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 Mission Viejo
When a Mission Viejo homeowner calls us about a kitchen remodel, a room addition, or an ADU, the conversation almost always starts the same way: the house was built in the 1970s or 1980s, and nobody knows what’s behind the drywall until it comes down. That’s where we come in. We are a full-scope General Contractor team led by Brent Calloway, and we’ve spent years opening up tract homes across 92690, 92691, and 92692 – not just quoting them from the curb. Call (877) 688-9930 and we’ll walk your project the way it actually needs to be walked: from the ground up.
Why Square One Builders Is Mission Viejo’s Preferred General Contractor Company
Most Mission Viejo homes were built out by the early 1990s as planned tracts. That means the framing, wiring, and waterproofing behind your walls is now 30 to 50 years old. A contractor who only does kitchens sees a kitchen. We see the whole house, because we manage the whole scope – structural, roofing, windows, plumbing fixtures, cabinetry, counters, hardscaping. One contractor, every system. That’s the reason homeowners here keep our number after the first job.
Brent Calloway started Square One Builders with a simple rule: inspect before you quote, and put every surprise in writing before any work continues. That rule matters more in Mission Viejo than almost anywhere in Orange County, because the original housing stock is aging on a schedule. We know the HOA architectural review process in Lake Mission Viejo, the slope drainage issues near Alicia Parkway, and what a permit triggers once walls are open in a 1978 tract home off Marguerite Parkway.
Styles & brands we work with
Licensed General Contractor in Mission Viejo
A Licensed General Contractor in Mission Viejo is the person responsible for pulling city permits, coordinating every trade, and standing behind the finished work when a remodel, addition, or ADU is complete. Homeowners in Mission Viejo bring us in when a project touches more than one system – for example, when a kitchen remodel also means moving a load-bearing wall, re-feeding electrical, and replacing a roof section. A home addition in Mission Viejo typically runs $45,000 – $130,000, while a full kitchen remodel lands between $14,000 and $45,000 depending on the scope and the materials you select.
Our job starts with a pre-demo inspection. We open nothing until we’ve looked at the original plan set, checked the panel, and walked the crawlspace or attic if the home has one. That inspection is what separates a quote that holds from one that turns into an open-ended change order. In Mission Viejo, where the homes were built in concentrated bursts, that inspection almost always finds something the estimate has to account for.
Permit and HOA Coordination
Mission Viejo is unusually dense with HOA-governed tracts. The city permit is only half the approval. Many communities require architectural review submittals for exterior changes – color packages, window styles, roof materials, even some hardscape choices. We prepare those submittals as part of the project, not as an afterthought, so your approved materials don’t stall the job mid-rough-in.
If you’re planning a garage conversion or ADU, both the city and the HOA need to sign off. We handle the paperwork, the drawings, and the resubmittals. You approve the scope. We run the process.
Residential General Contractor in Mission Viejo
A Residential General Contractor in Mission Viejo manages renovation work on existing single-family homes, townhomes, and attached units – not commercial buildings or new greenfield construction. That distinction matters here, because there is almost no greenfield left in Mission Viejo. The work is remodel, addition, re-pipe, re-roof, and ADU conversion on homes that are already standing. We spend our days in occupied houses where the family is still living there, which means dust control, daily cleanup, and a schedule that respects the fact that your kitchen is also where your kids eat breakfast.
Roof replacement in Mission Viejo runs $8,000 – $20,000, and bathroom remodels fall between $9,000 and $28,000. ADU construction is a bigger commitment at $90,000 – $220,000, and garage conversions typically run $30,000 – $80,000. These ranges reflect the local reality: older tract homes with code upgrades triggered by the permit, plus HOA submittal time on exterior work.
Whole-Home Scope, One Contract
We’re not a roofing company that also does kitchens. We’re a general contractor that manages the roof, the rough framing, the electrical, the plumbing, the cabinets, the counters, and the pavers under one contract. That’s the Square One approach – scoped, planned, and executed with a single accountable team, so there’s no finger-pointing between trades when something doesn’t line up.
Trusted Brands We Service in Mission Viejo
We spec the right material for your project, not whatever is easiest to source. That means we work with CertainTeed and Owens Corning roofing, Cambria and Silestone countertops, KraftMaid cabinetry, Kohler and Moen plumbing fixtures, and James Hardie siding. We also stock the common trim, flashing, and underlayment parts Mission Viejo homes need, which keeps repairs moving when the Santa Ana winds tear a roof edge or a winter rain exposes a flashing failure. Because we buy across 50+ brands at multiple price tiers, you choose the balance – premium or value – without switching contractors.
Common General Contractor Problems We See in Mission Viejo Homes
- Aluminum branch wiring from the 1970s. Homes built in the earliest Mission Viejo tracts often have it. Once a wall is open, the permit triggers a re-wire or approved retrofit, and that cost has to be in the contract before demolition starts.
- Framing that wasn’t built for what we’re asking it to do. We regularly find notched or undersized members where an original builder cut a corner. Sistering those members is routine, but it’s a written change order, not a surprise.
- Failed waterproofing on hillside lots. Mission Viejo’s terrain means drainage and slope-adjacent grading are real concerns. When winter rains hit, we see the same failures year after year around the lake side of town.
- HOA submittal gaps stalling rough-in. A city permit does not satisfy an HOA architectural review. We’ve walked onto jobs where the color package wasn’t approved and the whole exterior scope had to pause. That’s avoidable, and we avoid it.
See the difference
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AfterPricing for General Contractor in Mission Viejo, CA
Here are the ranges we quote most often for Mission Viejo projects. These are real numbers for this market, not national averages. The exact figure on your job depends on the age of the home, what the pre-demo inspection finds, and the material tier you choose. We write allowances as caps, not targets, so a KraftMaid cabinet selection or a Cambria countertop upgrade doesn’t quietly become your problem.
| Project | Typical Mission Viejo Range |
|---|---|
| Home Addition | $45,000 – $130,000 |
| Kitchen Remodel | $14,000 – $45,000 |
| Bathroom Remodel | $9,000 – $28,000 |
| ADU Construction | $90,000 – $220,000 |
| Garage Conversion | $30,000 – $80,000 |
| Roof Replacement | $8,000 – $20,000 |
Every estimate is free, and every line item is written so you can see exactly what you’re paying for. Call (877) 688-9930 and we’ll put the numbers together.
We Also Serve Cities Near Mission Viejo
We run the same inspection-first process in Coto De Caza, Lake Forest, Laguna Hills, and Rancho Santa Margarita. If you’re just over the city line, the HOA and building department rules are a little different, but the work is the same – aging tract homes, permits, and scopes that hold. You can see our full service area on the Mission Viejo page, or call us directly and we’ll tell you if we cover your street.
Serving Mission Viejo, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Mission Viejo 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 Mission Viejo
Because most Mission Viejo homes were built between the 1970s and early 1990s, and the original wiring, framing, and waterproofing are still behind the drywall. A quote based on the original tract drawings assumes those systems are intact. Our pre-demo inspection looks for aluminum branch wiring, undersized framing, and failed flashings before we price the job. When we open the walls and find something the inspection missed, we write it up with photos, price it as a change order, and get your approval in writing before any work continues. The quote moves because the house tells us something new – and we don’t hide that. Call (877) 688-9930 to have us walk your home first.
In most Mission Viejo tracts, yes. The city permit covers code compliance, but the HOA architectural review committee governs exterior appearance – roof material and color, window style, siding, paint, and some hardscaping. We prepare both submittals as part of the project, and we sequence them so exterior work doesn’t stall waiting on an approval. Skipping the HOA review is one of the most common ways a Mission Viejo remodel gets stopped mid-rough-in.
A permit triggers current code requirements on any system we touch. If we open a wall and find aluminum wiring, the electrical scope expands. If we add square footage, the existing panel may need an upgrade. If we re-roof, the underlayment and ventilation may need to meet current fire-resistant standards – a real consideration given Mission Viejo’s inland heat and Santa Ana wind events. We build those likely triggers into the contract as allowances, then confirm them after the pre-demo inspection.
We write allowances as a cap, not a target. If your cabinet allowance is for a KraftMaid line and you choose the premium Wellborn option, you see the difference in writing before we order, and you approve it or you don’t. The same applies to Cambria versus Silestone. Nothing is ordered until the number is signed. That’s the only honest way to run a remodel in Mission Viejo.
A full kitchen remodel in Mission Viejo runs $14,000 – $45,000, and a bathroom remodel runs $9,000 – $28,000. Smaller kitchens can fall to the $9,000 – $20,000 range, and small bathrooms start around $5,000 – $12,000. The spread depends on materials, the age of the home, and what the demolition reveals. Call (877) 688-9930 and we’ll give you a written line-item estimate for your specific house.
Call Square One Builders for Your Mission Viejo Project
If you’re planning a remodel, addition, or ADU in Mission Viejo, start with the inspection, not the quote. Brent Calloway and our team will walk your home, check the systems behind the walls, and give you a scope that holds. Call (877) 688-9930 to schedule your free estimate. We serve all of Mission Viejo, including 92690, 92691, and 92692, from the lake side to the hills.
Written by Brent Calloway, Owner at Square One Builders, serving Mission Viejo since day one.