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 Santa Ana
If you own a pre-1950 home in Santa Ana, you’ve probably discovered that remodeling here works differently than in Orange County’s newer tract neighborhoods. Historic design review, non-conforming lot limits, and aging stucco and framing all shape how a project gets approved and built. Our General Contractor team manages that entire process under one contract, from the first architectural submittal through final inspection. We serve Santa Ana ZIP codes 92701, 92702, 92735, and 92799, and you can reach us directly at (877) 688-9930 for a free estimate.
Why Square One Builders Is Santa Ana’s Preferred General Contractor Company
Homeowners in Floral Park, French Park, Lacy, and Wilshire Square call us because we already know what their houses will throw at us. A 1930s Spanish Colonial Revival bungalow behaves differently than a 1960s ranch on the east side near Santiago Street. We’ve pulled permits through Santa Ana’s planning counter enough times to know which submittal documents get approved the first round and which ones trigger a resubmittal. That local knowledge translates into fewer wasted weeks and a construction schedule that actually holds.
Being based in Westminster means we’re 15 to 20 minutes away from most Santa Ana job sites. When a design-review comment comes back, we’re at the counter the same day. When a wall gets opened and the framing is worse than expected, we can walk the job with the structural engineer without waiting a week for a site visit. Brent Calloway, our owner, stays involved in every Santa Ana project from scope through closeout, because that’s the only way a full-scope remodel stays coordinated.
Styles & brands we work with
Hire a General Contractor in Santa Ana
Hire a General Contractor in Santa Ana when your project touches more than one trade and you don’t want to be the person coordinating electricians, plumbers, drywallers, and cabinet installers. On a kitchen remodel in a 1920s bungalow, for example, the subfloor is often uneven, the wall cavities are not square, and the electrical panel may need replacement before new appliances can go in. A single contract means one accountable team handles all of it. Kitchen remodels in Santa Ana typically run $14,000 to $45,000 depending on whether you’re refreshing cabinets and counters or gutting to the studs.
Full-Scope Remodel Management
We scope the project, pull the permits, schedule the inspections, and coordinate the subtrades. The homeowner reads one contract and makes one set of decisions. When something goes wrong mid-project, there is no finger-pointing between a cabinet installer and a plumber. We own the fix.
Sequenced Around Approval
On homes that need architectural review, we stage work so demolition and rough-in start only after drawings are stamped. That sounds obvious, but we’ve inherited jobs where a previous contractor demoed a kitchen and then sat on it for two months waiting for design approval. We don’t do that to people.
General Contractor Services in Santa Ana
General Contractor Services in Santa Ana span the full residential envelope: kitchen and bathroom remodels, whole-home renovations, room additions, ADUs, roofing, windows, siding, hardscaping, and structural repair. Because so much of the city’s housing stock dates to the 1920s through the 1960s, we frequently combine finish work with underlying repairs, like replacing termite-damaged framing before new cabinetry goes in. A bathroom remodel here commonly runs $9,000 to $28,000. A home addition ranges from $45,000 to $130,000 depending on foundation conditions and square footage.
Historic Bungalow Work
The Craftsman and Spanish Colonial Revival homes near downtown need a contractor who respects original window profiles and stucco texture. We spec materials that pass Santa Ana’s design-review comments the first time and coordinate with preservation requirements in neighborhoods like French Park and Lacy.
ADU and Prefab Structures
For homeowners exploring an ADU, we work with Abodu, Dvele, Boxabl, Mighty Buildings, and Plant Prefab. ADU construction in Santa Ana typically costs $90,000 to $220,000. Prefab can shorten the build timeline, but the design-review and utility servicing requirements stay the same, and we manage those under the same contract.
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.
Trusted Brands We Service in Santa Ana
We source and install materials from 50+ nationally recognized brands, and we carry local parts inventory for Santa Ana customers who need rough-ins, flashings, or replacement components quickly. Roofing choices include CertainTeed and Owens Corning. For windows, siding, and door packages, we work with brands like PGT and James Hardie. Countertop sourcing spans Cambria and Silestone. Cabinetry through KraftMaid and Wellborn. We spec the right material for the project, not whatever a supplier happens to have in the yard.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon General Contractor Problems We See in Santa Ana Homes
- Historic design review rework. Homeowners who skip the pre-application meeting with the city often get plan rejections for using vinyl windows or modern front doors in a French Park bungalow. We schedule that meeting before drawings are finalized.
- Dry rot and termite damage behind stucco. The Santa Ana winds and dry heat stress exterior wood year-round. We regularly find sill plates and window headers that look fine from the outside but crumble when probed. Budget for it before you open the wall.
- Foundation movement on older slab and raised foundations. Homes from the 1920s and 1930s shift over decades. Cracks in plaster ceilings and doors that don’t close are often structural, not cosmetic. We bring in a structural engineer before framing changes.
- Permit timeline blindness. Underestimating the 4 to 8 week architectural review creates projects that stall after demolition with no approved plans. We build the approval window into the schedule from day one.
Pricing for General Contractor in Santa Ana, CA
Here’s what full-scope work costs in Santa Ana right now. These ranges reflect the local market for pre-1950 and mid-century homes, where framing repairs and design review often add scope that newer-tract remodels don’t have.
| Project Type | Santa Ana Price 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 |
What moves the number: age of the framing you cannot see until the wall is open, whether design review requires material upgrades like custom window profiles, and the condition of the foundation. We give written, line-item quotes before work starts, and the price does not change without a signed change order. Call (877) 688-9930 and we’ll walk the property with you.
We Also Serve Cities Near Santa Ana
Our crews work across Santa Ana and the surrounding Orange County cities. If you’re in Tustin, North Tustin, Fountain Valley, or Orange, the same permit knowledge and full-scope accountability apply. Same free estimates. Same single contract.
Serving Santa Ana, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Santa Ana 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 Santa Ana
If your home is in a designated historic district such as Lacy, French Park, Wilshire Square, or Floral Park, exterior changes including paint colors, window styles, roof materials, and stucco finishes generally require historic-preservation design review. Homes built before 1950 citywide may also trigger architectural review even outside a designated district. Interior remodels that do not change the exterior envelope usually skip this step. The safest move is to call the planning counter or have us check the address before drawings are finalized. Call (877) 688-9930 and we’ll verify it for free.
For pre-1950 homes in Santa Ana, architectural or historic design review typically adds 4 to 8 weeks to the permit timeline. That’s on top of standard building permit review. We schedule around it by sequencing projects so demolition and rough-in start only after the city stamps the drawings, which means you don’t end up with a gutted kitchen sitting idle for two months.
Wood windows matching the original profiles, smooth or lightly textured stucco finishes, clay or concrete tile roofing that echoes the original material, and paint palettes consistent with the era get approved most consistently. Vinyl windows and contemporary aluminum storefront-style doors are frequent rejection drivers in French Park and Lacy. We bring material samples and historic photos to the pre-application meeting so the submittal survives first review. Call (877) 688-9930 if you want someone at that meeting who has done it before.
We file it. Square One Builders prepares the drawings, assembles the material samples and historic photos, submits the packet to Santa Ana’s planning and building counter, and tracks the comments through approval. You don’t have to piece together which office handles what. That’s what the single-contract model is for.
In Santa Ana, starting regulated work before approval puts you at risk of a stop-work order, drainage and code violations, and having to undo work that an inspector flags. For interior work that doesn’t require design review, we may start standard building-permit work once that permit is issued. But when a property triggers architectural review, we don’t open walls before the approval is in hand. We recently completed a kitchen remodel in a 1928 Spanish Colonial Revival bungalow in French Park where the city’s historic design review required us to match the original window profiles and use a specific stucco finish. Our crew handled the full submittal packet and scheduled the rough-in and cabinetry installation to start only after design approval. No half-finished kitchen. No idle crew. Just a sequenced job.
If you’re planning a remodel, addition, or ADU in Santa Ana, call (877) 688-9930 and we’ll give you an honest read on what your house needs and what the city will ask for. Estimates are free, and Brent will be on the phone or at the site personally.
Written by Brent Calloway, Owner at Square One Builders, serving Santa Ana and Orange County.