Mill Valley Whole-Home Renovation & Custom Builds
Mill Valley pairs its brown-shingle houses near downtown with post-and-beam moderns climbing Mount Tamalpais. Nearly all exterior work here passes through city design review — story poles and all — so a home renovation in Mill Valley starts with good drawings. We keep design, permits, and construction on one team, one schedule, one fixed proposal.
We Do Construction remodels Mill Valley’s brown-shingles, post-and-beams, and Tam Valley ranches — additions, whole-home renovations, and fire-hardening retrofits. One team carries design, City of Mill Valley design review with story poles, and construction on a single schedule and one fixed proposal.
Who We Build For in Mill Valley
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 Mill Valley home and want it brought current — systems, structure, drainage — while keeping the indoor-outdoor connection to the redwoods and the site.
What should Mill Valley homeowners know before renovating?
Mill Valley's housing splits by elevation: brown-shingle houses from the early 1900s cluster near downtown, while post-and-beam moderns step up the slopes of Mount Tamalpais. The city reviews nearly all exterior work under its design-review ordinance, Chapter 20.66, and story poles — full-scale mockups of the proposed massing — are required so neighbors can see exactly what is coming. Parcels in the wildland-urban interface add ember-resistant material requirements on top. On the hillsides, foundations and drainage lead every scope; water moving under a post-and-beam house is the quiet problem that becomes the expensive one. A design-build contractor in Mill Valley should carry the story poles, the fire-hardening, and the architecture in a single package.
We Do Construction (CSLB #1096552) designs for the review as much as for the site. Considering a hillside remodel or an addition under Mount Tam? The drawings are where it is won — start there with us.
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 Mill Valley lot, siting, drainage, and how the house opens to the trees and view are where the value — and the City’s review — concentrate.
Structure & Foundation
Mill Valley hillside homes demand serious engineering — deep footings, shear, steel, and drainage on sloped, wooded lots. We engineer the fixes into the scope, not the surprises.
Systems: Electrical, Plumbing & HVAC
Dated panels or 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.
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 Mill Valley
Increase Property Value
On a Mill Valley 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 Mill Valley
A full renovation, addition, or build in Mill Valley is a real permit — structural, electrical, plumbing, and City of Mill Valley 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 Mill Valley 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 Mill Valley-Area Projects
Recent Marin whole-house renovations, additions, and custom builds — Mill Valley, Tam Valley, and Corte Madera.
Our Services in Mill Valley
Serving Mill Valley and Marin County
FAQ
Yes — a renovation, addition, or build means a structural permit set with the City of Mill Valley, 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 Mill Valley, 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 Mill Valley, 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 — Mill Valley 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.