Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
Fast, Reliable General Contractor Across Corte Madera
General contracting in Corte Madera works differently than in most Marin County towns because of one thing most remodelers never mention: the Town sits in a high-fire-severity zone, and homes built before 1970 in flats like Madera Gardens and Mariner Cove trigger Wildland-Urban Interface construction requirements. That means even a kitchen remodel can hinge on whether your exterior wall assemblies, vents, and siding are Chapter 7A-compliant. We scope for that from day one. Mason Remodeling has handled kitchens, baths, additions, and whole-home work throughout Corte Madera, and our crews know exactly what Town inspectors look for before we open the first wall. Call (803) 680-2547 for a free estimate, and we’ll put the full scope in writing before any work starts.
Why Mason Remodeling Is Corte Madera’s Preferred General Contractor Company
Corte Madera homeowners tend to ask sharper questions than most. You’ve seen remodels stall at inspection sign-off, you’ve watched change orders balloon, and you know the difference between a contractor who quotes over the phone and one who opens the wall before pricing the job. That’s why our process in Corte Madera starts with a written price delivered before any tool is unpacked. Not a verbal estimate, not a ballpark, not a “we’ll see how it goes.” A written line-item scope, allowances for cabinets and countertops, and the permit path mapped out. Isaac Pruett leads our team with that discipline on every project, from a small bath update off Tamalpais Drive to a full addition above Chapman Park.
Every crew member who comes to your home is verified through the Threshold Standard: background-checked, identity-confirmed, and introduced to you by name and photo before the visit. A uniformed technician shows a photo ID badge at your door. For homeowners in Corte Madera who are often home alone, parents with young kids, and older adults, that verification is the difference between opening the door with confidence and feeling uneasy all day. We understand that here.
Styles & brands we work with
Residential General Contractor in Corte Madera
Residential General Contractor work in Corte Madera covers the full arc of a remodel: demo, structural changes, permit processing through the Town of Corte Madera, rough and finish plumbing, electrical, drywall, tile, cabinetry, countertops, and the final inspection sign-off. A homeowner needs this when the project touches more than one trade. You can’t run a kitchen remodel on a series of separate subcontractors without someone accountable for the sequence, the inspections, and the schedule. That’s the general contractor’s job. In Corte Madera, that job also includes coordinating the WUI requirements many homeowners don’t know apply to them.
Kitchen and Bath Remodeling
A Corte Madera kitchen remodel typically runs $14,000 to $45,000 depending on whether you’re moving plumbing, replacing cabinets, or redoing the whole room down to the studs. Small kitchens land closer to $9,000 to $20,000. Bathroom remodels run $9,000 to $28,000, with a small bath hitting $5,000 to $12,000. We use KraftMaid and Wellborn cabinetry, Cambria and Silestone countertops, and Kohler, Moen, and Toto fixtures, so your allowances are tied to brands you can actually visit and touch.
Home Additions and ADUs
Additions in Corte Madera run $45,000 to $130,000, and ADU Construction runs $90,000 to $220,000. Garage conversions land between $30,000 and $80,000. These projects almost always trigger the Chapter 7A exterior requirements, plus Title 24 energy standards. We price the permit path up front and pull permits through the Town of Corte Madera, so a failed inspection doesn’t stall your project at the end.
Hire a General Contractor in Corte Madera
Hire a General Contractor in Corte Madera when your project involves structural work, a second story, moving a kitchen to the other side of the house, or any remodel where multiple trades overlap and the permit office expects a single responsible party on the record. Our team at General Contractor coordinates the full sequence: demolition, framing, electrical, plumbing, drywall, finishes, and inspections. You don’t chase down subs. You get one number to call when you have a question at 7 a.m. before school drop-off.
Written Scope and Change Orders
Before we start, you get a written scope of work with line items. If we open a wall and find a load-bearing header that must be replaced, you get a signed change order before we do the work. Not after. Not buried in the final invoice. The 365-Day Done Right Promise backs the completed work: if something isn’t right within a year of completion, we fix it at no cost.
Permit Management
We pull permits through the Town of Corte Madera, schedule inspections, and walk the project through to final sign-off. If Chapter 7A compliance comes up because your home backs up against the open space corridors near Christmas Tree Hill, we address it in the original scope, not as a surprise later.
Trusted Brands We Service in Corte Madera
Many Corte Madera homeowners come to us having priced materials at local kitchen and bath showrooms and want a contractor who can install what they’ve already chosen. We work with specification-grade brands including KraftMaid, Wellborn, Cambria, Silestone, Kohler, Moen, Toto, and Grohe. We also support homeowners who’ve worked with factory-built and panelized options like Abodu, Cover, or Dvele and need a local general contractor to handle site work, foundations, utilities, and the final connection to the grid. Our scheduling from the San Francisco Bay Area office means the parts and product lead times you need for a Corte Madera remodel are coordinated before demo starts.
Common General Contractor Problems We See in Corte Madera Homes
- Hidden structural issues in 1960s tract homes. In Corte Madera’s Madera Gardens, Mariner Cove, and the homes along Lakeside Drive, we regularly find load-bearing headers that were undersized when built and subfloor dry rot near sliding doors. If your contractor doesn’t open the wall before pricing, you’ll see a change order mid-demo.
- Skipped WUI/Chapter 7A upgrades on interior remodels. Many contractors quote a kitchen remodel without mentioning that the exterior wall assembly must meet ember-resistance and noncombustible requirements under Chapter 7A. The project fails exterior inspection sign-off at the end, and the homeowner pays twice.
- Vague allowances for finishes. A bid that says “cabinet allowance” without naming KraftMaid or Wellborn, or “countertop allowance” without specifying Cambria or Silestone, is written to be inflated later. In Corte Madera, where homeowners comparison-shop at the same Marin showrooms, that gamesmanship gets spotted fast.
- Unpermitted work from handyman cash jobs. We see it on resale: an unpermitted bath addition or a converted garage with no paper trail. In Corte Madera, that can block a sale or force a tear-out before close of escrow. The Town keeps records, and buyers’ agents ask.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterPricing for General Contractor in Corte Madera, CA
Here’s what General Contractor work actually costs in Corte Madera’s market. These are the ranges we quote from in written estimates:
| Project | Corte Madera Price Range |
|---|---|
| Kitchen Remodel | $14,000 – $45,000 |
| Small Kitchen Remodel | $9,000 – $20,000 |
| Bathroom Remodel | $9,000 – $28,000 |
| Home Addition | $45,000 – $130,000 |
| ADU Construction | $90,000 – $220,000 |
| Garage Conversion | $30,000 – $80,000 |
What moves the number: whether you’re moving plumbing versus keeping the same footprint, whether the project touches an exterior wall (which triggers Chapter 7A review), the cabinetry line you pick, and whether we find hidden structural work when the wall comes open. We give you a free estimate with the real numbers for your specific project. Call (803) 680-2547 to schedule it.
We Also Serve Cities Near Corte Madera
Our Corte Madera clients often ask us to handle a family member’s home or a rental property nearby. We serve Larkspur, Mill Valley, Kentfield, and San Rafael with the same written pricing and verified-crew standard. Whether you’re in the flats off Tamalpais Drive or up in the hills, the process stays the same: written scope, permit management, and the 365-Day Done Right Promise.
Serving Corte Madera, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Corte Madera 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 Corte Madera
Yes. Any remodel that touches plumbing, electrical, structural framing, or exterior walls in Corte Madera requires a permit through the Town of Corte Madera. Interior-only work that stays within the existing footprint and doesn’t move plumbing or electrical may fall under a lower threshold, but the Town’s inspectors expect permit records on any substantive remodel. We pull permits as standard on our projects, and we don’t start demo without them. Call (803) 680-2547 and we’ll tell you what your specific project needs.
You can hire subcontractors directly if you’re willing to carry the permit as owner-builder, call the inspections, schedule the trades, and absorb the liability if something fails. Most Corte Madera homeowners don’t want that job on top of their actual job. A general contractor carries the permit, coordinates the trades, and answers when the inspector has questions. For anything with structural changes or multiple overlapping trades, the general contractor route is faster and safer. Call (803) 680-2547 and we’ll walk you through what your project really needs.
A kitchen remodel in Corte Madera typically takes 6 to 12 weeks from permit approval to punch list, depending on whether you’re doing a cabinet swap or a full gut. A bathroom runs 4 to 8 weeks. The Town’s plan review timeline varies, especially when Chapter 7A review is triggered, so we file as early as possible. Additions and ADUs run 4 to 8 months. We give you a written schedule with your estimate, and we tell you what could move it. Call (803) 680-2547 for a project-specific timeline.
Corte Madera sits in a high-fire-severity zone where pre-1970 homes in the Madera Gardens and Mariner Cove flats trigger Wildland-Urban Interface construction requirements. That means Class A roofs, ember-resistant vents, and noncombustible siding and decking on any exterior wall we touch, even on an interior-led kitchen remodel. Neighboring cities don’t all carry that requirement. We scope Chapter 7A compliance before we price a project here, so it doesn’t show up as a change order later. Call (803) 680-2547 to find out if it applies to your home.
A change order is a written document that describes the extra work, states the price, and requires your signature before the work begins. We don’t do verbal changes. If we open your wall and find hidden rot or a failed header, you’ll see the issue, see the price, and sign off before we touch it. That’s how the 1965 Madera Gardens kitchen project stayed on budget: the beam replacement was a documented change order, not a surprise on the final bill. Call (803) 680-2547 for a written quote, and you’ll see exactly how our change order process works in the scope document.
Get Your Written General Contractor Estimate in Corte Madera
Every Corte Madera project starts with a conversation, a site visit, and a written price before any work begins. No verbal guesses, no allowance games, no surprise invoices. Call (803) 680-2547 to schedule your free estimate with Mason Remodeling. A live person answers around the clock, and we’ll set up a time that works for your schedule. You’ll get a written scope, a clear price, and a contractor who puts the permit path and the inspection requirements in writing before demo starts.
Written by Isaac Pruett, Owner at Mason Remodeling, serving Corte Madera since 2004.
