Remodeling Contractor in Campbell, CA

Campbell homes are mostly compact. A 1,300 square foot ranch on a 6,000 square foot lot is the default here, and that single fact shapes almost every remodel in this city. The work is rarely about adding grandeur, it is about making a small, well located house feel twice its size. We are a licensed general contractor in San Jose, CA, CSLB #887389, building across Santa Clara County since 2006.

Campbell Homes

More Living Space on a Campbell Lot

Most Campbell homes are compact 1950s and 1960s ranches on small lots. That’s why we:

Plan open kitchens around the load-bearing walls these houses are known for.
Check panel capacity early, since many original panels can’t carry a modern kitchen.
Look at an ADU or garage conversion when the main house can’t grow.

Nearby Areas We Serve

San Jose: Campbell is surrounded by San Jose on three sides, and the Dry Creek and Cambrian edges share the same 1950s and 1960s tract housing. See our San Jose page.
Los Gatos: Immediately south along the Los Gatos Creek Trail, with older and generally larger lots that suit additions rather than conversions. Visit our Los Gatos page.
Saratoga: West of Campbell, where bigger parcels make room additions and detached units straightforward. See our Saratoga page.
Santa Clara: North of the city, a comparable mix of post war ranch stock and steady remodeling activity. Visit our Santa Clara page.
Cupertino and Sunnyvale: Also within our regular service area. See Cupertino and Sunnyvale.

Small Lots, Bigger Living

Why Campbell Homeowners Choose Brother and Brother

We know this housing stock. 1950s and 1960s Campbell ranch homes, load bearing walls between kitchen and living room, and 100 amp panels that will not carry a modern kitchen.
Licensed and accountable. CSLB #887389, licensed, bonded and insured, verifiable on the Contractors State License Board site.
Design and build under one contract, so the drawings and the crew are not pointing at each other when something is found behind a wall.
We handle Campbell Community Development. We prepare the submittal, carry it through, and manage the inspections. You do not deal with the counter.
We contain the work. Dust barriers, floor protection and daily cleanup. On a small house you are living in, that is not a nicety.

What Remodeling in Campbell Actually Involves

Opening Up the Kitchen

Most Campbell ranch homes put the kitchen behind a wall, and on a house of this era that wall is very often load bearing. Removing it is the single change that most alters how a small house feels, but it needs a properly sized beam, a load path down to the foundation, an engineer’s detail and a permit. Our kitchen remodeling work covers kitchen design, cabinets, countertop replacement and cabinet refacing.

A kitchen remodel with us typically runs $50,000 to $80,000. An existing layout kitchen is usually 6 to 8 weeks on site. Taking a load bearing wall out pushes that to 10 to 14 weeks and toward the upper end of the range. What moves the number most, in order: whether that wall comes out, whether plumbing moves, cabinet grade, and whether the electrical panel needs upgrading.

The Second Bathroom Problem

Many Campbell floor plans have one hall bath with a 60 inch tub alcove serving three bedrooms. Converting that to a curbless walk in shower, or carving a second three quarter bath out of an oversized primary bedroom, changes both the daily usability and the resale position of the house. See bathroom remodeling, tub to shower conversion and vanity replacement.

ADUs on a Campbell Lot, Better Than People Expect

Campbell’s ADU rules are more workable than the small lots suggest. A detached ADU may be up to 1,200 square feet at a maximum height of 20 feet, with side and rear setbacks of only four feet. An attached unit is capped at 50 percent of the existing home’s floor area, and the minimum for any ADU is 150 square feet.

Two details matter most here. An ADU of 800 square feet or less with four foot side and rear setbacks is exempt from floor area ratio, lot coverage, open space and building separation standards, which is exactly what makes a detached unit feasible on a 6,000 square foot lot. And an ADU application requires no land use entitlement, it goes straight to the Building Division as a building permit. A junior ADU is a separate route, up to 500 square feet inside the existing house, with an owner occupancy requirement. See ADU construction and garage conversion.

Permits and Inspections

Campbell runs its own building and planning function through the City of Campbell Community Development Department, so permits do not go through Santa Clara County. Applications are submitted through the city’s MyGovernmentOnline portal. Expect a building permit for structural work and layout changes, separate electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits by scope, Title 24 energy compliance, and EPA lead safe procedures on any home built before 1978, which covers most of Campbell. We pull the permits and manage the corrections.

Additions and Whole Home Work

Where the lot allows, we also build room additions, second story additions and full home remodeling projects, with 3D design so you can see the space before it is built.

Areas We Serve

We proudly serve homeowners throughout San Jose, from established neighborhoods like Willow Glen and Naglee Park to the foothill communities of Almaden Valley, Cambrian Park, and Evergreen, as well as Berryessa and Alum Rock. Our reach extends beyond San Jose to Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Milpitas, Cupertino, Campbell, Palo Alto, and Los Altos. Based on Stevens Creek Boulevard in San Jose, we’re centrally positioned to serve the entire South Bay with the same response time and craftsmanship on every project.

Brother & Brother Builders
3109 Stevens Creek Blvd, San Jose, CA 95117

Phone: (888) 412-2632
Business Hours: Mon-Fri: 8AM – 5PM

Frequently Asked Questions

Campbell Remodeling Questions

Do I need a permit to remodel my kitchen in Campbell?

Yes, for almost anything beyond cosmetic replacement. Swapping a faucet or repainting cabinets does not require one. Moving plumbing, altering electrical circuits, removing a wall or changing the layout does, and it goes through the City of Campbell Community Development Department rather than the county. We pull it and manage the inspections.

Can I build an ADU on a Campbell lot?

Usually yes. A detached ADU may be up to 1,200 square feet at 20 feet in height with four foot side and rear setbacks, and an attached unit is capped at 50 percent of the existing home. Critically, a unit of 800 square feet or less with four foot setbacks is exempt from floor area ratio, lot coverage, open space and separation standards, which is what makes it work on a small lot. No land use entitlement is required.

Is the wall between my kitchen and living room load bearing?

On a Campbell ranch of this era, often yes. It usually can still come out, but it needs a properly sized beam, a load path down to the foundation, an engineer’s detail and a permit. Anyone who says they can open it up next week without drawings is not someone to hire.

Can I stay in the house during the work?

For a bathroom remodel, usually yes, provided there is a second bathroom. For a kitchen remodel most people stay and we set up a temporary kitchen. For a whole home renovation we will be honest with you about whether staying is realistic.

Do you handle homes built before 1978?

Yes, and most of Campbell qualifies. Pre 1978 homes fall under the EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting rule, which requires lead safe work practices, containment and specific cleanup. It is not optional and it does affect scheduling slightly.