Avila Architects, Inc.
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Expert perspective on architecture, ADA accessibility law, CASp compliance, and sustainable design — by Arturo “Art” Avila, AIA, CASp #1063, LEED AP BD+C.
The Door Was 36 Inches Wide. It Still Failed ADA Requirements.
It measured 36 inches wide and still got cited. Door width is the easy part. Here is what California inspectors actually check, and how to catch it before a plaintiff or plan checker does.
Read ArticleCalifornia Plan Check Corrections: The Top 5 Issues
The correction letter came back heavier than you expected. Here are the five issues that show up on almost every California plan check, and how to catch them before you submit.
Read ArticleThe 2025 Energy Code Is Already In Effect. Here Is What It Changes.
Compliance turns on your permit application date, not your design date. If your project was priced in 2025 and submitted in 2026, the budget and the code no longer match.
Read ArticleThe California Building Permit Process: What Actually Happens Between “Yes” and “Permit”
You signed the agreement. Two months later you are still answering questions about your property line. Here is what actually happens between hiring an architect and holding a permit.
Read ArticleThe ADA Lawsuit Doesn’t Start With an Angry Customer. It Starts With a Slope.
California saw roughly 3,252 federal ADA Title III filings in 2025 — about 40% of the national total. Nobody complained. Nobody got hurt. And under California law, none of that is a defense.
Read ArticleCalifornia ADU Rules in 2026: What You Can Actually Build Now
California has amended its ADU statutes nearly every year for a decade. Here is where the law actually stands as of 2026 — including new SB 543 completeness rules, size clarifications, and fee thresholds.
Read ArticleThe Most Expensive Line on a Set of Plans in Fresno
It’s not structural steel. Not a storefront system. Not even change orders. It’s the plan check comment that says: Revise to comply with code.
Read ArticleArchitecture Firms Don’t Usually Recruit from Community Colleges. We Just Did.
Eduardo starts with us this week. He walked into our office more prepared than candidates we’ve seen with five-year degrees from four-year schools.
Read ArticleNobody Handed Me Anything in This Profession — Until Somebody Did
An architect I worked for gave me real drawings before I was ready and let me be wrong in front of clients. That’s the only reason I’m licensed today.
Read ArticleThat “Bonus Room“ Might Not Be on the Books
Unpermitted work is one of the most common surprises on California properties. It all looks fine until someone tries to sell, refinance, insure, or pull a permit for something new.
Read ArticleTitle 24 Without the Code-Speak: What Every California Developer Needs to Know
The drawings looked great. The budget worked. Then plan check flagged Title 24 and the project sat for six weeks.
Read ArticleThe ADA Rule That Catches California Property Owners Off Guard: The 20% Rule
When you renovate an existing building, you’re often required to spend up to 20% of your construction budget upgrading the path of travel — even if that work wasn’t part of your original scope.
Read ArticleThe $8,000 Bathroom Remodel That Turned Into a $140,000 Problem
A contractor called me last month. His client wanted a simple interior remodel. Then the plan checker flagged it.
Read ArticleCalifornia Business Owners Can Get Legal Protection Before an ADA Lawsuit Ever Happens
It’s called a CASp inspection and most owners have never heard of it. Hiring a CASp before a claim is filed can give you qualified defendant status.
Read ArticleSigning a Commercial Lease in California? Read This Before You Commit.
The tenant improvement process can make or break your budget and your opening date. Here is what trips up business owners most.
Read ArticleWhy Holding Both an Architecture License and a Contractor’s License Changes Everything
There are a lot of architecture firms in California. Here’s why clients come to Avila Architects and why they come back.
Read ArticleAccessible Parking in California: Are You Actually Compliant?
Most people know they need accessible parking spaces. Fewer know all the rules — and the one that catches most owners off guard has nothing to do with the stall itself.
Read ArticleThe Building Was Brand New. Permitted. Inspected. And Still Hit With an ADA Lawsuit.
A contractor called me after a project he built got hit with an ADA lawsuit. The building was brand new — permitted, inspected, signed off.
Read Article3 Accessibility Mistakes That Cost Businesses Big — and How to Avoid Them
A client brought me in after their project was finished. They had just completed a beautiful remodel — but a customer filed an ADA complaint.
Read ArticleBuilding Alterations in California: Don’t Forget the Path of Travel
When designing alterations to an existing building, many teams focus solely on the area being modified. ADA compliance extends well beyond the project footprint.
Read ArticleWe Built Avila Architects Because We Saw a Gap
Too many clients were getting handed plans that looked great on paper but didn’t survive the permit process. My partner Fred and I wanted to do it differently.
Read ArticleAccessibility Is Not a Checklist. It’s Design at Its Highest Level.
Most people think accessibility is about compliance. That’s the first mistake. Accessibility is design at its highest level.
Read ArticleThose Sloped Areas at Street Corners Are Called Curb Ramps — and They Matter More Than You Think
Curb ramps may seem like a minor detail, but they play a major role in making our communities accessible for everyone.
Read ArticleThose Yellow Bumpy Strips Aren’t Just a Code Requirement — They’re a Life-Safety Feature
Detectable warnings let people with visual impairments know they’re about to enter a street or hazard zone.
Read ArticleHow a $3,500 CASp Inspection Prevents a $30,000 Problem
Most business owners don’t find out their building has ADA issues until they receive a demand letter. By then, the cost is almost always higher than addressing it proactively.
Read ArticleThere’s a Quiet Kind of Beauty in a Space That Welcomes Everyone
It’s in the gentle slope of a ramp, the wider doorway, the lowered counter where eye contact becomes equal. The details that tell someone: you belong here.
Read ArticleWhere Sustainability and Accessibility Meet — and a Friendship Is Built
A client said something midway through our gymnasium project that shifted everything: My son has a disability, and I want him to feel like he belongs here too.
Read ArticleAccessible Doesn’t Always Mean Usable — Here’s What Actually Matters
Buildings can technically meet code and still create real barriers. Here are the most common ones I encounter as an architect and CASp.
Read Article10 Years Ago, I Walked Off a Job Site Wondering If I Even Belonged in This Industry
I had just presented a plan I was proud of — only to be told accessibility would be figured out later. That was the moment everything changed.
Read ArticleWhat Forts, LEGO Towers, and Architecture Have in Common
I visited Wilson Elementary School for Read Across America. It reminded me that architects start exactly the same way — with curiosity and imagination.
Read ArticleWhy Mentoring Matters in Architecture — and Beyond
Investing time to guide emerging professionals doesn’t just strengthen your team — it elevates the entire industry.
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Architecture, CASp accessibility consulting (DSA-certified), and LEED sustainable design throughout California. Based in the Clovis/Fresno area.