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Whole-home renovation taken back to the studs by Elusive Construction

Full Renovation

Whole-Home Remodels

A full renovation, often back to the studs — structure, systems and finishes rebuilt as one coordinated project instead of six trades pointing at each other.

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  • Licensed CA General B #1112902
  • Fully Insured
  • Santa Clara & San Mateo Counties
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The short answer

A whole-home remodel in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties runs $130K–$490K. The honest framing: a true down-to-the-studs rebuild is priced like new construction, not like a remodel — once the walls are open, the electrical, plumbing, insulation and often the foundation are all in scope, and what you saved by keeping the shell is smaller than most people expect. Where a whole-home remodel wins is when the bones are sound and the layout is the problem. Expect allowances on anything nobody can honestly price until it is opened up; those are billed at actual cost, and whatever is not spent comes off the final invoice.

Licence
CA General B #1112902
Bond & insurance
$25,000 bond, insured
Permits
We pull and close them
Where
Santa Clara & San Mateo

Once the walls are open, everything is on the table

A whole-home remodel is the one project where you can fix what's actually wrong with a house — not just how it looks. Old wiring, failing drain lines, missing insulation, framing that was never right. With the walls open, that work costs a fraction of what it costs later.

It's also the project with the most unknowns, which is why our proposals separate defined work from allowances. Subfloor, dry rot, and what's above a garage ceiling can't be honestly priced until they're opened. Those get billed at actual cost, and whatever isn't spent comes back to you.

Scope

What a whole-home remodel covers

Demolition to the studs

Controlled demo so the structure can actually be inspected rather than guessed at.

Structural repair

Dry rot, termite damage, failed framing and anything the reports flagged that nobody has addressed.

Systems replacement

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical brought up to current code while the walls are open.

Insulation & envelope

Insulation, weather barrier and windows — the part you never see and feel every month.

Kitchens & baths

Rebuilt as part of the whole, waterproofed correctly, not bolted on at the end.

Finish & walkthrough

Floors, trim, paint and fixtures, then a punch list walked together.

How deep the remodel goes

How deep the remodel goes
Cosmetic refreshFull remodelDown to the studs
Walls openedNoWhere the layout changesEverywhere
ElectricalFixtures onlyCircuits added where neededUsually full replacement
PlumbingFixtures onlyRelocated where the layout movesUsually full replacement
PermitOften noneYesYes, full plan check
Surprise riskLowModerateHighest — budget allowances for it
Priced likeA remodelA remodelNew construction

Common Questions

Straight answers

Do I need to move out during a whole-home remodel?
For a true to-the-studs renovation, almost always — and it's worth planning for. If the house will be vacant, confirm with your insurance carrier that it's covered while unoccupied and under renovation. Many homeowner policies exclude vacancy past 30 or 60 days, and a full remodel runs longer than that.
Why are there allowances instead of one fixed price?
Because a fixed price on work nobody has seen yet is a guess with padding on it. Allowances cover exactly the items that can't be known until demo — and they're billed at actual cost, with anything unspent credited back to you.
How long does a whole-home remodel take?
Longer than the optimistic version you may have been quoted elsewhere. We'll give you a realistic duration at proposal. An overrun costs us margin, so we have every reason to schedule it honestly rather than tell you what you want to hear.
At what point is a remodel really a rebuild?
When the walls are open everywhere. Once electrical, plumbing and insulation are all being replaced and the framing is exposed, you are paying new-construction prices for the trades while still living with the old footprint and the old foundation. That is the point to genuinely price both routes. Sometimes keeping the shell still wins — for setbacks, for permit path, or because the existing structure sits where a new one would not be allowed.
How do allowances work, and why not just give a fixed price?
An allowance covers work nobody can honestly price until something is opened up — what is behind the plaster, what the subfloor looks like, whether the wiring is original. Allowances are billed at actual cost, and whatever is not spent comes off your final invoice. A contractor who gives a fixed price on unopened walls has either padded it heavily or is planning to come back with change orders. We would rather show you the unknowns.
Can I live in the house during a whole-home remodel?
Usually not, for a true down-to-the-studs project — there is a stretch with no functioning kitchen, no reliable heat and often no water. Some phased remodels can be staged so half the house stays livable, but phasing costs money and time because trades come back twice. That trade-off is worth deciding deliberately at proposal rather than discovering in month three.
What usually goes wrong, and how is it handled?
The three recurring ones are original wiring that has to be replaced rather than extended, dry rot or termite damage found when siding or subfloor comes off, and a foundation that turns out to be shallower or less reinforced than assumed. None are unusual and all are handled the same way: documented, priced as a written change order, and approved before the work happens. No verbal changes.
Are you licensed, bonded and insured?
Yes — California General Building (B) license #1112902, a $25,000 contractor bond, and an active workers' compensation policy with The Hartford. Verify the license on the CSLB registry. Certificates of insurance are available on request.
Do you handle the design?
We build your vision — we're not designing the place with you. But "we don't design" does not mean "you're on your own for plans." We coordinate the architect and structural engineer who produce your stamped permit set, including Title 24, and they submit to the city portal. That is a line item we price and manage — on an ADU it runs about $10,000 and it is in the estimate, not a homework assignment we hand you.

On ADUs we can also start from a standard design and give you a materials list, which is usually the faster and cheaper route.

What we won't do is sit and choose your layout, cabinet doors and finishes with you. That is interior design, it is a real skill, and it isn't ours — if that's the help you want we'll say so up front rather than three weeks in.
How do allowances work?
An allowance covers work nobody can honestly price until something is opened up. Those are billed at actual cost, and whatever isn't spent comes off your final invoice. We'd rather show you the unknowns than bury them in a padded fixed price.

Process

How a whole-home remodel actually runs

  1. Scope and honesty about depth

    We establish how deep this really goes, because a cosmetic refresh, a full remodel and a down-to-the-studs rebuild are three different projects with three different budgets. A true gut is priced like new construction, and we would rather say that at proposal than discover it in month three.

  2. Design, engineering and allowances

    Plans where the layout changes, structural engineering where walls come out. Anything nobody can honestly price until it is opened up goes in as an allowance — billed at actual cost, with whatever is not spent coming off your final invoice.

  3. Permit

    Anything structural, electrical, plumbing or mechanical needs one. We pull it and we close it out.

  4. Demolition and discovery

    The point where the house tells you the truth. Original wiring, dry rot, a shallower foundation than assumed. All normal, all handled the same way: documented, priced as a written change order, approved before the work happens.

  5. Rough trades and inspections

    Electrical, plumbing and mechanical while the walls are open, then the inspection holds that exist precisely because this work is about to be covered.

  6. Finishes and close-out

    Insulation, drywall, floors, cabinetry, fixtures, paint. Final inspections, permit finalled, punch list walked together.

Deposit is capped at $1,000 by California law. Milestone draws follow the work — see how payments work.

Before you sign anything

Worth reading first

All guides →

Service Area

Where we build

Permit process, plan check and utility requirements change at every city line. Each page covers what's actually true where you're building.

Tell us about your project

Book a 30-minute discovery call and we'll tell you what's realistic — scope, budget and timeline — whether or not we're the right builder for it.

Book a Project Discovery Call Call (408) 597-2733