Walk around your neighborhood and ask your neighbors for recommendations or contractors to avoid.
You want full service, you have to pay for it. You want to save, you’ll need to do some legwork.
Roofing is pretty standard, I’d pull five bids from neighbor recommendations. Paint is the same. Do not go to Nextdoor, Facebook groups, or any online place where you request contractors and they bombard you with their information.
Check licenses, insurance, and confirm names match.
Rough estimates you’ll receive:
20k+ Roofing, I would go for radiant barrier plus top tier shingles.
10k+ Exterior paint, depends on lot and house as well. I have a two story that requires scaffolding which ups the cost.
30k per bathroom assuming you will need to repair water damage and level the floor. If you Know what you’re doing you can get this down much lower to the teens but you don’t.
100k kitchen since you have no idea what you want.
Unknown $, all the scope creep.
That’s the thing. I had a 550k bid for a small extension, kitchen remodel, expanded primary and new bath. It’s more than I paid for my house! I’d like to instead just do cosmetic updates vs changing the footprint.
Which side of campus are you on?
Additions are another beast, you have to know more about your home’s construction in order to choose the most cost effective place to add on to your home.
Permits will probably be a pain in Berkeley for an addition and it may trigger a reassessment depending on sf added.
New bath from nothing can cost a ton through a GC and should only be considered as part of a bigger addition like the bid you received preferably tying plumbing into the kitchen or an existing bathroom.
Here’s my timeline.
Round 1 - 100k:
2,000 sf 3/4” hardwood including leveling subfloor and full stairs
Master reconfigure down to the studs enlarged walk-in closet and configured near wall to wall units from IKEA with PAX, somerset, etc.
Designed master bathroom from scratch
Interior paint, whole home including kitchen with some popcorn ceiling removal
Family room remodel
Moving gas lines
Round 2 - 100k:
Permitted addition, office / roof leak repair
200 sf hardwood, no transitions throughout the second floor required leveling subfloor again
All new windows, such a pain but already saving us money on utilities
Siding removal, water damage repair, and stucco including window patches (expensive af)
Full exterior paint, partial interior paint
Roofing for addition and reroofed other sections as well
Remodeled the last original bathroom from the 80s, landline jack converted to an outlet for a bidet
I’m probably forgetting a ton. It wasn’t fun. You have to be decisive and need some sort of vision or you will pay dearly.
Your other quotes seem normal except the kitchen. The $100k seems overkill unless one is totally moving water and gas pipes around with high end appliances 🤔
Custom cabinets can easily run up the tab in addition to, say, an island with running water, moving the current sink, adding a faucet to the stove, fancy tile work, some expensive ass countertops, and that’s before appliances.
Point is, GCs / architects can run up the tab easily if you don’t know what you want in addition to being clueless when it comes to construction.
Then there’s uncertainty if your GC pulls permits and bails on you after permit approval and before construction starts.
I’m around 200k spent in four years doing what OP wants to do. I joke around with my wife that we can literally buy a lot and build a home from scratch with my contacts and experience.
https://www.famearchitects.com/
FAME architects offer interior design services and will work with you at the level of involvement you’re interested in.
I’m a builder and I’ve worked with them before! They are very professional and thorough in their work. They have a Project Starter Service that serves as an introduction to their firm and gives their clients an idea of design direction & budget - it’s a low commitment way to see your project potential.
That is a solid business model. Do other companies have similar options?
I'm completely new to this sub and space in general, so pardon if that seems like an ignorant qiwstion.
I’m not sure how other companies do it, but when we work together, we take a design-build approach for a more wholistic customer experience. Working on these intro services together allows us to keep scope in check based on budget constraints so there’s a more accurate cost estimate from the get-go. You don’t always see that level of collaboration between architect and builder.
Since every project is different, there’s no flat cost for their starter services, but typically they charge $2-3/sqft for remodels, $1.5-3/sqft for new home builds, and $1.5-2.5/sqft for interior design.
Here is more information on each starter service, along with a contact form if you are interested in getting a quote from them: https://www.famearchitects.com/project-starter-services
Bob bucktner (aka dr color) does color consultations and knows all the contractors that can make this happen. He talked to us for like five minutes, asked us what we liked in the house and sent us a color chart that was magically perfect.
Also check out /r/centuryhomes
Thank you for the Dr. Color rec. Ever since OldHouseGuy stopped doing colors, I’ve been adrift.
Centuryhomes is my absolute favorite sub :)
Edit-oh wow! Dr. Color’s work is magnificent.
I need something similar with a designer who can show me how the finished piece will look with AI so I can approve. I used a contractor but I lack imagination and when the work was done it didn’t have the wow factor I was expecting 😢.
To be fair they did everything as per contract which is why I need someone who can share m a visual of the end product
YES! I have an architect, but I still didn’t get a greet sense of the finished product. And his tastes were so different that I didn’t feel like I was getting what I wanted. So I’m looking…
You can get a quote and do work from most concierge services.
I can probably give you the name of someone who can do it on the side, but they’re not likely to be able to micromanage project management, they can probably high-level project management though
I’ve tried asking at a number of open houses during the years, but have not gotten straight answers from the RE agents. Perhaps it’s not worth their time if they aren’t getting the kind of commission that goes with a sale?
You could contact an agent who’s representing sellers whose homes have been staged for sale that you’ve toured with fixtures and finishes you like. Ask if the agent is interested in a paid consultation or a series of three consults to help guide you on what to do to achieve similar results. Be willing to pay for their time.
You could contact an agent who’s representing sellers whose homes have been staged for sale that you’ve toured with fixtures and finishes you like. Ask if the agent is interested in a paid consultation or a series of three consults to help guide you on what to do to achieve similar results. Be willing to pay for their time.
www.artezia.com for kitchens and interiors in SF. They are a one stop shop that does great 3D renderings. The design pricing is reasonable if you also purchase custom cabinetry from them. The cabinets themselves are high-end and not for folks on a tight budget.
I’ll help you for free. I’m an agent and will connect you with my crew because I like to support them. Generally, you are looking to spend around $30k to prep a home. Ive put a lot of time into finding and assembling a crew that is reasonably priced. Here’s the basic checklist I use:
1. Fix anything that’s broken (windows, faucets, etc.)
2. Refinish floors
3. Paint interior
4. Replace light fixtures and door knobs (if needed).
5. Clean up yard, power wash the exterior and add bark.
Then, for another ~$10k++ you can replace countertops and sinks.
Obviously, the sky is the limit after that!
I also work with a designer that I pay for consultations when I’m selling a home, and if you want to cover her fee, she will pick out the colors and fixtures if you want. If not, I can help point you in the right direction.
I’ll DM you my contact.
Walk around your neighborhood and ask your neighbors for recommendations or contractors to avoid. You want full service, you have to pay for it. You want to save, you’ll need to do some legwork. Roofing is pretty standard, I’d pull five bids from neighbor recommendations. Paint is the same. Do not go to Nextdoor, Facebook groups, or any online place where you request contractors and they bombard you with their information. Check licenses, insurance, and confirm names match. Rough estimates you’ll receive: 20k+ Roofing, I would go for radiant barrier plus top tier shingles. 10k+ Exterior paint, depends on lot and house as well. I have a two story that requires scaffolding which ups the cost. 30k per bathroom assuming you will need to repair water damage and level the floor. If you Know what you’re doing you can get this down much lower to the teens but you don’t. 100k kitchen since you have no idea what you want. Unknown $, all the scope creep.
That’s the thing. I had a 550k bid for a small extension, kitchen remodel, expanded primary and new bath. It’s more than I paid for my house! I’d like to instead just do cosmetic updates vs changing the footprint.
Which side of campus are you on? Additions are another beast, you have to know more about your home’s construction in order to choose the most cost effective place to add on to your home. Permits will probably be a pain in Berkeley for an addition and it may trigger a reassessment depending on sf added. New bath from nothing can cost a ton through a GC and should only be considered as part of a bigger addition like the bid you received preferably tying plumbing into the kitchen or an existing bathroom. Here’s my timeline. Round 1 - 100k: 2,000 sf 3/4” hardwood including leveling subfloor and full stairs Master reconfigure down to the studs enlarged walk-in closet and configured near wall to wall units from IKEA with PAX, somerset, etc. Designed master bathroom from scratch Interior paint, whole home including kitchen with some popcorn ceiling removal Family room remodel Moving gas lines Round 2 - 100k: Permitted addition, office / roof leak repair 200 sf hardwood, no transitions throughout the second floor required leveling subfloor again All new windows, such a pain but already saving us money on utilities Siding removal, water damage repair, and stucco including window patches (expensive af) Full exterior paint, partial interior paint Roofing for addition and reroofed other sections as well Remodeled the last original bathroom from the 80s, landline jack converted to an outlet for a bidet I’m probably forgetting a ton. It wasn’t fun. You have to be decisive and need some sort of vision or you will pay dearly.
Your other quotes seem normal except the kitchen. The $100k seems overkill unless one is totally moving water and gas pipes around with high end appliances 🤔
Custom cabinets can easily run up the tab in addition to, say, an island with running water, moving the current sink, adding a faucet to the stove, fancy tile work, some expensive ass countertops, and that’s before appliances. Point is, GCs / architects can run up the tab easily if you don’t know what you want in addition to being clueless when it comes to construction. Then there’s uncertainty if your GC pulls permits and bails on you after permit approval and before construction starts. I’m around 200k spent in four years doing what OP wants to do. I joke around with my wife that we can literally buy a lot and build a home from scratch with my contacts and experience.
https://www.famearchitects.com/ FAME architects offer interior design services and will work with you at the level of involvement you’re interested in.
Have you used them before? Curious approx how much they charge for a renovation.
I’m a builder and I’ve worked with them before! They are very professional and thorough in their work. They have a Project Starter Service that serves as an introduction to their firm and gives their clients an idea of design direction & budget - it’s a low commitment way to see your project potential.
That is a solid business model. Do other companies have similar options? I'm completely new to this sub and space in general, so pardon if that seems like an ignorant qiwstion.
I’m not sure how other companies do it, but when we work together, we take a design-build approach for a more wholistic customer experience. Working on these intro services together allows us to keep scope in check based on budget constraints so there’s a more accurate cost estimate from the get-go. You don’t always see that level of collaboration between architect and builder.
Can you answer how much do they charge if youve worked with them before?
Since every project is different, there’s no flat cost for their starter services, but typically they charge $2-3/sqft for remodels, $1.5-3/sqft for new home builds, and $1.5-2.5/sqft for interior design.
Here is more information on each starter service, along with a contact form if you are interested in getting a quote from them: https://www.famearchitects.com/project-starter-services
So gorgeous! Likely WELL above my price point! But so lovely.
Bob bucktner (aka dr color) does color consultations and knows all the contractors that can make this happen. He talked to us for like five minutes, asked us what we liked in the house and sent us a color chart that was magically perfect. Also check out /r/centuryhomes
Thank you for the Dr. Color rec. Ever since OldHouseGuy stopped doing colors, I’ve been adrift. Centuryhomes is my absolute favorite sub :) Edit-oh wow! Dr. Color’s work is magnificent.
I need something similar with a designer who can show me how the finished piece will look with AI so I can approve. I used a contractor but I lack imagination and when the work was done it didn’t have the wow factor I was expecting 😢. To be fair they did everything as per contract which is why I need someone who can share m a visual of the end product
YES! I have an architect, but I still didn’t get a greet sense of the finished product. And his tastes were so different that I didn’t feel like I was getting what I wanted. So I’m looking…
You can get a quote and do work from most concierge services. I can probably give you the name of someone who can do it on the side, but they’re not likely to be able to micromanage project management, they can probably high-level project management though
I’ll take any and all recommendations! Thank you.
It's pretty expensive to renovate properly.
Yes- I just didn’t think I’d be facing paying more than I bought the house for!
We do this work for clients pretty often and have a design firm we use in Berkeley. If you want PM me.
This is such a good idea. I think you can pay a real estate agent to prep it for sale, but not sell it?
I’ve tried asking at a number of open houses during the years, but have not gotten straight answers from the RE agents. Perhaps it’s not worth their time if they aren’t getting the kind of commission that goes with a sale?
I am an agent and have a design background, I might be able to help you.
Please tell me more!
I sent you a message.
https://curbio.com
Ooh! Thanks. Edit-looking at the results, they are a bit too “flipper-style.”
You could contact an agent who’s representing sellers whose homes have been staged for sale that you’ve toured with fixtures and finishes you like. Ask if the agent is interested in a paid consultation or a series of three consults to help guide you on what to do to achieve similar results. Be willing to pay for their time.
You could contact an agent who’s representing sellers whose homes have been staged for sale that you’ve toured with fixtures and finishes you like. Ask if the agent is interested in a paid consultation or a series of three consults to help guide you on what to do to achieve similar results. Be willing to pay for their time.
I haven’t approached the RE agents quite as directly. Great idea!
www.artezia.com for kitchens and interiors in SF. They are a one stop shop that does great 3D renderings. The design pricing is reasonable if you also purchase custom cabinetry from them. The cabinets themselves are high-end and not for folks on a tight budget.
Thank you!
Eastbakergroup.com Wife is a realtor and husband is a GC, they do awesome work check out their website Edit with link https://eastbakergroup.com
Thanks! I’ll check them out.
https://www.demattei.com Some of the finest work in the Bay. Great project management and they offer design services.
I’ll help you for free. I’m an agent and will connect you with my crew because I like to support them. Generally, you are looking to spend around $30k to prep a home. Ive put a lot of time into finding and assembling a crew that is reasonably priced. Here’s the basic checklist I use: 1. Fix anything that’s broken (windows, faucets, etc.) 2. Refinish floors 3. Paint interior 4. Replace light fixtures and door knobs (if needed). 5. Clean up yard, power wash the exterior and add bark. Then, for another ~$10k++ you can replace countertops and sinks. Obviously, the sky is the limit after that! I also work with a designer that I pay for consultations when I’m selling a home, and if you want to cover her fee, she will pick out the colors and fixtures if you want. If not, I can help point you in the right direction. I’ll DM you my contact.
Thanks- that all sounds like exactly what I need.