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 Taft, CA
Most construction calls we get from Taft start the same way: a homeowner found a crack in the slab, water staining on a ceiling, or a fence line that’s leaning after a windstorm off the Temblor Range. This town sits on top of the Midway-Sunset Oil Field, and that oil history shows up in ways out-of-town contractors don’t expect. If you’re dealing with settling foundations, failing concrete, or a remodel that needs to work around ground movement, we’d rather you call us before the problem gets worse. Our crews know Taft’s soil, Taft’s housing stock, and Taft’s building department. Call (877) 610-1318 and you’ll get a live person, not a voicemail box.
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 Taft Homeowners Choose Barrett & Sons Construction
Tom Barrett put his name on this company in 1998, and his sons run the crews that show up in Taft. That’s the difference homeowners here tell us they’re looking for: a contractor whose name is on the truck, not a franchise that dispatches strangers from some out-of-state call center. When you hire us, the person who shakes your hand at the estimate is the person whose family name goes on the permit.
We’ve worked in the neighborhoods around South Taft and the older streets near Kern Street and Center Street, where the houses date to the 1940s and 1950s oil boom. The same problems repeat house to house: cracks in slab foundations, doors that no longer latch square, concrete driveways that have sunk an inch or two on one side. Taft homeowners want a contractor who has seen that before and doesn’t treat it like a discovery. We have.
Every eligible job includes permits pulled and inspections signed. Every price change arrives as a written change order before work proceeds. And every completed job carries our written 90-Day Done Right Promise: one call brings Tom back if something isn’t right. Those aren’t marketing taglines. They’re on the contract.
Construction Services We Offer in Taft
Kitchen Remodeling
Taft’s older worker cottages often have small, closed-off kitchens that don’t match how families live now. We open walls, reroute plumbing, and install cabinetry you can actually look up, like KraftMaid and Cambria. Learn more about our Kitchen Remodeling in Taft.
Bathroom Remodeling
Homes built for oil field laborers in the 1950s usually have one undersized bathroom. We handle full tear-outs, walk-in showers, and layouts that work for homeowners planning to stay in place another twenty years. Learn more about our Bathroom Remodeling in Taft.
Roofing
Seasonal winds off the Temblor Range and 105°F summers shorten the life of asphalt shingles and expose weak flashing faster than most of California. We install GAF and CertainTeed roofing systems that hold up under Taft’s specific weather. Learn more about our Roofing in Taft.
Windows & Doors
Low humidity and extreme heat cause wood frames to shrink and crack, and original single-pane windows in Taft’s older homes bleed cool air all summer. We install Andersen and Marvin Windows & Doors in Taft sized for the existing openings in these older frames.
Fence Installation
Wind is the routine threat here, and a fence that wasn’t set deep or braced properly will lean by autumn. We build fence lines that stay straight through the season, using proper post depth and concrete that cures before the afternoon heat hits.
Driveway & Pavers
Differential settlement from oil-field subsidence shows up as cracked, uneven driveways all over Taft. We handle demolition, base preparation, and paver installations using brands like Techo-Bloc and Belgard, built to tolerate movement without failing the way rigid slabs do.
Home Additions & ADU
Taft’s zoning allows accessory dwelling units on many lots, but the soil conditions beneath the Midway-Sunset field mean foundation design needs geotechnical review before the first pour. We handle that paperwork and the build.
Neighborhoods We Serve in Taft
We work across all of Taft’s 93268 ZIP code. Most of our jobs cluster in the older residential blocks near downtown, the neighborhoods around Roosevelt School, the streets off Ashe Avenue, and the newer homes on the town’s north side near Buena Vista High School. Response time for an estimate in Taft is typically within a few business days. Here’s where we’re working most often:
- South Taft and the streets around Kern Street
- The blocks near Roosevelt School
- Homes off Ashe Avenue
- The north side near Buena Vista High School
- Properties along Highway 33 toward the edge of town
Why Taft’s Climate & Housing Affect Construction
Taft sits directly atop the Midway-Sunset Oil Field, one of the largest oil fields in the United States. That’s not a trivia fact; it shapes every foundation pour and excavation in this town. Decades of petroleum extraction have produced documented ground subsidence, and local contractors routinely hit oil-stained or hydrocarbon-saturated soils when digging footings or utility lines. That soil can require special disposal handling and geotechnical review, a reality that catches out-of-town builders off guard but is simply routine for a Taft crew.
Most of Taft’s housing stock was built from the 1940s through the 1970s to house oil field laborers, which means modest wood-frame cottages and small ranch homes, many of them sitting on original slab-on-grade foundations that have moved over time. Deferred maintenance is common, because the town’s economy rises and falls with oil prices. Add in San Joaquin Valley summers that routinely top 105°F, very low humidity, and seasonal winds off the Temblor Range, and you get a place where concrete cures too fast, wood shrinks, caulk fails, and roofs take a beating. Every one of those conditions changes how we schedule, pour, fasten, and finish a job, from Taft Roofing to foundation repair. A contractor who doesn’t know that is guessing.
Pricing for Construction in Taft
Here’s what homeowners in Taft should realistically expect to budget, based on the scope we see in this housing stock:
- Bathroom remodel: $18,000-$38,000 depending on whether you’re keeping the existing footprint or moving walls
- Kitchen remodel: $35,000-$75,000 for a typical Taft worker cottage, including cabinet replacement and some layout changes
- Roof replacement: $12,000-$22,000 for a standard single-story home, depending on pitch and decking condition
- Fence installation: $4,500-$12,000 depending on linear footage and material choice
- Driveway or paver replacement: $8,000-$25,000 considering the base work Taft soils often require
- Home addition or ADU: $180-$350 per square foot, with soil tests and geotechnical review as a separate line item
Every estimate is free. Every price change comes in writing before work starts. And if you’re 65 or older or a veteran, take a permanent 10% discount, no expiration date.
Service Area - Cities Near Taft
Barrett & Sons Construction serves Taft and the surrounding west Kern County communities. Homeowners in Rosedale, Greenacres, Shafter, and Bakersfield call us for the same written-change-order, permit-pulled work we do here.
Serving Taft, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Taft 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 Taft
Kitchen Remodeling in Taft typically runs $35,000 to $75,000 depending on whether you’re updating a small worker cottage or reconfiguring a larger ranch home. The biggest variables are cabinet quality, whether you’re moving plumbing, and what the slab looks like once we open it up. Call (877) 610-1318 for an exact quote, and the estimate is free.
Taft sits on the Midway-Sunset Oil Field, and decades of petroleum extraction have produced measurable ground subsidence across parts of town. Older slab-on-grade foundations from the 1940s through the 1970s were never designed for that movement, so differential settlement and cracking are common. That’s why we recommend a geotechnical review on any addition or major foundation work here.
Yes. Every eligible job includes permits pulled and inspections signed. The permit inspector works for you, not for us, and we like having them on the job. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll walk you through what your specific project requires.
Only if the scope changes, and only after you receive and approve a written change order. No surprise invoices at the end. An allowance that isn’t on paper is a surprise waiting for a date, and that’s not how we work. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free estimate with allowances in writing.
Most Bathroom Remodeling in Taft takes four to eight weeks from demo to final inspection, depending on whether we’re moving plumbing and what condition the subfloor is in. We schedule work around Taft’s heat, pouring concrete and doing exterior cuts in early-morning windows. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll give you a realistic timeline for your specific project.
If you’re weighing a remodel, an addition, a new roof, or a paver driveway in Taft, get a second opinion before you sign anything. Ask anyone on your street, or look up the license number yourself. Then call (877) 610-1318 to schedule your free estimate. Tom Barrett and his sons will be the ones who show up.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving Taft and the surrounding communities.
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 Taft Customers Say
"Came back a year later to sort a door that had dropped as the frame settled. No charge and no argument about whether it was covered."
- Thaddeus Oyelowo"Addition over the garage matched the original roofline and brickwork so closely that visitors do not realise it was added. He tracked down the closest brick he could find rather than settling."
- Gideon Stroud"The bathroom was finished on the day he said at the start, which nobody had led me to believe was possible."
- Loretta Vanterpool