Cost ranges, permits, payments, warranty and why two bids for the same drawings are never the same number.
Updated 18 October 2026
The questions people ask before they are ready to call.
還沒打算打電話之前，大家最想先知道的事。
It depends on the scope, not on the postcode. As a starting reference, Bay Area contractors published ranges for 2026 that put a mid-range kitchen at roughly $45,000–$90,000, a bathroom at $25,000–$65,000, whole-home work at $150–$400+ per square foot, and home additions at $400–$650 per square foot. We quote from measurements and drawings — see the full cost guide linked below.
Yes. We come to the house, look at what is there, talk through the options and give you a written itemised estimate at no charge and with no obligation.
Almost always because they are not the same scope. A cheap bid often excludes permits, engineering, temporary protection, hauling, or finish carpentry, and prices the allowances low so the number looks good. Compare what is written down, not the total: allowances, exclusions, who pulls the permit, and what happens when the plans change.
Only through a written change order that you approve before the work happens. The reasons a price legitimately moves are hidden conditions once walls are open, or you asking for something different — not arithmetic discovered later.
What the city requires, and who deals with it.
市政府要求什麼，誰去處理。
We do. Structural, electrical, plumbing, gas and mechanical work all need permits, and we prepare the drawings, submit them, respond to plan-check comments and meet the inspector on site. You sign where the city requires the property owner's signature.
It is common, and it does not block a new project. We open the work up, document what is there, and either bring it up to current code or remove it — whichever is cheaper for you. Unpermitted work is also the first thing a buyer's inspector finds, so fixing it during a remodel costs a fraction of fixing it at sale.
Typically 4–8 weeks for a residential remodel, longer for additions and second storeys. We submit complete packages, which is the single biggest factor in how long plan check takes.
Licence, payments, schedule and who you actually talk to.
執照、付款、工期，以及你實際上跟誰對話。
Yes — Han's Builder Construction holds California contractor licence #1040455, with general liability and workers' compensation coverage. Ask for the certificate at any point and we will send it.
Sometimes, and it depends on the project. A kitchen or one bathroom can usually be phased. A whole-house remodel with the electrical service and the only bathroom coming out is faster and cheaper if you move out for the middle stretch. We tell you which one your project is at the estimate, not after demolition.
Allen, the owner. The person who walked the house and priced the job is the person on site every morning — there is no separate salesperson and no project manager in between.
Payments are staged against completed work, set out in the contract. California law caps a home-improvement down payment at 10% of the contract price or $1,000, whichever is less, so a large upfront lump sum is not something we ask for.
Our own workmanship is warranted, and the terms come in writing with your estimate. Manufacturer warranties on cabinets, windows, roofing and appliances pass to you and we register them where required.
We coordinate them. For structural work we bring in the engineer; for layout drawings we work with a designer or prepare the drawings ourselves depending on the scope. You get one contract either way.
What we build, and where.
我們蓋什麼，在哪裡。
An addition adds living space to your house — a bedroom, a larger kitchen, a second storey. An ADU is a separate, self-contained dwelling with its own entrance, kitchen and bathroom, either attached, in a converted garage, or as a detached unit. Both need permits; the ADU has its own set of state rules that limit what a city can refuse.
You check before you cut. Sometimes the framing tells you, sometimes it needs the engineer. It is part of the estimate, and it is the reason we do not quote wall removal over the phone.
San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Campbell, Saratoga, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Mountain View, Palo Alto and Foster City — see the city pages on the services page for what each one requires.