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 San Mateo
Hiring a general contractor in San Mateo means finding someone who understands what your specific house actually needs, not just what a generic remodel playbook says. We work on 1940s ranchers in 94402, Eichler-inspired homes near the hills, and bay-side properties in 94401 where salt air and high water tables change every material decision. Daly City Construction handles the full scope under one license: kitchen and bath remodels, roofing, windows, hardscaping, siding, ADUs, and structural work. Call (866) 505-5254 and you will speak with Noel Cabrera, our owner, who will give you a straight read on scope, materials, and budget.
Why Daly City Construction Is San Mateo’s Preferred General Contractor Company
Most San Mateo homeowners call us because they are done juggling three or four specialty contractors who do not talk to each other. We carry every phase, from demolition to final trim, under one point of contact. Our team knows the specific failure points in this housing stock: original galvanized supply lines, undersized shear walls, and the rot-prone sill plates on 94401 homes where coastal moisture never fully dries out.
Noel Cabrera and our project leads have walked hundreds of San Mateo job sites. We know which inspectors require what, and we price permits and engineering from day one instead of treating them as an afterthought. When a homeowner off El Camino Real asked us to compare bids for a soft-story retrofit, we were the only bid that included the full lateral system, hold-downs, and documented inspection sign-off, not just the low number that would have failed final inspection.
Styles & brands we work with
Hire a General Contractor in San Mateo
Hire a General Contractor in San Mateo when the work crosses trades or touches structure. A kitchen remodel that moves plumbing, a garage conversion that adds living space, a roof replacement tied into new shear walling, these are not single-trade jobs. In San Mateo, the permit and inspection path is stricter than most of the Peninsula, and a contractor who has not pulled permits here will learn that the hard way.
Structural and Seismic Scope
San Mateo’s soft-story ordinance and Peninsula soil conditions mean structural upgrades get priced into real bids. Home additions in San Mateo run $45,000 to $130,000 not because labor is inflated but because the foundation, lateral system, and shear detailing are substantial pieces of the work. A cheap bid that skips the engineered hold-down package will fail inspection and then the price goes up anyway.
Multi-Trade Coordination
When you hire us, you are hiring one accountable contractor for framing, plumbing, electrical, finishes, and exterior work. We source from more than 50 manufacturer brands, so we can offer Cambria or Caesarstone countertops, Kohler or American Standard fixtures, and GAF or Owens Corning roofing without sending you to a showroom. The choices are yours, scoped to your actual budget.
General Contractor Services in San Mateo
General Contractor Services in San Mateo span the full renovation scope: kitchens, bathrooms, whole-home remodels, additions, garage conversions, roofing, windows, siding, hardscaping, fencing, and ADU or prefab construction. We also handle the unglamorous but critical work, like correcting drainage on hillside Laurelwood lots and replacing corroded exterior trim on bay-side homes in 94401.
Accessory Dwelling Units and Prefab Construction
San Mateo has strong ADU demand, and we are equipped to build through partners like Abodu, Dvele, Mighty Buildings, Boxabl, and Plant Prefab. ADU construction in San Mateo typically runs $90,000 to $220,000 depending on site conditions, foundation work, and utility runs. Garage conversions fall in the $30,000 to $80,000 range, though a soft-story or hillside site will push toward the top of that band.
Roofing, Windows, and Exterior Envelope
Roof replacement in San Mateo runs $8,000 to $20,000. The specific number depends on the roof system, the sheathing condition, and whether the existing decking meets current nailing and shear requirements. We carry a six-brand roofing portfolio including GAF, CertainTeed, Owens Corning, IKO, Atlas, Tamko, and Boral, so you are not locked into one product line.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees — you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in San Mateo
We are authorized to work with over 50 manufacturer brands across six categories: cabinets, countertops, fixtures, roofing, windows and doors, hardscaping, fencing, siding, and ADU or prefab structures. For hardscape work in San Mateo, that includes Belgard, Unilock, Tremron, and Techo-Bloc pavers. For siding, we install James Hardie fiber-cement and use Schluter waterproofing systems on wet-area work. Because we source directly from manufacturer programs, San Mateo homeowners get real product options without showroom markup or a third-party design fee buried in the bid.
See the difference
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After
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After
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AfterCommon General Contractor Problems We See in San Mateo Homes
- Unpermitted additions from the 1960s and 70s. Homes in 94402 and 94403 area often have enclosed porches or garage conversions that were never permitted. Any new permit application triggers a review of that old work, and we scope for the correction instead of pretending it does not exist.
- Soft-story multi-family buildings along El Camino Real. The retrofit ordinance targets these structures, and foundation and lateral-system costs in San Mateo run toward the top of the Bay Area because of bay mud and clay soils. A cosmetic-only bid will not pass.
- Salt corrosion on bay-side properties in 94401. Fasteners, flashing, and exterior trim degrade faster near the bay. A compliant quote specifies stainless or coated fasteners and corrosion-resistant flashing, not builder-grade parts that rust out in five years.
- Hillside drainage failures near Laurelwood. Clay soils and slope runoff quietly undermine foundations and slabs. Proper grading, vapor barriers, and drainage corrections are not optional line items here, they are the difference between a remodel that lasts and one that rots out early.
Pricing for General Contractor in San Mateo, CA
San Mateo pricing reflects local labor, permit fees, engineering requirements, and the condition of older housing stock. Here are the line-item ranges you should see on a real quote:
| Project | San Mateo Range |
|---|---|
| Home Addition | $45,000 – $130,000 |
| ADU Construction | $90,000 – $220,000 |
| Garage Conversion | $30,000 – $80,000 |
| Roof Replacement | $8,000 – $20,000 |
A home addition on a flat 94402 lot will price differently than one on a hillside Laurelwood site with clay drainage challenges. A roof replacement on a 94401 bay-side home may include corroded sheathing replacement and upgraded flashing. What matters is that the quote is written, scoped, and includes permits, engineering, and a change order process. Call (866) 505-5254 for a free estimate with real line items, not a lump sum with a handshake.
We Also Serve Cities Near San Mateo
Daly City Construction serves San Mateo and the surrounding Peninsula communities, including San Mateo neighborhoods, Highlands-Baywood Park, Foster City, Belmont, and Hillsborough. As a full-service General Contractor, we bring the same compliance-first approach to every job, from 94404 ranchers to newer Foster City builds where drainage and slab conditions demand attention.
Serving San Mateo, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the San Mateo 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 San Mateo
San Mateo requires shear wall, hold-down, and lateral load detailing that meets current CBC (California Building Code) seismic provisions, with specific wind-load requirements for exposed elevations and roof-to-wall connections. The exact rating depends on your site, soil, and building type, but a compliant quote includes engineering calculations, not just nailing patterns the crew guesses at. If a San Mateo bid does not mention shear or hold-downs on structural work, it is incomplete. Call (866) 505-5254 and we will review what your specific project needs before you sign anything.
Yes. When your remodel has signed-off permits and inspection records, your insurer has a documented trail showing the work met code, which matters if you file a claim or if the insurer re-underwrites your policy after an addition or ADU. We took a 1950s rancher off Laurelwood where the hillside clay had been draining toward the slab for decades; our crew corrected grading, rebuilt the rear wall to shear and wind-load spec, and because every inspection was documented, the homeowner had a clean paper trail when their insurer re-underwrote the policy. We do not cut permit corners on any San Mateo job. Call for an estimate that includes the full paperwork path.
Bay-side homes in 94401 deal with salt-laden air and high water tables, so fasteners, flashing, and exterior trim need corrosion-resistant materials like stainless or coated hardware and proper drainage below grade. Hillside Laurelwood properties face clay soils, slope runoff, and drainage pressure against foundations and slabs, which means grading, vapor barriers, and water diversion are the priority. A San Mateo contractor should scope each site differently. Call (866) 505-5254 and we will walk your property and tell you which failure mode applies, not sell you a generic package.
A compliant San Mateo quote includes the engineered shear and hold-down package, permit fees, inspection schedules, a written scope of work, allowances for materials, and a change order process. Cheap bids often leave out the structural engineering line, the drainage correction, and the corrosion-resistant fasteners, and then the price jumps at inspection sign-off when the wall fails. We write our bids with all of that in from the first number. Call (866) 505-5254 for a free written estimate you can hold next to any other bid.
Yes, both garage conversions and ADUs require building permits in San Mateo, and most ADU projects also need planning review depending on size, setback, and site conditions. A garage conversion on a soft-story building or a hillside lot will trigger structural review, and it is far cheaper to scope that engineering up front than to discover it mid-project. We handle permits, engineering, and inspections on every ADU and conversion we build. Call (866) 505-5254 to discuss your project and we will tell you exactly which reviews apply before you spend a dollar.
Written by Noel Cabrera, Owner at Daly City Construction, serving San Mateo and the surrounding Peninsula.