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 Millbrae
Finding a General Contractor who actually understands Millbrae’s building realities is harder than it should be. We do. San Bernardino Contractors manages full-home remodels, additions, and ADUs here, and we know the two things that shape every job in Millbrae: SFO’s flight path overhead and a building department that reviews every sheathing nail and hold-down on the peninsula. Call us at (855) 473-5620 and you’ll get a straight answer about your project, your lot, and what the city will require before you spend a dime.
Why San Bernardino Contractors Is Millbrae’s Preferred General Contractor Company
Millbrae homeowners are not the kind who tolerate vague answers. They’ve usually done their homework. They know their ranch home was built in the 1950s. They know the lot is tight. They know there’s a height review nobody mentioned until the drawings came back. When we walk a Millbrae job, we’re speaking the same language. Ruben Castillo leads the team, and from day one he’s asking about the same things the Millbrae building department will ask: hold-downs, shear wall, knob-and-tube, and whether the SFO height overlay applies to your proposed second story.
Millbrae customers call us because the quote they got from another contractor skipped exactly these items. Then the inspector showed up. Then the change order landed. Our scope of work includes the compliance line items up front, not as a surprise after framing starts. And because we handle everything from roof to foundation to finish carpentry, you’re not calling three different crews to figure out who was supposed to flash the addition correctly. One contractor, every phase.
Styles & brands we work with
Construction Company in Millbrae
Construction Company work in Millbrae means something specific. It means infill. You’re adding to, rebuilding, or reworking a home on a lot that was platted decades ago, in a jurisdiction where the building department reviews structural and sheathing scope with a level of detail that surprises people coming from other Bay Area cities. A typical Millbrae home addition runs $45,000 to $130,000, and an ADU runs $90,000 to $220,000. What drives that range is not just square footage. It’s what the city requires before sign-off, and what the existing house reveals once we open it up.
Seismic and wind-load sheathing
Millbrae sits directly under SFO’s approach path. A second-story addition on a 1950s ranch is not a simple framing job. The city requires shear-wall and hold-down detail that meets current wind and seismic load, and the FAA height review can cap your roofline at a point that changes the structural design. We spec that on the first pass, not after the permit comes back.
Foundation and rough-in reality
Open up a mid-century Millbrae home and you’ll find what’s behind the drywall: early wiring, an original slab that was fine when the house was 900 square feet, and framing that predates modern anchoring. We pull permits, replace the rough-in, and bring the foundation to code before the addition goes up. A cheap quote skips this discovery. Then the inspector finds it anyway.
Remodeling Contractor in Millbrae
Remodeling Contractor work across Millbrae means working inside a home that was built for a different era. The kitchens are small, the bathrooms are original, and the layout doesn’t match how families live now. Kitchen remodels here run $14,000 to $45,000 depending on whether you’re refacing or gutting to studs. Bathroom remodels run $9,000 to $28,000. What changes the number is what we find when the walls come down, and whether the previous owner’s remodel actually got permitted. In Millbrae, a surprising number didn’t.
Kitchens built for how you cook
We’re not a cabinet shop reselling boxes. You choose the brand and finish level: shaker or slab, builder-grade or custom. In Millbrae kitchens, we’re often moving a load-bearing wall to open the space, which means beam sizing, city review, and a structural engineer’s stamp. That cost shows up as a line item, not a vague “structural as needed” note.
Bathrooms that handle Peninsula moisture
Marine-layer dampness is real in Millbrae. Bathroom remodels need proper ventilation, correct cement board behind tile, and a moisture barrier that doesn’t stop at the shower curb. We detail that work in the quote. It’s the difference between a bathroom that lasts 15 years and one that’s growing mold behind the tile in five.
Trusted Brands We Service in Millbrae
You should not have to choose between a contractor who knows the build and a supplier who knows the materials. We’re authorized to work with more than 50 brands across cabinetry, countertops, plumbing, roofing, windows, doors, and hardscaping. In Millbrae we stock and install Grohe and Sterling fixtures in bathrooms, and we spec GAF and CertainTeed roofing systems on additions and reroofs. You pick the brand and the finish level. We handle the build and the ordering, so the materials show up when the phase is ready, not sitting in your driveway for three weeks.
See the difference
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After
Before
After
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AfterCommon General Contractor Problems We See in Millbrae Homes
- The SFO height surprise. A homeowner gets drawings for a second-story addition, files for permit, and learns the FAA-height overlay caps the roofline. Now the plans go back to the architect, the framing changes, and the budget jumps. We check the height constraint before we quote.
- Marine-layer rot behind old siding. Millbrae’s fog sits on exterior finishes all year. Open up a wall for an addition and you’ll find softened sheathing and deck framing that looked fine from the outside. We re-detail the moisture barrier and drainage while the walls are open. A cheap quote leaves it and closes the wall back up.
- Tight-lot tree and privacy issues. On the flat blocks west of El Camino, lots are narrow and shallow with mature trees and side setbacks measured in feet. An upstairs bedroom window facing the neighbor’s yard becomes a privacy review item. A tree canopy overhangs your proposed roofline and triggers arborist review. We surface these before the city does.
- Unpermitted earlier work. Millbrae’s housing stock has been through decades of owner remodels. When we pull permits for your addition, the building department sees what the previous owner did without one. We scope the correction into the quote so you’re not surprised by a stop-work notice mid-project.
Pricing for General Contractor in Millbrae, CA
Here are the ranges we see across Millbrae, based on real bid data and actual city review requirements:
| Project Type | Millbrae Price Range |
|---|---|
| Home Addition | $45,000 – $130,000 |
| ADU Construction | $90,000 – $220,000 |
| Kitchen Remodel | $14,000 – $45,000 |
| Bathroom Remodel | $9,000 – $28,000 |
| Roof Replacement | $8,000 – $20,000 |
What moves the number: the existing foundation and wiring condition, whether the SFO height overlay applies, the finish level you choose, and whether there’s unpermitted prior work to correct. We write the quote as line items with the brands and the city-required scope named. Call (855) 473-5620 for a free estimate, and you’ll see exactly what a compliant Millbrae project costs before you sign anything.
We Also Serve Cities Near Millbrae
San Bernardino Contractors is based in Fontana but runs residential projects throughout the Peninsula. Along with Millbrae, we regularly serve San Bruno, Burlingame, Hillsborough, and South San Francisco. Each of these cities has its own review quirks, and we quote for the one your project actually sits in.
Serving Millbrae, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Millbrae 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 Millbrae
Yes. Millbrae is directly under SFO’s approach path, so second-story additions and rebuilds can trigger FAA-height review and a city design review that neighboring cities don’t impose. The structural scope also has to meet current wind and seismic load requirements, which means shear-wall, hold-down, and roof-sheathing detail that gets inspected before sign-off. Call (855) 473-5620 and we’ll check your specific parcel before you pay for drawings.
A compliant Millbrae quote includes the structural engineering, shear-wall and hold-down line items, moisture barrier and drainage detailing, permit fees, and the corrections for any unpermitted prior work. A cheap quote skips those and calls the difference a change order later. We write our quotes as line items so you can compare them honestly.
If a major remodel or addition was completed without permitted inspection sign-off, your insurer can deny a later claim tied to that work or to the structure around it. In Millbrae, where homes sit under marine-layer dampness and seismic load, documented sign-off matters. We pull permits on every job and close them out with final inspection passed.
Expect a tree-protection review if a canopy overhangs your proposed roofline or foundation, and a privacy-window review if an upper-story window faces a neighbor’s yard or window. These are common on the tight lots west of El Camino Real. We check both before you submit, so the review doesn’t turn into a redesign.
Millbrae’s building department is thorough, and the SFO height overlay can add two to four weeks when it applies to a second-story project. Neighboring cities like San Bruno and Burlingame generally run lighter on that specific review. Plan on a longer review window for any Millbrae project involving vertical addition. We’ll give you a realistic timeline for your specific scope when we quote.
Planning a remodel, addition, or ADU in Millbrae? Call (855) 473-5620 to schedule a free estimate. Ruben will walk your project, check the parcel against SFO height and city review requirements, and give you a written scope of work with the brands, the line items, and the inspection steps named.
Written by Ruben Castillo, Owner at San Bernardino Contractors, serving Millbrae and the surrounding Peninsula.