HARBOR CITY CUSTOM HOME BUILDER & GENERAL CONTRACTOR
Built With Intention. Level Blocks, Gentle Slopes.
HARBOR CITY HOMES ARE BUILT DIFFERENTLY
Heart Construction is a general contractor serving Harbor City, specializing in custom homes, full renovations, and garage conversions and backyard ADUs on level postwar lots. We work with homeowners, architects, engineers and designers through organized pre-construction, transparent budgeting and steady execution from the first sketch to final inspection.
Building in Harbor City isn't simple.
Every residential permit runs through LADBS, and the counter that serves Harbor City is the San Pedro Development Services Center. Plan check often means several correction cycles, so we sequence submittals and report status weekly, and you always know whose court the plans are in.
The Harbor community plans were adopted in 2025 but are still awaiting final effect, the Low Residential standard allows one home per lot, ADUs aside, and gated communities add HOA approval. We check all of it before drawings, so nothing gets redrawn.
We guide the process so every decision feels informed, not reactive, and you keep control of budget, schedule and paper trail.
Most projects here are garage conversions, detached ADUs and whole-home remodels near Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park. We bring the same structure and discipline we apply across the Harbor region 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 Harbor Gateway, Carson, Hawaiian Gardens and beyond.
OUR CONSTRUCTION COMPANY HARBOR CITY 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 Harbor City
Plan-check correction cycles set the pace in Harbor City. Routine permits through LADBS take 2–6 months; projects that need Planning clearances run 6–12 months. Construction of a custom home takes 10–16 months. The lever that protects the schedule is a complete, zoning-verified first submittal, with Planning clearance run in parallel rather than after. A complete application means fewer rounds at the San Pedro counter and fewer weeks of waiting.
What It Costs
Costs here sit where they do because modest lot and house sizes keep scopes compact, while city fees, energy compliance and labor are citywide constants. 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, soils and survey studies, permits — are additional. You receive a line-by-line budget before construction begins.
Permits & Local Rules
All residential permits run through LADBS, with plans handled at the San Pedro Development Services Center. The Low Residential designation allows one home per lot with low-scale building form, ADUs excepted by state law. The Harbor community plan rezoning will bring new height, floor-area and massing rules once it takes effect, and fire-zone maps are being updated parcel by parcel. We verify all four before you spend on drawings, sequencing them from feasibility.
Where We Build in Harbor City
Ironsides, Harbor Pines, and the older level tracts around Harbor City Recreation Center, plus a small hillside edge toward Rancho Palos Verdes. Ironsides is a newer gated townhome community where HOA approval governs what changes, while Harbor Pines sits on a knoll-top where slope and HOA review add steps; flat tract lots elsewhere suit ADU-ready yards. 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 Harbor City
Torrance or LADBS for my permit?
Harbor City is part of the City of Los Angeles, so permits go through LADBS, not Torrance or Lomita, which are separate cities with their own counters. Plans are handled at the San Pedro Development Services Center at 638 S. Beacon St, which offers express permits, counter plan check and inspection.
How long does plan check take?
Routine permits take 2–6 months at LADBS; projects needing Planning clearances run 6–12 months. Correction cycles set the pace, so we submit a complete package and report status weekly. Garage conversions follow their own schedule, covered in our ADU construction timeline guide.
Cost to build a home here?
Custom homes typically run $500–$750+ per sq ft. Hillside access, engineering and finish level push toward the upper end, while smaller lots keep scopes compact. Soft costs — design, studies and permits — are additional. You receive a line-by-line budget before construction begins.
Will new zoning change my lot?
Possibly. Council adopted the Harbor community plans in 2025, but they are still in legal review, and the new zoning code will bring new height, floor-area and massing standards for single-family lots. We check your parcel's current and proposed zone at feasibility and design to whichever is stricter.
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 Harbor City homeowners:
- ADU Cost Los Angeles
- Cost to Build a Custom Home in Los Angeles (2026)
- Second Story vs Home Addition in Los Angeles: What Actually Works
Nearby areas we serve: Harbor Gateway · Carson · Hawaiian Gardens · Avalon · Lakewood · Wilmington
Region: All Harbor communities we serve · Everywhere we build