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 Cupertino
Finding a general contractor in Cupertino who can manage a whole-home remodel, a second-story addition, or a detached ADU without you playing project manager is harder than it should be. Most homeowners end up juggling three or four specialty vendors and a permit process that stalls. San Bruno Construction runs the full job under one contract, one schedule, and one point of contact. We work throughout the 95014 and 95015 zip codes, we know Cupertino’s permit pipeline inside out, and we answer the phone when you call (866) 472-1908.
Why San Bruno Construction Is Cupertino’s Preferred General Contractor Company
Cupertino homeowners don’t hire a general contractor to babysit subcontractors. They hire one to make the job predictable. Noel Carvalho built San Bruno Construction around that idea: one accountable lead, real brand options across every material category, and no runaround when something changes on site. Our Cupertino clients include homeowners in the 95014 flats rebuilding mid-century ranch homes and estate owners on the eastern hillsides adding shops and ADUs on county-permitted acreage.
We coordinate the trades so you don’t have to. That means one person schedules the rough-in, the inspections, the cabinet install, and the final walkthrough. It means you’re not calling a plumber to ask why the electrician hasn’t shown up. And it means when Cupertino’s planning department flags a heritage tree or a grading issue, we already saw it coming. That pre-bid work is what keeps our Cupertino jobs moving while other projects sit in review.
Our local reputation is built on scoping jobs honestly before the quote, then holding the number. We work with 50+ product brands so you’re choosing from real options, not whatever our supplier had in the warehouse that month. KraftMaid and Wellborn cabinetry, Cambria and Silestone countertops, GAF and CertainTeed roofing: you pick the line, we run the install.
Styles & brands we work with
Licensed General Contractor in Cupertino
A Licensed General Contractor in Cupertino is the person legally responsible for pulling permits, scheduling inspections, and coordinating every trade on a residential build. When a Cupertino homeowner adds a second story to a 1960s ranch in the 95014 flats, or builds a detached shop on an eastern hillside parcel, the job touches framing, electrical, plumbing, roofing, and grading. Each of those trades pulls its own permit on some projects. The general contractor makes sure they all line up.
In Cupertino specifically, the license matters because of the review pipeline. The city scrutinizes tree removal, two-story massing, and grading plans more closely than neighboring San Jose or Sunnyvale. A licensed contractor who has run Cupertino permits knows what the planning department will flag before you pay for a full plan set. That’s not a convenience. It’s the difference between a six-week review and a six-month one.
Cost depends heavily on whether the job runs through the city of Cupertino or through Santa Clara County. That split is real, and it changes everything about sequencing. A home addition in Cupertino typically runs $45,000 to $130,000. A detached ADU is $90,000 to $220,000. Those ranges assume a properly scoped job, not a best-case number that gets padded later.
County Versus City Permits
On Cupertino’s unincorporated-edge acreage, Santa Clara County issues the permits and sends the inspectors, not the Cupertino planning and building departments. That means well and septic setbacks, not city heritage-tree massing rules, set the sequencing and the quote. Two lots a block apart can sit on completely different permit paths with different timelines. We check jurisdiction before we price anything.
Arborist Checks and Heritage Trees
The 95014 flats hide shallow-rooted ornamentals and heritage trees from the old orchard days. City of Cupertino review protects those trees, and a pre-bid arborist report tells us whether your addition triggers a tree removal hearing or a redesign. We run that check before the quote, not after the first change order.
Residential General Contractor in Cupertino
A Residential General Contractor in Cupertino runs the full scope of a home project, from interior remodeling to exterior envelope work to new structures. The job starts with a site walk and a written scope, then moves through permits, demolition, rough-in, inspections, finish work, and the final walkthrough. A Cupertino homeowner needs one when the project touches more than two trades, when structural work is involved, or when the permit path runs through county rather than city review.
We price our Cupertino residential work with line-item ranges, not lump sums that hide assumptions. A kitchen remodel in Cupertino runs $14,000 to $45,000. A bathroom remodel is $9,000 to $28,000. Roof replacement on a Cupertino home sits between $8,000 and $20,000 depending on pitch and material. The number you get from us reflects the actual scope, not a guess we’ll revisit later.
On acreage builds, residential general contracting includes things a city remodeler never thinks about: material hauls up sloped lots, engineered retaining walls tied into foundations, septic and well setback reviews, and equipment access that dictates staging. We scope those before quoting because leaving them out is how a $120,000 ADU becomes a $160,000 ADU mid-build.
Additions and Second Stories
Cupertino’s 1950s and 1970s ranch homes are routinely expanded upward. A second-story addition on a 95014 flats lot runs through city review with strict massing and neighbor-notification rules. We sequence those jobs around the review calendar and front-load the work that can proceed while permits finalize.
Detached Shops and ADUs
On the eastern hillside lanes and unincorporated edges, our crew took a detached shop-and-ADU build from bare dirt to final inspection: county grading plan approved, engineered retaining wall poured, and well and septic setbacks flagged before we ever priced the frame. We front-loaded rough-in and concrete ahead of the winter rains, then ran the draw schedule against each inspection sign-off. The arborist report on the old orchard-era trees was the difference between a clean county permit and a stalled job.
Trusted Brands We Service in Cupertino
Cupertino homeowners want choices, and we carry real ones. Cabinet lines from KraftMaid and Wellborn cover the mid-range and premium ends without forcing you into whatever the contractor prefers. Countertops from Cambria and Silestone give you engineered quartz options that hold up to a busy Cupertino kitchen. We coordinate sourcing and delivery so materials arrive when the schedule says they should, and we keep our Cupertino customers informed on lead times before they affect the build. Choose materials from a curated lineup of industry-leading brands, and we’ll handle the rest.
See the difference
Before
After
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After
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AfterCommon General Contractor Problems We See in Cupertino Homes
- County-versus-city permit confusion: A lot on the unincorporated edge of Cupertino runs through Santa Clara County, not the Cupertino building department. We see quotes built on city assumptions fall apart when the county’s well and septic setback review adds weeks and thousands to the job.
- Heritage trees surfacing mid-job: The 95014 flats hide shallow-rooted ornamentals and orchard-era trees that trigger Cupertino’s tree removal review. Skipping the pre-bid arborist check turns a simple addition into a stalled permit and a very unhappy homeowner.
- Hauls and access on sloped estate lots: Eastern hillside parcels need graded access, longer material runs, and careful staging. Underestimating those logistics shows up as a change order the moment the first concrete truck can’t reach the pour site.
- Unscoped grading and drainage: Cupertino’s dry summers front-load grading and concrete work before winter rains arrive. If grading and stormwater controls aren’t in the original scope, the job stops when the first real storm hits.
Pricing for General Contractor in Cupertino, CA
Cupertino pricing reflects the review pipeline and the lot, not just the square footage. A city-permitted addition on a flat 95014 lot prices differently than a county-permitted ADU on a sloped eastern hillside parcel with septic and well setbacks. Here are the ranges we quote for Cupertino work:
| Project | Cupertino Price Range |
|---|---|
| ADU Construction | $90,000 – $220,000 |
| Home Addition | $45,000 – $130,000 |
| Garage Conversion | $30,000 – $80,000 |
| Concrete Driveway Installation | $4,500 – $12,000 |
| Paver Driveway Installation | $7,000 – $18,000 |
| Roof Replacement | $8,000 – $20,000 |
These are honest numbers for Cupertino’s market. What moves the price: permit jurisdiction, lot slope, heritage trees, septic and well setbacks, and material selections. We give you a written line-item quote so you see exactly where the money goes. Call (866) 472-1908 to schedule your free estimate, and we’ll walk the site before we ever hand you a number.
We Also Serve Cities Near Cupertino
Our crews cover the South Bay beyond Cupertino, including General Contractor in Cupertino neighbors like Loyola, Saratoga, Sunnyvale, and Los Altos. If your project sits on the edge of the 95014 boundary, we’ll confirm the right jurisdiction before we quote. Whether you need a full-scope General Contractor for a remodel or a county-permitted ADU, we run the same disciplined process across the region.
Serving Cupertino, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Cupertino 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 Cupertino
It depends on the lot. Unincorporated-edge acreage around Cupertino runs through Santa Clara County planning and building, not the Cupertino departments. The county applies well and septic setback rules, grading reviews, and its own inspection schedule. We check jurisdiction as the first step in scoping, because getting it wrong changes the timeline and the quote. Call (866) 472-1908 and we’ll verify your lot before you commit to anything.
Because the 95014 flats hide shallow-rooted ornamentals and heritage trees from Cupertino’s orchard days, and the city protects them aggressively. A pre-bid arborist report tells us whether your addition triggers a tree removal review or a redesign around protected roots. It saves weeks and thousands compared to discovering the tree mid-permit. We run the check before the quote, not after.
On county-permitted Cupertino acreage, well and septic setbacks determine where the structure can sit, which drives grading, foundation design, and sometimes a retaining wall. A buildable area that shrinks by ten feet can add $15,000 to $40,000 in engineered work. We flag those setbacks in the scope so the price you see is the price you pay. Call (866) 472-1908 for a written breakdown.
We front-load grading and concrete ahead of Cupertino’s winter rains. The valley’s rainless summers are the window for rough-in, slab pours, and drainage work, and we sequence the schedule so those trades finish before the first storm. Waiting until November to pour a foundation on a sloped hillside lot is how jobs stall for two months. We don’t let that happen.
Honest scoping before the quote. We walk the site, check the jurisdiction, run the arborist check where it matters, and write a line-item scope that includes haul access, grading, and setbacks. No change orders for things we should have seen. The number we quote is the number we build to. Call (866) 472-1908 and we’ll show you what that looks like on your property.
Written by Noel Carvalho, Owner at San Bruno Construction, serving Cupertino since our first South Bay build.