General Contractor in Silver Lake, CA

Dn Builders Group Inc Services is a licensed general building contractor based in Burbank, working throughout Silver Lake — kitchen and bathroom remodels, whole-home renovations, additions, ADUs and commercial build-outs. Here, modernist landmarks, stairway-only lots and a reservoir turning into a park each change how a project is drawn, staged and priced.

What we build in Silver Lake

Modernist houses, some of them landmarks

Few neighborhoods in Los Angeles have as many architect-designed modern houses as Silver Lake. The Silver Lake Neighborhood Council counts about a dozen Schindler commissions, from the How House (1922) to apartments built in 1941, and more than a dozen Neutra residences. Ten of those Neutra houses, finished between 1948 and 1966, form the so-called Neutra Colony facing the reservoir; their street, Argent Place, was renamed Neutra Place in 1992. Neutra’s own VDL Studio and Residences at 2300 Silver Lake Boulevard became a National Historic Landmark in 2016.

Several of these houses are City of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments. The Reunion House at 2440 Neutra Place (1951) was added in 2021, and the city’s staff report spells out the consequence: future construction on the property is regulated under Section 22.171.14 of the Los Angeles Administrative Code, and changes must meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, with review by the Office of Historic Resources and the Cultural Heritage Commission.

In practice that means matching thin steel or wood window frames instead of swapping in stock vinyl, keeping flat roof lines and deep eaves, and placing additions where they don’t erase the original composition. A designated property may also qualify for a Mills Act contract, which can lower property taxes in exchange for upkeep — see how remodels affect property taxes in California. On any modernist house, a window replacement or flat-roof replacement is a detailing job, not a catalog order. See also when a remodel needs an architect.

Stairway streets and steep lots

Silver Lake’s hills are threaded with public stairways — around fifty historic ones by common count. The Micheltorena stairs climb roughly 200 steps up from Sunset Boulevard; the Descanso stairway has about 138 steps; and the Music Box Steps on Vendome Street, about 133 steps, are the ones Laurel and Hardy hauled a piano up in 1932. Some houses face these stairways rather than a drivable street.

Lumber, drywall and tile may have to be carried in by hand; a foundation pour may need a concrete line pump run up the slope; and a dumpster or material drop on a narrow hillside street can require a city permit to use the public right-of-way. Steeper lots also bring engineering for retaining walls and foundations. We walk the access route, measure the carry distance and price the labor openly. See the hidden costs of building on a hillside lot and foundation repair costs in Los Angeles.

Building around the reservoir

The neighborhood is named for its reservoir, built in 1907 (the smaller Ivanhoe Reservoir above it in 1906) and named after water commissioner Herman Silver. Both are Historic-Cultural Monument No. 422, designated in 1989. After federal water-quality rules took them out of drinking-water service, the City Council approved the Silver Lake Reservoir Complex Master Plan on August 24, 2023. It converts about 116 of the complex’s 127 acres into park space with a 2.5-mile promenade, built in two phases; the shortest full construction timeline is estimated at five years, and funding is still being assembled.

For homes on the reservoir loop, that means a long public works project next door once phases begin, so we check the park schedule and plan deliveries and hauling around closures. Many houses around the reservoir date from the 1920s and 1930s, so we also scope for what a 1920s house hides — clay sewer laterals, galvanized pipe and small electrical service — and coordinate any service change with LADWP. Silver Lake is in the City of Los Angeles, so permits come from LADBS; here is how LADBS compares with Glendale and Burbank.

Licensed and bonded

Dn Builders Group Inc Services holds an active California General Building license (#1139710), carries a $25,000 surety bond, and is fully insured. Any California project over $500 in labor and materials legally requires a licensed contractor. Verify ours, or anyone’s, with the CSLB — here is how to check a contractor’s license in about two minutes.

How we work

We check the parcel on ZIMAS for landmark status and hillside rules, walk the access route, look under the house, then talk honestly about budget and give a fixed, itemized scope before anything is demolished. Change orders are approved in writing. You get a weekly update and a detailed walkthrough when we finish. You can see finished work on our portfolio page.

Questions

Are you a licensed contractor in Silver Lake?

Yes. Dn Builders Group Inc Services holds an active California General Building contractor license (#1139710), carries a $25,000 surety bond, and is fully insured. The license covers Silver Lake and all of California, and can be verified with the Contractors State License Board.

Can I remodel a house that is a Historic-Cultural Monument?

Yes, but not freely. Work on a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument is regulated under Section 22.171.14 of the Los Angeles Administrative Code and reviewed by the Office of Historic Resources against the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards. Silver Lake has several, including Neutra houses on Neutra Place. We confirm the status on ZIMAS before we draw or price anything.

What if my Silver Lake lot is reached by a public stairway?

Plan for it in the price. Silver Lake has dozens of historic public stairways, and some lots are reached mainly on foot. Materials may be carried by hand, concrete may need a line pump, and staging on the street can need a city permit. We walk the access route before we bid.

Will the Silver Lake Reservoir park project affect my remodel?

It may if you live on the reservoir loop. The City Council approved the Silver Lake Reservoir Complex Master Plan on August 24, 2023, turning about 116 of the complex’s 127 acres into park space in two phases, with at least five years of construction once funded. We check the current schedule and plan deliveries around it.

Where else we work

Eagle Rock, Glendale, Studio City, and Greater Los Angeles.