Architecture-Led Kitchen Remodeling in Orinda
We Do Construction designs and builds in Orinda under a single principal — Jacob. Discovery, design, permits, and construction live in one team, in one office, with one point of accountability. Typical engagement: $300K–$1.1M, 9–13 months from contract to keys.
Kitchens for Orinda homes, opened to light and garden.
Bay Area light, long sightlines, and glazing that opens to terrace or garden where the lot allows. Honed stone, white oak, brass with patina.
Most contractors price finishes first. We start one step earlier — the room, the lot, the orientation, the local jurisdictional envelope. That work shapes everything else. That is what we mean by architecture-led: composition, not catalog selection.
What an architecture-led kitchen remodel includes
Four things separate our work from cabinet-and-counter contracting:
- Spatial reorganization. Walls move. Sculleries integrate. Kitchens open to gardens through real architectural openings.
- Material specification by hand. Stone slabs selected from the yard, white oak grain chosen for figure, brass left unlacquered to patina.
- Integrated lighting design. Recessed plane, linear plinth, single warm-glow pendant — coordinated as one system.
- Custom millwork. Reeded oak fronts, brass inset pulls, toe-kick details that breathe with the rest of the architecture.
How we run a Orinda kitchen remodel project
- Discovery
90-min on-site. Fixed fee. Feasibility memo in 7 days.
- Design
Schematic, 3D massing, material studies. Stone yard + millwork visits.
- Permit
Plan check in-house. HOA review where applicable.
- Build
Principal-led. Stone yard checks, shop visits, walkthroughs.
Hillside or geotechnical review can apply on sloped lots — we confirm the permit path during Discovery.
Common questions
How is Discovery structured?
Discovery is a 90-minute working session on-site. Fixed fee, credited against the project if we proceed. Within seven days you receive a written feasibility memo — scope envelope, permit posture, preliminary investment range, and our honest read on whether we should work together.
What is the right budget to start a kitchen conversation?
Our smallest kitchen engagements start at $250K when the room is largely cosmetic. Most architecture-led kitchens land between $300K and $1.2M — the range reflects whether walls move, whether a scullery integrates, the stone selection, the millwork complexity, and the lighting system depth. Discovery refines this to a real number for your home.
Will my project sit inside your active pipeline?
We engage a limited number of projects per year — fewer than the typical design-build firm, more than a boutique architect studio. Discovery includes a candid conversation about timing and whether we can hold the standard you are paying for.
Schedule a Project Consultation
A kitchen is the most architectural room in a house. It tests every decision about how the home lives. We start there.
— Jacob, Principal · We Do Construction
We will meet at the site, walk the project with you, and talk about what is possible inside the local jurisdictional and architectural envelope. The consultation credits against the project as a refundable retainer.
Also serving nearby: Kitchen Sea Cliff · Kitchen Pacifica. See more Kitchen Remodeling work across San Francisco.
We Do Construction · CSLB License #1096552 · Architecture-led design-build across San Francisco.
Request a consultation(415) 416-5494