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 Whittier, CA
If you own a home in Whittier, you already know the question isn’t whether the ground will shake, but when. The Whittier Fault runs right through town, and that changes how we think about every kitchen remodel, every room addition, every roof we tear off. At Barrett & Sons Construction, we’ve built our reputation on doing Whittier work the way Whittier demands: bolted to the foundation, permitted, inspected, and priced in writing before the first nail moves. Call us at (877) 610-1318 and you’ll get a live person, not a voicemail tree.
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 Whittier Homeowners Choose Barrett & Sons Construction
Tom Barrett started this company in 1998, and his sons run the crews. That’s not a marketing line; it’s how the work gets done. When a homeowner in Friendly Hills calls about a cracked stem wall or a bowed retaining wall, the person who shows up to look at it is someone whose last name is on the truck. We’ve done everything from earthquake retrofits on pre-war bungalows off Painter Avenue to full kitchen remodels in Michigan Park, and the folks we work for tend to become repeat customers. Ask anyone on your street, or look up the license number yourself. Tom publishes his name, his address, and his license number. You can verify all of it before you sign anything.
Every job we take in Whittier comes with the same paperwork: scope in writing, allowances in writing, change orders in writing. If a price changes, you see it on paper and approve it before the work proceeds. That’s the 90-Day Done Right Promise, and it’s written on every contract we sign.
Construction Services We Offer in Whittier
Kitchen Remodeling
A Whittier kitchen remodel often means working around a 1920s floor plan in the Uptown core or opening up a cramped 1950s galley in the eastern tract homes. We handle the full scope, from structural changes to finished cabinets and counters. Learn more about our Kitchen Remodeling in Whittier.
Bathroom Remodeling
Older Whittier homes frequently hide corroded galvanized supply lines behind original tile, and we always plan for what’s behind the wall before we open it. We’ll pull the permit, fix what needs fixing, and build a bathroom that doesn’t leak into the crawlspace. Learn more about our Bathroom Remodeling in Whittier.
Roofing
Whittier sits where Santa Ana winds hit the Puente Hills hard, and we’ve seen roofing membrane fail years early on the east-facing slopes. We install systems built for wind, heat, and the occasional hard shake, and every roof gets a permit and a final inspection. Learn more about our Roofing in Whittier.
Windows & Doors
Those original single-pane wood Windows & Doors in Whittier in the Spanish Colonial Revivals near Uptown are charming and wildly inefficient. We carry Simonton and Ply Gem lines, which hold up well to Whittier’s heat and wind, and we install them plumb, square, and sealed.
Fence Installation
Whittier hillside lots often mean stepped fencing on uneven grade. Whether you need a redwood privacy fence off Mar Vista Street or a full perimeter around a Friendly Hills property, we set posts to last.
Driveway & Pavers
Expansive clay soil in the hills is tough on concrete. We pour driveways with proper base preparation and drainage so you’re not dealing with a cracked slab three years after the pour.
Home Additions & ADU
Adding square footage in Whittier means dealing with an active fault zone and a building department that pays close attention. We pull permits, bolt the new foundation to code, and build additions that add real value and real space.
Neighborhoods We Serve in Whittier
We work across Whittier, from the tree-lined streets of Uptown to the hillside lots of Friendly Hills and Whittier Hills. Typical response time for an estimate in the area is one to two business days.
- Uptown Whittier
- Friendly Hills
- Whittier Hills
- Michigan Park
- East Whittier
Why Whittier’s Climate & Housing Affect Construction
The Whittier Fault isn’t a theoretical concern. The 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake exposed how vulnerable the city’s pre-bolt bungalows and unreinforced masonry buildings really were. That legacy lingers. Homes near Uptown, built before World War II, often sit on raised wood foundations that were never bolted to the mudsill. A modest quake can slide them off the foundation. We do a lot of seismic bolting, cripple-wall bracing, and foundation upgrades in these older neighborhoods, and we recommend them on nearly every remodel we touch in the 90605, 90606, and 90607 ZIP codes.
Then there’s the weather. Santa Ana winds blow harder and longer against Whittier’s foothill neighborhoods than they do in the flatlands to the south. Whittier Roofing ages faster here. Paint chalks quicker. Fences lean. And when storms come, the Puente Hills concentrate runoff into the lower streets, which is why site drainage and French drains are part of so many Whittier projects. None of this is guesswork; it’s what we see on job sites from Colima Road to Greenleaf Avenue every month.
In the hillside neighborhoods of Friendly Hills and Whittier Hills, we also contend with cut-and-fill lots from the 1960s and 70s. Those lots were built over expansive clay, and decades of inadequate drainage have caused differential foundation movement. Cracked slabs, failed retaining walls, bowed stem walls. It’s a well-known local pattern that flatland cities like Norwalk or Santa Fe Springs don’t face the same way. When we bid a hillside project in Whittier, we plan for the soil before we plan the pretty stuff.
Pricing for Construction in Whittier
Here are honest ranges for common Whittier projects, based on what we’ve seen in the local market:
- Kitchen remodel: $35,000-$85,000 depending on structural work, cabinet line, and finish level
- Bathroom remodel: $18,000-$45,000
- Roof replacement: $12,000-$30,000 depending on pitch, layers, and material
- Seismic retrofit (bolting + cripple-wall bracing): $4,000-$9,000
- ADU (attached or detached): $150,000-$350,000 depending on size and utility work
- Driveway replacement: $8,000-$22,000
Every quote is a written line-item estimate. If something changes, you get a written change order before the work happens. No surprise invoices at the end. The allowance that isn’t on paper is a surprise waiting for a date.
Service Area - Cities Near Whittier
Beyond Whittier, we work in South Whittier, West Whittier-Los Nietos, East La Mirada, and Santa Fe Springs. If you’re in one of those communities, the same crew, the same pricing rules, and the same written guarantees apply.
Serving Whittier, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Whittier 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 Whittier
In most pre-WWII Whittier homes on raised foundations, yes. If your home isn’t bolted to its foundation, a remodel is the right time to fix that, because the city’s active fault makes it a question of when, not if. We include retrofitting in most Uptown and central Whittier remodels. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll look at your foundation as part of the free estimate.
Most Whittier kitchen remodels run between $35,000 and $85,000. The range depends on whether we’re moving walls, upgrading the electrical panel, or just replacing cabinets and counters. You’ll get a written line-item quote before any work starts. Call (877) 610-1318 for an exact number, not a guess.
Not without your signature. If we open a wall and find something unexpected, you’ll get a written change order explaining what it is, why it’s needed, and what it costs before we do the extra work. That’s the Barrett & Sons rule, and it’s on every contract.
Always, on every eligible job. Whittier’s building department inspects our work, and we want that. The permit inspector works for you, not for me. That’s why we like him. If a contractor tells you permits are optional, that’s your cue to look elsewhere.
Yes. We regularly repair cracked slabs, bowed stem walls, and failed retaining walls on cut-and-fill lots in the Whittier hills. Those problems come from expansive clay and poor original drainage, and they don’t fix themselves. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free site visit and an honest assessment.
Contact Barrett & Sons Construction in Whittier
If you’re planning a remodel, an addition, a roof, or a foundation fix in Whittier, start with a written estimate. Tom Barrett and his sons run the crews, the permits get pulled, and the price doesn’t move without your signature. Call (877) 610-1318 today to schedule your free estimate. A live person answers, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving Whittier and surrounding 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 Whittier 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