Sunroom contractor in Compton - rooms built on the patio you already have

The city's Building and Safety department issues permits for new construction and for alterations, repairs and improvements to existing structures, and you can't apply online. Compton's permit process is in person only, with no online submittals or payments, so someone has to take the plans to the counter. When your sunroom needs a permit, that someone is us.

Yes. Compton requires anyone doing business inside city limits to hold a city business license and renew it every year, and every permit application needs a current one. A contractor without one can't pull a permit for your room, so it's fair to ask to see it before you sign.

Under the Contractors State License Board's rules, a contractor needs a state license whenever the project needs a building permit, uses employees, or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials together. Any sunroom clears that last bar, so whoever builds yours should be licensed. We're licensed and insured, and I'm glad to go over that when I come out.

Ask the city about your address, because the state geological survey has mapped zones that cross parts of Compton for liquefaction, where loose, wet ground can turn soft in a quake, and for surface fault rupture. A project on a lot inside one of those zones may be required to study the ground and deal with the hazard as part of permitting. When your room needs a permit, I check this with the city before we settle the footings.

For most families here, I'd look at a three season room first, because the winters are mild and the room gets used most of the year without heating. Long Beach's long-term weather records, the usual reference for this part of the county, show about 12 inches of rain a year over roughly 35 days, with August averaging 74°F and December 57°F. If you want the room as a year-round living space with heating and cooling, a four season room is worth the extra cost, and we'll weigh both at the visit.

Your price comes down to the kind of room you choose, how big it is and what we have to fix before we build. A screen room costs the least and a four season room with insulated glass, heating and cooling costs the most, while lights, fans, outlets and permit drawings add to any of them. Your written estimate breaks those pieces out so you can see where the money goes.