Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
Fast, Reliable General Contractor Across Kensington
If you’re searching for a General Contractor in Kensington, you’re likely standing in a home built between 1935 and 1960 on a hillside lot that slants toward the Bay. We know those homes. Mason Remodeling has been handling General Contractor work across the East Bay hills since 2004, and we give every Kensington homeowner the same thing first: a written price, a named crew, and a straight answer about what the job actually involves. Call (803) 680-2547 to talk to a live person, any hour, any day. No call trees. No voicemail loops. Just a real human who knows the difference between a 1948 Arlington Avenue foundation and a 1960s slab on Westminster.
Why Mason Remodeling Is Kensington’s Preferred General Contractor Company
We show up the way homeowners in Kensington want us to. Before anyone walks through your door, you get the technician’s name and photo. On arrival, they present a photo ID badge and wear a clean, marked uniform. That’s The Threshold Standard, and it’s not a preference here. It’s how every project starts.
Kensington homeowners tell us the same thing over and over: they want to know who is coming, what it costs, and what happens if something isn’t right. Our 365-Day Done Right Promise covers every General Contractor project we complete. If the work isn’t right within a year of completion, we make it right at no cost to you. That’s written. That’s specific. Three hundred sixty-five days from the completion date, not “backed by our guarantee.”
Isaac Pruett leads our Kensington-area work with the same approach he’s used from day one: scope the job honestly, price it in writing before a single tool is unpacked, and never surprise a homeowner with a change order that wasn’t signed first. If a repair or installation fails, our second visit is free. No dispute process. No conditions. No charge.
Styles & brands we work with
Construction Company in Kensington
A Construction Company in Kensington handles structural work, additions, and major renovations that almost always require permits, inspections, and a working knowledge of hillside drainage rules. On streets like Arlington, Westminster, and the lanes climbing toward Tilden Regional Park, home additions and garage conversions routinely trigger a geotech or drainage review before the structural permit can be pulled. That review is not optional in many cases, and a general contractor who skips it is pricing you a fantasy.
Expect a home addition in Kensington to run $45,000 – $130,000 depending on square footage, foundation work, and whether the original structure is tied into bedrock or sitting on fill. A garage conversion typically lands between $30,000 and $80,000, but the hillside factor can push the lower level into retaining-wall engineering faster than a flat-lot home would. Any price you hear before the drainage review is a guess, not a quote. Ours comes after we walk the lot, check the original foundation, and confirm what the town of Kensington and Contra Costa County will want to see on the permit drawings.
Scope Walk-Through and Written Price
We start every Kensington project with a site walk. Not a drive-by. We look at the slope, the original foundation, the utility access, and the access path for materials. Then we deliver a written price with line items you can actually read, in plain English. No verbal estimate that grows on the final bill. The number you approve is the number we build to, and any change costs you sign a change order for, in writing, before the work happens.
Permit Pulling and Inspection Sign-Off
We pull permits, schedule inspections, and stand with you through every sign-off. For a kitchen remodel that moves plumbing or opens a load-bearing wall, the inspector will want to see the rough-in before drywall goes up. For a garage conversion into an ADU, that means the electrical, plumbing, and framing all get opened at the right moment. We schedule it so you’re not ripping out finished work because an inspector arrived late. It’s the difference between a one-walk-through final and a three-week redo.
Remodeling Contractor in Kensington
A Remodeling Contractor in Kensington handles kitchens, baths, and whole-home updates that don’t necessarily add a foundation but do change how the house lives. The cost range for a full kitchen remodel in Kensington runs $14,000 – $45,000; a smaller kitchen lands closer to $9,000 – $20,000. Bathroom remodels range from $9,000 – $28,000, and a small bath runs $5,000 – $12,000. Those numbers reflect Kensington’s housing stock, which skews toward 1930s through 1960s construction where original stud spacing, old galvanized plumbing, and disconnected electrical panels all push labor up compared to a newer subdivision.
One thing we see in Kensington more than flatland cities: clients who pick Cambria or Silestone slabs that run well above the allowance. That’s not a problem. It becomes a problem when the contractor never wrote the allowance down as a range. We put every allowance in writing as a specific range, and if you pick a slab above it, you sign a change order before we order the stone. No argument at the end. No surprise bill. Just a decision you made with your eyes open.
Kitchen and Bath Remodels
Kensington kitchens are often original to the house. That means plaster walls, cast-iron drain lines, and sometimes a floor that isn’t level anymore. We price for the reality of a 1940s structure, not a magazine photo. The written price includes the rough-in updates, the Schluter strip (the metal trim that seals the edge where tile meets flooring), and the final inspection.
Whole-Home Renovations and Aging-In-Place Updates
Many Kensington clients are older adults who want to stay in the house they’ve owned for decades. That means wider door openings, curbless walk-in showers, and lighting that actually works. We’ve done whole-home refreshes on the original 1950s floorplans that climb the hillside, and every one started with the same question: what needs to happen so this house works for the next twenty years, not just the next six months.
Trusted Brands We Service in Kensington
We install and service specification-grade products from Cambria, Silestone, Kohler, Moen, and GAF, among others. For pre-fab and panelized options, Kensington homeowners sometimes ask about Abodu or Dvele for ADU construction, and we can evaluate whether one of those systems fits your lot and your permitting path. If we’re sourcing materials locally, we work with the supply houses closest to Kensington so a missing rough-in valve doesn’t stall your job for a week. It usually arrives next day, because we stock the common Kensington-specific parts before demo starts: cast-iron to ABS couplings, old-work electrical boxes, and the right vapor barrier for a below-grade slab. When you call (803) 680-2547, mention the brands you’re considering and we’ll tell you what’s realistic for your home, not what’s on a showroom poster.
See the difference
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After
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After
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AfterCommon General Contractor Problems We See in Kensington Homes
- Original slab without a moisture barrier. In split-levels and hillside homes built between the 1930s and 1950s, the lower-level slab was often poured directly on grade. Open it up for a garage conversion and the moisture comes. We add a vapor barrier before framing, or you’ll be fighting damp in the new ADU walls forever.
- Retaining wall surprises. Scoping a home addition on a sloped Kensington lot without a geotech review means pricing the foundation as if it were flat ground. Then the rear retaining wall turns out to need engineering, and the scope blows past the contract. We review the slope, drainage, and existing walls before the first number is written.
- Allowances treated as fixed numbers. A contractor says “countertops included” but never writes the range. The client picks a Cambria slab that costs double. Now the final bill is a surprise. We write every allowance as a dollar range, and any pick above the top of the range gets a signed change order first.
- Rough-in inspections skipped for cosmetic work. The permit gets pulled for finish work only, and the wall never gets opened. The inspector can’t see the framing, so final sign-off fails. We open the wall when the inspector can see it, not after the tile is up.
Pricing for General Contractor in Kensington, CA
Here are the ranges we quote most often for General Contractor work in Kensington. These reflect local labor, Kensington’s older housing stock, and the hillside conditions that very few flatland contractors ever price correctly.
| Project | Typical Kensington 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? Square footage, foundation condition, slope and drainage, plumbing age, and the materials you pick. Cambria and Silestone will run higher than a standard laminate. Kohler and Toto fixtures cost more than builder-grade. We show you all of it in writing before you commit, and the price says exactly what’s included and what isn’t. Call (803) 680-2547 for a free estimate. We walk the house, we give you a written quote, and you decide with the real numbers in front of you.
We Also Serve Cities Near Kensington
Mason Remodeling serves homeowners throughout the East Bay and greater Bay Area. If you’re in Kensington or a neighboring community, we can schedule a site walk and written estimate for your project. Our crews also work in cities across the Bay Area, including San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, and San Diego, with the same written-price and named-crew standard on every job.
Serving Kensington, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Kensington 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 Kensington
Yes, almost certainly. If your kitchen remodel moves plumbing, opens a load-bearing wall, or changes electrical, you need a building permit from the town of Kensington (which contracts building services through Contra Costa County, depending on the scope). What it involves: we prepare permit drawings, submit them, schedule the rough-in inspection when the walls are open and the wiring and plumbing are visible, then schedule the final inspection after everything is finished. The inspector needs to see the framing and rough-in before drywall goes up. Skip that step and you’ll be opening finished walls to pass final sign-off. Call (803) 680-2547 and we’ll tell you whether your specific project triggers a permit before you sign anything.
A full kitchen remodel in Kensington typically runs $14,000 – $45,000, with smaller kitchens landing between $9,000 and $20,000. The price drivers are the age of your plumbing and electrical, whether the layout moves, the cabinet line (we install KraftMaid and Wellborn, both of which price differently by line), and the countertop material. Cambria and Silestone quartz will run higher than standard options. If your home is a 1940s or 1950s Kensington original, expect to spend on rough-in updates that a newer home wouldn’t need. For an exact number on your kitchen, call (803) 680-2547 for a free written estimate.
Yes, and many Kensington homeowners do exactly that, especially on hillside lots where the garage sits below the main floor. Budget $30,000 – $80,000 for the conversion itself, and build in some time for the hillside drainage and geotech review that the permit process will likely require. A legal ADU with its own entrance, kitchenette, and full bath is absolutely achievable in Kensington, and we’ve completed conversions on Arlington Avenue where the original slab had no moisture barrier and had to be upgraded before framing. For a site-specific budget, call (803) 680-2547.
A change order is a written document that changes the price or scope after the original contract is signed. We use them the same way every time: you receive the change in writing, you see the new line-item price, you sign it, and only then does the work happen. You avoid surprises by insisting that every allowance in your contract is written as a dollar range, not a vague allowance line. If the Cambria slab you pick runs above the range, the change order tells you exactly what it costs before we order anything. That’s how we work on every Kensington project, no exceptions.
For a kitchen remodel in Kensington, plan on 6 – 10 weeks from demo to final inspection. A bathroom remodel runs 3 – 6 weeks. A home addition or ADU construction typically takes 4 – 8 months, depending on the hillside review, permit processing, and the scope of foundation work. The walk-through happens first, then permits, then rough-in, then inspection sign-off, then finish work, then a punch list where we walk the finished space with you and write down every item that needs attention. We don’t promise rushed timelines on planned construction because rushing a hillside project in Kensington is how corners get cut. For a realistic schedule on your specific home, call (803) 680-2547.
Written by Isaac Pruett, Owner at Mason Remodeling, serving Kensington since 2004.
