Region / metro project guides · Choose a Bay Area city. San Francisco project guidance does not apply across the region.
Contractor availability depends on your address, project and timing.
Start with your home, your layout and the city that sets the rules.
For a Bay Area home renovation, confirm the permit authority, layout changes, site access and shared systems first. Budget separately for design, approvals, construction and temporary living. Requirements and prices vary by city and property.
7 project guides for the City and County of San Francisco, where DBI handles permits citywide.
Explore San FranciscoTell us what you want to change. We’ll help clarify the scope and check contractor availability in your area.
In a flat or condominium, the visible work may depend on access outside your unit. Before a layout is priced, identify shared walls, plumbing shutoffs, exhaust routes, delivery access and any association requirements. For a detached house, investigate the existing structure and service routes instead of assuming there are no constraints. Put responsibility for each unresolved condition in the brief.
A change to a building’s exterior or footprint can raise questions beyond the room itself. SF Planning describes its role in additions and exterior alterations; Oakland also distinguishes Planning and Building approvals. Ask the authority for the address which reviews your actual scope needs before fixing a construction start date.
SF Planning guidance for homeownersWalk the delivery and debris route with prospective contractors. Record stairs, clear door widths, staging space and occupied areas that need protection. An ADU package or large countertop is not fully scoped until the team can explain how it reaches the work area. Ask for the access assumptions in writing, including what changes if a proposed route is unavailable.
Build the budget around the same measured scope that contractors will price. A single regional cost per square foot hides differences between a finish refresh, structural alterations and a new dwelling. Keep the following decisions visible before comparing totals, so every bid prices the same work.
| Budget line | Include in the scope | Ask each bidder |
|---|---|---|
| Existing building | Include in the scopeInvestigation, design and any shared-system coordination. | Ask each bidderWhich conditions have been inspected, and which remain allowances? |
| Construction and logistics | Include in the scopeTrade work, materials, delivery, protection and disposal. | Ask each bidderDoes every bidder assume the same access route and working arrangements? |
| Approvals and living arrangements | Include in the scopeApplicable reviews, inspections and temporary kitchen or accommodation plans. | Ask each bidderWho pays each item, and what happens if the occupied rooms cannot be used? |
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A San Francisco flat, an Oakland house and a San Jose lot do not share one building department. Choose the jurisdiction that serves the property before applying permit advice or comparing local scopes.
Start with the authority serving the property. A postal city alone may not identify the right permit office.
Outside San Francisco, pair your local authority’s guidance with our general renovation guides. San Francisco permit advice does not apply across the region. For a Peninsula project, read what makes ADU planning in Atherton different before assuming a regional example fits your lot.
Record the address, building type, intended rooms and any association constraints. Check the local approval route before treating a conceptual layout as buildable.
Coordinate structural openings, plumbing routes, ventilation and electrical work across rooms. Decide what must happen together and which finishes can be phased later.
Give bidders the same drawings, selections and allowances. Ask for separate dates for design, reviews, procurement and site work, with dependencies stated.
Agree on temporary services, dust separation and material storage. Include required inspections, defect correction and handover documents in the written completion plan.
Copy this checklist into your project notes and share the same brief with every bidder. No contact details required.
This page provides a regional planning framework and links to selected local authorities. The detailed project guides currently linked here cover San Francisco city. For another jurisdiction, use general project guidance alongside that city or county’s instructions; do not transfer a San Francisco permit route to a different address.
Compare disruption and repeated work before deciding. Rooms that share plumbing routes, structural work or electrical upgrades may need coordinated design even if finishes are completed later. Ask for a full-project plan with separate phases so a later phase does not require removing work you have just paid for.
There is no single regional duration. Ask for a schedule that separates design, required reviews, long-lead purchases, construction and inspections. A contractor’s site-work estimate alone does not tell you how long the project takes from the first design conversation. Confirm current review timing with the authority handling the application.
Compare relevant project experience, a consistent written scope, the proposed team and the plan for your property’s constraints. Check the business identity and license through California CSLB. A polished portfolio is useful for design direction, but it does not replace a complete proposal and a conversation about approvals, access and changes.
By Renology · Reviewed September 23, 2026. Confirm current requirements with the authority serving your property.
Explore nearby places. Permit requirements depend on the authority serving each address.
Use a planning tool alongside your guide.
Choose a project guide, explore the scope and carry your plans into a conversation with Renology.