SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA
Home Remodeling Contractor in
Santa Ana, CA
With more than 10 years of experience, ARD Remodeling takes on kitchens, bathrooms, floors and whole-home updates for homeowners in Santa Ana, California. The first step is a free estimate at your home, and the scope is written down before any date is set. Four Santa Ana details shape a plan from the start: the Building Safety counter sits at the Ross Annex, construction plans are filed through the city's Accela portal, contractors work inside a daily window set by the municipal code, and neighborhoods such as French Park carry historic review. We check your address against each one early.
- Free estimates
- Santa Ana and nearby
- Written scope
- One crew, several trades
City approval
Where a Santa Ana remodel gets filed
The Building Safety Division issues building, plumbing, heating and cooling, and electrical permits, reviews plans and inspects the work. Its page lists a public counter at 20 Civic Center Plaza, Ross Annex, M-20, closed on weekends. It also states that, as of July 1, 2026, plans and applications for construction projects and building modifications are submitted electronically through the Accela portal. We help assemble the drawings and forms, and we ask early about anything that could change the route your job takes.
Call before you drive down
The counter line is (714) 647-5800. The city's own pages show slightly different counter days, so confirm the hours that week.
Midweek and Friday hours differ
The Building Safety page lists an earlier close on Wednesdays and counter service on alternating Fridays only.
Drawings travel as files
Plans are uploaded instead of carried in, so measurements and the scope need to be settled before anything is filed.
Work hours
Santa Ana's work window: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., closed Sundays
The noise-control article of the Santa Ana Municipal Code exempts noise from construction, repair, remodeling and grading of real property when the work stays out of two periods: 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays and Saturdays, and all day on Sundays and federal holidays. In practice that leaves Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. We book the loudest steps for the middle of those hours and tell you the order of work before it starts.
Loud steps get daytime slots
Demolition, tile cutting and drilling are placed away from the edges of the window, and you hear the plan first.
Shared buildings may be tighter
A condo board or apartment manager can set its own hours. Ask before a start date is chosen.
Holiday weeks need their own plan
The code treats federal holidays like Sundays, so a work week with a holiday in it has a day less.
WHERE PLANS START
Rooms that often come first in Santa Ana
Most plans begin with one or two of these and grow from there.
Kitchen update
Cabinets, counters, tile and light planned as one set. ARD has a project page for Granite Kitchen Countertops in nearby Anaheim, with polished dark granite, a matching full-height backsplash and an undermount sink.
Bathroom rebuild
New tile, shower or tub and vanity. The Santa Ana bathroom page covers the local water, the 1994 fixture rule and the city's express counter.
Floors through connected rooms
New flooring laid across the main rooms once the dusty work is finished.
Doors and windows
On a register or district property these are checked with the Planning Division first, so the address comes before the catalog.
Living and dining rooms
Built-ins, lighting and finishes that tie the main rooms together.
Whole-home refresh
Several rooms planned as one project, with the finishes chosen last.
Historic homes
Does your street carry historic review?
The city's Historic Preservation page says such work must meet the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation. It names Downtown Santa Ana and French Park as National Register districts and lists design guidelines for French Park and for Heninger Park, each with a neighborhood review step. Major alterations, relocations and demolitions are decided by the Historic Resources Commission.
Check the address, not the neighborhood name
A register listing or a contributing status belongs to a specific property. The Planning Division, 714-667-2700, can confirm yours.
Guidelines before drawings
In French Park and Heninger Park the city lists a separate guideline set for each, and we read it before anything is drawn.
Interior work is a question to ask
The pages we read do not spell out how interior work is treated, so we put that question to the Planning Division instead of assuming.
THE FRONT DOOR
An entry door that is planned, not just swapped
The front door, its threshold and the light beside it are the most-used part of the house. When the door changes, we plan the frame, the threshold, the hardware and the light together, so the opening is sealed and finished in one pass. On a register or district property, ask the Planning Division before changing a door.
- Frame and thresholdThe opening is checked for square and level before the new door goes in.
- Light beside the doorA fixture is planned with the wiring, so the wall is opened once.
- Hardware that fitsHandle, lock and hinges are chosen together, in one finish.
Water report
After plumbing work: the first days at the tap
Santa Ana's 2025 Water Quality Report says the city finished its first lead service line inventory, including customer-owned lines, and found none requiring replacement. The same report says lead in drinking water comes mainly from service lines and home plumbing, and that the city cannot control what is inside your house. Because new pipes and fixtures can release metals, it advises flushing the cold tap after plumbing work.
Cold water, high flow
The report's advice is five minutes a day for at least three days, running cold water at a high flow rate.
Say what is original
Tell us which supply lines and fixtures in the kitchen or bath date from the house, so the scope names what changes.
Questions about your water
The city's Water Resources Division answers at 714-647-3380.
FOR THE VISIT
What helps at a Santa Ana estimate
Rough answers are plenty.
- 1Your address, so we can check it against the historic list
- 2Whether you own a house, a condo or a unit in a multi-unit building
- 3The year the home was built, if you know it
- 4Your association or property manager's contact, if there is one
- 5Photos of each room you want to change
- 6Anything you want to keep, such as a floor, a window or a cabinet run
- 7Earlier permit records or repair invoices
Missing items are fine. We sort them out during the walk-through.
WHAT WE REMODEL
Remodeling Services in Santa Ana
Service overviewKitchen RemodelingBeautiful kitchens that bring together thoughtful design, quality materials and expert craftsmanship.See the service 
Santa AnaBathroom Remodeling in Santa AnaCustom showers, vanities, tile, lighting and improved layouts for a bathroom that looks beautiful and works better.Open the Santa Ana 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
A QUICK QUESTION
Not sure which Santa Ana step applies to you?
Send your address and a few photos. We will say what to check with the city first and what the job would involve.
HOW IT WORKS
How a project in Santa Ana runs
Step 1
Visit and measure
We walk the rooms, take measurements and ask how you use each space.
Step 2
Write the scope
Materials, finishes and the extent of the work are agreed and put on paper.
Step 3
Prepare the Santa Ana filing
We help with the Accela submittal, historic review or association approval, depending on the project.
Step 4
Build inside the work window
Trades are sequenced within the city's daily hours, and we walk the finished rooms with you.
Good to know
Before you start in Santa Ana
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
Building Safety counter and online filing
The Building Safety Division is at 20 Civic Center Plaza, Ross Annex, M-20, Santa Ana, CA 92701; permit and plan check counter (714) 647-5800. The page lists public counter hours Monday to Thursday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesdays 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and alternating Fridays 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The page states that Accela, the new permit portal, is effective July 1, 2026, and that all plans and applications must be submitted electronically through the Accela online portal.
City of Santa Ana, Building Safety Division Checked 2026-10-30 - Official source
Construction hours
The noise-control article of Chapter 18 of the Municipal Code (Article VI) exempts noise sources associated with the construction, repair, remodeling or grading of any real property, but the exemption does not apply between 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. on weekdays and Saturdays, or at any time on Sundays and federal holidays.
- Official source
Historic register and districts
Any improvements or alterations to a property on the Santa Ana Register of Historic Properties, and to contributing properties in a historic district, must meet the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and require a Certificate of Appropriateness; major alterations, relocations or demolitions are considered by the Historic Resources Commission. The page names two National Register districts, Downtown Santa Ana and French Park (listed 1999). French Park has zoning protection under Specific Development 19 (SD-19); Heninger Park, which is not a National Register district, has it under SD-40.
City of Santa Ana, Historic Preservation Checked 2026-10-30 - Official source
Lead, service lines and flushing
The 2025 report says the City completed its initial lead service line inventory and determined that there are no lead or galvanized service lines requiring replacement. It states that lead in drinking water is primarily from service lines and home plumbing and that the City cannot control the materials used in plumbing inside homes. After plumbing work it advises running cold water at a high flow rate for five minutes daily for at least three days. Its contact list gives Water Resources as 714-647-3380 and the Building Inspection Request Line as 714-667-2738.
City of Santa Ana, 2025 Water Quality Report Checked 2026-10-30
FAQ
Remodeling questions in Santa Ana
Direct answers to what homeowners ask us most. If your question is not here, call or send a request.
- Santa Ana
- Permits
- Clear scope
Do you work in every part of Santa Ana?
Santa Ana is on our service-area list, with Orange, Tustin and Costa Mesa close by. Send your address with a request for a free estimate, or call (424) 402-5114, and we will confirm the visit.
Where does a Santa Ana remodel get filed?
Building Safety is at the Ross Annex, 20 Civic Center Plaza, and its page says plans and applications for construction projects go in electronically through Accela as of July 1, 2026. The counter line is (714) 647-5800. We help assemble the drawings and forms.
What hours can a contractor work in Santa Ana?
The noise article of the municipal code exempts construction noise outside 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays and Saturdays. It gives no exemption on Sundays or federal holidays. A condo or apartment community may set tighter hours of its own.
How do I find out whether my home is historic?
Ask the Planning Division, 714-667-2700, with your address in hand. The city says properties on its historic register and contributing properties in historic districts need a Certificate of Appropriateness for alterations, and French Park and Heninger Park have their own design guidelines.
Should I flush the taps after plumbing work?
The city's water report advises running cold water at a high flow rate for five minutes a day for at least three days, because new pipes and fixtures can release metals. The same report notes that the city found no lead or galvanized service lines needing replacement.
Is there a nearby project I can look at?
We have no Santa Ana project page. The Projects section has Granite Kitchen Countertops in Anaheim, with polished dark granite and a matching full-height backsplash, and a Quartz Bar Top and Backsplash in Tustin, with walnut cabinetry and a built-in wine fridge. Treat each as a single example, not a template for your home.
Service area
Also serving near Santa Ana
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 Santa Ana?
Tell us about your home and your plans. We will confirm the details and set up your free estimate.