Kitchen remodeling
Bathroom remodeling
Home additions & ADU
Roofing
Windows & doors
Driveway & pavers
FenceFree written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
Fast, Reliable General Contractor Across Los Altos
You need a General Contractor who knows what a Los Altos permit review actually involves before the first hammer swings. Ruben Castillo leads San Bernardino Contractors, and we’ve worked enough 94022, 94023, and 94024 ranch homes to know the difference between a straightforward remodel and one that stalls for months over a heritage oak or a neighbor’s sight-line objection. From kitchens and baths to full second-story additions and ADUs, we handle every trade under one roof. If you’re planning a remodel in Los Altos, call (855) 473-5620 for a free estimate and a straight read on what your project will really take.
Why San Bernardino Contractors Is Los Altos’s Preferred General Contractor Company
Los Altos homeowners don’t want a contractor who learns the town’s design-review process on their dime. They want someone who’s already sat through Planning Commission meetings over tree removals and sight-line objections and knows how to budget for that phase. That’s us. We manage projects from the roof down to the pavers, so you’re not juggling a roofer, a cabinet shop, a window crew, and a tile sub. One contractor owns the whole schedule, the whole material list, and the whole inspection log.
What that looks like in practice: when we open a 1950s ranch on a quiet 94024 street for a kitchen remodel, we already know the likely finds. Knob-and-tube wiring. Galvanized supply lines. A past addition that was never permitted. We write allowances for those into the contract before demolition, price any upgrade as a signed change order before we touch it, and keep the inspection schedule moving. Ruben Castillo runs the site with that discipline on every job.
We carry access to more than 50 named brands across cabinetry, countertops, plumbing fixtures, roofing, windows, siding, fencing, and hardscaping. That matters in Los Altos because the town’s aesthetic demands are particular. Matching a 1960s ranch’s original character isn’t a matter of grabbing whatever’s on the shelf at a big-box supplier. It’s knowing which GAF shingle profile reads right on a low-pitch roof, and which Grohe or Sterling fixture line fits a period-appropriate bath without looking like a showroom transplant.
Styles & brands we work with







Residential General Contractor in Los Altos
Residential General Contractor work in Los Altos almost always starts with the same conversation: what’s behind these walls, and what will the permit office require once we open them. Most of the housing stock in 94022 and 94024 dates from the 1940s through the 1960s, single-story California ranches on lots that have been carved up and expanded over decades. A remodel here is rarely a clean shell. It’s a process of discovery, and the contractor’s job is to control what gets discovered and what it costs you.
A down-to-the-studs kitchen remodel in Los Altos typically runs $14,000 to $45,000. A bathroom remodel lands between $9,000 and $28,000. The spread comes down to what the walls reveal once they’re open. We price allowances for electrical rough-in, pipe replacement, and structural repairs into the contract from day one, so the number you approve is the number you can plan around. When a condition is worse than the allowance, you see a written change order with a fixed price before we proceed. No verbal surprises.
What a Los Altos remodel permit actually triggers
Los Altos runs a strict one-house-per-lot culture, and the town enforces it through meticulous design review. Even a remodel that keeps the footprint identical can trigger discretionary review if the project touches a heritage tree or alters a neighbor’s sight line. We budget for that phase before the first permit is pulled, because a contractor who treats the permit as a formality blows the schedule before the first inspection.
Code upgrades once walls are open
Opening a 1940s or 1960s ranch almost always triggers electrical and plumbing code upgrades. Knob-and-tube circuits, early Romex, galvanized supply lines, and unpermitted past additions surface constantly. The permit inspection covers the rough-in work before drywall goes back, and the building department will not sign off on outdated wiring hiding behind new tile. We write those upgrades into the allowance structure up front.
Hire a General Contractor in Los Altos
When you hire a General Contractor in Los Altos, you’re hiring someone to manage the discretionary review, the hidden conditions, the material lead times, and every trade on site. That’s the job. Not just swinging hammers. Ruben Castillo’s crew handles the full exterior-to-interior scope, so a roof replacement from GAF or CertainTeed, new James Hardie siding, and a Cambria kitchen can all move under one schedule and one accountable point of contact.
Homeowners researching a major remodel in Los Altos often start with the kitchen, then add the bath, then ask whether the lot will support an ADU. We can answer that question with specifics on your ZIP code, your setback constraints, and the design-review path you’ll face. Home additions in Los Altos run $45,000 to $130,000. ADU construction runs $90,000 to $220,000. The variance comes from site conditions, foundation work, and the discretionary-review timeline, which in Los Altos can outlast the building permit itself.
One contractor, every phase
We handle roofing, windows and doors, siding, fencing, hardscaping, kitchens, bathrooms, and ADUs. When a single GC owns the entire project, there’s no subcontractor shuffle and no finger-pointing between trades. You pick the brand and finish level. We handle the build.
Inspection-first allowances keep the number honest
Every down-to-the-studs remodel in a 1940s-1960s ranch should carry allowance line items. We inspect before we quote, write the allowance into the contract, and price any overage as a written change order. That’s how you avoid a quote that looks clean and then balloons mid-demolition.
Trusted Brands We Service in Los Altos
We’re authorized to work with roofing systems from GAF and CertainTeed, plumbing fixtures from Grohe and Sterling, and countertop lines like Cambria and Silestone. On a Los Altos project, brand selection often runs parallel to design review, because the town’s small-lot aesthetic pushes homeowners toward quiet, period-consistent finishes. We keep material lead times visible from the first estimate and coordinate delivery around your inspection schedule. No generic “quality materials” language. You choose the specific product line, and we build to that spec.
See the difference
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After
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AfterCommon General Contractor Problems We See in Los Altos Homes
- Knob-and-tube wiring behind original walls. Homes built before about 1960 in 94022 and 94024 frequently still carry active knob-and-tube circuits. Opening a kitchen or bath forces an electrical rough-in upgrade before insulation and drywall can go back.
- Galvanized supply lines failing behind subfloors. We regularly find corroded galvanized plumbing in Los Altos ranch homes. A kitchen remodel that doesn’t budget for repipe work is a change order waiting to happen mid-demolition.
- Unpermitted past additions. Many original Los Altos homes have enclosed porches, converted garages, or added wings that were never pulled through the building department. When a permit inspection opens the wall, the inspector sees it, and the fix becomes part of your project scope.
- Expansive clay soils under concrete work. Los Altos sits on clay that swells with winter moisture and shrinks in dry summers. Driveway, patio, and foundation work has to account for that movement, especially on hillside-adjacent lots where wildfire-defensible-space rules now influence exterior material choices.
Pricing for General Contractor in Los Altos, CA
Los Altos pricing runs higher than neighboring Mountain View or Sunnyvale, and the reason is specific: design review is discretionary, the housing stock is older, and the town’s aesthetic standards push material costs up. Here’s what we see on the ground.
| Project Type | Typical Los Altos Range |
|---|---|
| Kitchen Remodel | $14,000 – $45,000 |
| Bathroom Remodel | $9,000 – $28,000 |
| Home Addition | $45,000 – $130,000 |
| ADU Construction | $90,000 – $220,000 |
These ranges assume a typical 1940s-1960s ranch in 94022 or 94024 with the usual hidden conditions. A clean gut-and-replace kitchen lands toward the lower end. A second-story addition or ADU with design-review delays, tree-protection work, and clay-soil foundation upgrades lands higher. Every estimate we write includes an inspection-first walkthrough and allowance line items. Call (855) 473-5620 for a free estimate, and we’ll give you a written, line-item quote before you commit to anything.
We Also Serve Cities Near Los Altos
Our General Contractor in Los Altos team covers the full 94022, 94023, and 94024 ZIP codes, plus the surrounding communities where the same ranch-stock and design-review realities apply. We serve Los Altos Hills, Loyola, Mountain View, and Stanford as well. If you’re on the Los Altos edge or just across a boundary, the same permit and pricing logic holds. Call (855) 473-5620 to confirm coverage for your specific address.
Serving Los Altos, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Los Altos area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage — if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About General Contractor in Los Altos
We write an electrical rough-in allowance into your contract before demolition, and if the actual scope exceeds that allowance, you get a fixed-price change order signed before we touch the circuit. Knob-and-tube is common in 94022 and 94024 homes, and the building department won’t sign off on a remodel with active knob-and-tube behind new walls. The upgrade becomes part of the permit scope, not an optional add-on. Call (855) 473-5620 and we’ll walk the site with you before quoting so the allowance is sized correctly.
Very possibly. Los Altos is one-house-per-lot, and second-story additions routinely draw Planning Commission design review, especially if a heritage tree or a neighbor’s sight line is involved. A project can stall for months before the first building permit is even pulled. We budget for that discretionary phase in the schedule from the start. Call (855) 473-5620 and we’ll tell you honestly whether your specific lot and scope will face review.
We document what we find, flag it to the building department through the permit process, and price the correction as a written change order before any work proceeds. Unpermitted additions are extremely common in older Los Altos ranch homes, and inspectors see them the moment walls are open. The fix becomes part of the permitted scope, and we keep the inspection log clean through sign-off. Call (855) 473-5620 for a free estimate that includes an inspection of any past work on your property.
The inspection covers electrical rough-in, plumbing rough-in, structural connections, and any code-triggered upgrades once walls are open. In Los Altos, that means verifying old knob-and-tube or early Romex is replaced, galvanized supply lines are addressed, and any framing or shear-wall work meets current code. Additional reviews can apply if the project touches exterior walls, windows, or tree-protection zones. Call (855) 473-5620 and we’ll map your inspection sequence before you sign.
Some ADUs under state law are ministerial, meaning no discretionary design review. But on many Los Altos lots, an ADU still faces local design-review triggers around setbacks, heritage trees, and sight lines, especially in 94022 and 94024. We work with prefab and modular solutions from Abodu, Dvele, and Plant Prefab, which can shorten construction once permits clear. Call (855) 473-5620 and we’ll check your specific parcel before you spend a dollar on plans.
Planning a remodel in Los Altos means planning for what’s behind the walls and what the town will require before you start. Ruben Castillo and the team at San Bernardino Contractors handle the inspection, the allowances, the brands, and the trades, from the roof down to the pavers. Call (855) 473-5620 today to schedule your free estimate. We’ll give you a written, line-item quote and a straight answer on your project’s real timeline.
Written by Ruben Castillo, Owner at San Bernardino Contractors, serving Los Altos and the surrounding Santa Clara Valley communities.