Orinda Whole-Home Remodeling & Custom Builds
Orinda's mid-century homes sit deep in the trees on steep, wooded lots — privacy that comes with wildfire exposure on nearly every parcel. A home renovation in Orinda treats roofing, siding, decks, and windows as fire-hardening opportunities, not just finishes. We carry the whole job — design, permits, and construction — on one team, one schedule, one fixed proposal.
We Do Construction designs and builds hillside remodels, additions, and WUI-hardening retrofits across Orinda — mid-century updates in Sleepy Hollow, structural and drainage work on canyon lots. One team carries design, City of Orinda planning and building permits, Moraga-Orinda Fire District sign-off, and construction under a single contract.
Who We Build For in Orinda
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 on Wooded Hillside Lots
You own a hillside Orinda home and want it brought current — systems, structure, drainage, and a kitchen — while keeping the indoor-outdoor connection to the site.
What should Orinda homeowners know before renovating?
Nearly every parcel in Orinda carries wildland-urban interface exposure, and the code follows: touch the roof, siding, deck, or windows and ignition-resistant requirements come with the scope. That isn't a burden so much as a brief — the same work that hardens a 1950s–70s ranch house against ember cast also modernizes its envelope, its glazing, and its curb presence. The approval path has two gates worth planning for: City Planning review precedes the building permit, and the Moraga-Orinda Fire District signs off on many projects. Older homes near Orinda Village add their own layer of original systems to update. A whole-home remodel in Orinda succeeds when fire strategy, planning approvals, and design are drawn as one package.
We Do Construction (CSLB #1096552) runs that package as a design-build contractor — architecture, fire-district coordination, permits, and construction on one team. Considering a remodel in the trees? We'd be glad to walk the property.
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
On a steep, wooded Orinda lot, siting, drainage, and how the house opens to the view are where the value — and the City’s review — concentrate.
Structure & Foundation
Orinda hillside homes demand serious engineering — deep footings, shear, steel, and drainage on sloped lots. We engineer the fixes into the scope, not the surprises.
Systems: Electrical, Plumbing & HVAC
Dated panels out, modern service in; re-plumbed supply and drains; heating and cooling 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 Orinda
Increase Property Value
On a Orinda lot, a permitted, structurally documented remodel, addition, or build is the value move — the value is in the structure, systems, square footage, 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 Orinda
A full remodel, addition, or build in Orinda is a real permit — structural, electrical, plumbing, and City of Orinda 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 Orinda 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
Over 85 five-star reviews
Over 20 five-star reviews
We Do Construction, Inc.
Featured Orinda-Area Projects
Recent Contra Costa whole-house remodels, additions, and outdoor renovations — Orinda, Lafayette, and Moraga.
Our Services in Orinda
Serving Orinda and Contra Costa County
FAQ
Yes — a remodel, addition, or build means a structural permit set with the City of Orinda, 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 Orinda, and several months of construction — longer for a large addition or a down-to-studs remodel. 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 remodel is safer and faster with the house empty.
It depends on square footage, how much structure 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 Orinda, and construction on one team and one contract.
Yes — we handle the planning review and engineering for additions and ADUs as part of the scope.
Yes — Orinda 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.