Photos Show Playboy Mansion Under Serious Construction

The Playboy Mansion is getting a serious facelift ... and while other businesses across Los Angeles have come to a screeching halt, the crib's construction crew rages on.

We've obtained several photos of the mansion taken Thursday, just outside one of the side entrances. The storied estate is fully enveloped in scaffolding ... there's also excavation equipment.

The photos are the first images we've seen since Hugh Hefner's death back in 2017. Before he died, he sold the property to billionaire Daren Metropoulos for $100 million. Metropoulos then struck a deal with L.A. City officials to protect the main structure.

The agreement locked in Daren's previous commitment to "not demolish the main residence and repair the facade of the structure while maintaining its original condition as part of his extensive renovation."

Basically, the deal allows Daren to transform the mansion without landmark status, which would have imposed a slew of restrictions.

It's unclear exactly what all Daren has planned for the Mansion, but if these pics are any indication, we're not gonna know for a while.