Located in Los Angeles, Temple City is one of several cluster cities in the west San Gabriel Valley. It is a suburb often regarded as one of the best places to live in California. It provides its residents with all the advantages of a suburb adjacent to a major metropolitan hub, and a large portion of the population owns their own homes.
Our editorial team decided to showcase ten of the best custom home builders in the area. To create this list we looked at the range of these firms’ experience and examined each one’s stellar portfolio.
Hartman Baldwin
300 S Raymond Avenue, #18, Pasadena, CA 91105
HartmanBaldwin employs a design-build approach and specializes in historic restorations, home additions, and custom homes. The firm extends its services throughout Orange County and Los Angeles County. Given its expertise in historic renovations, the firm is often the leading choice for projects that require a deep understanding of specific architectural styles. The firm has constructed and renovated some of the most beautiful homes around Southern California’s most historically significant areas. In 2018, the firm was named the 15th best remodeling company out of 550 firms ranked nationwide by Remodeling Magazine. Comprising an award-winning team of architects, Certified Interior Designers, project managers, artisans, and craftsmen, the firm consistently demonstrates a flair for a wide array of designs, including contemporary, Tudor, English, Mediterranean, and traditionally-inspired architecture.
The photo above depicts the firm’s work on the Via Verde residence and best showcases its talent and expertise. It was completed in 2009 and spans 3,400 square feet and features a great modern design. In 2010, this project won Hartman Qualified Remodeler’s Master Design Award. Our editorial team loved this home’s linear theme, its exposed steel beams, and the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Bohler Builders Group
440 E Route 66, Glendora, CA 91741
Operating out of its office in Glendora, Bohler Builders Group extends its services throughout the foothills of San Gabriel Valley. The firm is fully bonded and insured and assists its clients throughout the entire process. The firm has had the opportunity to work with the country’s most talented designers. In line with this, the company credits its talent and experience to the tutelage it has received from countless local builders selected for the popular TV show “Extreme Makeover.” The firm’s work has been featured on the pages of Architectural Digest and on television, including on HGTV, ABC, and Fox. One of its most impressive features was a story on People Magazine: the sophisticated and chic trailer specifically designed for “Grey’s Anatomy” star Ellen Pompeo.
Featured on NBC’s “American Dream Builders,” the project our editorial team decided to feature has an inviting traditional theme. We loved its quaint front porch and color palette. A great pathway and a portico invite you into the home.
La Placa Construction
2120 Main St. Suite 230, Huntington Beach, CA 92648
Originally headquartered in Monrovia, La Placa Construction started out as a small remodeling firm and has since grown into becoming one of Southern California’s premier custom home builders. It specializes in luxury projects and primarily builds in communities located in Los Angeles County, Orange County, and San Diego County. The firm is still family-owned and is actively led by its founder Gaetano La Placa, who oversees each project. Under his leadership, the firm has cultivated expertise in Spanish colonial, Mediterranean, and traditional mansions and estates. Its work is often distinguished by its detailed moldings and trimmings, stucco work, and excellent command of European architecture. The firm is a recipient of the Golden Nugget Award and has completed a number of noteworthy projects. Most notably, it was the firm behind the restoration of the Anaheim White House.
We were impressed with the firm’s numerous press features and thoroughly enjoyed its stellar portfolio. We felt the project above best embodies its talent and expertise. Completed in Arcadia, it features timeless Spanish Colonial elements coupled with various revival finishes. Our team loved its terracotta roofs and various custom columns and pillars.
SOD Home Group
17337 Ventura Blvd. Suite 105, Encino, CA 91316
SOD Home Group provides its clients with a complete and comprehensive range of custom home building services and is well-respected for its expertise in a long range of architectural themes. It is an end-to-end firm that has been in business since 2011 and has been lauded on multiple occasions. The firm operates out of its offices in Los Angeles and San Jose and extends its services throughout 20 counties in California. SOD often infuses various innovative and modern techniques into its projects, always assuring clients of the superior quality of its work.
The project below uniquely encapsulates the firm’s talent. This home showcases the firm’s expertise in classic farmhouse themes. We loved its dormer windows and the hipped roof. You will also observe the quaint front porch completed by a custom railing. Learn more about their work at www.sodhg.com.
Structure Home
21860 Burbank Blvd. Suite #110, Woodland Hills, CA 91367
Structure Homes offers its clients over two decades of industry experience and includes a team of talented designers, project managers, dedicated personnel, and an outstanding construction team. The firm takes care of a project from start to finish and assists clients with every aspect of design, planning, feasibility, and project management. The firm also provides excellent post-completion customer services, financial planning, and uses environmental-friendly materials. In fact, it employs several green building and sustainability efforts in each of its projects and is always looking for new ways to lessen its carbon footprint. The firm employs an operating system called “Structure Source:” a compilation of a project’s details from architecture and design to construction. Several of its clients come back from time to time for remodels and improvements, and the “Structure Source” system has proven vital for crafting new and improved technologies for a previous project.
The California mission revival above is an excellent example of the company’s talent and expertise. It features various exposed beams coupled with stucco exteriors and finishes. We loved its open floor plan and airy feel, as well as its large trellised windows.
Drexel Construction
5168 Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90019
Drexel Construction specializes in luxury custom homes and design and extends its services throughout Los Angeles. It is a full-service real estate construction and development firm that has secured a solid reputation for its outstanding high-end homes, which are all completed on time and within budget. The firm is personally led by managing director, Ilan Douek. He is experienced in every phase and aspect of the process and has worked on countless functional floorplans. He is also well-versed in terms of real estate and since 1989, he has been involved in over 400 real estate transactions as a real estate agent, developer, investor, manager, and general contractor. Under his leadership, the firm has mastered the design-build process and it has developed a great construction management formula.
The project above is one of the firm’s best projects. It features two stories, three bedrooms, and three and a half baths. For this house, the Drexel team opted for a clean, modern design. It is located in a prime West Hollywood location and spans roughly 2,500 square feet, excluding its nearly 500-square-foot outdoor courtyard. Our team loved its Bauformat German kitchen, the LED smart lights and smart locks, and the European stone and tile work.
James David Custom Homes
15375 Barranca Parkway Suite G-102, Irvine, CA 92618
James David Custom Homes offers a full range of residential design and construction services. It extends its services throughout California and specializes in a wide variety of great architectural themes. The firm is led by its founder and namesake, James David Lepak. He is an experienced professional who first got his glimpse into the industry at an early age. Since then, he has been regarded as one of the most successful home builders in Southern California. Under his leadership, the company has become well-known for its excellent floor plans, great custom finishes, and its attention to detail. Its work can best be seen in the photo below.
Located in Newport Beach, this home features a Cape Cod design. The project designed it, then constructed the 5,500 space project from the ground up. Inside, it has four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a 54” Town and Country fireplace, and various custom white boxed beams, archways, paneling, and moldings.
Bade Construction Co., Inc.
77 W Las Tunas Dr. Suite #202, Arcadia, CA 91007
Bade Construction is a family-owned and operated business that has been around since 1965. Since then, the firm has worked on hundreds of homes and spaces as well as various planned unit developments, condominiums, apartments, and commercial buildings. The firm works out of its headquarters in Arcadia and extends its services throughout the San Gabriel and San Fernando Valleys in addition to other parts of Los Angeles and Orange Counties and the Inland Empire. The company takes great pride in its stellar reputation and the clientele list it has secured for itself, which includes many repeat clients. The company collaborates with the area’s leading subcontractors and can take on projects regardless of scale.
The project above is a favorite of our editorial team. It is a two-story home spanning around 4,000 square feet. It showcases an elegant contemporary Cape Cod theme and contains five bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms, and a formal living room and dining room. We especially loved the wood flooring, the designer-selected light fixtures, and the walk-in closets.
Builtworks Custom Home
644 N Fuller Ave. Suite #508, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Established in 1985, Builtworks Custom Home offers prospective clients a complete range of general contracting services. The firm has worked on countless homes throughout Southern California and dedicates itself to the highest standards. The firm is led by president Arthur Aghadjanians, who holds an Engineering degree from USC. Before establishing the firm, he first gained experience working for the Building Department and as a detailer for Architects & Engineers. That experience has enabled him to take on numerous projects under the firm’s name, always resulting in great spaces. Under his supervision, the company has also taken on several non-residential works. Its skill can best be seen in the project below.
Our editorial team loved this home: it features a timeless Spanish-Colonial theme with great stucco exteriors. Exquisite terracotta roofs are paired with various unique fixtures. Some other great details include its various porches and quaint archways.
