San Francisco Whole-Home Renovation & Remodeling
Most of San Francisco's housing went up before 1940 — Victorians, Edwardians, and Marina-style homes with knob-and-tube wiring and unreinforced foundations behind the plaster. A home renovation in San Francisco means updating those systems while the city reviews plans at DBI and Planning. We carry the whole job — design, permits, and construction — on one team, one schedule, one fixed proposal.
We Do Construction is a design-build contractor for San Francisco’s older housing — foundation replacements, seismic strengthening, full-gut remodels, kitchens, and ADUs across the city’s Victorian and Edwardian stock. One team carries every project from feasibility through SF Planning and DBI to final inspection, on a single contract and a single fixed proposal.
Who We Build For in San Francisco
Homeowners Planning to Stay Long-Term
This is the house you’re keeping. You want it re-wired, re-plumbed, structurally sound, and reorganized to live the way you actually do — done once, comprehensively.
Growing Families
The house has to grow with the family — more bedrooms, a real kitchen, a better connection to the yard. We sequence the work and, where possible, keep part of the house livable.
Owners of Victorians & Period Homes
You own characterful San Francisco architecture and want it brought current — systems, seismic, insulation — without erasing the millwork and detail that make it what it is.
What should San Francisco homeowners know before renovating?
The city's housing stock skews old — Victorian and Edwardian rowhouses, Marina-style homes over garages — and much of it still carries original systems: knob-and-tube wiring, galvanized plumbing, foundations that predate modern seismic code. A serious remodel here almost always pairs the visible work with rewiring, repiping, and structural upgrades. Permits run through SF DBI, with Planning weighing in on anything that changes the envelope; a kitchen or bathroom remodel typically clears review in three to eight weeks, while structural scopes take longer. ADU approvals are now streamlined statewide, which has made garages and garden levels the most productive square footage in the city. An experienced design-build contractor in San Francisco sequences all of it so review time never becomes idle time.
We Do Construction (CSLB #1096552) has built its practice inside these buildings — the plaster, the framing, and the paperwork. If you are weighing a whole-home remodel or an ADU, we are glad to walk the house with you first.
Last updated July 2026.
SIGNATURE MOMENTS
What separates a full remodel from a series of renovations.
Whole-home coordination
Plumbing, electrical, and HVAC designed together — not retrofitted room by room. Systems that work as a single home.
Live-in sequencing
We phase construction around your occupancy when possible. You don't always have to leave for a full remodel.
Single-team delivery
One GC. One point of contact. No finger-pointing between trades when something needs resolution.
ENGAGEMENT MODEL
Three phases. Every room. No handoffs.
Flat-fee at every phase. You know the total investment before work begins.
PHASE 01
Discovery
We assess your entire home — structure, systems, layout — and align the scope to how your household actually lives.
PHASE 02
Design
Integrated design across every room. Finishes, fixtures, and spatial flow resolved together so nothing conflicts.
PHASE 03
Construction
Phased execution across all spaces, coordinated by one team. You stay informed at every milestone.
Architecture & Floor Plan
A whole-house renovation is a chance to fix the plan, not just the finishes — moving the kitchen to the light, opening the rear, and making a narrow SF home work as one.
Structure & Foundation
Old SF houses hide soft foundations, undersized framing, and seismic vulnerabilities. We engineer the fixes — shear walls, new footings, steel — into the scope, not the surprises.
Systems: Electrical, Plumbing & HVAC
Knob-and-tube out, modern service in; re-plumbed supply and drains; heating and ventilation sized for the whole house — done while the walls are open.
Finishes & Millwork
Rift-sawn white oak, honed stone, custom millwork — specified and detailed before demolition so the trades build to a drawing, period-correct for the house.
The Old Way
- Separate designer and contractor
- Unclear budgets and change orders
- Delays caused by poor coordination
- Limited accountability when problems arise
Our Design-Build Approach
- One integrated team from concept to completion
- Clear scope, transparent pricing, and realistic timelines
- Fewer delays and better communication
- Full responsibility for design, permits, and construction
Why Renovate in San Francisco
Increase Property Value
In San Francisco, a permitted, structurally documented renovation is the value move — the value is in the structure, systems, seismic, and approvals, not a surface refresh.
Improve Daily Functionality
A plan that finally fits the family, light brought in from the rear, and a house that works as one — the difference between patching and actually solving the house.
Modernize the Look and Feel
Consistent materials and detailing across every room — a house that reads as one considered project rather than a decade of piecemeal fixes.
PROCESS AT A GLANCE
One team. One timeline.
Every trade coordinated under one contract. No gaps, no handoffs.
STAGE 01
Discovery
2–4 weeks
Whole-home assessment, structural evaluation, scope alignment.
STAGE 02
Design
6–12 weeks
Integrated room-by-room design, material selections, system planning.
STAGE 03
Permit
3–8 weeks
Permit drawings, city submission, multi-trade approvals.
STAGE 04
Build
4–12 months
Phased construction across all rooms through final walk-through.
What to Expect Building in San Francisco
A full renovation in San Francisco is a major permit — structural, electrical, plumbing, and often SF Planning review for additions or façade changes. Plan on design, a Planning review window, and several months of construction. We file the set with SF DBI and carry it through every inspection.
What Impacts the Cost of a San Francisco Renovation
- One integrated team from concept to completion
- Clear scope, transparent pricing, and realistic timelines
- Fewer delays and better communication
- Full responsibility for design, permits, and construction
- One integrated team from concept to completion
- Clear scope, transparent pricing, and realistic timelines
- Fewer delays and better communication
- Full responsibility for design, permits, and construction
Professionals Tips
Increase Property Value
A whole-house renovation done right is the biggest value move a home here can make — but the value is in the structure, the systems, and the permits, not a surface refresh.
Improve Daily Functionality
A plan that finally fits the family, light brought in from the rear, and a house that works as one — the difference between patching and actually solving the house.
Modernize the Look and Feel
Consistent materials and detailing across every room — a house that reads as one considered project rather than a decade of piecemeal fixes.
Increase Property Value
A whole-house renovation done right is the biggest value move a home here can make — but the value is in the structure, the systems, and the permits, not a surface refresh.
Improve Daily Functionality
A plan that finally fits the family, light brought in from the rear, and a house that works as one — the difference between patching and actually solving the house.
Modernize the Look and Feel
Consistent materials and detailing across every room — a house that reads as one considered project rather than a decade of piecemeal fixes.
What Our Clients Say
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Over 20 five-star reviews
We Do Construction, Inc.
Featured San Francisco Projects
Recent San Francisco whole-house renovations, additions, and down-to-studs rebuilds across the city.
Our Services in San Francisco
Serving San Francisco and the Bay Area
FAQ
Yes — a full renovation means a structural permit set with SF DBI, plus SF Planning review if you are adding square footage or changing the façade. We file it, manage the review, and carry the job through every inspection.
Typically several months of design, a permitting window for structural and Planning review, and several months of construction — often a year or more for a down-to-studs project. We give you the real schedule in feasibility.
Rarely for a true down-to-studs renovation — it is safer and faster with the house empty. For phased or partial-scope work we can sometimes keep part of the house livable.
It depends on square footage, how much structure, seismic, and systems work is involved, and the finish level. We price it in feasibility against a real scope, then hold it in a fixed proposal.
Both. We are design-build — architecture, engineering, permitting through SF Planning and DBI, and construction on one team and one contract.
Yes — older SF homes need foundation, shear, and seismic upgrades. We engineer those into the scope so the renovation is sound, not just refinished.
Yes — San Francisco and the wider city. Each project files with SF Planning and DBI.
Yes. After feasibility and a defined scope we issue one fixed proposal covering design, permits, and construction.
How much does a full home remodel cost in San Francisco?
A full home remodel in San Francisco typically runs $350,000–$900,000+ in 2026 — roughly $300–$600 per square foot, and higher when structural or seismic work is involved. The range reflects SF labor rates, the realities of pre-1978 housing stock, and the finish level of a design-build home. We Do Construction (CSLB #1096552) delivers whole-home remodels across San Francisco on a single fixed-price design-build contract.
| Tier | Typical SF range (2026) | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Finishes-forward | $350,000–$500,000 | Existing layout kept, new kitchen and baths, finishes, systems refresh |
| Full reconfiguration | $500,000–$750,000 | New floor plan, relocated plumbing and electrical, Title 24 systems |
| Structural / addition-grade | $750,000–$900,000+ | Walls out, steel and seismic upgrades, custom millwork throughout |
SF labor/trade rates per Block Renovation SF data. Ranges are planning figures — your fixed number comes out of feasibility. Last updated June 2026.
What permits does a full home remodel require in San Francisco?
A whole-home remodel touching layout, structure, plumbing, electrical, or mechanical systems requires a building permit from the SF Department of Building Inspection (DBI), and work that changes the building envelope or use also goes through SF Planning. Full-scope and structural permits run 2–4+ months in plan review, and additions 3–6 months; historic districts north of California Street add design review. Pre-1978 homes also trigger lead and asbestos protocols. As a licensed SF general contractor (CSLB #1096552), We Do Construction files and manages the entire DBI and Planning process in-house. Last updated June 2026.