Construction & Remodeling Services in San Francisco
We design and build San Francisco renovations under one roof.
Most homes here were drawn for a different century — Victorians and Edwardians framed in old-growth redwood, wired long before anyone planned for a kitchen island or a 48-inch range. Renovating them is structural work as much as design work: shear walls, seismic ties, and a permit set that clears SF DBI plan review the first time. One team, one fixed proposal, from the first feasibility sketch to the final inspection sign-off.
About Our Work in San Francisco
San Francisco’s housing stock is unforgiving and worth it. Pre-1978 Victorians and Edwardians hide knob-and-tube wiring, brick foundations, and the occasional run of asbestos tile — and they sit on lots where parking, light, and a rear setback all have to be negotiated. We’ve spent years working inside these constraints: filing with SF DBI, coordinating structural and Title 24 compliance, and sequencing trades so a family can stay in the house where it’s possible. Design and build live under one roof here, which is the only way the drawings and the budget stay honest with each other.
Services We Offer in San Francisco
The full design-build scope, delivered by one team — design, permits, and construction under a single contract.
Neighborhoods We Serve
We build across San Francisco — from the Victorian rows of Noe Valley and the flats of the Marina to the hill houses of Pacific Heights and the avenues of the Sunset and Richmond.
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Professionals Tips
Budget a real contingency on pre-1978 homes
Victorian and Edwardian houses routinely reveal knob-and-tube wiring, dry rot, or asbestos tile once the walls open. On San Francisco’s older stock we plan a 10–15% contingency from the start — not as padding, but because a hundred-year-old house always has an opinion once you’re inside it.
Permit speed depends on your neighborhood
An over-the-counter interior remodel can clear SF DBI in 1–10 business days; a full kitchen with layout and systems changes runs four to eight weeks in plan review. Historic districts like Pacific Heights and Presidio Heights move slower; the Sunset and Richmond move faster. We file the set to clear the first time.
Open the wall before you price the wall
On an old house, what’s behind the plaster sets the number. Because we design and build under one roof, the structural reality — a bearing wall, a tired foundation, a relocated soil stack — gets priced into the fixed proposal instead of arriving later as a change order.
The specification is the design
Rift-sawn white oak, honed quartzite, unlacquered brass, Heath tile — we name and detail the materials and junctions before demolition, so the trades build to a drawing rather than a guess. Restraint reads as luxury; vagueness reads as risk.
Build Title 24 in at the drawing stage
Any San Francisco remodel that touches lighting, windows, or HVAC has to meet Title 24, and inspectors check at final. We plan the LED layout, fenestration, and mechanical for compliance up front, so a finished room never fails its last inspection.
Plan the project as a sequence
A full-scope renovation here is roughly eight to twelve weeks of design, four to eight weeks of permitting, and ten to sixteen weeks of construction. Knowing the order — feasibility, fixed proposal, permits, then build with weekly site reports — is what keeps a project from stalling between trades.
Real Projects. Real Results.
Explore examples of completed remodeling and construction projects across San Francisco. View before-and-after transformations and see how thoughtful planning and execution make a difference.
Why Homeowners Choose Us in San Francisco
- One design-build team — architecture, permits, and construction under one contract
- We file with SF DBI and carry the set through plan review and inspection
- A fixed proposal out of feasibility — your number before demolition begins
- Weekly site reports and one point of contact, not a relay race between trades
- Licensed and insured — CSLB #1096552
FAQ
Almost always. Anything structural, electrical, plumbing, or that changes a layout needs a permit from SF DBI. Interior remodels that qualify for over-the-counter review can be issued in 1–10 business days; full kitchens and baths with systems changes run four to eight weeks in plan review. We file the set and carry it through final inspection.
Plan on six to nine months door to door for full-scope work — roughly eight to twelve weeks of design, four to eight weeks of permitting, and ten to sixteen weeks of construction. Single-room remodels are shorter. You get the sequence in feasibility, not a guess.
Often, for single-room or phased projects — we seal the work zone, protect the path, and keep a kitchen and bath functional where we can. Full-home or structural work is usually safer and faster with the house empty. We tell you honestly which one your project is before we start.
The citywide permitted-kitchen average is about $74,144, drawn from tens of thousands of SF permit filings — but that figure includes every modest refresh. The full-scope, design-build work we take on runs higher because it involves layout changes, structural work, and custom millwork. Your fixed number comes out of feasibility, not a webpage.
Yes — that’s the point of design-build. Architecture, engineering, permits, and construction sit under one contract and one schedule, so the drawings and the budget stay honest with each other and nothing falls through the gap between a designer and a separate contractor.
Pre-1978 Victorians and Edwardians hide knob-and-tube wiring, brick foundations, dry rot, and sometimes asbestos tile. We plan a 10–15% contingency on older stock and open exploratory areas early, so the surprises are priced in feasibility rather than billed as change orders.
Yes — from Noe Valley and the Marina to Pacific Heights, the Sunset, and the Richmond. Permit paths differ by neighborhood: historic districts add design review and time; the avenues tend to move faster. Our studio is on Union Street, so most of the city is a short drive.
We start with a feasibility conversation and a site walk, then put a fixed proposal in writing — not a vague range. You’ll know what the design fees, permits, materials, labor, and contingency cover before any demolition begins.
Projects done in San Francisco
Remodeling & Construction Services Available in This Area
