From modern coastal homes to timeless family residences, our licensed, insured, and bonded design-build team helps homeowners throughout Orange County design and build custom homes tailored to their property, lifestyle, and budget.
Licensed • Insured • Bonded • 15+ Years Experience • Design-Build Experts • Serving Southern California
One of the biggest misconceptions about building a custom home is that construction is the hardest part. In our experience, the success of a project is usually determined long before the foundation is poured. Understanding the property, planning the layout around the lot, coordinating engineering, and navigating city requirements are what keep a project moving smoothly.
Whether you’re building on an empty lot, replacing an older home, or rebuilding in a neighborhood you already love, every property presents different opportunities and challenges. Lot size, grading, setbacks, utility connections, HOA requirements, and city regulations can all influence what’s possible before a single shovel goes into the ground. Taking the time to evaluate these details early helps avoid costly surprises later.
As a licensed, insured, and bonded design-build contractor, Kol & Co. helps homeowners throughout Orange County design and build custom homes that are planned around the property, the way they live, and their long-term goals—not around a standard floor plan. From the initial feasibility review and architectural planning to engineering, permits, construction, and the final walkthrough, you’ll work with one experienced team that’s focused on getting the details right from the very beginning. Let’s build your dream home. Contact Kol & Co. today to get started!
Building a custom home isn’t always the right solution, but for many homeowners, it’s the best way to create a home that truly fits the way they live. Over the years, we’ve found that most clients come to us because they’ve reached a point where renovating or continuing to search for the “perfect house” no longer makes sense.
You may want to consider building a custom home if you:
Every property and every family is different. That’s why one of the first things we do is walk the property, understand your goals, and talk through what’s realistically possible before any design work begins. Sometimes a custom home is the right path. Other times, a major home remodel or addition may be the better investment. We’ll help you evaluate your options so you can make an informed decision before committing to a project.
Not sure where to start? Our guide to custom home building in Orange County walks through the major decisions homeowners should understand before moving into design and construction.
Already own land? We’ll evaluate your property, identify any site constraints, and design a home that makes the most of your lot while coordinating planning, engineering, permits, and construction from start to finish.
Common features include:
Love your neighborhood but not your current house? Rebuilding allows you to stay in the location you love while creating a home designed for today’s lifestyle, building codes, and energy standards.
Common improvements include:
Every luxury home is designed around your vision, with thoughtful layouts, premium materials, and personalized details that reflect how you want to live.
Popular features include:
Clean architectural lines, open interiors, and abundant natural light continue to be some of the most requested design styles for custom homes throughout Orange County.
Popular features include:
For more inspiration, take a look at the modern home design trends in Orange County shaping today’s custom homes.
Whether you’re planning for aging parents, adult children, or extended family, we’ll design a home that balances shared living with privacy.
Common features include:
Building near the coast or on a hillside requires thoughtful planning before construction begins. We help homeowners navigate challenging sites while maximizing views, privacy, and functionality.
Projects often include:
For most projects we completed in Orange County, custom home construction costs typically starts around $400–$600+ per square foot. The final investment depends less on the house itself and more on what it takes to build it. An empty, flat lot is very different from a hillside property or a teardown that requires demolition and extensive site work.
The biggest factors that affect cost include:
The best way to understand your budget is to evaluate the property first. That’s why we start every project with an on-site consultation before discussing numbers.
Most of our custom home projects takes about 18 months from the initial consultation to final inspection.
A large part of that timeline happens before construction begins. Designing the home, preparing the plans, completing engineering, and obtaining permits all take time, but they’re also what help prevent delays once construction starts.
Every project is different, but we’ll provide a realistic timeline based on your property, your home’s design, and your city’s review process so you know what to expect from the beginning.
Yes. Every new home in Orange County requires permits before construction can begin.
The exact requirements vary by city, but most projects include architectural plans, structural engineering, Title 24 energy compliance, plan review, and inspections throughout construction.
As your design-build contractor, we coordinate the entire permitting process, including:
Handling these steps early helps keep your project moving and reduces unexpected delays during construction.
Every custom home is different, but our design-build approach allows us to manage the entire project from planning through completion.
Depending on your project, our services may include:
Every project starts with understanding your property and your goals. We'll walk the lot, discuss how you want the home to function, and identify anything that could influence the design, budget, or construction before planning begins.
Once we understand your vision, we develop a custom home that's designed around your property, not a pre-drawn floor plan. Together, we'll refine the layout, select materials, define the project scope, and establish a realistic budget before moving into construction.
Building a new home requires more than architectural drawings. We coordinate the required engineering, Title 24 documentation, permit applications, and plan review with your local city so everything is ready before construction begins.
With approvals in place, our team manages every stage of construction, from site preparation and foundation work to framing, mechanical systems, interior finishes, and the final details. Throughout the project, we'll keep you informed so you always know where things stand.
Before handing over the keys, we complete the final inspections, address the finishing details, and walk through the home with you to make sure everything is completed as planned.
We provide custom home construction throughout Orange County, including Newport Beach, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Mission Viejo, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Yorba Linda, Anaheim Hills, Orange, Tustin, Laguna Niguel, Dana Point, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Newport Coast, Coto de Caza, Ladera Ranch, Rancho Santa Margarita, and surrounding communities.
Every custom home starts with a conversation, not construction. Whether you’re building on an empty lot, planning a teardown and rebuild, or simply exploring what’s possible for your property, we’ll help you understand your options before you make any major decisions.
During your in-home consultation, we’ll walk the property, discuss your goals, answer your questions, and explain what to expect, from planning and permits to construction and project timelines. If building a custom home is the right path, we’ll prepare a detailed proposal that’s tailored to your property and your vision.
Most custom homes start around $400–$600+ per square foot, depending on the home’s size, lot conditions, engineering requirements, and finish selections. After evaluating your property and discussing your goals, we can provide a more accurate budget.
Most projects take about 18 months from the initial consultation to final inspection. The timeline includes design, engineering, permits, construction, and city inspections.
In many cases, yes. We’ll evaluate your property, review zoning, setbacks, utility access, grading, and other site conditions to determine what’s possible before moving into the design phase.
Yes. As a design-build contractor, we coordinate the architectural design, structural engineering, Title 24 documentation, and other plans required before construction begins.
The amount of land needed depends on the home’s size, local zoning regulations, setbacks, and other building requirements. Before designing your home, we’ll evaluate the property to determine what can realistically be built.
If you haven’t purchased land yet, it’s worth having a builder review the property before you buy. Site conditions, grading, utility access, easements, setbacks, and local zoning can all affect what you’re able to build and your overall budget.
The first step is scheduling an on-site consultation. We’ll walk the property, discuss your goals, answer your questions, and help you understand what’s possible before moving forward with the design process.
