KOREATOWN CUSTOM HOME BUILDER & GENERAL CONTRACTOR
Built With Intention. Dense Streets, Historic Pockets.
KOREATOWN HOMES ARE BUILT DIFFERENTLY
Heart Construction is a general contractor serving Koreatown, specializing in custom homes, full renovations, and rental-minded ADUs on tight, flat urban infill lots. We work alongside homeowners, architects, engineers and designers, using organized pre-construction, transparent budgeting and steady execution so you stay firmly in control.
Building in Koreatown isn't simple.
In Wilshire Park, every exterior project — additions, landscaping, new construction — goes through historic district review by City Planning before the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety issues a permit. We confirm your parcel's status and sequence that review first, so you are never guessing.
Beyond that, mixed R1 and R2 zoning, the Vermont-Western station plan and redevelopment overlays can change what a lot allows, while parking scarcity and close neighbors shape logistics — which is why feasibility and sequencing come before design.
We guide the process, from zoning check to closeout, so decisions feel informed, not reactive.
From streets near Hotel Normandie to Wilshire Park, most work is ADUs and garage conversions, historic remodels, and duplex or small-lot rebuilds. Whatever the scope, we bring the same structure and discipline we apply across the Central 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 Larchmont, Hollywood Hills West, Los Feliz and beyond.
OUR CONSTRUCTION COMPANY KOREATOWN 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 Koreatown
City Planning review in Wilshire Park's historic district sets the pace here, followed by plan check at the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety. Routine permits take 2–6 months; projects needing HPOZ Board review for street-visible work take 6–12 months. A custom home takes 10–16 months to build. The lever that protects your schedule: we run planning review ahead of plan check, so neither waits on the other.
What It Costs
Costs here reflect tight urban access, high land values and historic-compatible detailing, all of which shape staging, labor and finish choices on small lots. Custom homes typically run $550–$900+ per sq ft; whole-home renovations $375–$650+ per sq ft; detached ADUs $275,000–$500,000+; pools $120,000–$340,000+. Soft costs — design, surveys, zoning and historic review studies, permits — are additional. You receive a line-by-line budget before construction begins.
Permits & Local Rules
Your permit authority is the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety. In Wilshire Park, historic district review comes first — a Certificate of Appropriateness — and unreviewed work can draw code-enforcement fines. Parcels near Wilshire/Vermont and Wilshire/Western may fall under the Vermont-Western station area plan or the redevelopment plan, so we check each lot. ADUs may qualify for the city's standard plan program. We sequence all of this from feasibility, with one managed submittal, so design decisions are made with the constraints known.
Where We Build in Koreatown
Wilshire Center, Wilshire Park, Little Bangladesh, Olympic Park, across flat, dense urban-infill streets. Wilshire Park is a historic district of Craftsman and Dutch Colonial houses where exterior changes face City review, while Olympic Park's R2 lots see newer builds, rebuilds and ADUs that follow standard city review. 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 Koreatown
Do I need HPOZ approval first?
Yes, if your project is in Wilshire Park's historic district. Exterior work, including additions, landscaping and new construction, needs City Planning review as a Certificate of Appropriateness, Certificate of Compatibility or Conforming Work before building. Unreviewed work can draw LADBS code-enforcement fines. We confirm your parcel's status in ZIMAS before design begins.
How long does plan check take?
Routine LADBS permits take 2–6 months. Street-visible work in the historic district takes 6–12 months, because a Certificate of Appropriateness or Compatibility has a maximum 75-day review and a 15-day appeal period. We run that review ahead of plan check and give you a written permit-and-build schedule.
Cost to build in Koreatown?
Custom homes typically run $550–$900+ per sq ft. Tight urban access, high land values and historic-compatible detailing push toward the upper end. Soft costs — design, surveys, permits — are additional. You receive a line-by-line budget before construction begins.
Can I build an ADU in Koreatown?
Yes, and ADUs are the most common project here. LADBS also runs a standard plan program that speeds plan check for repeat designs. Detached ADUs typically run $275,000–$500,000+, and garage conversions $150,000–$280,000+. See what your property supports before you design.
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 Koreatown homeowners:
- ADU Cost Los Angeles
- Custom Home vs Remodel vs Rebuild in Los Angeles
- Cost to Build a Custom Home in Los Angeles (2026)
Nearby areas we serve: Larchmont · Hollywood Hills West · Los Feliz · Hollywood Hills · Mid-City · Hollywood
Region: All Central LA communities we serve · Everywhere we build