Sunroom contractor in Santa Monica - more usable room on a small lot
Suncraft Calabasas Sunrooms & Patios is a sunroom contractor working in Santa Monica, CA. We build sunroom additions, enclose patios and redo tired old sunrooms, fitting each room to the yard and to how you'll use it.
Santa Monica as we see it on the job
Santa Monica fits a lot of houses into a small city, and on our jobs here the backyards show it. Most of the homes we see are older, on narrow lots with neighbors close on both sides, and plenty of backyards are already mostly patio. That's a different job from the larger lots we see in Malibu or the hillside properties in Topanga.
So a sunroom here usually has to fit the space you already have, tie neatly into an older house and go up without crowding the people next door.
Services in Santa Monica, CA
Enclosed patio rooms
Lots of Santa Monica backyards are already mostly patio, so turning yours into one of our enclosed patio rooms adds a room without giving up more yard. We check the slab and how the new roof will meet the house before we suggest it.
Sunroom additions
When the yard is tight, an addition has to earn every foot, so we size it to how you'll use it, not to the biggest room the lot can hold. We plan the foundation, walls and roof so it looks like part of the house.
Sunroom remodeling
Plenty of older houses here have a sunroom someone added years ago that's now drafty, leaky or just dated. We sort out what's worth keeping, then replace the windows, roof panels or framing that aren't.
Three season sunrooms
If you want a room that feels like being outside more than another heated living space, a three season room is usually the simpler build. We go over what you give up compared with a four season room, so you pick knowing the trade-off.
Patio cover installation
Some Santa Monica patios just need a roof overhead, not walls, especially when the yard is small and you want it to stay open. We'll tell you when a cover does the job and a full room would be more than you need.
Sunroom design
Close neighbors and older houses make the design step count here, from where the glass faces to how the roofline meets the house. We sketch the room around how you'll actually use it before we talk about building it.
What it takes to get a sunroom built in Santa Monica
Building permits in Santa Monica come from the city's Permit Services Center, which issues them for building or changing a structure. The city has to finish plan review and sign off on everything before it issues a permit, so your schedule turns mostly on how long review takes and whether the plans come back with changes. Before you hire anyone, ask for their state contractor's license number and their Santa Monica business license, because the city asks contractors for both. We're licensed and fully insured, and we find out what the city asks of your project at your address, take care of the permit paperwork when one is needed and keep you posted as it moves.
We're based in Calabasas and work across the cities around it, and on Santa Monica jobs we plan deliveries and parking ahead, because side yards are narrow and most streets are lined with cars. Price moves mostly with the room's size, the kind of room and how much it ties into the house, and your written estimate spells that out.
What we see on Santa Monica houses
Small lots are the big one. There's rarely room for an addition to sprawl, so most calls here come from people who want more use out of the patio they already have. We look at the slab first, because if it's sound and the right size, enclosing it is often the simplest way to get a real room, and if it isn't, we'd rather tell you than build on it.
Older houses and older sunrooms come up a lot too. Tying a new roof into an older roofline and older wall framing takes care, so we open up the questions early and explain what we find.
Get a free sunroom estimate at your Santa Monica home
We reply within one business day to set a time, and I come out to your Santa Monica house myself to measure and ask how you plan to use the room. The estimate is free, done on site and in writing, and there's no pressure to book.
How it goes when you call us about a Santa Monica sunroom
Call us or send the form
Tell us what you have now, whether it's a patio, a deck or an old sunroom. We'll set a time for me to come out.
I come out and measure
I look at the house, measure the space and ask how you plan to use the room. Have a rough idea of what you'd do in it, because that shapes everything else.
Go over your written estimate
You get the estimate in writing, and we look into what your address means for the plan and what the city asks for. Every question gets answered before you sign anything.
We handle the city permit
Plan review has to be finished and every city approval in hand before the permit is issued, so building waits on that. The Permit Services Center counter is open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Thursday, by appointment, and we keep you posted while it's in review.
Build, inspect and walk through
Our crew does the building and I stay close to the job, with city inspections at stages through final approval. When it's done, we walk through the finished room together.
Santa Monica sunroom questions we hear
How much does a sunroom addition cost in Santa Monica?
There isn't one price, because a Santa Monica sunroom's cost comes from its size, the kind of room and how much work it takes to tie into your house. Enclosing a sound patio usually costs less than an addition on a new foundation, and an insulated four season room costs more than a screened or three season one. Plan work, electrical and any engineering the city asks for add to it, and your free written estimate lays it all out.
Which building code applies to my sunroom project in Santa Monica?
Plans submitted to the city now are reviewed under the current California building standards, the ones that took effect at the start of 2026. Plans that went in before that stay on the earlier code unless major revisions or an expired permit send them back for a new review, which is laid out on the city's building permits and plan review page.
Do I need a soils report for a sunroom addition in Santa Monica?
The city asks for one for new construction, for additions larger than 750 square feet and for certain projects in geohazard zones, which are areas with ground hazards. So the size of the room and where your lot sits both matter, and we check this early because a soils report adds time and cost.
Can I get same-day permit review for a sunroom in Santa Monica?
The city's Same-Day Review is for certain minor projects approved at the counter, like reroofs, mechanical installs and facade remodels or repairs, and a new room isn't among its examples. If a remodel only swaps windows, the city's single-trade permit application fits one-trade jobs like window replacement, but only for projects eligible for same-day or minor plan review. We'll tell you which path your job looks like once I've seen it.
How do I submit sunroom permit plans in Santa Monica?
Everything goes to the city's Electronic Plan Review System online, because Santa Monica's permit process is fully paperless. Documents are uploaded before any counter visit, and counter visits are booked as appointments at checkin.smgov.net. When a permit is needed, we take care of this paperwork for you.
Does my sunroom contractor need a Santa Monica business license?
Yes, general and specialty contractors need a Santa Monica business license to do business in the city. A building permit here also carries a business license condition, which the contractor clears by sending a form to the city's business license office, so it's worth asking about before you sign.
Plan your Santa Monica sunroom with us
Call (747) 204-7155 or send the form with ten questions if you have them, and I'll answer every one before you decide anything.