Serving San Mateo · San Mateo County
Your remodeling contractor in San Mateo
Kitchen and bath remodeling, second stories, whole home renovations and ADUs across San Mateo, in houses that were built to grow.
Remodeling in San Mateo
San Mateo remodeling, for houses that were built to grow.
San Mateo's prewar neighborhoods were built grand but compact. Aragon's Spanish and Tudor homes famously started life with two bedrooms and have been growing ever since; San Mateo Park was laid out in 1903 around sixty nine landscaped traffic circles; Baywood and Hayward Park carry the same period-revival bones. Then the war ended and Bohannon built Hillsdale by the thousand, eleven to fifteen hundred square feet at a time.
In other words, this is a city of additions waiting to happen. We build them, along with the kitchens, baths and ADUs that go with them.
City hall, handled
Permits in San Mateo, handled for you.
The Community Development Department runs an online permit center, and same-day review is real here: kitchen and bath remodels with conventional wall changes, interior remodels under five hundred square feet and several other scopes qualify for over the counter plan check, in person or virtual. We package projects to qualify whenever the scope allows.
The line to respect is the second story: any second floor added to a single story house triggers single family design review, with notice to everyone within five hundred feet and a neighborhood meeting before you even apply. That is not a reason to skip the second story. It is a reason to design it well the first time, which is what we do.
One more San Mateo particular: projects valued at ninety thousand dollars or more require the private sewer lateral to be tested before the permit issues. We schedule the test early and fold any fix into the contract so it never stalls the job.
The housing stock
What San Mateo homes ask for.
The prewar homes want their systems renewed and their footprints grown without losing the face that makes the block: rear additions, attic conversions, kitchens rebuilt inside original walls. The Hillsdale and Shoreview ranches want space, and Shoreview adds a wrinkle, because parts of the bayside sit in mapped flood zones where a remodel past half the home's value must bring the whole structure up to flood standards. We check the map before we scope.
ADUs are generous here: a single family lot can hold an ADU and a junior unit besides the house, units to eight hundred square feet are exempt from floor area ratio, none require parking, and impact fees vanish under seven hundred fifty square feet. The city maintains pre-approved plans, and the state's sixty day ministerial clock applies.
What we build in San Mateo
Every service, one contract, one fixed price.
Kitchen Remodeling
Custom cabinetry, stone counters, and a layout built around how you actually cook.
$60k to $180kBathroom Remodeling
Curbless showers, custom tile, proper waterproofing behind every wall.
$30k to $90kWhole Home Renovation
Every room at once, under one contract and one schedule that holds.
$200k to $600kHome Additions
More square footage, tied in so cleanly it looks like it was always there.
$400 to $650 / sq ftADU Construction
A second dwelling on your lot. State law is on your side, and we know the process.
$190k to $500kGarage Conversion
The cheapest square footage you own. Foundation and roof are already there.
$100k to $250kNew Home Construction
Ground up custom homes, from lot review to the final walkthrough.
$550 to $900 / sq ftDecks & Outdoor Living
Decks, patios, outdoor kitchens and covers, engineered and permitted properly.
$30k to $120kSan Mateo questions
What San Mateo homeowners ask us.
How do permits work in San Mateo?
Through the city's online permit center, with over the counter same-day review for qualifying scopes like kitchen and bath remodels with conventional wall changes. Bigger work goes to full plan review. We file, answer every comment round and meet the inspectors.
What happens if I add a second story?
Any second story addition to a single story house goes through single family design review: neighbors within five hundred feet are noticed and a neighborhood meeting comes before the application. We run that process for you. The design work that makes it smooth is the same design work the house deserves.
What is the sewer lateral rule?
For projects worth ninety thousand dollars or more, San Mateo requires your private sewer lateral to pass a test before the permit issues. We schedule the test early and price any repair inside the contract, so it is handled before it can slow anything down.
How do ADUs work in San Mateo?
Well. An ADU up to 800 square feet is exempt from floor area limits, no parking is required, impact fees are waived under 750 square feet, and approval is ministerial on the state's sixty day clock. Design, permits and construction ride one fixed price agreement.
Free consultation
Planning a remodel in San Mateo?
Tell us what you are imagining. We will walk the space, explain what your city requires, and put a fixed price in writing.