Remodeling Contractor in Los Altos, CA

In most cities the first question is what you want to build. In Los Altos it is usually whether you should remodel at all, or take the house down and start again. Lot values here are high enough that the math genuinely goes both ways, and the honest answer depends on your floor area ratio, your foundation and how much of the existing structure is worth keeping. We are a licensed general contractor in San Jose, CA, CSLB #887389, and we will give you that answer straight.

Los Altos Homes

Remodel or Rebuild in Los Altos

In Los Altos, the first question is often whether to remodel at all. That’s why we:

Check floor area ratio and lot coverage before any design work.
Compare an addition against a rebuild honestly, based on your lot and foundation.
Plan second-story massing around setbacks and daylight planes from the start.

Los Altos Neighborhoods We Work In

North Los Altos: closest to downtown, older and often smaller lots, a mix of pre war and post war homes.
South Los Altos: largely 1950s and 1960s tract ranch on generous lots, and the highest volume of addition and ADU work.
Old Los Altos: larger parcels and more substantial whole home projects.
Loyola Corners, Country Club and the Highlands.
Los Altos Hills is a separate town with its own planning department and its own standards, so a project there follows a different process.
Nearby cities: we also work in Palo Alto, Cupertino, Sunnyvale and Saratoga.

Remodel or Rebuild, Answered Straight

Why Los Altos Homeowners Choose Brother and Brother

We tell you when a rebuild beats a renovation, even when that is not the larger contract for us.
Design and build under one contract, with 3D visualization before you commit.
Licensed and accountable. CSLB #887389, licensed, bonded and insured, verifiable on the Contractors State License Board site.
Building in Santa Clara County since 2006, rated 4.8 stars across 73 Google reviews.
We build to your designer’s specification as comfortably as to our own.

Remodel or Rebuild: How the Decision Gets Made

Los Altos lots are large by Santa Clara County standards, frequently a quarter acre or more, and much of the housing stock is 1950s and 1960s single story ranch built well below what today’s zoning would allow. That combination is why so many Los Altos projects are additions and whole home renovations rather than single room work. Four things decide whether a remodel makes sense:

Floor area ratio. Los Altos caps how much floor area you can put on a lot relative to its size. If the existing house is well under the cap, an addition is straightforward. If it is near the cap, the project changes shape entirely. It is the single most important number on a Los Altos project and the first thing we check.
The foundation. A sound perimeter foundation on a well drained lot is worth keeping and building on. A failing one changes the economics fast.
What is in the walls. Original knob and tube wiring, galvanized supply lines, cast iron drains, no insulation and a 100 amp panel are common in homes of this vintage. Each is manageable. All four at once, on a house you are gutting anyway, starts to argue for a rebuild.
What you actually want. If the answer is a different floor plan, a different roof line and a different orientation to the garden, you are describing a new house, and renovating your way there is usually the expensive route.

We will walk your property and tell you which side of that line you are on before you spend anything on design.

What We Build in Los Altos

Whole home renovation is the most common Los Altos project, typically a full interior reconfiguration with systems replacement. We also build room additions such as a primary suite or an expanded kitchen and family room, second story additions where floor area and design review allow, and ADUs, which Los Altos lot sizes make genuinely practical. Standalone kitchen remodeling and bathroom remodeling, custom homes where the rebuild answer wins, and architectural services including floor plan development.

Permits and Review in Los Altos

Permits go through the City of Los Altos Development Services Department, not Santa Clara County. A Los Altos project typically involves:

Floor area ratio and lot coverage verification before design begins.
Design review for two story work and significant additions.
Setback and daylight plane compliance, which is what actually shapes second story massing in Los Altos.
Single story overlay. Los Altos has its own single story overlay district. If your street is covered, a second story is off the table regardless of your remaining floor area.
Building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits by scope.
Title 24 energy compliance, which on a full renovation means insulation, glazing, HVAC and lighting all have to document together.
Protected tree requirements, which on large Los Altos lots with mature oaks routinely affect where an addition or ADU can sit.
EPA lead safe practices for pre 1978 construction.

We prepare and carry the submittal, handle corrections and schedule inspections.

Budget and What Drives It

A kitchen remodel with us typically runs $50,000 to $80,000, and where a project sits in that band is driven by layout changes, whether plumbing or a load bearing wall moves, cabinet grade and appliance package. On a Los Altos whole home project the cost drivers are structural scope, whether the roof line changes, systems replacement and the window package. Window selection alone can move a large renovation budget significantly, because there is usually a lot of glazing and Title 24 sets a floor on performance.

See our Arbor Ave, Los Altos project and the rest of our recent work.

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

Los Altos Remodeling Questions

What is floor area ratio and why does it matter so much here?

Floor area ratio caps the total floor area you may build relative to your lot size. In Los Altos it is usually the binding constraint on an addition, more than budget or structure. Many 1950s and 1960s homes sit well below the cap, which leaves genuine room to expand. Others are already close to it, which changes the project fundamentally. It is the first number we check.

Should I remodel or tear down and rebuild?

It depends on your remaining floor area, the condition of the foundation, how much of the systems need replacing and how different the floor plan you want is from the one you have. If you are keeping the footprint and the structure is sound, renovating is almost always better value. If you want a different shape of house, renovating your way there tends to cost more than building new. We will give you an honest read at the first visit.

Can I build an ADU in Los Altos?

Generally yes, and Los Altos lot sizes make detached ADUs more practical here than in most of the cities we serve. The usual constraints are setbacks, height limits and protected trees rather than raw space, and California state law limits how far a city can restrict ADUs.

Is Los Altos Hills the same as Los Altos?

No. Los Altos Hills is a separate incorporated town with its own planning department, its own zoning and its own design standards, generally on much larger parcels. If your property is in Los Altos Hills the process is different and we will tell you so.

Will the oak in my yard stop my addition?

It may move it. Los Altos protects certain trees, and construction inside a protected root zone can require an arborist report, protective fencing or a revised footprint. On large lots with mature oaks this is common, and it is much cheaper to design around it than to discover it at plan check.