Berkeley Whole-Home Renovation & Remodeling
Berkeley's brown-shingle, Craftsman, and First Bay Tradition houses — much of the stock a century old — sit on steep lots along the Hayward Fault. A home renovation in Berkeley is preservation work with structure behind it: seismic retrofit, fire-wise exteriors, updated systems. One team carries design, permits, and construction on one schedule and one fixed proposal.
We Do Construction renovates Berkeley’s brown-shingles and Craftsmans — whole-house remodels, seismic soft-story retrofits, and EMBER-compliant facades, fences, and hardscape designed as if the code were the concept. One team carries the work from drawings through Berkeley’s Permit Service Center to final inspection, on one fixed proposal.
Who We Build For in Berkeley
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 Craftsman & Brown-Shingle Homes
You own characterful Berkeley architecture and want it brought current — systems, seismic, insulation — while preserving the shingle, millwork, and detail that make it what it is.
What should Berkeley homeowners know before renovating?
Renovating in Berkeley means honoring architecture the region is known for — brown-shingle, Craftsman, and First Bay Tradition homes, many nearing their second century — while bringing structure and exterior up to modern reality. Along the Hayward Fault, seismic retrofit belongs in nearly every scope, and the city's incentive programs reward owners who do it. In the hills, the EMBER ordinance bans combustible materials within five feet of the house, which turns fences, plantings, and facade details into genuine design work rather than afterthoughts. Expect the Permit Service Center to take weeks, not days, on review, and plan the schedule accordingly. Done well, a whole-home remodel in Berkeley strengthens a house you intend to keep for decades.
We Do Construction (CSLB #1096552) works as a design-build contractor on houses with history — engineering, permits, and craft under one roof. Which part of your Berkeley home has been waiting longest? We'd like to see it.
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 Craftsman to light or reworking a hillside plan is where the value is — and where the City’s review and any fire-zone rules pay attention.
Structure & Foundation
Berkeley homes hide soft foundations, undersized framing, and seismic vulnerability on steep lots. 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 Berkeley
Increase Property Value
On a Berkeley 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 Berkeley
A full renovation in Berkeley is a real permit — structural, electrical, plumbing, and City of Berkeley planning review for additions or exterior changes, plus hillside and fire-zone rules where they apply. 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 Berkeley 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 Berkeley-Area Projects
Recent East Bay whole-house renovations and additions — Berkeley, Albany, and Oakland.
Our Services in Berkeley
Serving Berkeley and the East Bay
FAQ
Yes — a renovation, addition, or build means a structural permit set with the City of Berkeley, 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 Berkeley, 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 Berkeley, 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 — Berkeley 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.