Whole-Home Remodeling in Newport Beach, CA
Newport Beach is home for us. Our office is at 4000 MacArthur Blvd, and whole-home remodels are some of the projects we plan most carefully. When you rework most of a house near the coast, the first question isn’t tile or cabinets. It’s whether the project needs a Coastal Development Permit on top of the building permit, and how much of the existing house can stay.
Remodeling a whole house in Newport Beach
Orange Home Builders is a design-build general contractor (CSLB #1117595, class B). We take a whole-home project from 3D design and construction drawings through coastal screening, City plan check and construction, with one project manager accountable for the schedule.
What a whole-home remodel can cover
- Floor plan: opening or relocating walls, reworking circulation, adding a primary suite or a home office.
- Kitchens and baths together, so finishes and plumbing runs are planned once. See our kitchen and bathroom services.
- Systems: electrical, plumbing and mechanical upgrades sized for the new layout.
- Envelope: windows, doors, roofing and exterior finishes.
- More space: room additions or an ADU, covered on our additions and ADU page.
For everything we build, see our services.
Coastal Development Permits: the Newport Beach question
The City’s CDP instructions say the California Coastal Act of 1976 and Newport Beach’s certified Local Coastal Program require a CDP for all development in the coastal zone unless it’s specifically exempt or excluded. For homeowners, three parts of the City’s code (Chapter 21.52) matter most.
Improvements to an existing house are often exempt
Improvements to an existing single-unit home, including attached fixtures and structures, are generally exempt. The exemption doesn’t apply when the house or the work is on a beach, in a wetland or stream, seaward of the mean high tide line, in an environmentally sensitive habitat area, in an area designated highly scenic, or within 50 feet of the edge of a coastal bluff.
Near the water, size and height changes count
For property between the sea and the first public road paralleling it, or within 300 feet of the inland extent of a beach, a CDP is required if the work adds 10% or more of floor area, adds a story or loft, or raises the building height by more than 10%.
Replacing half the house means a replacement structure
Unless the house was destroyed by disaster, replacing 50% or more of a single-unit residence is not repair and maintenance. It counts as a replacement structure, and that requires a CDP. On a whole-home remodel, this is the line we measure first, because it can change the permit path, the timeline and the design.
Most CDPs are decided by the City’s Zoning Administrator. The Coastal Commission keeps authority on tidelands, submerged lands and in deferred-certification areas. Applications go through the City’s CiViC portal with an owner’s affidavit, a detailed project description and plans.
The building permit side
Newport Beach takes residential remodels online through its Residential-Addition/Alteration plan check. Express permits are meant for simple single-scope work such as a ceiling fan, furnace, roof or window swap, so a whole-home project goes through full plan check. The City’s submittal checklist for additions and alterations calls for:
- architectural plans and a site plan showing property lines and setbacks
- structural plans, with calculations for addition areas
- the mechanical, electrical and plumbing questionnaire (MEP plans if required)
- an energy analysis for additions, and a soils report when City policy requires one
Plan check fees are due at submittal. Licensed contractors need a CiViC account to obtain the permit, and we file under ours.
Start with your home's permit history
Older Newport homes often carry decades of past work. The City offers an optional Residential Building Records (RBR) report with a property’s permit history, which helps us spot unpermitted work early.
Living next door to a job site
The City limits construction to 7:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays and 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturdays, except in designated High Density Areas, with no work on Sundays or federal holidays. Surface runoff has to be filtered or retained so material doesn’t reach storm drains, under the City’s Construction Runoff Guidance Manual. On a months-long project, those rules shape the schedule and the site setup.
Designing for the years ahead
Census figures show 24.2% of Newport Beach residents are 65 or older, and the median owner-occupied home value is in the top bracket the Census reports ($2,000,000+). Many owners we talk with plan to stay put, so we design with that in mind: a main-floor primary suite, curbless showers, wider halls and doorways, and lighting that works for every age.
Our whole-home process
- Discovery. We walk the house, pull the permit history and screen the lot for coastal triggers.
- Design. 3D designs and construction drawings, with the demolition percentage tracked as the plan develops.
- Approvals. CDP (if needed), plan check, plus HOA review where it applies.
- Build. A project manager runs phasing, trades and inspections.
- Closeout. Final inspections and a walkthrough with you.
Why Orange Home Builders
- Licensed: CSLB #1117595, class B.
- Local office: 4000 MacArthur Blvd #600, Newport Beach, CA 92660.
- One accountable team from design to final inspection.
- 5.0 Google rating from 50 reviews. Read our testimonials.
Newport Beach home remodeling FAQ
Do I need a Coastal Development Permit to remodel my Newport Beach home?
Not always. Improvements to an existing single-unit home are generally exempt, unless the house or work is on a beach, in a wetland or stream, seaward of the mean high tide line, in sensitive habitat or a designated highly scenic area, or within 50 feet of a coastal bluff edge.
What happens if our remodel replaces most of the house?
Under the City’s coastal code, replacing 50% or more of a single-unit residence, unless it was destroyed by disaster, is treated as a replacement structure, and that requires a Coastal Development Permit.
Can I add square footage near the water without a CDP?
On property between the sea and the first public road, or within 300 feet of the inland extent of a beach, adding 10% or more of floor area, adding a story or loft, or raising the height by more than 10% requires a CDP.
Who approves a Coastal Development Permit in Newport Beach?
In most cases the City’s Zoning Administrator. The Coastal Commission keeps authority for tidelands, submerged lands and deferred-certification areas, and projects needing other discretionary approvals go to that approval’s decision-maker.
What hours can a remodel run in Newport Beach?
7:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturdays, except in designated High Density Areas. No construction is allowed on Sundays or federal holidays.
How can I see my home's permit history before we design?
The City offers an optional Residential Building Records (RBR) report with a property’s permit history, and you can apply for it online.
Start your Newport Beach remodel
Tell us your address and what you want to change, and we’ll screen the coastal and permit questions before design starts. Call (888) 599-7556 or contact us.