Custom new-build home by DECOMA Industries

Residential

New Home Construction

Ground-up custom homes, teardown-and-rebuild, hillside and coastal builds across the South Bay — design-build or plan-and-spec, with Class A engineering self-performed.

Why new home construction

A custom home is the longest, most expensive, and most rewarding project most people will ever take on.

The version that goes well runs 18 to 30 months and ends with keys to a home that fits the way you actually live. The version that goes badly runs 36+ months, ends with a punch list nobody will finish, and a relationship with your contractor that you'd rather not talk about at dinner parties. The difference is almost entirely about who's running the project — not about the size of the budget.

DECOMA has been building custom homes in the South Bay since 1978. Manhattan Beach Sand Section new builds, Palos Verdes hillside customs, Hollywood Riviera coastal teardowns, Torrance infill new builds. CSLB Class A and B means we self-perform the engineering and structural work most builders sub out — fewer hand-offs, fewer schedule slips, fewer change orders at $200 each that turn into $50,000 by the end of framing.

We work both design-build (DECOMA leads design and construction under one contract) and plan-and-spec (your architect leads design, we lead construction). Roughly half our custom-home work comes through each path. Design-build is faster and usually lower total cost; plan-and-spec gives you more shopping room on the bid. We'll tell you on the first call which one fits your situation better.

If you're thinking about building — whether you have a lot already, are shopping for one, or are deciding between a teardown and a remodel — start with a free 30-minute consultation. We walk the lot (or pull it up on the screen with you), tell you what it can hold, and lay out a realistic schedule before you spend a dollar on design.

Start with a free consultation → — or browse our custom-home Projects for finished work.

Written by John Notaro, President & CEO, DECOMA Industries — CSLB A/B #375508, California Real Estate Broker.

What you get

Everything we deliver.

01
Site evaluation & feasibility
Lot survey, geotech review, zoning analysis, height-and-coverage math, view-corridor study on hillside lots. Done before architecture starts so the design lands inside what your lot actually allows.
02
Design or design-build
Full architectural design in-house, or we partner with your architect under a plan-and-spec contract. Either way the structural and constructibility input is baked in at schematic phase, not at the 60% CD value-engineering meeting.
03
Entitlement & permits
Planning submittal, plan-check coordination, Coastal Commission filings where applicable, hillside design review, historic-district review, and HOA approvals. We handle the cycle end-to-end.
04
Structural & shell
Foundation engineering for your specific soil report, framing to current CBC, weather-resistant barrier and flashing systems, roofing, windows, and exterior cladding. CSLB Class A engineering license self-performs the structural scope.
05
MEP, finishes & turnkey
Plumbing, electrical, HVAC, smart-home, low-voltage, cabinetry, stone, tile, flooring, lighting, landscape integration — all coordinated as one schedule so the trades don't fight each other.
06
Commissioning & warranty
Full systems startup, Title 24 commissioning report, blower-door and duct testing where required, owner walk-through with manuals and warranty registrations. Written one-year workmanship warranty plus the standard 10-year statutory.

How we run it

Scope to sign-off.

01
Pre-acquisition feasibility
Before you close on the lot — we walk the property, pull zoning, check easements and setbacks, talk to geotech, and tell you what the lot can actually hold. About a week.
02
Design & permitting
Schematic design through construction documents, then plan-check submittal. South Bay cities run 4–12 weeks of plan-check depending on jurisdiction and complexity. Typical total design+permit duration: 6–10 months.
03
Pre-construction & ordering
Final budget, subcontractor scope letters, long-lead items ordered (steel, windows, custom millwork, slabs). We hold a pre-construction meeting with every trade on the schedule before mobilization.
04
Construction
Demo (if teardown), excavation and foundation, frame, weather-in, MEP rough, drywall, finishes, exterior cladding, landscape. Typical on-site duration: 12–18 months for full custom homes. Weekly owner walk-throughs.
05
Close-out & move-in
Final inspections, certificate of occupancy, owner walk-through, punch list resolution, key handoff. We come back at 90 days and again at one year to address anything that settles or surfaces.

Why DECOMA

One license, three disciplines, forty years.

Family-run South Bay general contractor since 1978. We design, build, and manage — under one license — so the team you start with is the team that hands you keys and the team that answers the phone when something needs fixing in year ten.

Years building: 48+
Projects delivered: 3,000+
Repeat clients: 300+
CSLB Class: A/B

FAQ

Common questions.

How long does a new custom home take from first call to keys?

Realistic numbers — 18–30 months total. Pre-acquisition + feasibility: 2–4 weeks. Design + permits: 6–10 months. Construction: 12–18 months. Add 3–6 months for coastal-zone lots, hillside review, or historic-district overlays. We'll tell you the realistic timeline for your specific lot on the first call.

Do you do design-build, or do I bring my own architect?

Either. Design-build means one contract end-to-end — DECOMA handles design through finish. Plan-and-spec means your architect drives design and we bid the construction. We do roughly half each way. Design-build is faster and usually 5–15% lower total cost; plan-and-spec gives you more freedom to shop the construction bid.

What's the difference between your work and a 'production' builder?

Production builders work from a catalog of plans, build dozens of homes a year using the same trades and the same details. We build custom homes one at a time for the specific lot and the specific owner — different structural engineer for each soil report, different envelope detail for each microclimate, different finish package for each owner.

Can you build on a hillside / coastal / restricted lot?

Yes — most of our South Bay work is exactly that. Palos Verdes hillside (geotech, view corridors, septic where applicable), Manhattan Beach Sand Section (high water table, salt-air spec), coastal Hermosa and Redondo (Coastal Commission filings), Old Torrance Historic District (CHBC pathway). Each of these has its own playbook we've run multiple times.

Will you give me a real fixed price?

At construction-document lock, yes — line-item with named allowances for owner-selected finishes. Before then, we give an order-of-magnitude range based on similar projects. Anyone quoting a fixed price on a napkin sketch is either lying or hiding 30%+ cushion. We'd rather tell you the real number when we actually know it.

Who supervises the job day-to-day?

A dedicated project superintendent on-site every day of construction, plus a project manager running the schedule, subcontractor coordination, and owner communication. Both report to John Notaro directly. You always know who to call for what.

Service areas