Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
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AfterConstruction Services in Ojai, CA
If you own a home in Ojai, odds are good you’re wrestling with one of three things right now: a roof that’s taken years of Santa Ana wind and triple-digit heat, a kitchen or bath that’s decades behind how your family actually lives, or a hillside lot where you’d like to add space but aren’t sure what the county will make you do about fire codes. Barrett & Sons Construction handles all of it, and we answer our own phone at (877) 610-1318 when you call. Tom Barrett and his sons run the crews themselves. No voicemail maze, no out-of-state call center, no stranger showing up at your door with a clipboard.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Why Ojai Homeowners Choose Barrett & Sons Construction
We’ve worked on homes throughout the Ojai Valley, from the Spanish Colonial Revival cottages near the downtown arcade to ranch houses off Maricopa Highway and newer custom builds up in the East End. Tom Barrett founded this company in 1998, and his sons are on-site most days. When you hire Barrett & Sons, the name on the contract is the name on the truck and the name on the crew member’s shirt. You can look up Tom’s license number before you sign anything. He publishes it, along with his name and address, because he’s got nothing to hide and twenty-nine years of local reputation to protect.
Every job we take in Ojai comes with the 90-Day Done Right Promise written into the contract, not buried in fine print. If something isn’t right, one call brings Tom back to make it right. And every scope change, every allowance, every price adjustment arrives as a written change order before a single nail moves. The permit inspector works for you, not for me. That’s why we pull permits on every eligible job and stand there while the inspection is signed off. We’ve worked in Mira Monte and Meiners Oaks, in the Arbolada and around Soule Park, and we know which remodels trigger Chapter 7A requirements and which ones don’t, before the plan check does.
Construction Services We Offer in Ojai
Kitchen Remodeling
Kitchens in Ojai run the range from cramped 1940s galley layouts near the arcade to sprawling hillside entertaining spaces that need to work for three generations at once. We plan around how you cook, where light falls in your specific room, and which cabinet and counter lines hold up under Ojai’s dry heat. Learn more about our Kitchen Remodeling in Ojai.
Bathroom Remodeling
Ojai’s older homes often have bathrooms that were retrofitted decades ago with questionable waterproofing and ventilation, and the valley’s hot, dry summers make moisture control a bigger issue than people expect. We rebuild baths to current code with proper exhaust, properly sloped pans, and materials that don’t fail when humidity swings hard. Learn more about our Bathroom Remodeling in Ojai.
Roofing
Roofs in the 93023 and 93024 zip codes take a beating from Santa Ana winds and summer temperatures that regularly top 100°F. If you’re reroofing on a hillside parcel, you’re almost certainly inside a State Responsibility Area, which means a Class A fire-rated assembly and ember-resistant vents are baseline, not upgrade. Learn more about Roofing in Ojai.
Windows & Doors
Older Ojai cottages still have single-pane wood Windows & Doors in Ojai that leak conditioned air all summer and rattle during wind events. We replace them with units that meet current Title 24 energy standards and stand up to the valley’s thermal swings, without losing the architectural character of a 1920s Spanish Revival home.
Fence Installation
Fences in Ojai do double duty: privacy from neighbors and a defensible, non-combustible boundary where lots back up to open chaparral. We build fencing that matches the neighborhood’s aesthetic while using materials appropriate for WUI zones where fire spread is a real concern.
Driveway & Pavers
Driveways in the valley need to handle clay soils that swell and shrink with seasonal moisture, plus occasional debris flows from the hills. We install paver systems from brands like Techo-Bloc and Belgard with proper base preparation so they don’t heave or settle after the first wet winter.
Home Additions & ADU
Ojai homeowners add space for aging parents, adult children, or rental income, and the county’s post-Thomas Fire building rules mean hillside additions require fire-hardened assemblies that flatland contractors routinely miss. We know which submettals are coming because we’ve done it here. Learn more about our home.
Neighborhoods We Serve in Ojai
We work throughout the Ojai Valley, including the historic downtown area, the East End, Meiners Oaks, Mira Monte, and the Arbolada. Typical response time for an estimate anywhere in the Ojai area is a phone call back the same day and a site visit scheduled within the week. These are just representative neighborhoods, not the full map.
- Meiners Oaks
- Mira Monte
- The Arbolada
- East End
- Downtown Ojai
Why Ojai’s Climate & Housing Affect Construction
Ojai sits at the closed inland end of a narrow valley that funnels Santa Ana wind events straight toward town. The same geography that made the 2017 Thomas Fire so catastrophic also means wind-driven embers and sustained extreme heat are part of daily reality here. Summer temperatures regularly exceed 100°F, far hotter than coastal Ventura, and that accelerates fatigue on roofing, stucco, and exposed wood framing. A roof that would last twenty-five years in Camarillo might need Ojai Roofing replacement years sooner if it wasn’t installed with the right underlayment and ventilation from day one.
The housing stock makes this even more specific. Ojai’s building inventory spans 1920s-1940s Spanish Colonial Revival cottages near the historic arcade, mid-century ranch homes across the valley floor, and newer custom hillside estates on the surrounding slopes. A large share of those hillside parcels sits inside designated State Responsibility Areas, which triggers mandatory fire-resistant construction standards that don’t apply to flatland coastal cities. After the Thomas Fire, Ventura County’s enforcement of California Chapter 7A means a re-roof or room addition on a hillside parcel requires plan-checked ember-resistant soffit vents and a fire-rated roof assembly, even on remodels that wouldn’t trigger those requirements in neighboring Ventura or Santa Paula. That’s a permit-stage surprise that catches out-of-area subs regularly. For us, it’s the starting point on every hillside job in Ojai’s 93023 zip code.
Pricing for Construction in Ojai
Construction pricing in Ojai reflects the valley’s geography and code environment, not just labor rates. A hillside kitchen remodel that requires Chapter 7A upgrades to the exterior envelope will cost more than the same remodel on a flatland ranch house. Here are honest starting ranges for common Ojai projects, with permits included where required:
- Kitchen remodel: $35,000-$75,000 depending on footprint, cabinet line, and whether walls move.
- Bathroom remodel: $18,000-$40,000 depending on whether it’s a cosmetic refresh or a gut to the studs.
- Full roof replacement: $14,000-$30,000 for a Class A assembly on a typical Ojai home, with hillside access adding cost.
- ADU or room addition: $250,000-$450,000 depending on site conditions, foundations, and fire-hardening requirements.
- Driveway with pavers: $12,000-$35,000 depending on square footage, base prep, and paver line.
Every estimate is written, itemized, and free. If a price changes, a written change order arrives before work resumes. Call (877) 610-1318 for an exact quote on your home.
Service Area - Cities Near Ojai
Barrett & Sons Construction serves Ojai and the surrounding Ventura County communities. We regularly work in Mira Monte, Ventura, Santa Paula, and El Rio. If you’re not sure whether you’re in our service area, call us and ask. A live person answers.
Serving Ojai, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Ojai 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 Construction in Ojai
A kitchen remodel in Ojai typically runs between $35,000 and $75,000, depending on whether you’re refreshing a galley kitchen near the arcade or gutting a hillside cook space that needs structural and fire-hardening work. Call (877) 610-1318 for a written, itemized estimate, it’s free and there’s no trip charge inside the county.
Yes, a roof replacement in Ojai requires a permit, and if your home sits in the 93023 hillside area within a State Responsibility Area, you’ll also need to meet Chapter 7A fire-resistant roof assembly and ember-resistant vent requirements. We pull the permit and stand with you through inspection. The inspector works for you, not for me. That’s why I like him.
If your home sits on a hillside parcel inside a designated SRA, yes, almost certainly. Post-Thomas Fire enforcement means remodels that touch the exterior envelope trigger Chapter 7A requirements that flatland homes in Ventura or Santa Paula wouldn’t face. We flag this at the estimate stage, not the plan-check stage.
An ADU in Ojai typically takes six to twelve months from permit submittal to final inspection, depending on site conditions, foundation work, and whether your parcel triggers Fire Department access and water-supply requirements. We’ll give you a realistic schedule in writing before you sign.
Only if you change the scope, and even then, the new price comes to you as a written change order before any work proceeds. No surprise invoices at the end. An allowance that isn’t on paper is a surprise waiting for a date.
Get a Free Estimate for Your Ojai Project
The fastest way to get real numbers for your Ojai construction project is to call (877) 610-1318. You’ll talk to a live person, not a voicemail box. We’ll schedule a site visit, walk the property with you, and put together a written line-item estimate that accounts for your neighborhood, your home’s age, and Ojai’s specific code environment. Whether you’re in Meiners Oaks planning a bath remodel or up in the East End thinking about a home addition, we’ll tell you straight what it costs and what it takes. Call today and mention this page to get the $40 Off Any Repair Over $200 offer.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving Ojai and surrounding Ventura County communities since 1998.
What happens when you call
- 1A real person answersNo phone trees - talk to a local construction pro.
- 2You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched. No surprises.
- 3We come out and measureLicensed & insured, at a time that suits you - the visit and the quote are both free.
- 4You get the price in writingLine-itemed, yours to keep, and nothing starts until you say go.
What Ojai Customers Say
"His sons run the crews and they were in our house for four months. Not once did I feel I had to be home to keep an eye on things."
- Camila Fuentes"Beautiful work and honest pricing throughout. The project ran about three weeks past the estimate waiting on the cabinets, which was the supplier rather than him, though the delay was still real."
- Genevieve Ashcombe"Full kitchen down to the studs. He found the previous owner had done the wiring himself and it was genuinely dangerous, showed me, and put it right properly rather than boxing it back in."
- Augustus Nwachukwu