Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
Fast, Reliable General Contractor Across Hillsborough
General contracting in Hillsborough means coordinating a job from the first structural plan to the final inspection sign-off, and the number most homeowners start with is cost. A kitchen remodel in Hillsborough typically runs $14,000 – $45,000, a bathroom $9,000 – $28,000, and a full home addition $45,000 – $130,000. Those ranges reflect Hillsborough’s distinct reality: strict design review, older homes with outdated rough-ins, and a local expectation that work holds up for decades. Call (803) 680-2547 and we’ll walk you through what your specific project would actually cost, including the parts most bids leave out.
What sets Hillsborough apart from Burlingame or San Mateo isn’t the craftsmanship requirement, it’s the approval sequence. Hillsborough enforces some of the most restrictive residential design review in San Mateo County. Most additions, roof changes, and even front-yard hardscape require a published Planning Commission hearing after neighborhood-notice mailers. That means the approval calendar here runs months longer than in neighboring cities, and a contractor who doesn’t build that into the schedule from day one is setting you up for a stalled project. Our General Contractor team plans the entitlement window before we plan the demo.
Why Mason Remodeling Is Hillsborough’s Preferred General Contractor Company
We’ve completed enough work across Hillsborough to know that the job isn’t just building well, it’s pricing honestly before walls come open. Every project starts with a written price delivered before any work begins. That’s the standard, not a promotion. If a load-bearing wall hides a surprise or a galvanized supply line needs replacement, you’ll see a change order with a specific dollar figure before we touch anything.
Isaac Pruett leads our general contracting work, and he holds every project to the same rule: if it isn’t right within 365 days of completion, we make it right at no cost. That’s our 365-Day Done Right Promise, applied across general contracting, bathroom remodeling, and Hillsborough Home Remodeling. We also verify every crew member by name and photo before they reach your door, under the Threshold Standard. You’ll know who’s coming, what they look like, and that they’ve been background-checked and identity-verified.
Hillsborough homeowners care about this more than most. When you open the door to a remodel crew, you’re opening your home for weeks or months at a time. We respect that by sending uniformed technicians with photo ID badges, and by answering every call with a live person, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Styles & brands we work with
Hire a General Contractor in Hillsborough
You hire a General Contractor in Hillsborough when the project touches structure, plumbing, electrical, or the building envelope, and when the town’s design review process means multiple trades and a careful sequence. What does that look like in practice? A kitchen remodel here usually starts with a structural review of the existing floor, because many Hillsborough homes predate the 1970s and carry original galvanized supply lines and settled subfloors. Then comes the entitlement calendar, then rough-in, then the finishes you selected. A homeowner who tries to run this alone ends up as an unpaid project manager with no leverage over subs.
Kitchen Remodel Scoping
Hillsborough kitchens commonly run $14,000 – $45,000. A smaller re-face or cabinet swap can stay near $9,000 – $20,000, while a full gut with island construction, new electrical circuits, and Cambria or Silestone countertops climbs higher. The line items that move the price most are cabinet grade, countertop material, and whether the rough-in needs re-piping.
Bathroom Remodel Scoping
Bathrooms in Hillsborough typically cost $9,000 – $28,000, with a small bath at $5,000 – $12,000 and a walk-in shower at $4,500 – $12,000. Older homes here often hide venting that doesn’t meet current code, which adds plumbing scope once walls open. We price for that possibility instead of hoping it doesn’t happen.
General Contractor Services in Hillsborough
General Contractor Services in Hillsborough span kitchen remodels, bathroom remodels, whole-home renovations, room additions, ADUs, garage conversions, and deck construction. The fees aren’t a flat percentage you should accept blindly. We break the job into real line items with real dollar ranges, so you can see where the money goes before you sign.
Additions, ADUs, and Garage Conversions
A home addition in Hillsborough runs $45,000 – $130,000, an ADU $90,000 – $220,000, and a garage conversion $30,000 – $80,000. These are the jobs where Hillsborough’s design review hits hardest. A garage conversion that changes the front elevation can sit in the notice window longer than a neighbor would tolerate if the calendar wasn’t planned upfront. We sequence permits before demolition, not after.
Countertops and Cabinetry
Countertop installation in Hillsborough runs $2,000 – $6,500, and cabinet installation $4,000 – $13,000. Those ranges assume a mid-grade line. If you pick Cambria, Silestone, or Caesarstone, the countertop line rises accordingly, and we write that allowance clearly so you know the selection drives the price, not a hidden markup.
What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Hillsborough
Hillsborough homeowners tend to specify products by name, and we’re set up for that. We work with KraftMaid and Wellborn for cabinetry, Cambria, Silestone, and Caesarstone for surfaces, and Kohler, Moen, Toto, and Grohe for fixtures. Some factory-built approaches from companies like Dvele or Mighty Buildings come up in Hillsborough ADU conversations, though the design-review process here still applies regardless of construction method. We stock and order local parts for Hillsborough customers so a cabinet or fixture delay doesn’t stall your finish date.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon General Contractor Problems We See in Hillsborough Homes
- Approval-calendar surprises. A homeowner gets a bid that assumes permits take two weeks, when Hillsborough’s Planning Commission notice window pushes that to months. The start date slips, and the contractor blames the town instead of their own schedule.
- Allowance blowouts. A bid quotes a $2,000 countertop allowance, but the homeowner picks Cambria or Silestone instead of the builder-grade default. Without change-order discipline, that line doubles and the final invoice stings.
- Structural work without a stamped plan. A crew opens a load-bearing wall or levels a subfloor without structural drawings, and Hillsborough’s inspector issues a stop-work. The redesign adds both time and cost mid-project.
- Old rough-ins behind walls. Galvanized supply lines, failing vents, and out-of-level subfloors are common in Hillsborough’s older homes. A bid that doesn’t account for re-piping or floor leveling is a bid that will change once the drywall comes down.
Pricing for General Contractor in Hillsborough, CA
| Project | Typical Hillsborough Range |
|---|---|
| Kitchen Remodel | $14,000 – $45,000 |
| Bathroom Remodel | $9,000 – $28,000 |
| Countertop Installation | $2,000 – $6,500 |
| Cabinet Installation | $4,000 – $13,000 |
| Home Addition | $45,000 – $130,000 |
| ADU Construction | $90,000 – $220,000 |
| Garage Conversion | $30,000 – $80,000 |
These are the honest Hillsborough numbers. A kitchen at $14,000 usually means keeping the existing footprint and selecting mid-grade cabinets, while $45,000 reflects a full gut with island, higher-end surfaces, and re-piping. The biggest swing factors are the approval calendar, the condition of the rough-in, and your finish selections. We give you a written line-item price before work begins, and if something changes, you see a change order with a specific dollar figure before we proceed. Call (803) 680-2547 to schedule a free estimate and get your actual number.
We Also Serve Cities Near Hillsborough
While this page focuses on Hillsborough, our crews regularly take on projects in Hillsborough and nearby markets including Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco. If you’re in one of those cities and planning a remodel, the same written-price standard and 365-day promise apply. Call (803) 680-2547 and we’ll scope it out.
Serving Hillsborough, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Hillsborough 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 Hillsborough
A kitchen remodel in Hillsborough typically runs 8 – 14 weeks once the plans are approved and the permit is in hand. What lengthens this beyond the build itself is the entitlement calendar: Hillsborough requires a Planning Commission hearing and neighborhood-notice mailers for many remodels that affect the exterior or add square footage. Our crew finished a kitchen in the Hillsborough Park area where the homeowners wanted KraftMaid cabinetry, a Cambria island, and a Kohler faucet, but the rough-in we opened up was older galvanized supply and a subfloor that had settled out of level. We wrote a change order for the re-pipe and floor leveling before hanging cabinets, then walked the punch list room by room after inspection sign-off. The final draw was released only after the city signed off on the kitchen circuit and venting. That’s a realistic Hillsborough timeline: plan for design review, build in the rough-in unknowns, and you won’t be surprised. Call (803) 680-2547 for a schedule specific to your project.
You can technically hire subs directly, but for a Hillsborough bathroom you’ll be acting as your own general contractor without any leverage, inspection knowledge, or warranty coverage. A bathroom remodel touches plumbing, electrical, waterproofing, and tile, and Hillsborough’s inspectors expect a single responsible party who can call back a trade when something fails. When you hire Mason Remodeling, the written price covers the coordination, the permit path, and the 365-day guarantee. If a shower pan leaks or a vanity cabinet fails, you make one call to us, not three to separate subs. Call (803) 680-2547 for a free estimate.
A change order is triggered when the scope changes from what the written price originally covered, and in Hillsborough the most common triggers are hidden rough-in conditions, finish upgrades, and design-review revisions. If we open a wall and find galvanized supply lines that need replacing, that’s a change order with a specific dollar figure. If you switch from a builder-grade countertop to Cambria or Silestone, that’s an allowance adjustment you approve before it’s ordered. We don’t proceed on any change without your written sign-off, and we never spring a cost at the final invoice. Call (803) 680-2547 and we’ll show you how the change-order process works on your project.
A draw schedule on an ADU or home addition in Hillsborough typically breaks into 4 – 6 payments tied to milestones: mobilization and plans, demo, rough-in, drywall, finishes, and final inspection. The key is that the final draw is released only after the city signs off, not after the crew says the job is done. This protects you from paying in full for work that hasn’t passed inspection. In Hillsborough, where the inspection calendar runs on a specific sequence, that final sign-off can be days or weeks after the physical build is complete. We structure draws so you’re never paying ahead of verified progress. Call (803) 680-2547 for a draw schedule specific to your project.
Yes, a permit matters in Hillsborough, because the town’s inspectors review rough-in work for plumbing, electrical, and structural changes, and unpermitted work becomes a liability when you sell the home or file an insurance claim. A kitchen or bathroom remodel that moves a sink, adds a circuit, or touches a wall requires permits and inspections. Skipping them saves a few hundred dollars upfront and creates a five-figure disclosure problem later. We pull permits and pass inspections on every job where they’re required, and we include that in the written price. Call (803) 680-2547 for an honest conversation about permitting on your project.
Written by Isaac Pruett, Owner at Mason Remodeling, serving Hillsborough since 2004.
