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Remodeling your home in San Diego can be a daunting task. Depending on the type of your property and what you want to achieve, the costs can vary tremendously. Estimates for a full home remodel can range anywhere from $250 up to over $1000 per square foot in 2024 prices.
Thankfully, there are ways to optimize your remodeling process and transfer most of the legwork to an experienced contractor. Through discovery and negotiation, especially if you have a clear vision of what you want to be done, you can reduce the price with minimal sacrifices.
In many cases, the biggest ticket items might be something you don’t really desire, but just think it’s neat. There is also a possibility that an alternative to your choice in materials or plan can be even better and cost way less, because price doesn’t always follow aesthetics.
Finally, it is very important to plan ahead. In this market where high-quality contractors and crews are swamped with requests, you should expect to pay a premium for an “urgent job.” But, if you are planning now for over a year in advance, you can get the best possible deal.
Hidden Expenses for Home Remodeling in San Diego
The biggest pitfall of home remodeling in San Diego, or anywhere on the West Coast for that matter, is the preliminary budget estimate. Homeowners will expect costs of labor, fixtures, or even permits and fees, but that is far from everything.
If you wish to remodel your whole home in San Diego, you might be expected to pay a significant percentage of the price of a new home altogether. There are ways to diminish the costs but not to make them insignificant regardless of the tax bracket you have found yourself in.
Even if you make a perfect plan and don’t make any changes, as well as plan electrical and utilities perfectly, there are costs for issues like trash removal, temporary accommodations for you and your pets, as well as building insurance, all of which can affect the price considerably.
And, the biggest problem is that reaching the top of your budget when you have already started to remodel will make your expenses pile up even more while not finishing the job.
Because of this, you should first call in a contractor and make a preliminary estimate and discovery. Then, even when a contractor gives an estimate, make sure you have at least 20% more just for emergencies that can’t be predicted.
Bathroom Remodeling Costs
Remodeling the bathroom can be one of the costlier parts of your home remodel because some issues simply can’t be avoided. Good hydro-insulation is essential if you want to avoid mold and water damage, and your bathroom should be safe and easy to clean.
Costs for such remodeling can vary greatly. A difference between the budget and the premium option can be as much as four times, and that is without considering the current state of your bathroom.
If there are code violations that need to be solved first, the price can be even greater.
Thankfully, there are budget options that might look amazing. Using wood flooring and hydrophobic white paint on the walls can look amazing in well-lit homes, and it is one of the cheapest options on the market.
Walk-in showers also look amazing, and they will remove the cost of a bathtub and all of the plumbing and protection that go around it. Depending on your needs, you should ask your contractor about your options.
Kitchen Remodeling Costs
If you wish to remodel your kitchen in San Diego today, you will have a lot of different options, as different styles are coinciding at the moment. Regretfully, most of these options come with a substantial price tag as well. This is why you should always consider if you wish to rejuvenate your existing kitchen or build a whole new one from scratch.
Building a new kitchen is not just the cabinets and the appliances. A kitchen is built from below the floor to above the ceiling, as there needs to be protection from moisture, mold, dirt, vermin, and fumes. If you already have a relatively new kitchen, maybe consider just touching it up.
At the moment, the trend in high-end homes is to hide appliances as much as possible. This is actually cheaper than having large protruding appliances, and you may end up paying less while making your home look even more stunning.
General Room Remodeling
Remodeling bedrooms, offices, and other general spaces can be cheap if planned correctly. While it is important to update the electrical outlets, as well as internet connections and lighting, there are not a lot of big-ticket items that can break the bank.
For some homeowners, the fact that these rooms don’t require a lot of work sometimes means that they will try to make it a DIY project. But, even in that case, you would benefit from a general contractor who will make a plan and check the rooms for code violations, as well as gather permits for you.
By having an experienced contractor when remodeling your home in Solana Beach or other properties near the ocean, knowing about everything that would improve how the rooms look and feel will be important.
Rooftop Patio Construction
Few houses can reasonably be remodeled to have a rooftop patio. For such construction, it is necessary to have the structural support for what would effectively be a new floor of your house. But, if there is a possibility, this can be a game changer for your home.
Rooftop patios can improve cooling and provide a cozy and serene place to relax for those who don’t have a lot of backyard space. While it can cost significantly more than what a new roof would, it will also increase the property value just as much.
ADU Construction
At the moment, California is providing grants for Auxiliary Dwelling Units, or ADUs. If you have space on your property to build another house, this can be a much more reasonable first step than remodeling the whole home, provided that it is still functioning properly.
By adding one more unit, you will increase the property value tremendously, open space for cash flow from renting, or be able to pull in resources with in-laws or adult children so that you can make your dream remodeling job happen next year.
While building an ADU is not ideal for every homeowner, if you fall into a category that will benefit from it, now would be the time to build it.
