Bernal Heights Whole-Home Renovation & Additions
Bernal Heights keeps its workers' cottages and small Victorians pitched on steep lots over serpentine bedrock, many carrying decades of unpermitted additions. Renovation here often begins with legalization, then grows up, out, or down — frequently toward an ADU in Bernal Heights. We carry design, permits, and construction on one team, one schedule, one fixed proposal.
We Do Construction handles Bernal’s hardest work — foundation replacements on rock, hillside additions, garage and downslope ADUs, and legalizing decades of unpermitted construction. One team carries design, SF Planning and DBI permits, and construction on a single schedule and one fixed proposal.
Who We Build For in Bernal 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 Cottages & Victorians
You own a Bernal cottage or Victorian and want it brought current — systems, seismic, insulation — and often more light and space, without losing the character.
What should Bernal Heights homeowners know before renovating?
Bernal Heights began as a neighborhood of workers' cottages and small Victorians, and the hill's serpentine bedrock has held them up through everything since. What complicates renovation here is history of another kind: decades of additions built without permits, which surface the moment a homeowner files for new work. The productive move is to fold legalization into the project rather than fight it — document existing conditions, bring them to code, then expand up, out, or downslope as the lot allows. Garage conversions and downslope ADUs are the neighborhood's natural expansion path, and California's streamlined ADU approvals have made them far more predictable. A design-build contractor in Bernal Heights should price the legalization and the dream in the same proposal.
We Do Construction (CSLB #1096552) starts Bernal projects with an honest as-built assessment — what is permitted, what is not, and what it takes to fix. Want to know where your house actually stands? That is our first site visit.
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 compact cottage to light and the view, or adding a level on a Bernal lot, is where the value is — and where SF Planning pays the most attention.
Structure & Foundation
Bernal Heights homes hide soft foundations, undersized framing, and seismic vulnerability on steep lots. 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 Bernal Heights
Increase Property Value
In Bernal 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 Bernal Heights
A full renovation or addition in Bernal Heights is a real permit — structural, electrical, plumbing, and SF Planning review for added square footage or façade changes. 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 Bernal 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
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Over 20 five-star reviews
We Do Construction, Inc.
Featured Bernal Heights Projects
Recent San Francisco whole-house renovations and additions — Bernal Heights, the Mission, and Glen Park.
Services for Bernal Heights homes
Areas We Serve
Serving Bernal Heights and San Francisco
Services for Bernal 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 — Bernal 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.