From Demolition to Paint
A complete visual walkthrough of the construction process, using real project photos from Onyx General Construction across Los Angeles. Each phase is documented so homeowners can see exactly how a project evolves over time.
Below, each construction phase has its own section with a collage of smaller image placeholders flanking a central explanation. When you replace these placeholders with your own project photos, visitors will be able to see seven to nine images for every phase (five for roofing), wrapping around the text like a magazine-style feature.
Inside each phase, you also get a quick stat snapshot: typical schedule share, rough cost range, and notes about inspections or risk points. This makes the page useful for both education and expectations management, especially for Los Angeles homeowners trying to understand how long things take and where most of the budget goes.
Clearing, Protecting, and Setting Up the Jobsite
Demolition and prep set the tone for the rest of the job. This phase covers removal of existing structures or finishes, haul-away, dust and surface protection, temporary fencing, and establishing safe access for crews and equipment. Professionally executed demo looks controlled and organized, not chaotic.
In your photo collage here, you will eventually show before-and-after shots of rooms being stripped, protection on remaining finishes, neat debris staging, and clean slabs or subfloors ready for new work. For exterior projects, this also includes grading, tree protection where required, and clearly defined work zones.
Footings, Rebar, Formwork, and Structural Slabs
The foundation phase is where engineering directly meets the ground. This includes trenching for footings, setting rebar cages, placing hold-downs and anchor bolts, installing vapor barriers, and pouring structural slabs or grade beams. Your photos will show clean rebar layouts, forming, inspections, and freshly poured concrete finishing.
In Los Angeles, foundation design also responds to seismic requirements and soil conditions. For hillside, additions, and ADUs, this can include grade beams, drilled piers, or retaining elements, all of which are important to document thoroughly for future reference and transparency.
Structural Skeleton: Walls, Floors, and Roof Lines
Framing makes the project three-dimensional. Stud walls, beams, joists, and sheathing define room sizes, ceiling heights, and the feel of circulation. Your photos will document wide views of the structure and close-ups of structural connectors, hold-downs, blocking, and shear walls.
This phase is where clients start to feel the space. Clear photos showing straight lines, plumb walls, accurate openings, and carefully installed sheathing communicate quality and coordination between plans and field execution.
Weather Protection and Waterproofing at the Roof
Roofing and hot mopping protect the structure from the elements. This phase captures underlayment, built-up hot-mopped systems, flashing, and the finish roof assembly appropriate for the design and local climate. Photos document the transition from bare roof deck to fully waterproofed surfaces.
Detail shots of parapets, roof drains, skylight curbs, and penetrations are important for demonstrating how vulnerable areas are handled. Clean, organized work areas and proper safety measures at heights are also part of the story.
Openings, WRB, and Exterior Wall Systems
This phase shows window and exterior door installation, weather-resistive barriers, flashings, and lath assemblies for stucco or other cladding systems. Photos will illustrate straight window lines, correctly integrated flashing, and continuous WRB coverage before final finishes.
Lath, trims, and base screeds prepare the structure for stucco. Well-documented elevations at this stage help clients understand how carefully the exterior envelope is built before the final finish coat is applied.
Rough-In Systems Behind the Walls
Rough trades are the hidden systems that make the building livable. This includes plumbing supply and waste lines, venting, electrical wiring and panels, low-voltage runs, HVAC ductwork and equipment, and exhaust or makeup air systems. Photos show organized routing, proper strapping, and clear coordination with framing.
This phase is critical for inspections and long-term serviceability. High-quality documentation gives owners and future professionals a visual map of what is concealed once insulation and drywall are installed.
Comfort, Energy Performance, and Interior Planes
Insulation manages heat, sound, and energy efficiency, while drywall creates the final planes for walls and ceilings. Your photos can show insulation neatly filling cavities, fire blocking where required, and the progression from board installation to taped, mudded, and sanded surfaces.
This stage changes the feel of the project significantly; spaces start to look like rooms rather than framing layouts. Smooth surfaces, crisp corners, and consistent reveals are essential to achieving a high-end finish later.
Defining Interior Character and Transitions
Once the interior shell is complete, flooring, doors, and trim add character and refinement. This phase includes installation of wood, tile, or other flooring, along with interior doors, casings, baseboards, and selected trim details. Photos highlight thresholds, stair details, and clean alignment of doors and hardware.
Protection at this stage is important; new surfaces are often covered while remaining trades finish their work. Document both the craftsmanship and the measures taken to keep new finishes in pristine condition.
Wet Area Preparation and Precise Tile Layouts
Cement floats and tile installation determine the performance and look of bathrooms and wet rooms. Photos document slope to drain, membrane detailing at corners and niches, and the transition from layout lines to finished tile fields.
High-end work shows aligned grout joints, carefully mitered edges, and clean transitions between materials. Documenting these details reassures clients that their bathrooms are built to last, not just to look good on day one.
Kitchens, Baths, and Final Functional Elements
Cabinets, counters, and fixtures define how the space functions day-to-day. This includes cabinet installation, countertop fabrication and setting, plumbing trims and toilets, shower glass, mirrors, and appliance installation. Your photos should show clean alignments, consistent reveals, and properly integrated appliances and fixtures.
This is often the most visually rewarding stage for clients, where design intent becomes fully visible. Organized, staged photos help tell that story in a way that feels complete and intentional.
Final Surfaces, Color, and Sheen
Paint reveals the quality of all the prep that came before it. This phase includes patching, caulking, sanding, priming, and applying final coats to walls, ceilings, doors, and trim. Photos should show clean masking, crisp lines, and consistent finish across surfaces.
After paint, spaces feel almost complete. Your images can transition from in-progress shots with masking and ladders to finished rooms that are ready for hardware, fixtures, and light staging.
Turn Progress Photos Into an Organized Story
Once you replace each placeholder with real Onyx project photos, this page becomes a living portfolio of your process: a visual record of demolition, structure, systems, finishes, and final paint, all organized by phase. Homeowners can match what they see on their jobsite to what they see here and understand where they are in the sequence, how much is left, and why each step matters.
You can add links from each phase to deeper case studies or Instagram galleries, or keep this page as a clean, indexed overview of the entire build journey in Los Angeles.
For direct inquiries about upcoming projects, you can place your contact information or a link to your main contact page here.