Sunroom contractor in West Covina - patios and decks turned into rooms you use
Lightcraft Los Angeles Sunrooms & Patios is a sunroom contractor building sunrooms, patio enclosures and patio covers for homes in West Covina, CA. We also rework older sunrooms, and our own crew builds every room.
West Covina houses and the yards behind them
West Covina sits in the middle of the San Gabriel Valley. Away from the shopping strip along the 10 around Plaza West Covina, it's mostly blocks of single-family houses, and a lot of them are one-story ranch homes from the decades after the war. The calls we get here look a lot like the ones from El Monte. It's usually a backyard slab under an old aluminum cover that the family wants to use all year instead of a few weekends.
South of the freeway the streets climb toward the San Jose Hills, and those sloped lots tend to have raised decks or stepped patios instead of one flat slab. Either way, the age and shape of what's already back there decide how much work comes before the first wall goes up.
Services in West Covina, CA
Patio-to-sunroom conversion
Plenty of West Covina backyards already have a concrete patio with a cover over it, so a patio-to-sunroom conversion is often the natural next step. I check the slab for cracks and settling first, because the walls and glass can only sit as true as what's under them.
Four season sunrooms
Families who want a real room off the kitchen or family room, one they'll use in July and January alike, usually end up here. We build it to tie into your house like any other room, so it can be heated and cooled along with the rest.
Three season sunrooms
If the patio is mostly for barbecues, morning coffee and evenings with the kids, a three season room keeps out wind, dust and bugs without the full insulated build. It's a lighter room, and for a lot of families here it's the one that fits how they actually live.
Sunroom remodeling
Older sunrooms around here tend to show their age at the glass, with fogged panes, sliders that drag and leaks where the roof meets the house. We redo the glass, the tracks and the flashing, the metal strips that shed water at that joint, which is the part I know best from my years installing windows and doors.
Deck-to-sunroom conversion
On sloped lots, the outdoor space is often a raised deck instead of a slab, and most decks were built for people and furniture, not walls and a roof. I check the posts, beams and footings first, and we strengthen them before we enclose anything.
Patio cover installation
Some yards just need shade, because a bare slab facing west gets too hot to stand on by midafternoon. We put up patio covers sized to the space, and if you think you'll want walls someday, we can plan the cover so it could be enclosed later.
Working in West Covina: permits, licenses and what sets the price
Building permits for private work in West Covina come from the city's Building Division, so I check your address and your room with them before we set any build date. When a permit applies, the build waits on the city's plan check, its review of the drawings, and that review usually sets the calendar more than our crew does. The city also requires anyone running a business in West Covina, down to a one-person outfit, to get a city business license within fifteen days of starting work there, so it's fair to ask any contractor about it, us included.
We're licensed and insured, and we handle the permit applications and inspections when your project needs them, with your contract saying in writing who's getting the permits. Every city has its own office, whether you're here or in South Pasadena, which is why finding the right one comes first. Price moves mostly with the room's size, the glass you choose and how much work the slab or deck needs before anything goes on it, and the written quote after my visit gives you your own number.
What the heat and the older patios here mean for your room
Summers get hot out here, and a sunroom is basically a wall of windows, so the glass decides whether you'll want to sit in it at 3 in the afternoon. I learned in the window trade that ordinary glass facing the afternoon sun turns a room into an oven, which is why the first thing I ask is how your family will use the room. If you want it on summer afternoons, we build with insulated glass and an insulated roof, and if it's mostly for cool mornings and spring evenings, a lighter room is often the better buy.
A lot of the patios here were poured decades ago, and an old slab can be cracked, sunk at one corner or too thin at the edge to hold a wall. A room on a bad slab slowly twists out of square, and the first thing you notice is sliders that stick, so we fix or replace what's underneath before we build.
Get a free on-site sunroom estimate in West Covina
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set up a visit, with no pressure and no obligation. I come out to your West Covina home myself, measure, look at the slab or deck the room will sit on, and then send you a written quote.
What happens after you call us about a West Covina sunroom
Call or send us a message
Call (213) 340-1547 or use the form and tell us a little about the patio, deck or sunroom you have now. We'll set up a time for me to come out.
I visit and check the base
I come out myself, measure and look hard at the slab or deck the room will sit on. We also talk through how your family will use the room, because that settles three season or four season before anything else.
You get a written quote
I send a written quote that spells out the room, the glass and any work the slab or deck needs first. Your contract also says in writing who's getting the permits.
We handle the permits that apply
Once you sign, we find out what your project needs from the city and take care of the applications and inspections when it needs them. When a permit applies, we set the build date after the Building Division finishes its review.
Our crew builds, I walk through
Our own crew does the build, with a lead installer running the site. When it's done, I come back and walk through the room with you, opening the sliders and windows together.
West Covina sunroom questions we hear
Do I need a building permit to add a sunroom in West Covina?
Sunrooms aren't on West Covina's list of work that needs no building permit, so plan on the Building Division looking at yours. That list covers things like low decks, walks, fences and finish work such as painting or tiling, and its small-building exemption is written for detached sheds and shade structures up to one story, 120 square feet and 12 feet tall, not a room attached to your house. We check your project with the city before we set a build date.
What is the best way to turn a deck into a sunroom in West Covina?
Start by checking whether the deck can carry walls, glass and a roof, because most decks were built only for people and furniture. The city lets a deck go without a building permit when it's no more than 30 inches above the ground, has no story below it and isn't part of an accessible route, but that covers the deck itself, and enclosing it makes it a different project. I look at the posts and footings on the first visit, and we strengthen them before anything goes on top.
How do I apply for a building permit in West Covina?
You apply through the city's One Stop Building Permit Center or in person at the Building Counter, which takes applications Monday through Thursday, 7:30 am to 5:30 pm. The Building Division no longer accepts applications by email, and questions go to them at (626) 939-8425 or the public counter in City Hall Room 215. On our jobs, we handle the applications and inspections when your project needs them, so you usually don't have to deal with the counter yourself.
Does work that needs no building permit still need Planning approval in West Covina?
It can, because the city's Planning Division may still have to approve a project the Building Division doesn't permit. In some cases Planning limits where a structure goes and how tall it is, and sets design requirements. Its public counter is in City Hall Room 208, at (626) 939-8422, and I'd rather ask early than move a wall later.
Do I need an electrical permit for lights and outlets in a West Covina sunroom?
New wiring for lights, outlets or a ceiling fan can need its own permit, since the city says electrical, plumbing or mechanical permits may be required even for work tied to a project that's otherwise exempt. Swapping out a switch, an outlet, a bulb socket or a lamp counts as minor repair and needs no electrical permit. We plan the wiring into the quote, so it's part of the permit work when one applies.
How much does a sunroom cost in West Covina?
Beyond the room's size and glass, the biggest swing is three season versus four season, since insulated glass, an insulated roof and a tie-in to your heating and cooling all add up. Taking down an old patio cover, running new wiring and tying the new roof into your house add to it as well. My written quote after the visit lays out each piece, so you can see where the money goes and decide what's worth it to you.
Get your West Covina sunroom started today
Call (213) 340-1547 any day between 8 AM and 9 PM, or send the form with a photo of your patio or deck so I can see what we're working with before I come out.