FAQ
What makes 121 Design Build Inc. different from other design/build firms?
One Encino / Los Angeles team handles design and construction, so drawings and the job site stay with the same people.
Direct answer
Architecture and construction, under one roof.
121 Design Build is an Encino / Los Angeles design-build firm. Design and construction sit on the same team, so you are not handing a drawing set to one company and a job site to another.
We combine design and construction so quality stays consistent from the first drawing through the job site. Communication and transparency are how the work is run, not extras layered on later.
Client satisfaction is the measure. Bringing a project to life on time and within budget is the aim of that one-team setup — not a guarantee, because City of Los Angeles reviews and site conditions still shape the calendar. This is not legal advice.
Three common setups
One team, a handoff, or build-only.
Design-build, one team
Architecture and construction under one roof. One conversation, one set of drawings, one crew on site. The people who designed the project stay responsible through the build.
Architect, then bid
A designer produces drawings, then a separate contractor bids and builds. That split can work, but questions on site often bounce back to a different firm, and details can drift.
GC-only, no design lead
A general contractor builds from someone else's plans, or without a dedicated design lead. Construction can move, but the drawings and the job site are not owned by the same team.
Why it matters
Drawings and the job site should match.
When design and construction are split, the contractor may interpret a detail differently than the designer intended. When they are one team, those questions stay in the same room.
121 keeps that loop in Encino / Los Angeles: talk through the project, design it, coordinate permits, then build it. Communication and transparency are the working method.
How we work
Conversation to build, under one roof.
01
Conversation and brief
We talk through the project and review the lot or existing house so the brief is honest before drawings start.
02
Design
The same team develops a design that can be permitted and built, not a set of drawings meant for someone else to interpret.
03
Permits
We coordinate drawings and submittals with the City of Los Angeles. Approvals are never guaranteed.
04
Build
The same Encino team that designed the project builds it, so the job site follows the drawings.
Honest scope
What 121 actually does, and what we do not.
We do
Design and construction under one roof
We take the project from conversation and lot or project brief through design, permit coordination, and construction. Communication and transparency are part of that path. On-time, on-budget delivery is the aim — not a promise we can make before the City reviews the work.
We do not
Split design from construction, legal advice, or guaranteed dates
We are not a design-only studio that hands you a set and walks away, and we are not a GC-only shop without a design lead. We do not give legal advice. We do not guarantee City of Los Angeles approvals or a calendar date.
Call, or start with the lot.
If you want one Encino / Los Angeles team for design and construction, start with a conversation or a lot check. We will look at the project with you.