COSTA MESA · CALIFORNIA · LICENSED ARCHITECT
One architect.
From the first sketch
to the approved permit.
Personal residential architecture and permit guidance for Orange County homeowners.
Remodels, additions, ADUs, and custom homes. Every project is run by David Copete, a licensed California architect, from the first conversation through plan check and construction support.
WHAT THE PRACTICE HANDLES
Residential work, end to end.
I focus on residential projects where personal attention matters. Every project is led directly by the architect, from the first conversation through design, permitting, and construction.
Construction documents & permit submittals included.
01
REMODELS & ADDITIONS
Kitchens, baths, whole-home reconfigurations, and second-story additions — designed around how your household actually lives, then built to be approved.
04
PERMIT & CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS
Construction documents, Title 24 energy calcs, structural coordination, and full submittal sets ready for plan check.
02
ADUs
Detached, attached, and junior ADUs across Orange County. Site-fit studies, floor plans, and full plan-check submittals for Costa Mesa and surrounding cities.
05
FEASIBILITY & SITE STUDIES
Measured drawings of an existing home, site and zoning analyses, and early feasibility studies so you know what is possible before committing.
03
NEW HOMES
Ground-up residences on infill lots, tear-down-and-rebuilds, and coastal-adjacent sites brought through design, energy compliance, and permit.
06
ARCHITECT CONSULTATIONS
An hour with the architect — for early questions, second opinions after another firm quoted you, or sanity-checking a plan you already have.
HOW A PROJECT MOVES
Five steps.
The sequence below is roughly how every engagement runs, scaled to the size of the project. There are no surprise handoffs.
01
Conversation
A real conversation about the house, the lot, your goals, and the budget. We agree on whether to move forward before anything else is done.
04
Construction documents
Full drawing set, structural coordination, Title 24 energy compliance, and every sheet the city needs for plan check.
02
Feasibility
A property study: zoning, setbacks, easements, utilities, ADU or addition potential, and a rough cost range. You know what is buildable before you commit.
05
Permitting & construction support
Submittal, plan-check response, inspections, and questions during construction — the same architect answering the phone the whole way.
03
Design
Schematic design, revisions, and a final design package. Decisions stay between you and the architect — not handed off to a junior team.
06
Follow Up
It’s an extra step I take because good design should work just as well in everyday life as it does on paper.
PERMITTING & PLAN CHECK PROCESS
Turning the permitting process into a sequence you can follow.
For most homeowners, plan check is the part that turns a design into a project — or stalls it.
I run the submittal, talk to the plan checker, and work the corrections responses so the bureaucracy stays a step in the process rather than the obstacle.
What I handle:
Pre-application review with the city
Plan submittal (initial + resubmittals)
Plan-check response and corrections
ADU-specific approvals and state law compliance
Title 24 energy calcs and documentation
Construction-phase inspections coordination
AREAS SERVED
THROUGHOUT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
ORANGE COUNTY
Costa Mesa · Newport Beach · Huntington Beach · Irvine · Laguna Beach · Dana Point · San Clemente · Laguna Niguel · Mission Viejo · Lake Forest · Tustin · Orange · Santa Ana · Anaheim · Yorba Linda · Fullerton
LOS ANGELES COUNTY
Long Beach · South Bay · Palos Verdes · Los Angeles · Beverly Hills · Santa Monica · Malibu
SAN DIEGO COUNTY
Oceanside · Carlsbad · Encinitas · Solana Beach · Del Mar · San Diego
Plus coastal-adjacent jurisdictions in Los Angeles and San Diego counties for specific projects. Every submittal is run to the local plan-check expectations, not a generic template.
ABOUT THE PRACTICE
Personal by design.
FOUNDED
Costa Mesa, CA
LICENSURE
California
SERVICE AREA
Southern California
The firm is led by David Copete, a licensed California architect. He founded the practice on a simple premise: homeowners do best when they work with the architect they hired, not a production team routed through one.
Every project, feasibility, design, construction documents, permitting, plan check, construction support is run personally. The small structure is deliberate: it keeps communication direct, decisions accountable, and the experience personal for homeowners who may be working with an architect for the first time.
ASKED BY HOMEOWNERS
Direct answers to the questions.
If yours isn't here, the quickest way is to write — a reply within a working day.
What kinds of projects do you take on? Residential work in Orange County and the rest of Southern California — remodels, additions, ADUs and garage conversions, custom new homes, as-built surveys, feasibility studies, and one-on-one consultations. I do not take on commercial projects or large multifamily work.
Do I work with you, or with a team? With me. Every conversation, every drawing revision, every plan-check response is handled personally. That is the reason the practice stays small.
How does the California permitting process work for a remodel or ADU? Most projects move through: pre-application review (often optional but valuable), plan submittal, plan check (the city reviews your drawings against the California Building Code and the local zoning), corrections response, permit issuance, and then inspections as construction proceeds. Costa Mesa and the surrounding cities each have their own plan-check expectations and timelines, which I handle end to end on your behalf.
How long does an ADU take from first conversation to permit? A detached ADU in Orange County typically reaches permitted drawings in twelve to twenty weeks: a few weeks for the feasibility study, three to six weeks of design revisions, then three to six weeks of plan check depending on the city and the completeness of the first submittal. I will give you a tighter estimate once I have looked at your lot.
What does a feasibility or property study cost? It depends on the property and the questions you need answered, but it is always a fixed fee agreed in advance. The study pays for itself: it tells you what is buildable, what is not, and roughly what to budget before you commit to design.
Where are you licensed to practice? California. The firm is based in Costa Mesa and works across Orange County, with occasional projects farther into Southern California.