GRAMERCY PARK CUSTOM HOME BUILDER & GENERAL CONTRACTOR
Built With Intention. Bungalow Blocks, Room To Grow.
GRAMERCY PARK HOMES ARE BUILT DIFFERENTLY
Heart Construction is a general contractor serving Gramercy Park, specializing in custom homes, full renovations, and ADUs and additions for flat, pre-war bungalow lots. We work with homeowners, architects, engineers and designers, guiding each project through organized pre-construction, transparent budgeting and steady execution from the first call to closeout.
Most homes here predate 1940.
Your permit runs through LADBS plan check, and that is where impatience usually starts. For ADUs, the City's pre-approved Standard Plan path can shorten review, and we sequence the rest as a tracked schedule with weekly written updates naming whose desk your file is on.
Pre-1940 construction can hide unpermitted conversions, the roughly 6,000 square foot lot sets setback limits, and the city line with Westmont and Inglewood changes who issues your permit. Sequencing matters because each answer shapes the design.
We guide the process so decisions feel informed, not reactive, and we pull your property's permit history before anyone draws.
For Gramercy Park, that means ADUs and garage conversions, kitchen and bath remodels, and additions or second stories, near Vermont Knolls and Jesse Owens Community Regional Park. We bring the same structure and discipline we apply across South LA and every project in Los Angeles.
RECENT PROJECTS
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![Malibu Pier home interior featuring a warm modern living space with built-in seating, layered textures, custom wood furniture, and an open layout flowing into a minimalist kitchen, showcasing Heart Construction’s intentional coastal design.]()
MALIBU PIER
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![Pacific Palisades ocean-view backyard with custom pool, palm trees, lounge seating, and manicured lawn overlooking the Pacific coastline.]()
MALIBU
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![Marina del Rey home interior with warm modern design featuring a natural wood dining table, sculptural pendant lighting, plaster walls, and an open kitchen with custom cabinetry, showcasing Heart Construction’s intentional coastal craftsmanship.]()
MARINA DEL REY
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![Open-concept living room in a Hollywood Hills home remodel with folding glass walls, custom built-ins, soft neutral furnishings, and seamless indoor-outdoor flow overlooking canyon views, showcasing Heart Construction’s warm modern design.]()
HOLLYWOOD HILLS
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![Pacific Palisades luxury bathroom with freestanding soaking tub, marble walk-in shower, herringbone tile walls, and sculptural glass chandelier framed by natural light and greenery views.]()
BRENTWOOD
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![Pacific Palisades modern custom home with smooth stucco façade, black-framed windows, vertical wood garage door, and drought-tolerant landscaping.]()
MAR VISTA
OUR REMODELING SERVICES
At Heart Construction, we specialize in creating thoughtfully designed homes that reflect the way you live. From custom ground-up builds to full-scale renovations and refined living spaces, we guide every project with craftsmanship, clarity and care for homeowners in Green Meadows, Florence-Firestone, Harvard Park and beyond.
OUR CONSTRUCTION COMPANY GRAMERCY PARK PROCESS
PLAN
First a Strategic Visioning Session: A conversation about your goals, budget and timeline, and a frank read on what your site will allow. Complimentary.
TEAM
Second we assemble the architect, structural and geotechnical engineers, civil engineer, biologist and designers your project needs — matched to your style and site's constraints.
CALL
Third a Professional Services Agreement and a small retainer begin feasibility, permitting strategy, design coordination and line-by-line budgeting.
PERMITS
We assemble and file the complete CDP and building-permit package, coordinate Fire and Environmental Health reviews, and lock scope, finishes and schedule before groundbreaking.
CONSTRUCTION
Milestone-based build. Change orders are priced and approved in writing before work begins. You get a weekly update every week — progress, decisions needed, what's next.
CLOSEOUT
Finally Walkthrough with Final inspections, punch list, documentation and warranty handover. Payments are tied to completed milestones, never arbitrary percentages.
After you contact us, Within one business day, Asaf will call to understand your property and goals. If it's a fit, we schedule a site visit. There's no obligation and no pressure — just a clear picture of what's possible.
What to Know Before
You Build in Gramercy Park
The City of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) plan check sets the pace in Gramercy Park. Routine permits run 2–6 months; projects needing Planning clearances run 6–12 months. Construction for a custom home takes 10–16 months. The lever that protects your schedule most is a complete first submittal and, for a detached ADU, a pre-approved Standard Plan, which cuts the correction loops that leave files sitting.
What It Costs
Costs here are driven by 1930s structures — foundations, older wiring, galvanized plumbing — and by resale values that reward disciplined scope, not finish extravagance. Custom homes typically run $500–$750+ per sq ft; whole-home renovations $325–$600+ per sq ft; detached ADUs $250,000–$450,000+; pools $120,000–$300,000+. Soft costs — design, surveys and structural engineering, permits — are additional. You receive a line-by-line budget before construction begins.
Permits & Local Rules
Work in Gramercy Park is permitted by LADBS, while neighboring Westmont is unincorporated and permits through LA County Public Works. ADUs follow the City's ADU ordinance, and pre-approved Standard Plans can shorten plan check. Any garage conversion needs a full building permit, even if the exterior stays unchanged. Pre-2020 unpermitted conversions can be legalized under state law rather than demolished. We pull your permit history before we draw anything, so design starts with the constraints known.
Where We Build in Gramercy Park
We build across Inglewood, Manchester Square, Vermont Knolls and Westmont, plus the flat pre-war blocks of Gramercy Park itself. The Hobart and Halldale bungalow blocks sit under LADBS on flat lots of about 6,000 sq ft, while Westmont just south, near Jesse Owens Community Regional Park and Maggie Hathaway Golf Course, files with LA County Public Works instead. Not sure which rules apply to your parcel? A feasibility review answers that in two to four weeks.
Meet the Builders Behind Your Project
Asaf Bar-Hen — Co-Founder & Developer Asaf leads design and development from concept to completion. His background spans 15 years in hospitality design, seven years in renewable energy and energy-efficient building, and real-estate work across the U.S., Asia and Central America. He leads every first call and brings a sustainability lens to each project, from energy-efficient design to fire-resilient construction.
Jason Aizenberg — Co-Founder Jason runs the operational side of every project — permits, design meetings, scheduling, subcontractor coordination and site logistics. Clients describe him as the person who "managed everything so we could focus on our family.”
California Contractors State License Board #1146456 — Class B General Building Contractor. Verify on CSLB ↗
25+ years of combined experience across high-end residential construction in Los Angeles
Frequently Asked Questions
About Renovation in Gramercy Park
Garage conversion permit needed?
Yes. Any garage-to-living-space conversion needs a full LADBS building permit plus electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits, and keeping the exterior unchanged does not avoid that. Conversions predating 2020 can be legalized under AB 2533 rather than demolished. We pull the permit history first and plan that path openly.
How long does LADBS take?
Routine plan check runs 2–6 months; projects needing Planning clearances run 6–12 months. A complete first submittal avoids correction loops, and a detached ADU built from an LADBS pre-approved Standard Plan can shorten review — our ADU construction timeline guide covers each phase. You get weekly written updates naming whose desk your file is on.
Cost to build a home here?
Custom homes typically run $500–$750+ per sq ft. Older structures with foundation, wiring or plumbing work push toward the upper end, and soft costs — design, engineering, permits — are additional. You receive a line-by-line budget before construction begins.
City of LA or Westmont permit?
Gramercy Park sits inside the City of Los Angeles, so LADBS issues your permit. Westmont just south is unincorporated, and LA County Public Works issues permits there through EPIC-LA. Inglewood is a separate city with its own department. On the first call a founder confirms jurisdiction from your parcel before anyone draws.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. Heart Construction holds California Contractors State License Board license #1146456 and is bonded and insured for large-scale residential construction, major remodels and structural work. You can verify the license on the CSLB website.
Guides for Gramercy Park homeowners:
- ADU Cost Los Angeles
- Second Story vs Home Addition in Los Angeles: What Actually Works
- Whole Home Remodel vs Remodeling in Phases in Los Angeles
Nearby areas we serve: Green Meadows · Florence-Firestone · Harvard Park · Florence · Historic South-Central · Exposition Park
Region: All South LA communities we serve · Everywhere we build