For builders and architects
The steel framing partner for builders
We frame the walls, floor joists and roof of homes in light-gauge steel from your plans. A licensed Class B contractor that does one thing: steel framing.
CSLB #951030 · first issued 2010 · verify on cslb.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)
Connections: screwed steel to steel · Pacific Palisades
We frame. We don't build houses.
APB Inc. is a California-licensed light-gauge steel framing contractor, CSLB #951030 · first issued 2010. On your job we work as your steel framing subcontractor: you bring the plan set; we frame the walls, floor joists and roof in cold-formed steel, coordinate the steel engineering and the hold-down and anchor layout, and hand off a straight, square frame to the trades that follow.
- Class BCSLB #951030 · first issued 2010: a general building license that may take your framing subcontract
- G90The galvanized steel we frame with
- ~90 daysFrom signing to panels on site when a wood set is converted, in our experience
What we frame, and what stays with your team.
APB frames
- Load-bearing and non-load-bearing walls
- Steel floor joists
- Roof framing
- Factory-built steel panels, fabricated in Utah to the stamped drawings and delivered numbered
- The hold-down and anchor layout, coordinated with your foundation
- Electrical and plumbing penetrations, coordinated with your trades
Your team keeps
- Foundation and slab
- The floor deck over our steel joists
- Mechanical, electrical and plumbing
- Insulation and drywall
- Windows, doors, roof coverings and finishes
Proof: a home we framed.
This Pacific Palisades home burned in the January 2025 fire and is being rebuilt in steel. The job-site photos show the frame we built: numbered wall panels, braced walls and the steel roof framing. Job-site photos, not renderings.
What we don't do.
- Complete homesWe frame; your general contractor builds the house.
- Engineering servicesA California-licensed engineer stamps the structural drawings and calculations, and we coordinate that work.
- KitsWe don't sell kits or install other suppliers' kits. We set panels made for your plans.
- Standalone ADU projectsOur work is framing homes in light-gauge steel. Building a home and an ADU on the same lot? We frame both.
- Studs or catalog homesWe're a framing contractor, not a factory, a stud manufacturer or a modular-home company.
How we work with your general contractor and architect.
Engineering
A California-licensed engineer stamps the structural drawings and calculations. APB coordinates the engineering: we're the framing contractor, not an engineering firm.
Your architect keeps the design. The structure behind it is designed in cold-formed steel, with member sizes and gauges set by the engineer for your project.
Plan check
A wood set converted to steel goes back to the building department as a plan revision, and the structural and energy documents are reviewed again.
We help assemble the revision set, coordinate between your architect, the engineer and the energy consultant, and respond to plan-check comments with the engineer. Review time is set by your jurisdiction.
On site
Panels arrive numbered to match the shop drawings, so our crew sets them in order instead of cutting studs on the lot.
We coordinate the hold-down and anchor layout with your foundation work and the electrical and plumbing penetrations with your trades. Studs and joists come pre-punched for services.
The clock. When a wood plan is converted to steel, panels typically reach the site about 90 days from signing, in our experience. A plan drawn in steel from the start skips the conversion step. Plan check runs on your building department's clock, and your contract sets the schedule.
Numbered, in the order they go up.
Panels are fabricated in Utah to the stamped drawings and labelled for their place in the house, so the frame goes up in sequence and your trades follow a straight, square structure.
What we need to bid.
- The plan set as PDFs: architectural, structural and Title 24 documents if you have them
- Permit status, plus any permit or plan-check number
- The site address, which tells us the jurisdiction, fire hazard zone and climate zone
- Your schedule: when framing should start and any deadlines
- A soils report, existing structural calculations or the foundation plan, if you have them
Send them through our contact page and choose “General contractor / builder” or “Architect / designer”, or call 888-355-1565. We review the steel scope with you.
What a steel framing quote should list.
Compare any steel framing quote, ours included, on these lines.
- The scope, line by line: walls, floor joists, roof and anything else
- The steel coating
- Who stamps the structural drawings and calculations
- The code edition the plans are reviewed under
- Delivery and unloading
- Anything priced separately or excluded
We don't publish prices. Every steel frame is engineered for its own plans, so we bid from your set.
Builder's risk on a steel job
On a steel-framed job, have builder's risk priced twice before you bind: once in the frame class and once in the class the insurer would assign the steel frame, with limits, deductible and term held equal. When a broker did that in October 2026 for a Los Angeles County house and its ADU, the fire-resistive version came in about 40% under frame. The class is the underwriter's call, and wood sheathing, a wood subfloor or a wood roof deck can move it, so get it confirmed on paper. We can send the engineer-stamped drawings and our framing specifications for the submission.
Ask your broker
- Quote builder's risk in the frame class and in the class you'd give my steel frame, with the same limits, deductible and term.
- Which construction class will my light-gauge steel frame get? Please confirm it in writing before we bind.
- Does wood sheathing, a wood subfloor or a wood roof deck change that class?
Where we work.
Homes across Los Angeles, Ventura and Orange counties, plus select commercial metal stud framing. For fire rebuilds, each local guide covers the rules of its own permitting jurisdiction.
- Altadena & PasadenaEaton Fire · Unincorporated LA County · City of PasadenaCounty like-for-like rules, self-certification and pre-approved plans, the City of Pasadena's own process, and switching to steel.→
- Pacific PalisadesPalisades Fire · City of Los AngelesCity executive orders, coastal considerations and switching an approved plan to steel.→
- MalibuPalisades and Franklin fires · City of MalibuLike-for-like plus 10%, coastal permits, and lots burned in the Palisades and Franklin fires.→
- Not sure? Check your addressOfficial public mapsThe CAL FIRE hazard zone, the January 2025 Eaton and Palisades fire perimeters, who issues your permit and your energy climate zone.→
Common questions.
Can you convert our wood set to steel?
Usually, yes. The architecture stays and the structure changes: steel walls, a new hold-down and anchor layout, new connections and updated Title 24 energy documents. The revised set goes back to plan check as a revision. Wood-to-steel plan conversion →
Who stamps the steel design?
A California-licensed engineer stamps the structural drawings and calculations. APB coordinates the engineering: we're the framing contractor, not an engineering firm.
Can a Class B contractor be our framing subcontractor?
Yes. The Contractors State License Board says a general building contractor may take a prime contract or a subcontract for a framing or carpentry project, under Business and Professions Code section 7057(b). APB holds CSLB #951030 · first issued 2010, Class B. The CSLB license record (opens in a new tab)
Do you work for homeowners too?
Yes. We frame for general contractors and builders, and for homeowners who run their own build.
What gauge and coating do you use?
The engineer sets member sizes and gauges for your project. We frame with G90 galvanized steel.
When do you need the anchor layout?
The hold-down and anchor layout comes out of the steel design, so we coordinate it with your foundation work before the pour. If the foundation is already in, send the foundation plan: the engineer decides whether the existing anchors work or what has to be added, subject to the building official.
How do you handle electrical and plumbing?
Studs and joists come pre-punched for services, and we coordinate penetrations with your electrical and plumbing trades.
Which code edition do you design to?
The one your permit is reviewed under. Most applications filed on or after January 1, 2026 follow the 2025 California codes, and some fire rebuilds can use the 2022 code under Executive Order N-29-25. We confirm the edition for each permit.
Do you publish prices?
No. Every steel frame is engineered for its own plans, so we bid from your set.
Do you take commercial work?
Select commercial metal stud framing: interior partitions, demising walls and exterior walls for tenant improvements and small commercial buildings. Commercial metal stud framing →
Sources
- CSLB: B, General Building Contractor classification (Business and Professions Code 7057(b)) (opens in a new tab)cslb.ca.gov
- CSLB: License record #951030 (opens in a new tab)cslb.ca.gov
- California Building Standards Commission: Codes (opens in a new tab)dgs.ca.gov
- LA County: Executive Order N-29-25 implementation sheet (opens in a new tab)file.lacounty.gov
Send the set.
Send the plan set, permit status, site address and schedule. We review the steel scope with you and tell you what the frame involves. No plans yet? Start here, and we'll coordinate a set drawn in steel from the start.
Check your address first: fire zone, fire perimeter and who issues your permit