Architecture-led design-build for full-home renovation, Palisades Fire reconstruction, and ground-up new construction across Riviera, Highlands, and Huntington.
By Jacob Bachar · Founding Builder · Updated May 2026 · 8-minute read
Pacific Palisades renovation work operates in a permit environment unique in Los Angeles: the Coastal Zone. Projects from Sunset Boulevard to the bluffs trigger California Coastal Commission review alongside LADBS, with setbacks, view corridors, ridgeline protections, and (in post-Palisades-Fire reconstruction) a fire-rebuild emergency pathway that demands footprint discipline and insurance scope alignment. WDC engages a limited number of Pacific Palisades projects per year — full-home renovations in Riviera, Highlands, and Huntington, ground-up new construction on bluff-adjacent lots, and post-fire reconstructions held to the pre-fire footprint. We carry the engagement from program brief through Certificate of Occupancy with one principal — the same builder who walks the lot in Discovery signs the closeout binder twenty to thirty-six months later. We design it, we permit it, we build it.
Active engagements
Full-home renovations · new construction · post-fire reconstructions
Pacific Palisades operates under a dual-jurisdictional permit environment that doesn’t exist anywhere else in Los Angeles. LADBS handles standard residential construction, but any project within the Coastal Zone — which covers most of the Palisades west of Sunset and all of the bluff-adjacent neighborhoods — also requires California Coastal Commission review. Coastal Development Permits (CDPs) layer setbacks, view corridor protections, ridgeline restrictions, and (for bluff lots) geotechnical scrutiny on top of the LADBS plan check. Builders unfamiliar with the CCC process routinely add six to twelve months to project timelines.
For post-Palisades-Fire rebuild projects, the Coastal Commission has an emergency exemption pathway that allows reconstruction to the pre-fire footprint without full CDP review — provided the design holds to the pre-fire envelope. Footprint discipline becomes the central design constraint: any expansion triggers full CDP review and resets the timeline. WDC works the rebuild track with footprint preservation as the design brief, and coordinates insurance scope reconciliation alongside the permit path.
The Palisades architectural register is wider than most LA neighborhoods. Riviera leans transitional and contemporary on broad flat lots. Highlands and Huntington mix Spanish revival restoration with mid-century hillside work. Bluff-adjacent properties skew toward coastal modern with deep glazing and broad-eave roof geometries. WDC scopes the design direction in Discovery against the neighborhood register and the lot’s coastal constraints.
Footprint discipline becomes the central design constraint — any expansion triggers full CDP review and resets the timeline.— Jacob Bachar, Founding Builder
II · How WDC Works in Pacific Palisades
How WDC Works in Pacific Palisades
01 Discovery2–4 weeks · fixed fee. 90-minute conversation, site visit, feasibility memo. Coastal Zone applicability + CDP path scoped. For fire rebuilds: insurance scope reconciliation. Refundable against design.
02 Design14–20 weeks. Schematic through construction documents. Footprint discipline held against expansion temptation. Coastal Zone setbacks and view corridors integrated from concept.
03 Permit12–24 weeks. Dual-track LADBS + CCC where applicable. Fire-rebuild emergency exemption pursued where footprint allows. Revision cycles managed by WDC.
04 Build36–52 weeks. One project manager, weekly site reports, monthly OAC, transparent change-order log. Coastal-grade material specification and weather sequencing.
III · Frequently Asked
Frequently Asked
Is my Pacific Palisades lot in the Coastal Zone?
Most Pacific Palisades lots west of Sunset and all bluff-adjacent properties fall within the Coastal Zone. Discovery includes a Coastal Zone applicability check and a CDP path scoping. The dividing line isn’t intuitive — one block can be in, the next out.
Can WDC handle a full Palisades Fire rebuild start-to-finish?
Yes. We carry the engagement from insurance scope reconciliation through the Coastal Commission emergency exemption pathway, demolition, foundation, framing, and final close-out. Footprint preservation is held from Discovery forward to keep the rebuild on the emergency track.
How long does a full home renovation take in Pacific Palisades?
Discovery to Certificate of Occupancy runs 20 to 36 months. Fire rebuilds held to pre-fire footprint run shorter (24 to 30 months) than full CDP-triggering remodels (28 to 36 months).
What is a Coastal Development Permit (CDP)?
A CDP is the Coastal Commission’s permit for any development in the Coastal Zone. Required alongside the standard LADBS permit for projects that change footprint, height, view corridors, or ridgeline silhouette. Reviewed against the Local Coastal Program and the Coastal Act.
What does Discovery cost in Pacific Palisades?
Discovery is a 90-minute fixed-fee conversation followed by a written feasibility memo, refundable against the design phase. Memo includes Coastal Zone applicability, CDP path scoping, preliminary scope, and a budget envelope.
How does WDC pricing work for fire rebuilds?
We work design-build with a fixed-price construction contract, not cost-plus. Insurance scope and design scope are reconciled before construction price is set. You sign a contract you can budget against.
Apply for Discovery · Pacific Palisades
Considering a Palisades renovation, new construction, or post-fire rebuild?
Discovery is a 90-minute fixed-fee conversation followed by a written feasibility memo. Coastal Zone applicability and CDP path scoped before any design dollar is committed.
Jacob leads design-build engagements across Los Angeles — full-home renovations, ground-up new construction, and post-fire reconstruction. Architectural Digest PRO Directory. Los Angeles office: (818) 590-5206, Monday–Friday 8–5.
Licensed in California · CSLB #1096552 · AD PRO Directory 2025 + 2026 · (818) 590-5206 · Mon–Fri 8–5
ENGAGEMENT · BY APPLICATIONREVIEWED BY THE PRINCIPAL · WITHIN 48 HOURS
A NOTE BEFORE APPLYING
Apply for Discovery.
WDC engages a limited number of full-home projects per year. Applications are reviewed personally by the principal — not by an intake coordinator, not routed to a sales pipeline. Discovery is a 90-minute conversation, fixed fee, with a written feasibility memo whether or not we proceed together.
01
Submit the application below. Real address, real budget envelope.
02
If the project is a fit, the principal responds within 48 hours.
03
Discovery scheduled at the WDC office or your residence. Fixed fee.
04
Feasibility memo delivered within seven days. Engagement decision yours.
