- [Encino](https://vividlybuilt.com/locations/encino)
- [Pasadena](https://vividlybuilt.com/locations/pasadena)
- [Manhattan Beach](https://vividlybuilt.com/locations/manhattan-beach)
- [Malibu](https://vividlybuilt.com/locations/malibu)
- [Newport Beach](https://vividlybuilt.com/locations/newport-beach)
- [La Jolla](https://vividlybuilt.com/locations/la-jolla)

## Read before you start.

- [Remodel or Rebuild?](https://vividlybuilt.com/answers/remodel-vs-rebuild-los-angeles)
- [Design Fees & Budget Ranges](https://vividlybuilt.com/answers/luxury-design-fees-budget-ranges-los-angeles)
- [How Luxury Designers Charge](https://vividlybuilt.com/answers/how-luxury-interior-designers-charge)
- [Soft Costs, Explained](https://vividlybuilt.com/answers/construction-soft-costs-luxury-home-los-angeles)
- [VR Walkthrough Before Construction](https://vividlybuilt.com/answers/vr-walkthrough-luxury-interior-design)
- [Cost Calculator](https://vividlybuilt.com/cost-calculator)
- [Remodel or Sell? Calculator](https://vividlybuilt.com/remodel-or-sell)

## Questions about whole-home remodels.

### How much does a whole-home remodel cost in Los Angeles?

As a planning range, construction runs about $150–$350 per square foot for a cosmetic remodel, $350–$700 for a full whole-home remodel and $600–$1,100+ for a down-to-the-studs renovation, before design fees and furnishings. Our cost calculator narrows it by city and size.

### Do you work with my contractor?

Yes. Most clients bring their own general contractor, and our drawings, schedules and 360° walkthrough are made so any qualified GC can build from them. We can also recommend builders we have worked with.

### Do I have to move out?

For a full or down-to-the-studs remodel, almost always. The design phase happens while you still live in the house; you move out for construction. Your contractor sets the construction timeline.

### Do you do architectural design too?

Vividly Built is an interior design, space planning and 3D visualization studio, not an architecture firm. When a project needs architectural design or stamped drawings, that work is done by our licensed partner architecture firm or by your own architect, and we design the interiors and the 3D walkthrough in the same model. Our architectural design vs. interior design guide explains who does what.

### Can you redesign the floor plan, or only the finishes?

Floor plans are often the main event. We test layout options in 3D, like opening a closed kitchen, reworking a primary suite or adding light, before committing. Structural changes are coordinated with your engineer and permitted through your local building department.

### Do you handle buying the materials and furniture?

Yes. We order physical samples, take you to showrooms, and procure and track every finish, fixture and furnishing, so what arrives on site is what you approved.

### Do you use AI to design?

No. Plans are drawn in AutoCAD and Revit and the home is modeled by our in-house 3D team. Our AI and design page explains how we work.

### Should I remodel or tear down and rebuild?

It depends on the structure, the zoning and how much of the house you would keep. Our remodel vs. rebuild guide walks through the decision with real cost ranges.

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Tell us about the house and what isn't working. We'll come back with an honest read on scope, budget and timing. Get an estimate: https://vividlybuilt.fillout.com/quickstart · Call (310) 776-5480 · info@vividlybuilt.com
