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 Orange
If you’re searching for a general contractor who actually understands how building works in Orange, you’ve found the right crew. San Mateo Construction handles everything from a kitchen remodel near the Plaza to a full ADU build on unincorporated acreage off Santiago Canyon Road. One licensed contractor, one accountable team, one contract covering roofline to foundation. Noel Carrington leads every project and signs off on the scope before we ever put a shovel in the ground. Call (855) 901-7266 to schedule your free estimate, and we’ll walk the property with you before quoting a number.
Why San Mateo Construction Is Orange’s Preferred General Contractor Company
Orange isn’t one housing market, it’s two. The western half of the city runs on historic-preservation review and Craftsman-era matching requirements. The eastern edge and the unincorporated pockets around it run on county permits, septic setbacks, and long-haul material logistics. Most contractors are comfortable with one and lost on the other. We work both.
Our customers in Villa Park and the hills above North Tustin know we show up on time, we don’t pad change orders, and our quotes include things other contractors “discover” later, like the soft shoulder on an acreage access road or a well setback that pushes the pad fifteen feet east. That’s not marketing language. That’s how we scope work in Orange.
We’re licensed, insured, and bonded. We pull permits for every job that requires one, whether that’s through the City of Orange or the County of Orange. And when your project needs multiple trades, you’re not coordinating a roofer, a plumber, and a cabinet installer on three different schedules. You’re calling one number. That number is (855) 901-7266.
Styles & brands we work with
Remodeling Contractor in Orange
A General Contractor handling a remodeling job in Orange deals with structural realities that don’t show up in a tract home in Anaheim. Pier-and-beam foundations in the 92866 and 92862 zip codes shift. Original plaster walls crack behind 1930s window headers. The post-war ranch homes toward 92867 and 92868 hide galvanized supply lines that have been failing for a decade. None of this surprises us, because we see it on every third job in this city.
When a homeowner comes to us for a kitchen remodel on an Old Towne Craftsman, we start with the same conversation: What’s behind the walls, and does the city’s design review require a matching-detail submittal? The cabinet layout is the easy part. KraftMaid or Wellborn cabinets, Cambria or Silestone counters, a Schluter waterproofed tile backsplash, that’s all selection work. The scope that matters is the framing, the electrical, and the Title 24 energy upgrades that have to happen before the finishes go in. A kitchen remodel in Orange typically runs $14,000 to $45,000. A smaller galley kitchen with stock cabinets and a straightforward layout starts closer to $9,000 to $20,000.
What We Fix Before Finishes
The unglamorous work is what keeps a remodel from falling apart in year three. We check the subfloor slope, the joist spacing, the existing wire gauge, and whether the vent stack is still in code. On pier-and-beam homes this often means adding piers and sistering joists. That work goes into the quote as a line item, not a surprise on day nine.
Material Selection Without the Upsell
We carry relationships with more than fifty name-brand suppliers, from corrugated metal roofing and Therma-Tru exterior doors to the Schluter waterproofing systems we set tile on. You choose from curated brand options that fit your budget, not whatever the local supply house has in stock. We help you pick. We don’t push premium where it doesn’t matter.
Licensed General Contractor in Orange
A Licensed General Contractor in Orange takes on the work that requires real accountability: additions, ADUs, garage conversions, and whole-home remodels. Noel Carrington and the team at San Mateo Construction hold a state general contracting license, and we manage the full scope, from the architect’s drawings through final inspection, under one contract. That means demolition, framing, rough-in, drywall, finishes, and exterior work all happen on one schedule with one point of contact.
Where this matters most in Orange is on acreage and open lots. If your property sits outside city limits, plan check runs through the County of Orange, not the city counter. That changes the inspection sequence, the draw schedule, and which agency signs off before walls close. A contractor who prices your job on a city-permit timeline is going to be late and over budget. We price it on the actual submittal path. A home addition in Orange generally runs $45,000 to $130,000 depending on foundation work, roof tie-ins, and permits. A garage conversion lands between $30,000 and $80,000.
Scoping Before Quoting
We don’t quote a county lot until we’ve walked it. Well and septic setbacks dictate where a pad can sit. Grade, drainage, and access determine how much equipment and how many days the site work takes. Long material hauls, especially on soft shoulder roads up toward Santiago Canyon, go into the scope of work up front, not as a change order after the client has committed.
The Draw and Inspection Schedule
On a county-permitted build, the draw schedule follows county inspection sign-offs. Foundation set and inspected, first draw. Rough-in signed off, second draw. That sequence is different from a city remodel, where the city inspector and the lender’s inspector often align. We set the expectations in writing before work starts, so you know exactly when each payment is triggered and what has to pass before we move to the next phase.
Trusted Brands We Service in Orange
We install and service a long list of name-brand products across Orange, including Therma-Tru exterior doors, ViewLux windows, and ECO Window Systems for energy-efficient retrofits. We also work with Mr-Glass for specialty glazing when a historic home needs true divided-light sash. Because we stock common components and maintain direct relationships with our suppliers, we can get most replacement hardware or materials to an Orange job site quickly. If you’re replacing a leaky 1960s sliding door or upgrading to impact-rated windows, call (855) 901-7266 and we’ll spec the right brand for the house.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon General Contractor Problems We See in Orange Homes
- County permitting on unincorporated lots: A detached shop or ADU pad off Santiago Canyon Road answers to Orange County plan check, not the city counter, which means longer submittal times and a different inspection sign-off sequence. We scope that into the timeline from day one.
- Well and septic setbacks killing pad layouts: We’ve seen too many lots where the square footage would fit, but the well head or leach field pushes the buildable envelope twenty feet east. Staking setbacks before the quote prevents a redesign or a variance after the client has committed.
- Pier-and-beam foundations in Old Towne: The 1900s to 1930s Craftsman and Spanish Colonial stock settles. Floors slope, doors stick, and a simple kitchen remodel turns into a structural repair once the walls open. We inspect before we quote so the foundation work is a line item, not a surprise.
- Grading and drainage on open lots: Santa Ana wind season and rare but heavy winter rain mean an unpaved open lot moves. Without proper swales and compaction before the slab or the paver driveway goes in, you get cracking and washout within a season.
Pricing for General Contractor in Orange, CA
Here’s what we tell Orange homeowners when they ask what things cost. These are real ranges for this market, based on the work we scope and quote every month.
| Project | Orange, CA Price Range |
|---|---|
| ADU Construction | $90,000 – $220,000 |
| Home Addition | $45,000 – $130,000 |
| Garage Conversion | $30,000 – $80,000 |
| Concrete Driveway Installation | $4,500 – $12,000 |
| Kitchen Remodel | $14,000 – $45,000 |
| Bathroom Remodel | $9,000 – $28,000 |
What moves a project toward the top of those ranges: a county-permit submittal, a long material haul, well and septic setbacks that force foundation redesign, pier-and-beam repairs, or historic-design review. What keeps it toward the bottom: a clean city-permitted lot, straightforward access, and standard material selections. We give every Orange client a written, line-item quote after the site walk, and estimates are free.
Call (855) 901-7266 to schedule your free estimate. We’ll walk your property, explain what’s driving the price, and put numbers in writing before you commit.
We Also Serve Cities Near Orange
Our crews work throughout Orange and the surrounding communities, including Villa Park, North Tustin, Tustin, and Anaheim. Whether you’re on a county lot near the hills or an in-town remodel in a 1960s tract, the same licensed team handles the scope. One contractor, every system.
Serving Orange, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Orange 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 Orange
Acreage costs more to scope because the site work is heavier: haul distance, equipment access, grading, drainage, and well and septic setbacks that don’t exist on a city lot. We stake setbacks and walk the access road before quoting, so those costs show up in the scope of work, not as a change order later.
It goes through the County of Orange. Plan check, building inspections, and final sign-off run through county offices, not the City of Orange counter. The inspection sequence and draw schedule are different, and we schedule to the county’s process, not the city’s, to keep your build on track. Call (855) 901-7266 and we’ll confirm the jurisdiction for your parcel.
Well and septic systems create buildable-envelope restrictions on unincorporated county lots. A detached shop or ADU cannot sit within the required distance of a well head or leach field, so the pad placement, and sometimes the entire structure footprint, has to move. We stake those setbacks before we quote, so the design fits the lot from the start.
You want a written scope of work, a line-item price, the permit path (city or county), the inspection and draw schedule, and a list of every material allowance by brand. That’s what we provide on every Orange job, whether it’s a kitchen remodel in Old Towne or an ADU off Santiago Canyon Road.
We sequence grading, compaction, and foundation work against the county inspection calendar, and we schedule material deliveries around the access road conditions. On a fenced acre off Santiago Canyon Road, we recently held a detached shop and ADU pad to an inspection sign-off schedule with the county before the concrete pour. That’s how a build stays on schedule, and it goes into the written plan before work starts.
Written by Noel Carrington, Owner at San Mateo Construction, serving Orange and the surrounding communities.