Sunroom Contractor in East Los Angeles - Rooms You'll Actually Sit In
South Gate Sunrooms & Patios is a sunroom contractor based in South Gate that builds sunrooms, patio enclosures and screen rooms for homes in East Los Angeles, mostly on patios, decks and old porches homeowners are tired of looking at.
Houses and compact backyards across East Los Angeles
East Los Angeles feels like its own city, from the shops along Whittier Boulevard to the blocks of houses around Belvedere Park. Most of what we're called out to here is single-family homes with compact backyards. That usually means an older house with a concrete patio, a cover someone added years ago and not much yard past it. We drive in from South Gate and do the same kind of work in Huntington Park and Walnut Park.
On lots this size, the room usually goes where the patio already is, so the slab under it and the back wall of the house decide most of the job.
How permits and licenses work in East Los Angeles
East Los Angeles is an unincorporated part of LA County, so your permit doesn't come from a city hall. LA County Public Works issues permits here for additions and alterations, which is what a sunroom is, through its East Los Angeles Building and Safety Office. The county's process sets the pace, and when we apply, the office tells us whether the drawings need a Plan Check, its review before approval, which adds time. Before you hire anyone, make sure they hold a California contractor license. If the company is located in unincorporated LA County, also check whether its line of work is one that needs a County Business License.
We take care of the permit steps with the county and tell you early if plans or a review have to come first. The price turns on what the room sits on, whether it's screened or glassed in, how big it is and whether it needs an insulated roof or wiring. The schedule mostly turns on that county review. The written estimate spells out what's in the job and what isn't, the same way we work in Inglewood and the other cities around us.
Services in East Los Angeles, CA
Patio-to-sunroom conversion
A lot of East LA backyards already have a covered patio, and on a small lot that's usually the best place for a room. When what's there is sound, we build the walls, glass and roof onto it, and when it isn't, I'll tell you plainly.
Sunroom construction
Sometimes there's no slab worth keeping, or the room has to go somewhere new on a tight lot, so we start from the ground. Our crew handles the footings, framing, roof and glass, and our sunroom construction page walks through how that goes.
Patio enclosures
Houses here sit close, so an enclosed patio often ends up a few feet from the neighbor's window. We plan where the solid wall goes and where the glass goes so you get light without feeling like you're on display.
Patio cover installation
Many of the patio covers we see here were added years ago and attached to the stucco however someone could manage it. We replace them with a properly attached cover, and sometimes that's all the yard really needs.
Screen room installation
If you want the backyard back without closing it in, a screen room keeps the air moving and the bugs out for less than a glass room. It's the room I point people to when they mostly want somewhere to sit in the evening.
Sunroom remodeling
Older add-on rooms show up on the back of a lot of East LA houses, and plenty of them are now used as storage. We fix how they tie into the house, swap out tired panels or glass and turn them back into a room you'd sit in.
What East LA lots ask of a sunroom
On a compact lot, a sunroom takes most of whatever yard is left, so it has to earn the space. That's why I ask how you'll use it before we talk about glass or roofs. A room that's wrong for how you live ends up as a very expensive porch, and I'd rather sell you the cheaper room that gets used. Close neighbors matter too, because they decide where the windows go and how much of the room faces their side.
LA County Planning has its own plans for East Los Angeles, including a community standards district, so we check what applies to your lot before we draw the room.
Get a free sunroom estimate for your East Los Angeles home
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out to your house in East Los Angeles myself, look at what the room will sit on and give you a written estimate. It's free, and there's no obligation.
How an East LA job goes
Call and set a visit
You call or send the form, and we pick a time for me to come out. It helps if you're home, because I'll ask how you plan to use the room.
I look at the base
I check the slab, deck or wall the room will sit on and tie into before any number goes on paper. You get a written estimate that says what's in it and what isn't, so you can compare it line by line.
We handle the county permit
We take care of the permit steps with the county. When we apply, the office tells us whether your drawings need a Plan Check, and that review is usually what sets the start date.
We build and walk it
Our own crew builds the room, and I check on the work as it goes up. When it's finished, I walk the room with you before we call the job done.
East Los Angeles sunroom questions
Do I need a permit to add a sunroom in East Los Angeles?
Plan on one, because a sunroom is an addition to your house, and the county's permit list covers additions and alterations. The county's permits overview also lists patios and decks among the smaller building items. We handle the application and the steps that follow.
Does my sunroom contractor need a California license?
Yes. In California, anyone who builds or alters a structure needs a state contractor license when the job needs a building permit, uses any additional workers or totals $1,000 or more in labor and materials, and a sunroom needs a permit. Contractors also have to be licensed before they give you a bid, so you can look one up with the Contractors State License Board before you take an estimate. We're licensed and fully insured.
How long does a county building permit stay active in East Los Angeles?
You have to request the first inspection within 12 months of getting the permit, then have inspections every 6 months after that to keep it active. That's the county's rule. We book the inspections as the room goes up, so you don't have to track the dates.
How much does a sunroom cost in East Los Angeles?
The price comes down to what the room sits on, how closed-in it is and how big it is. A sound patio slab costs less to build on than new footings, a screen room costs less than glass, and an insulated roof or wiring adds to the total. You'll get your own figure in a written estimate once I've seen the site.
How do I turn my back patio into a sunroom in East Los Angeles?
Start by finding out whether the slab can carry walls and a roof, because a lot of patio slabs were poured for chairs and a grill, not a room. If it can, the room goes up on it with a proper tie-in to the house. If it can't, we add footings or pour new. I check this on the first visit, and the rest of the plan follows from it.
What causes an old patio room in East Los Angeles to leak at the house wall?
Usually it's the seam where the room's roof meets the house, because the flashing, the metal or membrane that sends water away from that joint, was skipped or has failed. A roof pitched too flat makes it worse. On a remodel, we open that joint first, since new panels won't help if water still gets in there.
Tell us about your East LA patio
We're open until 11 PM on weekdays and 9 PM on weekends, so you can call (213) 376-0861 after work or send the request form whenever it suits you.
