Presidio Heights Whole-Home Renovation & Restoration
Presidio Heights faces the forest — brick, stucco, and shingle houses commissioned from the city's early architects, set on deep lots. A whole-home remodel in Presidio Heights typically means full-gut systems and seismic work behind rooms worth preserving. We keep design, permits, and construction on one team, one schedule, one fixed proposal.
We Do Construction handles Presidio Heights at full scale — whole-house transformations, full-gut MEP and seismic on 4,000–5,000-plus square foot floor plates, slate and clay-tile roofs, deep-lot rear expansions. One team carries each project from feasibility through SF Planning and DBI to final inspection, on a single contract.
Who We Build For in Presidio Heights
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 light and the yard. We sequence the work and, where possible, keep part of the house livable.
Owners of Period & Revival-Era Homes
You own a grand Presidio Heights home and want it brought current — systems, seismic, insulation — while preserving the millwork, plaster, and façade that make it what it is.
What should Presidio Heights homeowners know before renovating?
The homes of Presidio Heights were architect-designed from the start — brick, stucco, and shingle houses of the early 1900s, set on deep lots that face the Presidio's eucalyptus. Their floor plates are large, which makes them forgiving to replan and expensive to ignore: a serious home renovation in Presidio Heights usually rebuilds the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems wall to wall and adds seismic strengthening while everything is open. Expect process. Most of these houses qualify for historic-resource review at SF Planning, and expansions trigger Section 311 neighbor notification, which puts your drawings in front of the block before a permit issues. Good drawings and early neighbor conversations are worth more than speed here.
We Do Construction (CSLB #1096552) prepares Presidio Heights submittals to survive both reviews the first time. If you are planning an expansion, the useful first step is a feasibility walk — we are glad to take it with you.
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 formal period plan to light or reworking circulation is where the value is — and where SF Planning and any historic review pay the most attention.
Structure & Foundation
Presidio Heights homes hide soft foundations, undersized framing, and seismic vulnerability. We engineer the fixes — new footings, shear, steel, drainage — 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 Presidio Heights
Increase Property Value
In Presidio Heights, 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 Presidio Heights
A full renovation in Presidio Heights is a real permit — structural, electrical, plumbing, and SF Planning review for additions or façade changes, plus historic review where it applies. Plan on design, a Planning review window, and several months of construction. We file the set with SF and carry it through every inspection.
What Impacts the Cost of a Presidio Heights 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
Over 150 five-star reviews
Over 85 five-star reviews
Over 20 five-star reviews
We Do Construction, Inc.
Featured Presidio Heights Projects
Recent San Francisco period-home restorations, whole-house renovations, and additions — Presidio Heights and the northern neighborhoods.
Services for Presidio Heights homes
Areas We Serve
Serving Presidio Heights and San Francisco
Services for Presidio Heights homes
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 — Presidio Heights 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.