# No plans yet? Start here.

> APB Inc. frames steel homes for people who don't have plans yet. We coordinate the drawings with a licensed designer and a California-licensed engineer, drawn in steel from the start. It takes longer than starting from a finished set, and we say so up front.

Source page: https://apbmetalstudbuilders.com/start-without-plans
Publisher: APB Inc. (CSLB #951030)
Last updated: 2026-11-02

## Who starts here

### Rebuilding after the fire

The house is gone, and the drawings often went with it. You know the lot, the street and the home you had. We coordinate a new set drawn in steel from the start, so what goes back up is a frame of noncombustible steel studs, inside a home your team hardens around it.

### Building new

You have a lot and a picture of the home, not a set of drawings. Starting here, the house is designed in steel from the first line. Nothing drawn for wood has to be redrawn for steel later, and your design stays yours.

What it looks like on a real lot: [a home we framed in steel in Pacific Palisades](https://apbmetalstudbuilders.com/projects/pacific-palisades)

## How it works without plans

1. **Tell us about the lot and the home.** The address, the size you have in mind, bedrooms and stories. If you're rebuilding, add any photos or old drawings of the house you lost: they help the designer match what stood there.
2. **The drawings, in steel from the start.** We coordinate the drawings with a licensed designer and a California-licensed engineer, so the house is designed in steel from the first line instead of being converted later. A California-licensed engineer stamps the structural drawings and calculations. APB coordinates the engineering: we're the framing contractor, not an engineering firm.
3. **Plan check.** The set goes to the building department that covers your lot, such as LA County, the City of Los Angeles or the City of Malibu. Corrections go back to the designer and engineer, and we keep the framing details in step with them.
4. **Panels, then the frame.** Panels are fabricated in Utah to the stamped drawings and arrive numbered. Our crew frames the walls, floor joists and roof, and hands a straight, square frame to the trades that follow.

## Why it takes longer, and why that's honest

Starting from a finished set skips the design stage. Starting without one doesn't.

We tell you up front how the design, engineering and plan check fit your timeline, before you commit, and we don't quote a date we can't stand behind.

Starting without plans doesn't mean picking from a catalog. APB is not a catalog-home or modular company: the house is drawn for your lot and for the way you live.

| Stage | You have a finished wood set | You're starting without plans |
|---|---|---|
| Design | Done: your architect or designer already drew the house. | A licensed designer draws the house with you. This is the added stage. |
| Structure | A California-licensed engineer converts the wood design to steel and stamps it. | A California-licensed engineer designs the frame in steel from the start and stamps it. |
| Plan check | Your building department reviews the revised set. | Your building department reviews the new set. |
| Framing | Panels fabricated in Utah; we frame the walls, floor joists and roof. | The same: panels fabricated in Utah; we frame the walls, floor joists and roof. |

## Lost your plans in the fire?

Many rebuild clients come to us with nothing on paper. Before a new set is drawn, it's worth asking whether a copy of the old one survives, because it shows what stood on the lot.

- **City of Los Angeles, including Pacific Palisades:** LADBS keeps permitted plans for single-family homes built after 1977, and its Records Section releases copies on request. For homes built before 1978, it has no plans on file. Source: [LADBS: Research Request Form (revised Feb. 11, 2026)](https://dbs.lacity.gov/sites/default/files/efs/pdf/forms/research-request-form-ad-form-01.pdf)
- **Unincorporated LA County, including Altadena:** The County says it typically keeps no residential plans on file, with a few exceptions such as plans filed electronically through EPIC-LA. To confirm what stood on the lot, it works from permit records, Assessor records and photographs. Source: [LA County Recovery: Frequently asked questions](https://recovery.lacounty.gov/faq/)
- **Pre-approved standard plans:** LA County and the City of Los Angeles publish pre-approved standard plans. LA County says its pre-approved plans can't be customized and a changed plan goes to general review, so a pre-approved wood plan switched to steel is reviewed as a custom design. Source: [LA County Planning: Pre-Approved Standard Plans](https://planning.lacounty.gov/disaster-recovery/pre-approved-standard-plans)

Either way, the old plans were drawn for wood. A recovered set helps the designer, and the new set is drawn in steel.

- [Altadena & Pasadena rebuild guide](https://apbmetalstudbuilders.com/rebuild/altadena)
- [Pacific Palisades rebuild guide](https://apbmetalstudbuilders.com/rebuild/pacific-palisades)
- [Malibu rebuild guide](https://apbmetalstudbuilders.com/rebuild/malibu)
- [Check your address](https://apbmetalstudbuilders.com/check)

## How to start

Three short steps, already set to “No plans yet”: tell us about the lot, the home you want and your timeline. Photos or old drawings help, and they're optional. Form: https://apbmetalstudbuilders.com/contact?plans=none · Phone +1-888-355-1565 · WhatsApp +1-818-826-0055

Building a home and an ADU? We frame both.

## Common questions

### Can you frame a steel home if I have no plans?

Yes. APB Inc. coordinates the drawings with a licensed designer and a California-licensed engineer, drawn in steel from the start, and then frames the walls, floor joists and roof. It takes longer than starting from a finished set, and we say so up front.

### Who draws the plans?

A licensed designer draws the house, and a California-licensed engineer stamps the structural drawings and calculations, designed in steel from the start. APB coordinates the engineering: we're the framing contractor, not an engineering firm.

### Does starting without plans take longer?

Yes, because the design stage comes first, before engineering and plan check. We tell you how the design, engineering and plan check fit your timeline before you commit.