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 Millbrae
If you own a home in Millbrae, you already know what a real remodel looks like behind the walls: knob-and-tube wiring, galvanized pipes, and framing that was never meant to carry a second story. A general contractor who has never worked a Millbrae tract home will quote off the visible finishes and hand you a change order later. We don’t work that way. Workshop Contractors opens the walls with you, documents what’s actually there, and prices every surprise in writing before a hammer swings. Call (844) 384-3361 to schedule a free estimate and get a real number, not a guess.
Millbrae is a small, nearly built-out peninsula suburb wedged between SFO and the hills running up from El Camino. Most of our work here is second-story additions, ADUs, and whole-house remodels on 1940s – 60s lots, not ground-up builds. That changes everything about how a job gets priced and sequenced. You’re not building on a clean slate. You’re working inside a house that has been standing for sixty or seventy years, and the city’s own permit counter, not the county, drives every inspection. We know the Millbrae plan-check cycle, the inspectors, and the questions they ask on older homes.
Why Workshop Contractors Is Millbrae’s Preferred General Contractor Company
Millbrae homeowners call us because they’ve heard what happens when a contractor quotes a remodel off the finishes and skips the pre-demo inspection. We show up, we look inside the walls before we write the scope, and we build written allowances into the contract for the code-triggered upgrades a 1950s tract home always needs. That’s not a pitch. It’s how we keep jobs moving and avoid the disputes that stall them.
Led by Noel Figueroa, Workshop Contractors carries vetted relationships with 50+ brand-name manufacturers across roofing, windows, doors, cabinetry, fixtures, fencing, hardscaping, and prefab ADU systems. On a Millbrae job, that means one contract covers the framing, the rough-in, the finish materials, and the inspection sign-offs, from the roof deck down to the paver patio. We’re a General Contractor team that sources and installs, so material decisions don’t get handed off to a vendor you’ve never met.
When we work in Millbrae, we’re working on streets where neighbors watch the job closely. We sequence deliveries on tight lots, we notify before a crane or conveyor shows up, and we keep the jobsite clean enough that you can still pull into your own driveway. That’s the difference between a contractor who has done Millbrae work and one who maps it from Ontario.
Styles & brands we work with







Remodeling Contractor in Millbrae
A Remodeling Contractor in Millbrae does more than swap finishes. On a ranch home off the flat streets near downtown or the BART corridor, a remodel almost always means opening load-bearing walls, replacing galvanized supply lines, and bringing early Romex-era wiring up to code before drywall goes back up. The job is not painting and new counters. It’s invasive, structural, and sequenced around the city’s inspection calendar.
When a Millbrae homeowner needs this work done, the price has to account for what’s behind the stucco. A kitchen remodel in Millbrae typically runs $14,000 – $45,000, and a bathroom remodel $9,000 – $28,000. Those ranges assume a pre-demo inspection, written allowances for code-triggered upgrades, and a contractor who has done this before on 1940s – 60s housing stock.
Kitchen and Bath Renovations
On a Millbrae kitchen wall-open, we’ve found early Romex spliced into knob-and-tube and a load-bearing header undersized for the new opening. That’s not an exception. It’s the rule. We handle it by documenting the rough-in with photos, pricing the framing and rewiring as a written change order, holding the draw until you approve it, and passing inspection before hanging drywall.
For kitchens, we source cabinets from KraftMaid, counters from Caesarstone, and fixtures from Kohler or Moen. Material decisions stay in-house, and the install is our crew, not a subcontractor you’ve never met.
Whole-Home and Structural Renovations
A whole-house remodel in Millbrae almost always opens up multiple systems at once: electrical, plumbing, framing, and weatherproofing. We sequence that work so the job doesn’t stall waiting on an inspector. A few blocks from the downtown corridor, we opened a wall and found failed flashing behind the original stucco. We added the waterproofing repair to the allowances before the crew closed anything up. That’s the honest way to run a remodel.
Licensed General Contractor in Millbrae
A Licensed General Contractor in Millbrae means one thing practically: the same person who pulls the permit also stands behind the framing, the electrical rough-in, and the final sign-off. That matters on a tight peninsula lot where a second-story addition can run $45,000 – $130,000 and an ADU $90,000 – $220,000. You don’t want that job split across three specialty contractors pointing fingers.
Workshop Contractors manages exterior envelope work, roofing, windows, siding, fencing, pavers, and full interior remodels under one contract. On a Millbrae home, that’s not a convenience. It’s the only way to keep the schedule coherent when a roofing repair, a window replacement, and a kitchen tear-out all have to happen before the first rain.
Permits, Inspections, and Code
Every Millbrae remodel triggers the city’s own planning and permit counter. Knob-and-tube wiring, galvanized plumbing, and shallow pier-and-post foundations all become code issues the moment a wall comes down. We pull permits, schedule inspections, and write the code-triggered upgrades into the contract as allowances so you’re not blindsided.
Additions and ADUs
A garage conversion in Millbrae runs $30,000 – $80,000, and a full ADU $90,000 – $220,000. The airport-adjacent location adds SFO/FAA height and noise-attenuation rules on remodels and additions that contractors in Burlingame or San Bruno don’t face in the same way. We’ve built through those reviews before, and we plan for them at the permit stage, not mid-framing.
Trusted Brands We Service in Millbrae
Millbrae homeowners care about what goes into the house, not just what it looks like. We source Caesarstone countertops for kitchens where the peninsula fog means frequent cleaning and hard use. We install Kohler and Moen fixtures for clients who want a single finish and a valve they can actually replace in ten years. And we use Blanco sinks where the marine air off the bay punishes cheap stainless. These aren’t upsells. They’re material decisions we make together, with the trade-offs explained from experience.
See the difference
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AfterCommon General Contractor Problems We See in Millbrae Homes
- Knob-and-tube or early Romex wiring behind the walls. On a 1950s tract home, opening a kitchen or bath wall almost always reveals wiring that’s been spliced, overloaded, or left abandoned. The city will not let you close that wall without correcting it.
- Galvanized plumbing that’s rusting from the inside. Original supply lines from the 1940s – 60s lose pressure and leak at the threads. Once a wall is open, a repipe of the exposed run is usually the cheapest moment to do it.
- Failed flashing and waterproofing behind original stucco. Millbrae’s foggy summers and wet winters push moisture into any gap in the envelope. We find rot at the base of stucco walls and around window rough-ins on nearly every remodel.
- Shallow pier-and-post foundations on tight lots. A second-story addition on a lot near El Camino often means the existing pad needs a structural review before anyone frames up. Neighbor notification and crane or conveyor placement have to be planned early or the job stalls.
Pricing for General Contractor in Millbrae, CA
Millbrae pricing is driven by housing age and lot constraints more than square footage. A bathroom remodel that stays inside existing walls costs less than one that moves the toilet. A kitchen that requires a new header costs more than one that doesn’t. Salt-laden air off the bay shortens the life of exterior materials, so waterproofing and flashing work shows up on more quotes here than inland.
| Project Type | Typical Millbrae Range |
|---|---|
| Kitchen Remodel | $14,000 – $45,000 |
| Bathroom Remodel | $9,000 – $28,000 |
| Home Addition | $45,000 – $130,000 |
| ADU Construction | $90,000 – $220,000 |
| Garage Conversion | $30,000 – $80,000 |
Call (844) 384-3361 for a free estimate. We’ll open the walls before we write the final number, and every allowance will be in writing before we touch anything.
We Also Serve Cities Near Millbrae
Workshop Contractors serves General Contractor in Millbrae and the surrounding peninsula communities including San Bruno, Burlingame, Hillsborough, and South San Francisco. If you’re on the western edge of the city near the hills or right off El Camino, you’re still in our service area.
Serving Millbrae, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Millbrae 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 Millbrae
A Millbrae remodel quote changes because nearly every 1940s – 60s tract home hides knob-and-tube wiring, galvanized supply lines, or undersized framing behind the stucco. Those conditions are invisible until demolition starts, and the city’s permit counter won’t let you close a wall without correcting them. We handle it by doing a pre-demo inspection, writing allowances into the contract, and pricing any surprise as a written change order you approve before we continue. Call (844) 384-3361 for an exact quote, estimates are free.
Yes, you need a permit for any structural, electrical, plumbing, or mechanical work in Millbrae, and the city’s own planning counter drives the inspection sequence. Opening a wall often triggers a code upgrade for wiring, framing, or waterproofing that wasn’t visible before. We pull the permits, schedule the inspections, and write the code-triggered work into the contract before demo begins. Call us at (844) 384-3361 and we’ll walk through what your specific project triggers.
Yes, but it requires planning most general contractors skip. On the flat streets near downtown and the BART/El Camino corridor, lots are packed close to the property line, so framing day means sequencing crane or conveyor placement and notifying neighbors in advance. We handle that coordination as part of the contract, including any structural review the existing pier-and-post foundation requires. For a second-story addition in Millbrae, expect $45,000 – $130,000. Call (844) 384-3361 to schedule a free estimate.
Millbrae’s airport-adjacent location means remodels and additions are subject to SFO/FAA height restrictions and noise-attenuation requirements that contractors in neighboring cities don’t deal with the same way. We plan for those reviews at the permit stage, before any framing goes up, so the project doesn’t stall mid-build. On ADUs, the height envelope can change how we design roof lines and window packages. Call (844) 384-3361 and we’ll tell you what your lot can actually support.
A general contractor on a Millbrae whole-house remodel covers every trade under one contract: demolition, framing, electrical, plumbing, roofing, windows, siding, drywall, finishes, and final inspection sign-off. On an older Millbrae home, that also means sequencing the code-triggered upgrades the wall-open reveals, so you don’t get a change order dispute mid-job. Workshop Contractors handles the full scope, from the roof down to the pavers, with one schedule and one accountable team. Call (844) 384-3361 for a free estimate.
Written by Noel Figueroa, Owner at Workshop Contractors, serving Millbrae since 2018.