Whole home
Whole home renovation across the Bay Area
Every room, one contract, one schedule, one team who has done it before. The way to renovate a whole house is all at once, and this is the work we are built for.
The short version
Whole home renovation across the Bay Area, one contract from demo to done.
Renovating a house room by room over ten years costs more than doing it once. You pay to set up and tear down a job site every time, you live in construction on and off for a decade, and nothing quite matches when it is finished.
A whole home renovation is one permit, one crew, one schedule and one fixed price. Most families move out for the duration, and most come back to a house that works the way they actually live rather than the way it was drawn in 1974.
Scope
What a whole home renovation covers
Every room and every system of a full home remodel under one agreement. That is the point of doing it all at once.
- Architectural design Full drawings for the new plan, structural calculations and Title 24 energy compliance.
- Permits and approvals City submittal, plan check responses, and every inspection through final sign off.
- Structural work Walls removed, beams sized and installed, foundations underpinned where needed.
- Systems replacement New electrical panel and wiring, repiping, HVAC, and ducting sized for the new plan.
- Windows and doors Full replacement with dual pane, properly flashed and permitted.
- Kitchen and bathrooms Built to the same standard as our standalone kitchen and bath projects.
- Flooring throughout One continuous material where it should be continuous, level across the whole floor.
- Exterior and roof Siding, stucco, paint, roofing and gutters so the outside matches the new inside.
Our work
Whole Home Renovation projects across the Bay Area.
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Project pages
Whole Home Renovation projects, room by room.
Each page is one house: what we built there, and every photograph of it.
A whole home renovation in Palo Alto
A ranch house taken back to the studs: one open kitchen and living floor under new skylights, and two new bathrooms.
Palo Alto · Whole Home Renovation
A whole home renovation in Fremont
An older house gutted and rebuilt: open living and dining, a new kitchen, two new bathrooms and a slatted wood screen.
Fremont · Whole Home RenovationHonest numbers
Whole home renovation costs in the Bay Area.
Most contractors will not put a number on a web page. Here is ours, so you can find out whether we are in your range before you spend an afternoon on a consultation.
$200,000 to $600,000
Priced per square foot of the house, not per room. Homes that need new systems, structural work and a new roof sit at the top of the range.
Cosmetic whole home
Kitchen, baths, flooring, paint and fixtures throughout. No structural changes.
Full renovation
The above plus new electrical, plumbing, HVAC, windows and some walls moved.
Down to studs
Complete gut, new structure, new roof, new exterior, reconfigured plan.
These are typical ranges for completed Bay Area projects, not quotes. Costs move with the city and the age of the house, so your fixed price comes after we walk the space.
How it works
Five steps, start to finish.
The walkthrough
We come to you, look at the space, and talk about what you actually want. It is free, it takes about an hour, and there is no sales pitch at the end of it.
The contract and your price
An itemized breakdown of what every part of your project costs, a schedule for how long the work will take, and a clear payment structure, all in writing before anything begins. Read it closely and ask us anything. A contract you fully understand on day one is why the project ends with no surprises on the final bill.
Design and drawings
Measured plans and elevations of your space, drawn with you, so you can review the finished design before a single wall is touched. You approve it, and only then does the build begin.
Permits and build
We pull the permits, meet the inspectors and build it. You get a weekly update and a site we sweep every evening.
Walkthrough and warranty
We walk the finished job with you, clear the punch list, and hand over the warranty. And if you ever need us afterward, we will be right here, as we have been since 1989.
What clients say
300+ five star reviews from Bay Area homeowners.
I love the way my finished room looks! We started with an unfinished basement covered almost entirely in cement and now I have my dream room.
I ended up choosing Clarity out of 3 bids because I thought they were the most detailed and Daniel was actually the one who suggested we adjust the layout to get more room out of our bathroom… The team was done with everything ahead of schedule… I'd highly recommend Clarity to everyone I know and seriously LOVE the final results.
They guided me through what initially felt like an overwhelming project - transforming my small, outdated bathroom into a clean, functional walk-in shower… Every member of their team was punctual, professional, and efficient… Choosing Clarity was the best decision for my bathroom renovation!
We added onto our old 1970s home, and in just about six months, Clarity Construction completely transformed it. The house feels open, bright, and brand new again… Clarity truly lives up to their name - clear communication, great workmanship, and a beautiful result. Highly recommend them.
Recent reviews, copied word for word from our Thumbtack profile. Updated September 2026.
Straight answers
Worth knowing before you start.
One permit set, one sequence.
A whole home renovation lives or dies on sequence: demolition, structure, rough plumbing and electrical, inspections, insulation, drywall, then finishes, each trade arriving when the one before is signed off. Because our crews and our project manager run all of it, your home is not a negotiation between subcontractors. It is one schedule, and you have the direct number of the person who owns it.
The upgrades the law folds in.
Any permitted work over a thousand dollars brings your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms up to current standard through the whole house, bedrooms included, and we treat that as a feature, not a nuisance. Older homes usually earn an electrical service upgrade while the walls are open, aging knob-and-tube or an undersized panel is exactly what a renovation exists to retire, and altered walls, windows and systems meet today's energy code as we go. You end up with a house that is not just prettier but measurably safer and cheaper to run.
Live in it, or move out.
Most clients stay through a phased renovation and move room by room as we do. A full gut is different, and we will tell you honestly which project you have. Either way the site is sealed with dust walls, floors are protected, and the house is swept every evening, because a renovation you are living inside is judged every single night.
Whole Home Renovation questions
What people ask us about whole home renovation.
Do we have to move out during a whole home renovation?
For a full gut, yes, and it is usually cheaper that way because the crew can work every room at once. For a phased cosmetic renovation you can often stay, and we seal off and finish one zone at a time. We tell you honestly which one your project is at the walkthrough.
How much does it cost to renovate a whole house in the Bay Area?
Most whole home renovations we build run $200,000 to $600,000. A cosmetic renovation of a 1,600 square foot home sits near the bottom. A down to the studs rebuild with new systems, new roof and a reconfigured floor plan sits at the top.
How long does city plan check take around the Bay Area?
It varies more than anyone likes, city to city and season to season, and we would rather tell you what your city is doing right now than quote an average. We handle the submittal and every plan check correction ourselves. It is the part of the job most people underestimate, so we start it early. Call us with the address and we will tell you honestly what to expect.
Can you keep the character of an older home?
Yes. Much of our work is on Bay Area homes from the 1920s through the 1970s. We save and reuse original trim profiles, doors and hardware wherever they are sound, and we match new millwork to the old rather than replacing everything with modern stock.
Is one contract really better than hiring trades myself?
For a whole house, yes. When you hire trades separately you become the general contractor, which means you carry the scheduling, the inspections and the liability when two trades disagree. Under one contract that is our problem, and the price is fixed regardless.
Also worth a look
Related services.
Kitchen Remodeling
Custom cabinetry, stone counters, and a layout built around how you actually cook.
$60k to $180kHome Additions
More square footage, tied in so cleanly it looks like it was always there.
$400 to $650 / sq ftNew Home Construction
Ground up custom homes, from lot review to the final walkthrough.
$550 to $900 / sq ftFree consultation
Let us price your whole home renovation properly.
Tell us what you are planning. We will walk the space, talk through what it really takes, and put a fixed price in writing.