Habitable Art
Lic. No. 1012586
Design–build general contractor · Los Angeles

Minimal, modern, and built to a number.

Detached infill homes and small lot subdivisions in Los Angeles. One team prepares the budget, contracts the trades and supervises the work in the field through certificate of occupancy.

View projects Contact
Open-plan kitchen and living room with white oak cabinetry and floors, 3400 Fletcher Drive
3400 Fletcher Drive, Glassell Park · Interior virtually staged
4
Small lot subdivisions delivered
47
Detached homes completed
50+
Homes built and supervised
2015–22
Delivery record across four LA neighborhoods
The firm

Planning and construction under a single responsibility.

Habitable Art is a design–build practice building detached infill homes in Los Angeles. The principals who price a project are the principals who build it.

01

Development and budgeting

Line-item hard cost budgets, bid spreads and value engineering.

02

Design and permitting

Plan preparation and coordination through plan check and permit.

03

Trade procurement

Scoping, bidding and contracting each trade on the owner’s paper.

04

Construction management

Daily site supervision, inspection coordination and schedule control.

Leadership

Each operating function is directed by a principal.

Zerik Scales

Owner · Head of Construction Operations

Licensed California general contractor and an architect by training. Zerik runs the firm’s construction operation and has built and supervised more than fifty homes across Los Angeles, from Hollywood Hills and Hancock Park residences to community-scale work in South Los Angeles, and has worked on public buildings in China. On 3400 Fletcher Drive he came in as superintendent and his role was expanded to construction manager for the entire eighteen-home subdivision, completed in 2022. Building in Los Angeles since 2009.

  • California Contractor License No. 1012586
  • Bachelor of Architecture, Hampton University
  • Master of Urban Planning (design focus), USC, with honors
  • Real Estate Development Certificate, USC
  • Faculty, USC: teaches Designing Livable Communities

Jerome Pelayo

President of Contracting & Design Operations

Construction manager and design architect on four completed small lot subdivisions and many single-family residences, responsible on each for the trade roster, the budget and the plans. Luxury estate design in Malibu and on the Eastside.

Budgets · bid spreads · trade selection · contract administration
Small lot subdivision experience

Four subdivisions. Forty-seven homes.

Glassell Park2022

3400 Fletcher Drive

18 detached homes

2,249–3,216 sq ft homes on a 35,723 sq ft site with 36 parking spaces. Two private streets, Begonia Pl and Petunia Pl, created for the subdivision.

Silver Lake2020

646 N. Commonwealth Ave

12 detached homes

Three stories with two-stall private garages on a 15,038 sq ft site. 22′ common drive, Type V-B wood frame, NFPA 13-D sprinklers.

Koreatown2018

856–866 S. Wilton Pl

10 detached homes

“Wilton 10.” About 1,550 sq ft, 3 bed / 2.5 bath, three stories with two-car private garages, floor-to-ceiling glazing, no HOA dues.

Echo Park2015

Rosey Jones, 2201 Rosey Way

7 detached homes

About 1,624 sq ft, 3 bed / 3.5 bath, three stories with covered parking for two and rooftop decks with downtown views.

Two views of a kitchen and living area with white oak cabinetry, stone island and engineered oak floors
3400 Fletcher Drive · Virtually staged
Interiors

Finished to the level the market prices.

Open-plan kitchens and living rooms, engineered white oak floors, full-height glazing and sliding walls onto private decks and patios: the finish package the principals specify, procure and supervise on every small lot home they deliver.

One team carries the number from budget to keys.

Budgets that survive the field

The people who write the line-item budget contract the trades against it and supervise the work.

Small lot subdivision, repeatedly

Completed subdivisions in Glassell Park, Silver Lake, Koreatown and Echo Park.

Owner-side discipline

Trades contracted on the owner’s paper, bid spreads on the table, and one point of accountability through certificate of occupancy.

Contact

Habitable Art
Zerik Scales
zerikscales@gmail.com (323) 439-2624