Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
Construction Services in Boyle Heights, CA
If you own a home in Boyle Heights, you already know what we see every week: a house that started as a 1920s Craftsman bungalow, gained a converted garage in the 70s, an enclosed porch in the 90s, and a rear casita somewhere in between. Much of that work never saw a permit. The result is a property that needs a contractor who knows how to untangle what’s there before building what’s next. Barrett & Sons Construction handles remodeling, roofing, windows, driveways, fences, and full additions across 90023, and we answer the phone at (877) 610-1318 whenever you call.
Tom Barrett started this company in 1998, and his sons run the crews today. We’re the kind of contractor who shows up in person, walks your lot, and tells you the truth about what that “simple remodel” will actually require in Boyle Heights. Call us for a free estimate and a straight answer.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Why Boyle Heights Homeowners Choose Barrett & Sons Construction
Boyle Heights is not a neighborhood where you hand your house keys to a stranger. Our crews work in the flats off Cesar Chavez Avenue and up the hillside pockets near Evergreen Cemetery. Homeowners in the Wyvernwood and Pico Gardens areas have met Tom or one of his sons on site, not a rotating project manager. The name on the truck matches the name on the contract.
Every Boyle Heights job we take includes permits pulled and inspections signed when the scope requires it. Every price change arrives as a written change order before a single nail moves. And every completed job carries our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing: if something’s not right, one call brings Tom back. We publish Tom’s name, address, and license number. Look them up before you sign anything. We also run background-checked, uniformed crew members who carry the Barrett & Sons name because their reputation rides on it.
Our standing offers apply in Boyle Heights: $40 off any repair over $200, a free second opinion on any written estimate, no trip charge inside the county, and a permanent 10% senior and veteran discount. A live person answers the phone at (877) 610-1318, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Not a voicemail box, not a call center.
Construction Services We Offer in Boyle Heights
Kitchen Remodeling
Kitchens in Boyle Heights bungalows are often 80 to 100 square feet, wedged between original framing and years of informal wiring changes. We plan around that reality and install KraftMaid and Cambria materials you can look up yourself. Learn more about our Kitchen Remodeling in Boyle Heights.

Bathroom Remodeling
Galvanized plumbing and settled floors are common in 90023 bathrooms, so we start with what’s behind the tile before choosing the finish. Our crews handle full gut-and-replace remodels as well as smaller updates. Learn more about our Bathroom Remodeling in Boyle Heights.

Roofing
Boyle Heights roofs take the inland heat every summer, which breaks down old shingles faster than you’d expect. We install GAF and CertainTeed roofing systems and address the dry-rot at eaves before it spreads into rafters. Learn more about our Roofing in Boyle Heights.

Windows & Doors
Many Boyle Heights homes still have original wood sash windows with single-pane glass. We replace them with Andersen and Marvin units sized for the era of the house, not just the rough opening.

Fence Installation
Property lines in Boyle Heights can shift after decades of informal lot adjustments. We verify setbacks on the permit level before digging post holes, so your new fence doesn’t become the neighbor’s new fence.

Driveway & Pavers
Sloped driveways off streets like Soto and Lorena need proper base prep or the pavers shift within two years. We install Belgard, Techo-Bloc, and Cambridge Pavers systems with drainage accounted for on the front end.

Home Additions & ADU
Boyle Heights has a long pattern of informal rear units and converted garages. We handle legalization under LA’s ADU ordinance and build new additions that pass inspection the first time, because the permit inspector works for you, not for us.

Neighborhoods We Serve in Boyle Heights
We work across the whole 90023 zip code, from the commercial corridor along Cesar Chavez Avenue to the residential streets near Mariachi Plaza and the hillside lots above the 5 freeway.
- Wyvernwood
- Pico Gardens
- Evergreen
- Mariachi Plaza area
- Boyle Heights flats off Soto Street
For most estimates in Boyle Heights, we can be at your door within one business day to walk the property.
Why Boyle Heights’s Climate & Housing Affect Construction
Boyle Heights sits east of the LA River in an inland pocket that runs noticeably hotter and drier than the coast. That sun exposure accelerates dry-rot on south- and west-facing wood siding, and it’s why we see so much cracking in original stucco from the 1920s and 30s. The neighborhood’s modest hills also mean that during strong El Niño rain events, older footings on sloped lots can shift enough to open hairline cracks in interior plaster. We check drainage and foundation movement as part of any remodel, not as an add-on.
The bigger factor here is the housing stock itself. Boyle Heights is full of 1910s-1940s wood-frame bungalows and small multi-family buildings, many with original knob-and-tube or early Romex wiring and galvanized plumbing still in service. When we open a wall on Cesar Chavez or Lorena, we expect to find things that weren’t on the original floor plan. The permit history often doesn’t match the house. Pulling the full record and doing a site walk before bidding is standard practice for us here, because discovering an unpermitted rear unit mid-job can halt everything and force a legalization process under LA’s ADU ordinance.
Pricing for Construction in Boyle Heights
Honest numbers for Boyle Heights work, based on what we’ve seen in 90023:
| Project | Typical Range |
|---|---|
| Kitchen remodel | $35,000 - $85,000 |
| Bathroom remodel | $18,000 - $45,000 |
| Full roof replacement | $9,000 - $20,000 |
| Window replacement (whole house) | $12,000 - $30,000 |
| Fence installation (full lot) | $4,000 - $12,000 |
| Driveway & pavers | $8,000 - $25,000 |
| ADU legalization + build-out | $60,000 - $180,000+ |
These ranges reflect Boyle Heights conditions: old framing, unpermitted additions to address, and seismic retrofit work that newer neighborhoods don’t face. Every scope, every allowance, every price change arrives as a written change order before work happens. You’ll never get a surprise invoice from us at the end. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free line-item estimate on your specific house.
Service Area - Cities Near Boyle Heights
We also serve homeowners just across the neighborhood lines. If you’re in East Los Angeles, Maywood, Commerce, or Bell, the same crew, the same written guarantees, and the same phone number apply. Call us and Tom will meet you on site.
Serving Boyle Heights, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Boyle Heights area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Construction in Boyle Heights
A kitchen remodel in Boyle Heights typically runs $35,000 to $85,000 depending on whether we’re working inside existing walls or opening up an unpermitted addition. Older bungalows with informal wiring and plumbing changes usually land on the higher end because we fix what’s behind the walls before installing finishes. Call (877) 610-1318 for an exact quote on your kitchen.
Yes. This is one of the most common jobs we handle in 90023. We pull the full permit history, document the existing conditions, and work through LA’s ADU ordinance to bring the non-code work into compliance before any new construction starts. The process usually takes longer than the build itself, so we plan for it from the first site walk. Call us for a free consultation on your property.
Not unless you change the scope. If we discover something behind a wall that you want addressed, we issue a written change order with the new price before any of our crew touches that part of the job. An allowance that isn’t on paper is a surprise waiting for a date, and we don’t work that way. Call (877) 610-1318 if you want to see how we price a job.
Every eligible job includes permits pulled and inspections signed. We don’t tell homeowners that permits are optional. In Boyle Heights, with all the unpermitted history on these lots, the permit inspector is your best friend because he verifies the work was done to code. We pull the permits on our name and make sure the inspections pass.
Plan for 4 to 8 months from first site walk to final inspection, with permit legalization work adding time if the property has unpermitted units that need to be brought into compliance first. We give you a written schedule and update it as the job moves, so you always know where things stand. Call (877) 610-1318 for a timeline on your specific project.
If you own a house in Boyle Heights, you don’t need a contractor who promises everything and delivers a different bill. You need someone who walks your lot, reads your permit history, and gives you a price in writing before work begins. Call Barrett & Sons Construction at (877) 610-1318 to schedule your free estimate. Tom Barrett and his sons will show up, look at what’s actually there, and tell you the truth about what it’ll take.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving Boyle Heights with his sons since 1998.
What happens when you call
- 1A real person answersNo phone trees - talk to a local construction pro.
- 2You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched. No surprises.
- 3We come out and measureLicensed & insured, at a time that suits you - the visit and the quote are both free.
- 4You get the price in writingLine-itemed, yours to keep, and nothing starts until you say go.
What Boyle Heights Customers Say
"Every change to the price came as a written change order before the work happened, not as a surprise on the final bill. I did not know contractors still did that."
- Xiomara Benavides"Tom Barrett was on our job most days himself, not just at the quote and then never again. When something needed deciding there was an actual person to decide it with."
- Rosalie Pemberton"Came back a year later to sort a door that had dropped as the frame settled. No charge and no argument about whether it was covered."
- Thaddeus Oyelowo







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