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DECOMA Industries project manager reviewing preliminary pool design plans during a client consultation

Where to start · Since 1978

You don’t need to
figure it out alone.

Most people who call us open with the same line: 'I don't really know where to start.' Give us thirty free minutes — phone, video, or on your property — and we'll walk you through what you actually need, in what order, and how long it takes in your specific South Bay city.

30-minute consultation
Free
Founded in the South Bay
1978
CSLB Class license
A/B
South Bay cities served
10+

How the first conversation works

From confusion to clarity in 30 minutes.

  • John Notaro, President & CEO of DECOMA Industries

    Free 30-minute call

    Phone, video, or on-site — your call. You tell us what you're thinking about. No need to have a budget, a designer, or a plan.

  • South Bay project plans by DECOMA Industries

    Map the path

    We lay out what permits, design, and trades the project actually needs — and in what order. Honest timeline for your specific city.

  • Completed South Bay custom home by DECOMA Industries

    Confident next step

    Whether that's hiring us, talking to a designer first, or sitting on it for a season. We'll tell you straight what to do next — no pressure.

What we offer

Pick a track.

Recent work

We built it.
Here’s the proof.

All projects

What the free consultation actually covers

The first thirty minutes are the most useful thirty minutes of any construction project. Here's exactly what we'll walk through:

  1. What you're trying to do. Your project as you understand it today. No need to have a budget, a designer, or a plan — just the basic idea.
  2. What it actually takes. What permits, what design work, what trades, in what order. Most projects need two or three steps people didn't know existed; a few need one less step than people expected.
  3. What the timeline looks like. Realistic dates for your specific South Bay city's plan-check window. We'll tell you if there's a faster path (ministerial approval, expedited review) or a slower one (Coastal Commission, historic-district review).
  4. What it typically runs. Not a quote — an honest order-of-magnitude range based on projects of similar shape we've actually built. The real number comes after a walk-through.
  5. What to do next. Whether that's hiring us, talking to a designer first, or sitting on the project for a season. We'll tell you straight.

There's no pressure to commit to anything at the end. About half the people who do the consult call us back within ninety days when they're ready; the other half use what they learned to make their project go smoother with someone else. Either outcome is fine.

Why DECOMA is a good first call

Forty-plus years in the South Bay. John Notaro founded DECOMA in 1978 and has been on jobsites here ever since. The relationships with city plan-check staff, building inspectors, and the local subs shorten every schedule.

CSLB Class A & B (#375508). Class A engineering general and Class B building general — we self-perform structural and framing on most jobs instead of subbing it out. That keeps the cost honest and the schedule under one roof.

Design, construction, and management under one roof. We're a developer, a general contractor, and a property manager. Most of our competitors are one of three. When you call, you talk to people who do the whole arc — not just the slice in front of them.

We tell you when we're not the right fit. Small handyman jobs, projects outside our service area, scopes that need a specialist we don't have on staff — we'll say so on the call and point you to someone who is.

Talk to us

Call the office directly, or fill in the form below and we'll get back to you within one business day.

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

FAQ

Common questions.

Do I need an architect before I call a contractor?
Sometimes yes, often no. If you're remodeling a kitchen or bath with no walls moving and no permits triggered, you usually don't. If you're moving walls, adding square footage, building an ADU, doing a new home, or anything that touches structure or city plan-check, design comes first — and we'll either do it in-house or refer you to one of the architects we work with regularly. The free 30-minute call sorts this out in the first ten minutes.
How long does the free consultation take?
Thirty minutes. We can do it on the phone, on a video call, or on your property — your call. We come prepared if you give us an address ahead of time so we can pull up zoning, lot size, and any historic-district overlays before we talk.
Will you give me a price on the consultation call?
No — anyone who quotes a real number without measuring a real building is either lying or building in a 40% cushion to cover what they didn't see. What we will give you on the call is a clear yes/no on whether the project pencils, what permits and design work it'll need, and an honest range of what a project of this shape typically runs. The real number comes after a walk-through and a scope document.
I just need a small repair — is this too small for DECOMA?
If you're a property manager or own a commercial building, no — small repair work for repeat clients is part of what we do. For homeowner one-off small repairs (a single fixture, a broken cabinet door), we'll usually refer you to a trusted handyman in our network rather than bring a full GC crew. We'll tell you straight on the call.
What's the catch on the free consultation?
There isn't one. We've been operating in the South Bay since 1978 — almost half our work comes from prior clients or referrals from prior clients. Every consultation that ends with you understanding your project a little better is a win for us, whether you hire us or not.

Talk to a contractor

Tell us about your project.

One business day for a scope, timeline, and budget range. CSLB #375508 A/B.

Request consultation(310) 418-0258