“Lior is very personable and has many decades of construction experience. We appreciated his sincere evaluation of our project.”
Ann AnterasianHouzz · April 2019
Kitchen remodeling · Encino, CA
Encino Kitchen Remodels for
Estate Blocks and Hills
South-of-Ventura kitchens with room for ambition — rebuilt with the electrical and gas capacity they never had, under LADBS permits we manage. CSLB #972213.
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CSLB LicensedLicense #972213
5.0 on Houzz17 verified reviews
Family-OwnedLicensed since 2010
24-Hour ResponseFree in-home estimate
LADBS PermitsValley branch · in-house
Why Hillstar
What Encino Kitchens Get From Hillstar
Estate-scale rooms with 1970s-era services: the gap between the kitchen you want and the systems behind it is exactly our specialty.
Van Nuys Filings Weekly
Encino kitchen permits run through the LADBS Valley branch — familiar ground for our submittals and inspections.
Estate-Block Experience
Royal Oaks, Amestoy, and Hayvenhurst kitchens carry size and expectations; we design and build to both.
Era-Service Upgrades
Original 1970s–'80s panels and gas lines meet modern appliance loads on our drawing board, not at rough-in.
Island-Era Layouts
Wall openings with proper structural review, real islands with code-compliant power, and sightlines these floor plans always wanted.
Old-Line Contingencies Visible
Cast-iron drains and aging supply lines are priced as line items at quote — never mid-build surprises.
Design-Build Accountability
One crew from concept through the final LADBS inspection.
Our process
The Encino Kitchen Sequence
Four stages, systems first.
1
Assess Room & Services
Measurements plus a hard look at panel, gas sizing, and drain condition before design promises.
2
Design & Permit
Layout, cabinetry, and selections locked; LADBS package filed and corrected by us.
3
Rebuild to Current Code
Demo, upgraded rough trades, then cabinetry, stone, and finish by our own crew.
4
Final Walkthrough
Punch list cleared, written workmanship warranty delivered.
Local conditions
Permits, Properties & What's Specific to Encino
Encino's housing stock skews mid-century post-war and 1970s-'80s on the south-of-Ventura estate blocks — and the kitchens that came with those homes were not designed for modern appliance loads. Two patterns shape the scope of a serious Encino kitchen rebuild more than the floor plan itself.
Permit jurisdiction
LADBS Van Nuys office handles every Encino kitchen permit. Like-for-like cabinet refresh inside existing walls, with no new electrical or plumbing routing, can sometimes proceed without permit; any layout change, gas relocation, panel work, window swap, or structural opening pulls a permit and full plan check.
Properties & what tends to surface mid-build
South-of-Ventura estates often carry the original 1970s-'80s electrical and plumbing — large kitchens but undersized branch circuits and aging gas service. Many serious Encino kitchen rebuilds with new appliances and an island reach a point where a 200A panel upgrade is the right call. Cast-iron drains and galvanized water lines are common in older Encino housing; we price the contingency at quote, not after walls open.
Code triggers for a serious rebuild
Title 24 (California Energy Code) applies to qualifying scopes — adding insulation, replacing windows, or modifying envelope walls triggers performance compliance. Modern code requires GFCI/AFCI on all kitchen circuits, a separate dedicated dishwasher and disposal circuit, dishwasher air-gap, and a code-compliant island receptacle pattern. Gas service often needs resizing when a higher-BTU range goes in. We design to current code at the start, not at rough-in inspection.
Design examples
Kitchen Design Examples
Examples of kitchen styles and layouts.
Reviews
Homeowners on Working With Hillstar
Verified Houzz reviews from Hillstar Construction clients.
“Lior is a fantastic general contractor. He has tremendous work ethic and strong attention to detail.”
J. GlaserHouzz · June 2017
“Hillstar's crew was courteous, prompt, and worked hard to make every detail exactly what we wanted.”
Hillstar ClientHouzz · Verified
5.0 · 17 verified reviews on Houzz
FAQ
Encino Kitchen Remodel — FAQ
Permits, estate-kitchen systems, islands and walls, and honest cost structure.
What triggers a permit on an Encino kitchen?
Layout changes, gas relocation, panel work, window swaps, or any structural opening — all of it files with LADBS at the Valley branch. A like-for-like cabinet refresh inside existing walls can sometimes proceed without one. Either way, we make that call with you and carry the process.
Can the original panel run a modern estate kitchen?
Usually not without help. South-of-Ventura homes often keep their 1970s services, and a serious appliance package — double ovens, induction or pro-gas, wine refrigeration — pushes past what those panels hold. Expect the 200-amp conversation at design, priced in the quote.
We want the wall out and a real island. Feasible?
In most of these floor plans, yes. The wall's structural role gets verified first, the framing solution engineered into the permit set, and the island wired to code with the receptacles it legally needs. This is the signature Encino kitchen project and we've built many.
Gas or induction here?
Both live well in these kitchens. High-BTU gas may need the supply line resized; induction wants circuit capacity and pairs naturally with the panel upgrade. We put real numbers on both paths during design so the decision is informed, not ideological.
What does an Encino kitchen remodel cost?
The range is wide — scope, cabinetry level, stone, and appliances set it. What's fixed is transparency: an itemized written quote after the site visit with era contingencies visible, and written approval before any change is built.
Also serving Encino
Nearby kitchen-remodel neighborhoods
Give Your Encino Kitchen Its Real Potential
Free in-home consultation — systems check, design direction, and a written number.