Family-Owned. Designer-Led.
About Master in Design
We are equipped to undertake any remodeling or construction project in the Los Angeles area — kitchens, bathrooms, ADUs and room additions, complete-home remodels, garage conversions, plastering, carpentry, flooring, plumbing, electrical and professional interior design — all under one accountable team.
CSLB License #979219 — Fully Certified, Bonded and Insured. Member of the local Tarzana business community since 2012.
13+ Years
One Team
Licensed
Designer Eye
Ready to start your project?
Tell us about it — no obligation, no pressure. We respond within one business day.
Master in Design has been the Tarzana go-to for design-build remodeling since 2012. Family-owned, CSLB-licensed (#979219) and answerable to one project manager from the first walkthrough to the final binder of warranties.
Ready to start your project?
Tell us about it — no obligation, no pressure. We respond within one business day.
Homeowners across Tarzana, Encino, Sherman Oaks, Woodland Hills, Studio City, Calabasas and Hidden Hills choose Master in Design because we put one accountable team behind every remodel and our designers, project managers and trades sit under the same roof.
Choosing a remodeling contractor is a high-stakes decision. The difference between a firm that delivers on time and on budget and one that does not can be measured in months of delay, tens of thousands in overruns, and the stress of living in a construction zone with no end in sight. Here is what you get when you hire Master in Design — and why over 200 homeowners in the San Fernando Valley have trusted us with their homes since 2012.
What Sets Us Apart
1. Licensed, insured, and accountable. CSLB #979219. General liability and workers’ compensation insurance active. This is table stakes for a legitimate contractor — but the CSLB estimates that thousands of unlicensed operators are active in California, and homeowners who hire them have no meaningful recourse through the CSLB complaint and arbitration process when things go wrong. Verify our license at cslb.ca.gov anytime.
2. Design-build simplifies everything. The traditional model — hire an architect, bid the plans to three contractors, hire one, then separately hire an interior designer — creates gaps. The architect may specify details the contractor finds unbuildable at budget. The designer may select finishes the contractor has never worked with. Our design-build model puts design, engineering, permitting, and construction under one roof, with one contract and one accountable party. Fewer finger-pointing matches. Fewer delays. Better results.
3. In-house crews, not subcontractor roulette. Our core team — project managers, lead carpenters, finish carpenters, painters, and laborers — are W-2 employees, not 1099 subs cycling through multiple job sites. We do subcontract licensed electricians, plumbers, and HVAC technicians for their respective trades, but they are subs we have worked with for years, not the lowest bidder on a given week. Consistency means quality.
4. Line-item estimates, not lump-sum surprises. You should know what the cabinets cost, what the tile costs, and what the labor costs — separately. Our proposals break out every line item so you can make informed trade-off decisions. Want to save $3,000 by switching from custom to semi-custom cabinets? You can see exactly what that trade-off looks like before you make it. Change orders during construction are documented, priced, and approved in writing before any additional work begins.
5. Local knowledge that saves time and money. We know the Tarzana, Encino, Woodland Hills, and greater Valley planning and building departments — which inspectors require what documentation, which counter plans get through fastest, which permit types can be expedited. We know that pre-1978 construction likely requires lead-safe practices. We know that hillside lots in the Santa Monica Mountains zone trigger additional geological review. This is not generic remodeling knowledge — it is San Fernando Valley remodeling knowledge, earned permit by permit since 2012.
6. We finish the job. The most common complaint the CSLB receives is abandonment — the contractor stops showing up, stops returning calls, leaves the project half-finished. Our project completion rate is effectively 100% over 200+ projects. We do not take on more work than we can staff, we do not leave one job to chase the next deposit, and we do not disappear when the punch list gets inconvenient. Ask any past client: we show up, we finish, and we stand behind the work.
Our Story
Master in Design was founded in 2012 in Tarzana, California with a simple conviction: residential remodeling should be a craft, not a commodity. The founder had spent years in the trades and saw a market flooded with contractors who priced low, cut corners, and vanished when problems surfaced. The alternative — a firm built on craftsmanship, transparency, and real accountability — was what San Fernando Valley homeowners were asking for and not finding.
Thirteen years and over 200 projects later, that conviction has not changed. We are still based in Tarzana, still owner-operated, and still answer the phone when our clients call. Our CSLB license number is #979219. We carry general liability and workers’ compensation insurance. Every subcontractor who steps onto a Master in Design job site is vetted, licensed where required, and held to the same standard we apply to our in-house crew.
The San Fernando Valley is not just where we work — it is where we live. We know the architectural styles because we drive past them every day: the mid-century ranchers of Woodland Hills, the Spanish Colonials of Encino, the traditional two-stories of Sherman Oaks and Studio City, the hillside contemporaries of Calabasas and Hidden Hills. We know which years trigger lead-paint protocols, which neighborhoods sit in liquefaction zones requiring supplemental engineering, and which planning-department desks process permits fastest. That local knowledge is not something you get from a franchise or a lead-generating website.
How We Work
Every project begins with an in-person consultation at your home. We walk the space together, talk through what is working and what is not, and sketch ideas in real time. Within a week, you receive a detailed proposal — not a single lump-sum number, but a line-by-line scope of work with material allowances, labor breakdowns, and a projected timeline. No sales pressure. No “today-only” pricing games. Just an honest estimate from a contractor who intends to earn your trust over the course of the project, not in a 90-minute closing pitch.
During construction, you have a dedicated project manager — one person who knows your job and can answer your questions without “let me check and call you back.” Weekly progress updates, photos of work behind the walls (plumbing, electrical, waterproofing), and a running punch list mean you are never in the dark about where your project stands or what happens next.
Master in Design has been the Tarzana go-to for design-build remodeling since 2012. Family-owned, CSLB-licensed (#979219) and answerable to one project manager from the first walkthrough to the final binder of warranties.
