Remodeling and additions in Pasadena, South Pasadena & San Marino

Updating a Craftsman without losing it

Pasadena runs its own planning and building department, and it takes historic preservation seriously. If a house is a designated historic resource, is eligible for designation, or sits in a landmark or historic district such as Bungalow Heaven, exterior work needs a Certificate of Appropriateness before a building permit is issued.

What's reviewed. In landmark and historic districts, review is limited to what can be seen from public and private streets; views from alleys are excluded. All interior alterations are exempt, along with paint colors, routine maintenance and minor repairs, most landscaping, flat concrete work, rear-yard walls and fences, and reroofing that doesn't change the material. Staff handle minor projects; major ones, such as demolition, additions to a primary elevation and additions taller than the existing house that are visible from the street, go to the Historic Preservation Commission. In Bungalow Heaven, the district's Conservation Plan sets its own thresholds: for example, a rear addition that stays below the existing roof ridge is reviewed by staff, while one that rises above it goes to the commission.

The standard. Approvals rest on the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Pasadena's Design Guidelines for Historic Districts. For a Craftsman, that usually means repairing original wood windows, siding, porches and exposed rafter tails rather than replacing them, keeping additions to the rear and below the main roof, and using materials that fit the house without imitating it exactly.

Inside, there's more freedom. Kitchens, baths and layouts can be fully modernized; we keep original built-ins, trim and doors where they still work. Older wood-frame homes often also need foundation bolting, cripple-wall bracing, and new electrical and plumbing, which we plan in from the start rather than discover mid-job. Homes in the city's hillside overlay have an extra layer: new square footage above the first floor needs a Hillside Development Permit.

Our part: we confirm the property's historic status, design to the guidelines, prepare the drawings and the Certificate of Appropriateness application, respond to staff or commission comments, then take the project through building plan check and schedule inspections.

Last reviewed: October 2026 · Sources: City of Pasadena — Historic Preservation (opens in new tab) · Pasadena Municipal Code — Chapter 17.62 Historic Preservation (opens in new tab) · City of Pasadena — Bungalow Heaven Landmark District Conservation Plan (2025) (opens in new tab) · City of Pasadena — Design Guidelines for Historic Districts (opens in new tab) · City of Pasadena — Historic preservation documents (opens in new tab) · Pasadena Municipal Code — Chapter 17.29 Hillside Overlay District (opens in new tab)