San Rafael Whole-Home Renovation & Additions
San Rafael runs from Victorian blocks downtown and in Gerstle Park to Terra Linda's Eichlers, with their radiant slabs and walls of glass. A kitchen remodel or home addition here answers to citywide wildfire building codes as much as to style. We carry the whole job — design, permits, and construction — on one team, one schedule, one fixed proposal.
We Do Construction remodels San Rafael’s Victorians, Eichlers, and hillside homes — full renovations, additions, and ADUs with wildfire hardening designed in, not bolted on. One team carries the project from drawings through the City of San Rafael Building Division to final inspection, on one schedule and one fixed proposal.
Who We Build For in San Rafael
Homeowners Planning to Stay Long-Term
This is the house you’re keeping. You want it re-systemed, 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 space, a real kitchen, a better connection to the yard. We sequence the work and, where possible, keep part of the house livable.
Owners of Period & Hillside Homes
You own a characterful or hillside San Rafael home and want it brought current — systems, structure, drainage — without losing what makes it work on its site.
What should San Rafael homeowners know before remodeling?
San Rafael's housing stock is unusually varied: Victorian fabric downtown and through Gerstle Park, mid-century Eichler tracts across Terra Linda, and hillside homes along the city's wildland edges. Eichler work is its own discipline — plumbing runs inside radiant slabs, and walls of glass demand careful structural and energy planning. Just as important, wildfire building codes apply citywide: improve more than 25 percent of a structure, or replace roofing or windows, and the project triggers a vegetation-management plan alongside the building permit. The City of San Rafael Building Division handles submittals through its online portal, which rewards complete, well-coordinated plans. A whole-home remodel in San Rafael is as much code strategy as design.
We Do Construction (CSLB #1096552) builds across Marin as a design-build contractor — one team for architecture, engineering, permits, and construction. Have an Eichler, a Victorian, or a hillside lot in mind? We'd welcome the conversation.
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
Opening a period home to light or fixing the circulation of a hillside house is where the value is — and where the City’s review pays attention.
Structure & Foundation
Older San Rafael homes hide soft foundations and undersized framing, and hillside lots add drainage realities. We engineer the fixes — footings, shear, steel, drainage — into the scope, not the surprises.
Systems: Electrical, Plumbing & HVAC
Knob-and-tube or dated panels 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.
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 Build in San Rafael
Increase Property Value
On a San Rafael lot, a permitted, structurally documented renovation, addition, or build 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 Rafael
A full renovation or addition in San Rafael is a real permit — structural, electrical, plumbing, and City of San Rafael planning review for new square footage, hillside work, or exterior changes. Plan on design, a review window, and several months of construction. We file the set with the City and carry it through every inspection.
What Impacts the Cost of a San Rafael Project
- 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
Over 150 five-star reviews
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Over 20 five-star reviews
We Do Construction, Inc.
Featured San Rafael-Area Projects
Recent Marin whole-house renovations and additions — San Rafael, Novato, and San Anselmo.
Our Services in San Rafael
Serving San Rafael and Marin County
FAQ
Yes — a renovation, addition, or build means a structural permit set with the City of San Rafael, plus planning review for new square footage or exterior changes. We file it, manage the review, and carry the job through every inspection.
Typically several months of design, a review window with the City of San Rafael, and several months of construction — longer for a down-to-studs renovation or a large addition. We give you the real schedule in feasibility.
For phased or partial-scope work we can often keep part of the house livable. A full down-to-studs renovation is safer and faster with the house empty.
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 the City of San Rafael, and construction on one team and one contract.
Yes — we engineer foundation, shear, and seismic upgrades into the scope so the work is sound, not just refinished.
Yes — San Rafael and the surrounding communities. Each project files with the jurisdiction that governs it.
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.