Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
Fast, Reliable General Contractor Across Santa Monica
If you’re searching for a General Contractor in Santa Monica who puts the price, the scope, and the guarantee in writing before the first tool comes out, you’re in the right place. Bradford Remodeling runs jobs across Santa Monica from the Pico neighborhood up to Sunset Park, and we know this city’s permit desk, its flood-zone overlays, and its old framing better than most. A live person answers when you call (903) 568-7222, and Curtis Lane, who leads our Santa Monica work, will tell you straight what your remodel will cost and what will change that number.
Why Bradford Remodeling Is Santa Monica’s Preferred General Contractor Company
Santa Monica homeowners call us because we do the unglamorous work most remodelers skip. We pull the building permit and sit through the inspections. We scope the subfloor before we set cabinets. We run draw schedules against a written scope so the lender, the homeowner, and the crew all see the same numbers. That discipline comes from The Garrison Standard, the framework our parent company has used since 2004. It means every price is written before work starts, and every completed job carries the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if something fails inside that year, we come back and correct it at no charge.
Our Santa Monica customers work with background-checked, uniformed technicians. You’ll know who’s walking through your door on day one, and that same crew stays on your job until the punch list is signed. No subs you’ve never met, no rotating cast. When a homeowner on Franklin Street needed a kitchen island installed inside a 1920s floor plan that had settled an inch and a half, we surveyed the floor first, shimmed the substrate, and set the island level. The Cambria top sat square. The inspector signed off the first time.
We answer the phone 24/7. Not a callback queue. A person. If you’re calling about a Santa Monica remodel, you get an answer, a written estimate, and a clear calendar from rough-in to final walkthrough.
Styles & brands we work with
Construction Company in Santa Monica
A Construction Company in Santa Monica handles the structural and site work that turns a set of plans into standing walls, a level floor, and a signed permit card. For homeowners here, that usually means additions, ADUs, garage conversions, and the framing and foundation work those jobs require. Santa Monica has its own building department, its own coastal overlay rules, and a housing stock that ranges from 1900s bungalows to 1970s stucco boxes. A typical home addition in Santa Monica runs $45,000 to $130,000, depending on foundation work, roof ties, and whether the job falls inside the city’s coastal zone.
Additions and ADUs on Tight Santa Monica Lots
Santa Monica lots run small, often 45 by 120 feet or less. That shape dictates what you can build and where. An ADU here runs $90,000 to $220,000 when it includes a new foundation, electrical service, and the flood-venting or elevation work the FEMA map requires west of Lincoln Blvd. We plan the setback, the drainage, and the venting before we quote, not after demo starts.
Garage Conversions With a Permit Trail
A garage conversion in Santa Monica runs $30,000 to $80,000. The real variable is whether the existing slab and framing can be brought up to current code, and whether the address sits in a Special Flood Hazard Area. If it does, the venting and elevation paperwork changes the scope. We handle the permit, the flood documentation, and the final inspection. Bradford Remodeling also stocks a documented roster of name-brand materials, so every surface, door, and window on your project has a manufacturer’s spec and warranty behind it.
Remodeling Contractor in Santa Monica
A Remodeling Contractor in Santa Monica works inside the existing envelope: kitchens, bathrooms, whole-home refreshes, and the cabinet, counter, and backsplash work that goes with them. The job starts with a written price, and it ends with a signed 365-Day Done Right Promise. A full kitchen remodel here runs $14,000 to $45,000. A bathroom remodel runs $9,000 to $28,000. The spread is real, and it comes down to the age of your framing, the condition of your subfloor, and whether you’re moving plumbing or keeping the rough-in where it is.
Kitchen Remodels on Santa Monica’s Older Stock
Most Santa Monica kitchens sit in homes built before 1960. That means original subfloors, cast-iron drain lines, and walls that haven’t been opened in decades. Cabinet installation here runs $4,000 to $13,000, and countertop installation runs $2,000 to $6,500. We survey the floor and the walls before we order anything. On a 1920s bungalow off Ocean Park Blvd near 17th St, we took a kitchen down to the studs and found termite-damaged sill plates and a sagging subfloor the seller’s inspection had missed. The fix meant sistered joists and new plywood before the KraftMaid cabinets and Cambria counters could be set. The owner saw the change order in writing, approved it, and we closed the job within the range we’d quoted.
Bathroom Remodels With the Rough-In Done Right
A bathroom remodel in Santa Monica that keeps the toilet and tub where they are will cost less than one that moves them. Small bathrooms run $5,000 to $12,000, a walk-in shower installation runs $4,500 to $12,000, and a tub-to-shower conversion runs $3,500 to $10,000. We pull the permit, schedule the rough-in inspection before drywall, and hand you a written punch list tied to the draw schedule so there’s no ambiguity at final payment.
Trusted Brands We Service in Santa Monica
Bradford Remodeling installs and services products from brands with documented specs and real manufacturer warranties. We work with KraftMaid and Wellborn cabinetry, Cambria and Caesarstone surfaces, Kohler and Moen fixtures, GAF roofing, James Hardie siding, and Therma-Tru doors, among others. When a Santa Monica homeowner wants an Abodu or Dvele ADU, we coordinate the site work, foundation, and utilities so the prefab shell lands on a properly permitted base. Because we stock and source locally, we’re not waiting on a shipment from out of state to start your cabinet or counter install. The materials are traceable, and the warranty paper is in your hand at close.
See the difference
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After
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After
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AfterCommon General Contractor Problems We See in Santa Monica Homes
- Flood-zone surprises on ground-floor work. Many blocks west of Lincoln Blvd sit in a FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Area. An addition or ADU here may trigger an elevation certificate and flood-venting requirements that a contractor who only works inland never sees coming. We check the flood map and the coastal overlay before we write the number.
- Quote-flat pricing on old framing. Contractors who walk a Santa Monica job and quote without opening a wall or checking the subfloor are pricing a guess. 1940s framing is rarely straight. When we find a sagging floor or a termite-damaged sill, it’s a change order, but it’s a change order with a paper trail and a written price before the work moves forward.
- Handshake draw schedules that stall at the punch list. When the homeowner adds a vanity swap or a backsplash change mid-job and there’s no written scope, the final payment stalls. We run every draw against a written scope of work. You sign off on changes as they happen, and the final payment matches the final signed scope.
- Coastal Development Permit gaps. Some Santa Monica remodels and additions need a Coastal Development Permit in addition to the building permit. Missing that step can stop inspection sign-off and delay close by weeks. We check the city’s coastal zone overlay early so the permit path is clear before demo starts.
Pricing for General Contractor in Santa Monica, CA
Real numbers for Santa Monica work, from a contractor who writes them down before the job starts:
| Project | Santa Monica Price Range |
|---|---|
| Kitchen Remodel | $14,000 – $45,000 |
| Bathroom Remodel | $9,000 – $28,000 |
| Home Addition | $45,000 – $130,000 |
| ADU Construction | $90,000 – $220,000 |
| Garage Conversion | $30,000 – $80,000 |
| Cabinet Installation | $4,000 – $13,000 |
| Countertop Installation | $2,000 – $6,500 |
What moves the number on a Santa Monica job: the address’s flood zone and coastal overlay status, the age and straightness of the existing framing, whether you’re moving plumbing and electrical rough-ins, and the finish level you choose. Every estimate is written, line-itemed, and covers the permit, the rough-in inspections, and the final punch list. Call (903) 568-7222 for a free estimate with these same ranges applied to your address.
We Also Serve Cities Near Santa Monica
Bradford Remodeling runs General Contractor in Santa Monica jobs and also serves Venice, Pacific Palisades, Marina del Rey, and Culver City. Dispatch and scheduling coordinate from our Los Angeles office, and crews serve Santa Monica locally. If your project sits in one of those neighboring cities, call (903) 568-7222 and we’ll tell you straight whether we cover the address.
Serving Santa Monica, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Santa Monica 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 Santa Monica
Almost always yes. Any Santa Monica remodel that moves plumbing, alters electrical, opens load-bearing walls, or changes the egress path requires a building permit. Kitchen and bathroom remodels in older homes almost always touch at least one of those systems. Some addresses inside the coastal zone also need a Coastal Development Permit. We check the permit path before we quote, and we pull the permit and schedule the inspections as part of the job. Call (903) 568-7222 and we’ll run your address.
A kitchen or bathroom remodel in Santa Monica typically runs 6 to 12 weeks from signed contract to signed punch list. A home addition runs 4 to 8 months. An ADU runs 5 to 10 months depending on foundation, flood-venting, and utility work. The city’s permit review time adds to that, and coastal overlay reviews can add weeks. We give you a written calendar at contract and update it in writing when a change order moves a date.
The three most common price movers in Santa Monica: hidden framing damage found after demo (termite sills, sagging subfloors), flood-zone venting or elevation requirements that surface at plan check, and change orders the homeowner adds mid-job like a vanity swap or a backsplash change. We keep every change on a written change order tied to the original scope. The 365-Day Done Right Promise covers the completed work for a full year.
Yes, often. Santa Monica sits partly in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area west of Lincoln Blvd, and many properties fall inside the city’s coastal zone overlay. An ADU or garage conversion on those properties may require an elevation certificate, flood vents, and a Coastal Development Permit on top of the standard building permit. We check the address’s flood zone and coastal overlay in the first scoping meeting, before any allowance is set. Call (903) 568-7222 for a free estimate that accounts for your address’s overlays.
No, and we won’t promise that. A Santa Monica remodel starts after the written scope is signed, the permit is pulled, and the materials are ordered. For most kitchen and bath jobs, that puts the start date 3 to 6 weeks out. Additions and ADUs take longer because of plan review. What we will promise: a written calendar, a named crew, and a live person on the phone 24/7 if you have a question before the work starts.
Written by Curtis Lane, Owner at Bradford Remodeling, serving Santa Monica through The Garrison Standard.
