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 Chinatown
Finding a General Contractor who understands Chinatown’s older buildings isn’t easy. Most of the housing stock here dates to the early 1900s, and nearly every remodel opens up conditions that trigger San Francisco’s seismic retrofit and historic review requirements. We coordinate that process from the first inspection to final sign-off. If you own a building in the 94133 zip code and you’re planning a kitchen, bath, addition, or ADU project, call Noel Cabrera at Daly City Construction: (866) 505-5254. We know the streets, the permit office, and the buildings.
Why Daly City Construction Is Chinatown’s Preferred General Contractor Company
We’ve remodeled enough buildings along Stockton Street, Grant Avenue, and the alleys off Waverly Place to know what’s behind those lath-and-plaster walls before we open them. Chinatown homeowners keep calling us back because our estimates account for seismic retrofits, knob-and-tube rewiring, and dry rot in the original framing, not just the finish work. That matters when a quote moves from $20,000 to $35,000 because load-bearing beams were notched sixty years ago.
Our team also works comfortably with Cantonese-speaking property owners and family association board members who manage mixed-use buildings. We translate scope, pricing, and permit sequences into plain language, then put everything in writing. No verbal agreements, no handshake change orders. Noel Cabrera runs every Chinatown project with the same rule: any condition we find behind a wall gets documented, priced, and approved before we touch it.
Styles & brands we work with
General Contractor Services in Chinatown
General Contractor Services in Chinatown mean something different than in the Sunset or the Mission. A kitchen remodel here is rarely just cabinets and counters. We’re frequently replacing deteriorated framing, upgrading electrical to meet current code, and coordinating a soft-story retrofit while the walls are open. That’s why we scope projects with allowances written into the contract. A kitchen remodel in Chinatown typically runs $14,000 to $45,000, depending on whether structural and seismic work is required.
Full-Scope Remodeling
We handle the entire trade sequence: demolition, framing, electrical, plumbing, drywall, tile, cabinets, and finish carpentry. You get one contract and one point of contact. No juggling three subs and two supply houses while trying to keep the permit timeline straight.
ADU and Garage Conversion
Chinatown zoning allows ADUs in many of the older buildings, but the density makes design and staging the hard part. We work with prefab ADU brands like Abodu and Boxabl when the site allows crane or panel access, which is rare on Ross Alley. Garage conversions here run $30,000 to $80,000 and almost always require a soft-story retrofit if the building hasn’t completed one.
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.
Construction Company in Chinatown
As a General Contractor in Chinatown, our Construction Company scope covers additions, full renovations, and structural repair work, not just cosmetic updates. The San Francisco Department of Building Inspection now requires seismic upgrades and accessibility improvements on many permits, even for projects that were originally scoped as a simple finish update. A home addition in Chinatown runs $45,000 to $130,000. A bathroom remodel typically lands between $9,000 and $28,000 once waterproofing, plumbing, and code-driven electrical work are included.
Structural and Seismic Scope
We sequence the historic resource review and the DBI retrofit requirements early, before demolition starts. That keeps a project from stalling after walls are opened. We also write the allowance structure so you see the true cost range before signing.
Waterproofing and Dry Rot Repair
Chinatown’s fog and high humidity accelerate dry rot in old wood framing, especially in bathrooms and ground-floor units. We inspect for failed waterproofing and compromised sill plates during the bid phase, then carry repair allowances in the contract. Surprises get priced in writing, not sprung on you mid-job.
Trusted Brands We Service in Chinatown
We install and stand behind the brands our Chinatown customers ask for most: James Hardie fiber-cement siding for fog-exposed exteriors, Schluter waterproofing systems in bathrooms, and Cambria or Caesarstone countertops depending on budget. For hardscape work, we offer Belgard and Techo-Bloc pavers. Because we carry a 50+ brand portfolio across roofing, windows, cabinets, fixtures, and fencing, you’re not stuck choosing from whatever a smaller contractor has leftover in a warehouse. We order what fits your building and your budget.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon General Contractor Problems We See in Chinatown Homes
- Exposed knob-and-tube wiring. Older Chinatown buildings still have active knob-and-tube circuits hidden behind plaster. Once we open a wall, code requires replacement, and that’s a line item we price in the original scope, not a surprise change order.
- Notched load-bearing framing. Decades of plumbing and electrical rough-ins have left many joists and studs structurally compromised. We sister framing, add headers where needed, and get it inspected before closing the wall.
- Staging failures on narrow streets. Ross Alley and Waverly Place can’t handle a dumpster and a material truck at the same time. We coordinate DBI permit sign-offs and schedule deliveries in sequence, so the job doesn’t stall waiting on access.
- Historic review delays. The Planning Department’s historic resources review triggers on nearly every Chinatown remodel. If you ignore it until after demolition, you’re redesigning mid-project and paying for the delay. We file that review in the first permit package.
Pricing for General Contractor in Chinatown, CA
Here’s what we’re seeing for current Chinatown projects, using actual contract ranges:
| Project | Typical Chinatown Range |
|---|---|
| Bathroom Remodel | $9,000 – $28,000 |
| Kitchen Remodel | $14,000 – $45,000 |
| Home Addition | $45,000 – $130,000 |
Your final number depends on whether seismic retrofit work, structural repair, or knob-and-tube rewiring is triggered once we inspect and open walls. That’s why our estimates include inspection findings and written allowances. Call (866) 505-5254 for a free estimate with the actual scope, not a number that goes up the moment we find a notched beam.
We Also Serve Cities Near Chinatown
We work regularly in San Francisco, the Mission District, Noe Valley, and Visitacion Valley. Most of those neighborhoods have similar pre-war housing stock and retrofit requirements. If your building is outside the 94133 boundary, call us anyway. We’ll tell you straight if we can take the project.
Serving Chinatown, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Chinatown 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 Chinatown
Because the initial quote usually doesn’t account for what’s behind the walls. Chinatown’s older buildings frequently have knob-and-tube wiring, notched or rotted framing, and failed waterproofing that only becomes visible during demolition. Those conditions trigger code-required repairs and seismic upgrades once the wall is open. We prevent that sticker shock by doing a destructive inspection before quoting and writing allowances into the contract. Call (866) 505-5254 for an estimate that includes the real scope.
Often yes. If your building falls under San Francisco’s mandatory soft-story or unreinforced masonry retrofit programs, a permit-triggered kitchen remodel can require the retrofit work as a condition of approval. We check your building’s retrofit status before the permit is filed, then sequence that work with your remodel so you’re not paying for it twice.
We file it in the first permit package, before any demolition starts. That review is triggered on nearly every Chinatown project because of the building age and density. Filing early keeps the project moving and prevents a stop-work order or redesign after the walls are already open.
Yes, but it requires sequencing, not luck. We coordinate material deliveries, dumpster placement, and DBI inspection sign-offs around access windows. The job doesn’t stop because a crane can’t fit. On a recent Waverly Place job, our crew opened a 1912 brick building for a bathroom remodel and found knob-and-tube wiring feeding a load-bearing wall that had been notched for a later plumbing rough-in. We stopped work, wrote a change order with allowances for structural repair and a seismic upgrade, and got inspection sign-off before closing the walls. That’s how you handle Chinatown’s narrow streets and old bones.
Every change we make is priced, scoped, and signed by you before the work happens. If we open a wall and find dry rot or bad wiring, you get a written change order with the cost and the reason. Nothing proceeds on a verbal nod. Call (866) 505-5254 to schedule a walkthrough and get your project scoped in writing from day one.
Written by Noel Cabrera, Owner at Daly City Construction, serving Chinatown and the wider San Francisco area with full-scope general contracting, remodeling, and seismic retrofit coordination.