Question 1

Do I need plans before I contact you?

Accepted Answer

No. Around half of our clients come to us with a lot and an idea and nothing else. Our own architects, engineers and designers can take it from a blank sheet. If you already have drawings, we will build to them.

Question 2

Do you give free estimates?

Accepted Answer

We will talk through your project and what it is likely to involve at no cost. A firm number needs enough detail to be meaningful, so that follows a site visit and a conversation about scope.

Question 3

How long does a custom home take?

Accepted Answer

It depends on size, site and how long approvals take in your jurisdiction. We give you a programme with the estimate, and we tell you which parts of it are within our control and which are not.

Question 4

What areas do you cover?

Accepted Answer

Greater Los Angeles. Our yard is in North Hollywood, and most of our work sits within about an hour of it — across the Valley, the Westside and the San Gabriel Valley.

Question 5

Do you build ADUs?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Accessory dwelling units and guest houses are a regular part of our work, both standalone and alongside a main-house project.

Question 6

Can you work with my architect?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We have our own design team, but we are happy to build to someone else's drawings — and to review them for buildability before you commit.

Question 7

Do you handle permits?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We carry the drawings through approvals as part of the project rather than handing that back to you.

Question 8

Can you remodel rather than rebuild?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Whole-home remodels and additions are the same process at a different scale, and often the better answer where the existing structure is sound.

Question 9

Can you build to a fixed budget?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and it works far better if you tell us the number early. We would rather design to your budget than design something and discover later that it does not pencil.

Question 10

Do you build multi-unit residential?

Accepted Answer

Yes — duplexes, small apartment buildings and multi-unit developments, built ground-up with our own crews.

Question 11

Do you work with out-of-state owners?

Accepted Answer

Regularly. We document progress in writing and photographs so you can follow the build without standing on the site.

Question 12

What adds the most value to a lot I already own?

Accepted Answer

In most of Los Angeles it is an additional unit. We can look at feasibility with you before you spend anything on design.

Question 13

Can you work outside business hours?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Where a business needs to keep trading we phase the work and schedule the disruptive stages around your opening hours.

Question 14

Do you take on tenant improvements?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Interior build-outs and improvements to leased space are a regular part of our commercial work.

Question 15

How do you handle an occupied building?

Accepted Answer

With hard separation between the site and your operations — dust control, protected routes, and staged handover of areas as they finish.

Question 16

Who actually runs my job?

Accepted Answer

The people who priced it. We self-perform the majority of the work and manage the rest directly, so you have one point of contact rather than a chain of subcontractors.

Question 17

Are you licensed and insured?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We hold a California Class B General Building licence, CSLB #643803, and carry the insurance that goes with it. You are welcome to verify the licence with the CSLB.

Question 18

How long have you been building?

Accepted Answer

APW Builders has operated in greater Los Angeles since 1992. It is family-run, now into a third generation on site.

Question 19

How do you communicate during a build?

Accepted Answer

Directly, and in writing where it matters. You will know who to call, and you will not be finding out about a delay after the fact.

The things people ask us first.

Getting started

Still have a question?