Kitchen remodeling
Bathroom remodeling
Home additions & ADU
Roofing
Windows & doors
Driveway & pavers
FenceFree written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
Fast, Reliable General Contractor Across Irvine
We’re San Mateo Construction, and we run a full-service General Contractor operation that covers Irvine from the ground up. From a kitchen remodel off Culver Drive to a full roof replacement in a 92604 ranch-era pocket, our crews know the city’s HOAs, the design-review boards, and the specific ways Irvine’s salt air and UV punish cheap materials. Call (855) 901-7266 for a free estimate, and you’ll get a straight answer about what your project actually costs here, not a vague ballpark.
Why San Mateo Construction Is Irvine’s Preferred General Contractor Company
Irvine homeowners call us because we talk about the things other contractors gloss over: which fasteners survive the salt air, what the HOA will actually approve, and whether the original 1980s plumbing in your tract home will pass inspection once the walls are open. We’ve run remodels, additions, and roof work in every major Irvine housing era, from the 1970s Spanish-revival tracts through the Spectrum high-rise conversions and the Great Park Neighborhoods new builds. One contractor, every system, and one accountable name on the permit: Noel Carrington, our owner, signs off on the work.
Styles & brands we work with
Hire a General Contractor in Irvine
Hire a General Contractor in Irvine and you’re hiring someone who has to navigate two approval tracks before the first material gets ordered: the city’s Community Development process and your HOA’s architectural review. That’s not a formality here. It’s the difference between a remodel that starts on schedule and one that gets a stop-work order because the paver color or the window style didn’t match the design guidelines. In Irvine, a kitchen remodel typically runs $14,000 – $45,000, and a home addition lands in the $45,000 – $130,000 range depending on the lot, the HOA’s setback rules, and what’s behind the existing stucco.
Whole-Home and Multi-System Remodels
We often start with an exterior repair, then move inside. A homeowner calls about a tile roof that’s shedding granules, and while we’re on the roof we notice the window flashing is failing. That becomes a window replacement in the same contract, then the kitchen behind those windows gets redone. The scope grows, but the accountability stays with one crew and one warranty.
New Structures and ADUs
ADU construction in Irvine runs $90,000 – $220,000, and the Great Park and Spectrum areas have specific design overlays that generic builders from outside the city routinely misread. We’ve built through prefab partnerships including Abodu and Plant Prefab, which shortens the on-site frame time and keeps the HOA review cleaner because the manufacturer’s spec sheets are already detailed enough for design review.
General Contractor Services in Irvine
General Contractor Services in Irvine span from roofline to foundation, and the city’s housing stock shapes what each job involves. The 1970s and 1980s tracts in 92606 and 92604 carry original cast-iron drain lines and aluminum wiring that flag on a permit inspection. The newer builds near Jamboree and the District often need sound attenuation and fire-rated assemblies because of the density. We’ve handled roof replacements, kitchen and bath remodels, paver patios, fencing, and full additions across all of it.
Exterior Systems That Survive Irvine
We replace roofs with GAF or Owens Corning systems, and we’re not shy about recommending a step up in underlayment and fastener spec when the home is within a few miles of the coast. Siding work leans on James Hardie fiber cement, which holds paint longer than wood in this UV. Windows come from PGT or Therma-Tru when impact rating or energy code matters.
Interior Remodels with Tract-Era Reality in Mind
Our kitchen and bath crews know that matching original tract finishes matters when you’re keeping the resale value stable in a uniform subdivision. We can spec Cambria or Caesarstone counters, Kohler or Grohe fixtures, and KraftMaid or Wellborn cabinets, and we’ll help you choose the tier that fits the neighborhood’s ceiling, not just your Pinterest board.
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.
Trusted Brands We Service in Irvine
We hold contractor accounts with over 50 name-brand suppliers, and for Irvine customers that means parts and materials don’t sit in a distributor queue for two weeks while your project stalls. We regularly source PGT windows, GAF roofing, James Hardie siding, and Cambria and Caesarstone countertops for jobs in this city. When a specific product line is backordered, we can pivot to a comparable brand within the same tier in days, not months. You’ll hear real names in our quotes, because that’s what an honest estimate looks like.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon General Contractor Problems We See in Irvine Homes
- HOA architectural approval skipped, city permit pulled first. In most Irvine neighborhoods, the HOA review has to happen before the city permit. Skip it and you can get a stop-work order with materials already sitting on the driveway.
- Electro-galvanized fasteners and standard steel railings rusting inside five years. Salt air from the coast travels inland through the San Diego Creek corridor, and the hotter surface temps accelerate the corrosion. We spec hot-dip galvanized or stainless hardware on anything exterior-facing.
- Tract-era plumbing and electrical failing during a remodel’s inspection. Homes built in the 1970s and 80s in 92604 and 92606 often have original cast-iron drain lines and old panels. Once we open the wall, the inspector sees it, and it becomes a required fix before we can close up.
- Inland-spec paver joints washing out on flat lots. Irvine’s rare but intense winter rains pool on master-planned flat grading. If a paver patio was installed with sand-only joints and no sealer, the joints erode and the pavers shift within a few seasons. We seal and use polymeric joints from day one.
Pricing for General Contractor in Irvine, CA
Pricing in Irvine tracks two factors: the size and age of the home, and whether the job requires coastal-spec materials. The table below reflects our line-item ranges for this market. A roof replacement on a 2,000-square-foot tract home runs $8,000 – $20,000, but if we’re within the salt-air zone and spec hot-dip fasteners with upgraded underlayment, expect to land in the upper half of that range. The coastal-spec upgrade typically adds 10 – 18 percent to the material line, and it’s the cheapest money you’ll spend because the inland-spec version often needs a redo inside a decade.
| Service | Irvine Price Range |
|---|---|
| Kitchen Remodel | $14,000 – $45,000 |
| Roof Replacement | $8,000 – $20,000 |
| Paver Patio Installation | $3,500 – $11,000 |
| Vinyl Fence Installation | $3,500 – $9,000 |
| Home Addition | $45,000 – $130,000 |
Every estimate is free and line-itemed. Call (855) 901-7266 and we’ll walk the property with you, in Irvine, before we put a number on paper.
We Also Serve Cities Near Irvine
Our General Contractor in Irvine coverage extends to the surrounding cities where the housing stock and HOA rules follow different rhythms. We work regularly in Tustin, Aliso Viejo, Santa Ana, and North Tustin, and the same crew that handles your Irvine remodel can manage the permit and HOA process in those markets too. If you’re just over the border, call us and we’ll schedule the same free walkthrough.
Serving Irvine, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Irvine 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 General Contractor in Irvine
Because Irvine’s master-planned communities were designed with binding architectural standards that run with the property deed, not just the current owner. The HOA’s design review is the first gate, and it covers materials, colors, and even fence styles. If you pull the city permit first and the HOA rejects your material choice later, you’re redesigning after orders are placed, and that’s a preventable cost. Call (855) 901-7266 and we’ll map your HOA’s specific submission sequence before we order anything.
We specify hot-dip galvanized or stainless steel fasteners, marine-grade aluminum or stainless railings, and sealed paver joints with polymeric sand for any exterior work in Irvine’s salt-air corridor. Standard electro-galvanized hardware rusts through in five years here because the marine layer pushes inland along the San Diego Creek and the warm, dry days concentrate salt at the surface. The upgrade costs roughly 10 – 18 percent more on the material line, and it pays for itself the first time you don’t have to redo the job.
A coastal-spec roof replacement in Irvine typically adds $1,200 to $3,800 over the inland-spec version on a standard single-family home, depending on the roof area and pitch. That covers upgraded underlayment, stainless or hot-dip ring-shank nails, and sometimes higher-grade battens. The inland-spec version with standard fasteners will show rust bleed at the battens within five to seven years in the salt-air zone, and then the replacement is the full job again, not a patch. Call (855) 901-7266 for an exact number on your roof.
Yes, most paver patio and fence installations in Irvine require a city permit plus HOA architectural approval, and the HOA review comes first. A fence over six feet needs a permit, and many Irvine HOAs cap fence height lower than that and restrict materials to specific styles. A paver patio that changes your lot’s drainage or impervious square footage also triggers review. We handle both submissions in the correct order, and we’ve passed design review in Irvine’s major villages without a single correction on fence and hardscape work.
Expect cast-iron drain lines, original aluminum or undersized electrical panels, and stucco that has been patched over multiple paint cycles without proper mesh repair. In 92604 and 92606, the 1970s and 1980s ranch-era pockets were built before current code cycles, so when we open a wall or a floor for a remodel, the inspector will flag what was and wasn’t to code at the time. Budget a contingency line for that, and we’ll show you the specific failure before we ask you to authorize the fix. Free estimates at (855) 901-7266.
We recently handled a full roof replacement on a 1980s Spanish-revival home in the 92604 ranch-era pocket, where the original tile underlayment had baked brittle and the fasteners were showing rust bleed at every batten. We stripped to the sheathing, replaced the underlayment, and specified hot-dip galvanized or stainless ring-shank nails along with new battens, then passed the city inspection sign-off and HOA design review without a single correction. That’s the standard we bring to every Irvine job.
Written by Noel Carrington, Owner at San Mateo Construction, serving Irvine and the surrounding Southern California market.