CERRITOS, CALIFORNIA
Home Remodeling Contractor in
Cerritos, CA
With more than 10 years of experience, ARD Remodeling takes on kitchens, bathrooms, floors and whole-home updates for homeowners in Cerritos, California. We start with a free in-home estimate and put the scope in writing before anything is scheduled. Cerritos has a clear order of approvals: the city wants Planning to sign off before building plans are reviewed, it runs its applications through an online Permit Hub, and a home in an association needs written HOA approval first for exterior work. We map those steps with you at the first visit.
- Free estimates
- Cerritos and neighbors
- Scope in writing
- One crew for every trade
City approval
Planning signs off first, then Building and Safety
The city's residential application page says approval from the Planning Division is required before starting any home improvement or construction activity, and that once Planning approves, the plans go to the Building & Safety Division for review. All services run digitally through the Cerritos Permit Hub. At the estimate we sort out which of the two steps your plan involves, so the paperwork is in order before a date is set.
Plans go with the application
The city says applications must come with building plans and other supporting information. We help gather what it asks for.
An agent needs a letter
When someone applies on the owner's behalf, the city asks for a notarized Letter of Authorization, valid for one year from its date.
Two numbers, two steps
Planning questions go to (562) 916-1201. Building & Safety takes permit and inspection calls at (562) 916-1209.
Work hours
Weekdays to 6, Saturdays 10 to 5: Cerritos construction hours
The city's home improvement page gives construction hours of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, unless the city approves other hours in writing. No construction, demolition or grading is allowed on Sundays or city-observed holidays. A Cerritos Saturday starts three hours later than a weekday, so we plan the loudest steps for weekdays and tell you in advance which days to expect them.
Loud work gets a weekday slot
Demolition, cutting and drilling are lined up for weekdays wherever the plan allows.
An association may add its own hours
Ask your HOA for its work-hour rules before a start date is picked.
WHERE PLANS START
Places a Cerritos plan can begin
Most projects combine two or three of these.
Kitchen refresh
Cabinets, counters, lighting and appliances in one plan, with the opening to the family room considered early.
Bathroom rebuild
Tile, shower and vanity, with the city's bathroom forms and the pre-1994 fixture rule checked first.
Windows and doors
Windows sit on the city's HOA form as exterior work, so we ask about your association before ordering anything.
Floors across the main level
Our Long Beach project page, Hardwood Floor Installation, shows one run of warm oak from a living room into a dining room, finished with white baseboards.
Exterior paint
A Paint Color Permit comes first, and the color is chosen from the city palette.
Shared living spaces
Wall, ceiling and floor finishes agreed together, so the rooms you walk through feel connected.
Exterior changes
Two sign-offs for anything the street can see
Two city forms cover the outside of a home. The HOA Approval Form says that for every property inside an association, written HOA approval comes before plan approval or a building permit for exterior work. The Paint Color Permit application says Cerritos residences may not be painted without prior approval from Community Development, and that colors are taken from the city's Color Palette. Windows, a re-roof, a room addition and front-yard or driveway changes all appear on the HOA form's list of exterior work.
Colors come from a city palette
The code printed on the application limits exterior colors to the palette, for association members too. Natural brick, stone and block keep their unpainted color.
The HOA fills in a form of its own
It records the highest level of review it requires, the approval date, any conditions and the plan date or revision the approval covers.
THE KITCHEN OPENING
A pass-through that joins kitchen and family room
In many homes a solid wall or a short pass-through separates the kitchen from the family room. Opening it changes the counter, the light and the traffic through the house, so we plan the opening, countertop and lighting together and check what is inside the wall first.
- A counter that carries acrossOne surface can serve cooking, serving and homework.
- Light over both roomsPendants or recessed lights are placed with the wiring plan, so the wall opens once.
- One floor through the openingA continuous floor makes two rooms read as one.
Housing age
A city built mostly in the 1970s
The housing chapter of the Cerritos General Plan, written for the 1998 to 2005 planning cycle, says only 1.3 percent of the housing stock was built before 1959 and that 68.2 percent was built between 1970 and 1979. The figures come from early-2000s data, so they describe a stock that is now decades old. We ask what has been updated since, such as plumbing, wiring, windows or the roof, and build the scope around the answers.
Start with the build year
It decides which state and city rules we check, including the fixture rule on our Cerritos bathroom page.
Ask what was already replaced
Original plumbing lines, an older panel or single-pane windows each change the work, and we note them at the visit.
BEFORE THE VISIT
What helps us prepare for a Cerritos visit
Rough answers are enough.
- 1Your address and the year the house was built
- 2Whether the home is in an association, and where its architectural rules are posted
- 3Any change to the outside in the plan, such as windows, doors, roof or paint
- 4Phone photos of the rooms and of the front of the house
- 5Past permit records or approval letters, if you have them
- 6The rooms you would like to start with
No folder of papers? Your address and a few photos are enough to begin.
WHAT WE REMODEL
Remodeling Services in Cerritos
Service overviewKitchen RemodelingBeautiful kitchens that bring together thoughtful design, quality materials and expert craftsmanship.See the service 
CerritosBathroom Remodeling in CerritosCustom showers, vanities, tile, lighting and improved layouts for a bathroom that looks beautiful and works better.Open the Cerritos page 
Service overviewFlooring & TileStylish, durable, and professionally installed flooring and tile for every room in your home.See the service 
Service overviewWhole-Home RenovationsDesign, construction and finishing details brought together into one carefully coordinated project.See the service 
Service overviewLiving Room RemodelingFlooring, ceilings, lighting, built-ins and open-concept layouts that make the room you use most feel finished.See the service 
Service overviewWindows & DoorsEnergy-efficient windows, sliding patio doors and modern entry doors with a clean finished look.See the service
NOT SURE WHERE TO BEGIN?
Which step comes first for your Cerritos home?
Send your address and a few photos. We will tell you whether Planning, your association or both should hear about the plan first.
HOW IT WORKS
How a project in Cerritos runs
Step 1
Visit the house
We go through the rooms, measure, and ask how the house is used day to day.
Step 2
Write the scope
Finishes, materials and the extent of the work go on paper for your approval.
Step 3
Line up the approvals
We help with the Planning and Building & Safety paperwork and your association's sign-off, depending on the project.
Step 4
Build within city hours
Trades are sequenced inside the weekday and Saturday window, and we walk the finished rooms with you.
Good to know
Before you start in Cerritos
Every point below comes from the source shown on its card, with the date we last checked it. Rules change, so confirm anything that affects your project directly with the source.
- Official source
Counter hours and phone numbers
City Hall is at 18125 Bloomfield Avenue, Cerritos, CA 90703-3130. The page lists Building & Safety counter hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the City Hall main line (562) 860-0311 and the Department of Community Development at (562) 916-1201. It also carries a public notice of Community Development counter closures, including full-day Building & Safety closures on some Fridays, so it is worth checking before a trip.
City of Cerritos, City Hall Checked 2026-10-30 - Official source
Planning first, then Building and Safety
The page says Planning Division approval is required before any home improvement project or construction activity, after which Building & Safety reviews the plans. All services are provided digitally through the Cerritos Permit Hub at permits.cerritos.gov. An agent applying on behalf of the owner needs a notarized Letter of Authorization, valid for one year from its date. Planning: (562) 916-1201. Building & Safety: (562) 916-1209.
City of Cerritos, Apply for a Residential Permit/Planning Approval Checked 2026-10-30 - Official source
What needs approvals, and when work may run
The page says permits are generally required for home improvement projects to ensure safe construction. Its list of projects that need approvals or permits includes electrical changes, plumbing changes, roofing, windows and doors, patios and home additions, with exterior paint/stucco marked Planning approval only. Construction hours, unless otherwise approved in writing by the City of Cerritos: Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., Saturday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.; no construction, demolition or grading on Sundays and City-observed holidays.
City of Cerritos, Home Improvement and Renovations Checked 2026-10-30 - Official source
The HOA Approval Form
The form (revised October 2012) says that for all properties located within a homeowners association, written HOA approval is required prior to obtaining plan approval and/or building permits from the city, and that the completed form is submitted with the application for all exterior work. Exterior work listed on the form: exterior painting, re-roof, exterior remodel, room addition, solar energy system, front yard or driveway improvements, windows and new/replacement residence.
City of Cerritos, HOA Approval Form (Department of Community Development) Checked 2026-10-30 - Official source
The Paint Color Permit
The application (revised December 2012) says that under Chapter 22.70 of the Cerritos Municipal Code, the exterior painting and treatment of residential structures goes through a Paint Color Permit, and that residences may not be painted without prior approval from the Department of Community Development. The printed code limits exterior colors to the city's Color Palette, including for members of a homeowners' association; natural decorative masonry such as brick, stone and block keeps its natural, unpainted color. A copy of the palette is kept at the city library and at the Department of Community Development.
City of Cerritos, Paint Color Permit Application Checked 2026-10-30 - Official source
Age of the housing stock
Chapter 5 of the General Plan is the Housing Element for 1998 to 2005 (certified by the state in 2002). It says that in Cerritos only 1.3 percent of the housing stock was built before 1959 and that a majority of the housing units, 68.2 percent, were built in the period of 1970 to 1979. The element states that its numbers are based on the 1990 Census and Department of Finance figures.
City of Cerritos General Plan, Chapter 5 Housing Element Checked 2026-10-30
FAQ
Remodeling questions in Cerritos
Direct answers to what homeowners ask us most. If your question is not here, call or send a request.
- Cerritos
- Permits
- Clear scope
Do you work in Cerritos and the towns around it?
Yes. Cerritos is on our service-area list, with Norwalk, Lakewood, Buena Park, Downey and Long Beach close by. Tell us your address through the form or by phone at (424) 402-5114, and we will arrange a time for the visit.
Who signs off first, Planning or Building and Safety?
The city's application page says Planning approval comes before any home improvement or construction begins, and that Building & Safety then reviews the plans. Applications are filed through the Cerritos Permit Hub, and we help assemble the paperwork.
Do I need my association's approval before the city's?
For exterior work in an association, the city's HOA Approval Form says written HOA approval comes before plan approval or a building permit. Your association's own rules decide whether it also reviews work inside the house.
What hours can a contractor work in Cerritos?
The city's home improvement page lists Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Construction, demolition and grading are not allowed on Sundays or city-observed holidays, and an association may set tighter hours.
Can I repaint the outside in any color?
Exterior colors come from the city's Color Palette, and the Paint Color Permit application says a residence may not be painted without prior approval from Community Development. Natural brick, stone and block keep their unpainted color.
Is there an ARD project I can look at?
The Projects section shows work around Los Angeles County and Orange County, including Hardwood Floor Installation in nearby Long Beach, where warm oak boards run from a living room into the dining room with clean white baseboards. It is one example, not a promise of a particular look for your home.
Service area
Also serving near Cerritos
We work across Riverside, Orange, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. Call or send a request and we will confirm your address.
READY TO GET STARTED?
Planning a remodel in Cerritos?
Tell us about your home and your plans. We will confirm the details and set up your free estimate.