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 Los Altos, CA
Most Los Altos homeowners aren’t calling a contractor for a simple patch job. They’re looking at a 1950s ranch on a lot worth well over two million dollars and trying to figure out whether to remodel, add on, or start over entirely. If that’s the decision in front of you, you’ve found the right crew. Barrett & Sons Construction handles everything from Kitchen Remodeling - Los Altos to full custom rebuilds across the 94022, 94023, and 94024 zip codes. Call (877) 610-1318 and you’ll get Tom Barrett or one of his sons on the line, not a call center.
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 Los Altos Homeowners Choose Barrett & Sons Construction
We’re the owner-operated alternative to the big outfits that quote one number on the phone and show up with another. Tom Barrett founded this company in 1998, put his name on the truck, and his sons run the crews. When you hire us, you’ll see the same faces from the first estimate to the final walkthrough. Customers in North Los Altos and South Los Altos have called us specifically because they looked up our license number before signing, and because Tom’s home address is published right alongside it. He lives nearby. If something’s not right, he wants to know about it.
Every job we take in Los Altos gets a written scope, written allowances, and written change orders before any price moves. The permit inspector works for you, not for me, which is why we pull permits on every eligible job and stay until the inspection is signed. We carry a 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing on every contract: if it’s not done right, one call brings Tom back. We background-check every crew member who carries the Barrett & Sons name, and a live person answers our phone 24 hours a day.
Construction Services We Offer in Los Altos
Kitchen Remodeling in Los Altos
We install KraftMaid and Cambria because you should be able to look up exactly what’s going into your home. Your kitchen in a 1960s ranch often hides outdated wiring and plumbing we’ll need to address before cabinets go in, and we handle that as part of the same written scope. Learn more about our Kitchen Remodeling in Los Altos.
Bathroom Remodeling in Los Altos
Older Los Altos homes frequently have bathrooms built on original framing with no ventilation to speak of. We deal with the framing, the waterproofing, and the finishes, and every allowance is in writing before the first tile is set. Learn more about our Bathroom Remodeling in Los Altos.
Roofing in Los Altos
We install GAF and CertainTeed roofing systems, and we’re familiar with what Los Altos building officials look for during inspection. Wet winters mean proper underlayment and flashing matter more here than in drier parts of the Bay. Learn more about our Roofing in Los Altos.
Windows & Doors
Most Los Altos ranches still have their original single-pane aluminum windows. Windows & Doors - Los Altos projects with Andersen and Marvin replacement windows change how those homes hold temperature and how quiet they feel, and we install them correctly against old framing that’s rarely square after 60 years.
Fence Installation
Los Altos has specific fence height and setback rules, and the tree ordinance can affect where post holes go near protected oaks. We know what the city requires and we pull the permit so you don’t get a notice later.
Driveway & Pavers
Belgard and Techo-Bloc pavers hold up against the expansive Adobe clay soil common in Los Altos flatlands. We prepare the base properly so you don’t get the heaving and cracking that cheap paver jobs produce within two winters.
Home Additions & ADU
On lots worth what Los Altos lots are worth, an ADU often makes more financial sense than moving. We handle the design, the permitting through Los Altos’s building department, and the full construction from foundation to finish.
Neighborhoods We Serve in Los Altos
We work throughout Los Altos, and our crews know the streets and the houses. You’ll typically hear back from us within one business day when you call.
- North Los Altos (around Los Altos Avenue and Foothill Expressway)
- South Los Altos (Loyola Corners area)
- Country Club neighborhood
- Woodland Acres
- The Highlands
Why Los Altos’s Climate & Housing Affect Construction
Los Altos sits on Santa Clara Valley floor with expansive Adobe clay soil that swells in wet winters and shrinks in dry summers. That movement is a persistent problem for the shallow concrete-perimeter and post-and-pier foundations under many of the city’s tract ranches built between 1950 and 1975. Most of those homes still have original 60 to 100 amp electrical panels and no seismic strapping. Any remodel that stops short of a full rebuild has to account for those conditions, and we price that work honestly from the start. What we see regularly in North Los Altos is differential settlement cracking interior drywall and sticking doors - issues that proper Los Altos Roofing and structural work can help address. In South Los Altos, we see more slab heaving under driveways and patios. Mild weather lets us build year-round here, but wet winters from November through March require drainage and erosion-control planning that satisfies Santa Clara County stormwater rules before excavation starts.
There’s another Los Altos factor many out-of-area contractors miss until it costs them: the city’s tree-preservation ordinance is one of the strictest in the Bay Area. Protected native and heritage oaks sit on residential lots all over town. A single unpermitted tree removal or root damage during grading can stop a custom-home project cold, requiring arborist reports, canopy-protection fencing, and city sign-off before any ground is broken. We’ve been through that process enough times to plan for it from the first site visit, not discover it on day three of excavation.
The defining project type in Los Altos right now is the teardown-and-rebuild. Land values routinely exceed $2 to $4 million, and the structure sitting on that land is often worth a fraction of the dirt beneath it. That means contractors here need to be fluent in new custom-home construction, the Los Altos municipal building department’s permitting process, and the city’s design-review requirements. It’s a different skill set than what you need in Mountain View or Sunnyvale, where commercial and multi-family work dominate. We run both remodels and full custom builds in Los Altos, and the same crew who reinforces a 1962 foundation can frame a new home to current seismic codes.
Learn more about our home page to see the full scope of what we do across every trade.
Pricing for Construction in Los Altos
Los Altos construction costs run higher than the regional average, mostly because of the land values and the level of finish buyers expect when they eventually sell. Here’s what we tell homeowners to expect:
- Kitchen remodel: $55,000 - $130,000 depending on cabinet grade and layout changes
- Bathroom remodel: $28,000 - $65,000 per bathroom
- Roof replacement: $18,000 - $42,000 depending on material and pitch
- Window replacement (full house): $22,000 - $55,000
- Driveway replacement: $12,000 - $35,000 depending on pavers vs. concrete
- ADU (attached or detached): $250,000 - $450,000
- Full custom rebuild: $500,000 - $1,500,000+
Those are honest starting ranges, not lowball phone quotes. Every price change during a job arrives as a written change order before work proceeds. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free estimate with real numbers.
Service Area - Cities Near Los Altos
We also serve Los Altos Hills, Mountain View, Stanford, and Sunnyvale. Scheduling and dispatch run from our San Francisco Bay Area office, and crews work locally in each city. If you’re just over the Los Altos line, call and ask. No trip charge inside the county.
Serving Los Altos, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Los Altos 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 Los Altos
Most Los Altos projects fall between $28,000 for a single-Bathroom Remodeling in Los Altos project and $1.5 million or more for a full custom rebuild, with kitchen remodels running $55,000 to $130,000. Your exact number depends on the age of your foundation, your electrical panel, and whether protected oaks on the lot affect the site plan. Call (877) 610-1318 for a written estimate specific to your house.
Only if you change the scope, and only in writing. Every allowance and every change order is documented before work proceeds. The allowance that isn’t on paper is a surprise waiting for a date, and you won’t find those surprises on our jobs.
Yes, on every eligible job. Los Altos has its own building department and design-review process, and we handle both. The inspector works for you, not for me. If a previous contractor told you permits were optional, that’s a red flag worth investigating. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll tell you what your specific project requires.
A bathroom remodel typically runs 3 to 5 weeks. A kitchen runs 6 to 10 weeks. A full custom rebuild on a teardown lot can run 10 to 14 months including design-review and permitting. Wet winters don’t stop us, but grading and foundation work between November and March takes an extra week or two for erosion control and proper soil preparation. We’ll give you a written timeline with your estimate.
Yes, and we’ve done it many times. The city requires arborist reports and canopy-protection fencing before ground-break on lots with protected oaks. We plan that into the schedule from the first visit so the tree ordinance doesn’t stall your project. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free estimate and we’ll walk the lot with you.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving Los Altos and surrounding Bay Area 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 Los Altos 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