Any Room, Any Scope

General Remodeling in Tarzana

Flooring, carpentry, plaster, electrical and finish work for Tarzana and LA homes.

Not every remodeling project requires moving walls or re-piping the house. General remodeling covers the broad category of improvements that refresh, repair, and upgrade a home's interior without the structural scope of an addition or the systems complexity of a kitchen or bathroom gut. These are the projects that make a house feel polished, current, and well-maintained: the details visitors notice and homeowners enjoy every day.

Master in Design has completed general remodeling work in hundreds of Tarzana, Encino, and San Fernando Valley homes since 2012. As a licensed contractor (CSLB #979219), we bring the same attention to detail to a flooring replacement or custom built-in as we do to a full kitchen renovation.

General Remodeling Services

Flooring installation and replacement. Hardwood (solid and engineered), luxury vinyl plank, porcelain and ceramic tile, natural stone, and carpet. We handle subfloor repair, leveling compound, moisture-barrier installation, and baseboard removal and reinstallation, the prep work that determines whether a floor still looks good five years later.

Interior painting. Wall and ceiling painting, trim and door painting, cabinet refinishing. We use low-VOC paints from Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore. Surface preparation (patching, sanding, priming) takes more time than the paint itself.

Drywall repair and replacement. Water-damage repair, texture matching, full-room re-drywall after plumbing or electrical work. Our finishers can match California knockdown, orange peel, and smooth-wall textures so the patch is invisible.

Trim carpentry and millwork. Baseboard replacement, door and window casing, crown molding, wainscoting, shiplap accent walls, coffered ceiling details, and custom built-in shelving and cabinetry for living rooms, home offices, and media walls.

Door replacement. Interior hollow-core to solid-core upgrades, pre-hung door swaps, closet door conversions. Exterior door replacement with proper weatherstripping and threshold sealing.

Fireplace refacing. Brick-paint or German-schmear treatment, mantel replacement, gas-log insert conversion, and hearth tile work.

Staircase renovation. Carpet-to-wood tread conversion, baluster replacement, newel-post upgrade, and riser refinishing.

Garage conversion preparation. Floor epoxy or polished concrete, drywall and insulation, lighting and electrical, HVAC mini-split rough-in, and storage system installation.

Pricing and timeline. General remodeling projects typically range from $5,000 to $75,000 depending on square footage and scope. Timelines run 1–6 weeks. Because these projects are more contained than a kitchen or bathroom gut, they can often be scheduled with shorter lead times, sometimes within 2–3 weeks of signing. Call 855-741-3167 or submit the Free Estimate form and we will provide a detailed, line-item proposal for your specific scope.

General remodeling in Tarzana and the greater Los Angeles area. Flooring, plaster, carpentry, electrical, plumbing, interior design and finish work, handled by one accountable team that shows up when it said it would.

Not every project needs to be a full gut renovation. From single-room refreshes to multi-room renovations, our general-remodeling work covers everything between a small upgrade and a whole-home build. We are the team Tarzana homeowners call when something needs to be done right and they do not want to hire and manage four sub-contractors to do it.

Same six-step design-build process, same in-house team, same CSLB-licensed and bonded crew, scaled to whatever the project actually needs. Learn why the design-build remodeling process outperforms traditional contracting.

At a glance

Cost

$5,000 to $75,000

Most single-room and cosmetic projects

Estimate

Free, no obligation

Written quote before any work starts

Timeline

Starts in 2 to 6 weeks

Typical start after estimate sign-off

Permits

Handled in-house

Permits and inspections coordinated for you

License

CSLB #979219

General Building contractor. Verify license at CSLB

What it covers

Whole-home & multi-room remodels

Projects that don’t fit neatly into one category: opening up floor plans, refreshing every room on a level, structural repairs, restored vintage homes and full top-to-bottom renovations.

Load-bearing wall removal and structural re-engineering
Foyer, staircase and circulation-path overhauls
Whole-home repaints, refloors and trim refreshes
Built-ins, custom millwork and fireplace surrounds

Our process

General remodels usually run alongside one or more focused scopes (kitchen, bath, addition). Typical timeline: 1–6 weeks for most single-room and cosmetic work. Work that is structural, or that touches the whole house, is handled as a complete home remodel and runs 6 to 12 months including permits and inspections.

Recent work

General Remodeling Projects

Recent whole-home, multi-room and structural renovation projects.

Staircase & Stone WallTravertine treads, frameless glass balustrade, brass handrail, black stacked-stone accent wall

Traditional Living RoomRestored stone fireplace, window-seat bench, crown molding and refinished oak entry millwork

Beamed Sitting RoomReclaimed ceiling beams, limewashed plaster walls, steel garden doors to a planted courtyard

Coffered Dining RoomCoffered ceiling, wainscoting, walnut table and credenza beneath brass sputnik chandelier

Family Room RefreshLight oak media wall, painted brick column, wide-plank floors in a sunlit family room

Whole-Home ExteriorTwo-story stucco rear elevation with pool, raised spa, second-floor balcony and patio doors

Formal Dining RoomSolid walnut table for eight under a linear brass pendant, opening to kitchen beyond

Spanish Exterior & GarageStucco facade, clay-tile roof and twin arched walnut garage doors with iron lanterns

Free estimate

Have a project that does not fit one category? Get a free estimate from our Tarzana team.

Get a Free Estimate (855) 741-3167

What our clients say

Rated 4.9 out of 5 across 60 Google reviews, with 42 more on Yelp.

★★★★★
“The carpet was removed and beautiful vinyl floors were installed in less than a week and flattening the popcorn ceiling was even quicker.”
Adam M.
verified Yelp review

★★★★★
“Proffessional, polite, tidy and on time, danny helped me and my family redo the flooring and painting throughout the house. We now feel like we live in a brand new home.”
Jada L.
verified Yelp review

★★★★★
“The transformation of my space has far exceeded my expectations! The attention to detail, professionalism, and creativity that Danny and his team brought to the table truly made the remodeling process enjoyable.”
Emma
verified Google review

Who runs your project

Avi “Danny” Vaknin, owner

Avi Vaknin owns Master in Design, the Tarzana design-build firm serving the San Fernando Valley since 2012. Most clients know him as Danny.

Reviews describe him on site during the build and back at the house when something needs attention, sometimes years after the job is done.

About Master in Design

General Remodeling FAQs

Smaller-scope work: what Tarzana homeowners ask first.

Do you take on smaller jobs?

Yes. Single-room refreshes, finish carpentry, flooring replacement, plaster repair and one-bath/kitchen-cabinet updates are all common scopes for us. We work the same way regardless of project size: written estimate, written schedule, one accountable lead.

Can you match existing flooring, plaster or trim?

Most of the time, yes. We source flooring, custom-mill trim profiles and color-match plaster so the new work blends with the existing home rather than looking patched.

How quickly can you start?

Smaller general-remodel work usually slots in within 3–6 weeks of estimate sign-off. Larger scopes that need permits or material lead-time take longer; we will tell you exactly when at the design walk-through.

Are you licensed and insured?

Yes, CSLB License #979219, fully bonded and insured. We provide proof of insurance and license documentation on request before work starts.

Do you do interior design too?

We do. Our in-house design team can take the project from layout sketches and finish selections through full construction, or just plug in for the finishing decisions if you already have plans.

What are some red flags when hiring a general contractor?

Red flags when hiring a general contractor include no license number, a large cash deposit, a vague one-line quote and pressure to skip permits. Be careful with anyone who cannot show recent local projects or proof of insurance. In California, you can look up any contractor's license on the CSLB website in a minute. Master in Design holds CSLB License #979219, and every job starts with a written, itemized estimate.

Should I pay a contractor 50% upfront?

No, you should not pay a contractor 50% upfront in California. State law limits the down payment on a home improvement job to $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less. After that, payments should follow finished work, such as rough-in or drywall, not the calendar. A contractor who asks for half before work starts is a warning sign.

What is the difference between renovating and remodeling a home?

The difference between renovating and remodeling a home is scope. Renovating restores what is already there, like new paint, flooring or fixtures in the same layout. Remodeling changes the structure or use of a space, such as moving walls, relocating a kitchen or adding a bathroom. Remodeling usually needs more permits and a longer schedule. Our general remodeling crew handles both, from a flooring refresh to a multi-room update.

What is a GC vs. a contractor?

A GC, or general contractor, is the company that manages the whole job, while a contractor can mean any licensed trade, like an electrician or a plumber. The GC hires and schedules the trades, pulls permits, orders materials and answers for the final result. In California, a general building contractor holds a Class B license. Hiring a GC means one company answers for the whole job instead of five separate trades.

Recent Work

Built. Finished. Loved.

Recent general remodeling from our Tarzana design-build team. Flooring and carpentry work often leads into kitchen renovations. We handle bath remodeling projects with the same crews. Homes that need more space can add second-story additions. When everything needs attention, we plan whole-house renovations.

Open-plan whole-home remodel in modern California style by Master in Design, Tarzana CA

Designer Visualizations

Ready to start your project?

Tell us about it. No obligation, no pressure. We respond within one business day.

★★★★★
4.9 out of 5 from 60 Google reviews, plus 42 reviews on Yelp.
Licensed General Building contractor, CSLB #979219. Serving Tarzana and the San Fernando Valley.

When a project does not fit one named category (a flooring refresh, plaster repair, paint, electrical rewiring, or a multi-room cosmetic refresh), our general remodeling crew handles it under the same Master in Design accountability.