Full Color Rendering

With Design/Build through a experienced home remodeler, the entire process is streamlined, and a plan will be developed that fits your budget.  Architectural design, structural engineering, permit processing, high quality construction, and an in house project manager, all under one roof, ensures great value, timely completion, and a successful, stress free home improvement.

State of the art computerized design system, fully detailed color renderings, and 3D walk throughs are what you should expect in a San Diego Design/Build Remodeling contractor, so you can see what your remodel will look like up front and avoid surprises.

Many San Diego Design/Build Remodeling  companies say they are design/build and outsource the drafting, losing control of design quality and costs.  You must insist on in an house design/ build team who delivers full service to you.

Make sure a comprehensive “Scope of Work” document is part of the design package too.  That way you can be certain everything is included.  You will want to go shopping to make sure the caliber of fixtures, appliances and finishes are covered.

Do not be enticed by companies who substantially undercut other bidders.  Later on, you will find out there are hidden costs, and items like cabinets, granite, finish work etc. are low quality and you are in store for major cost overruns.

A qualified San Diego Design/Build Remodeling firm will assist you in creating a shopping list and line you up with preferred vendors to save you money.  They will also help by value engineering to help you meet your desired remodeling investment.

It today’s economy, Design/Build is the most effective method to improve your home delivering more value to you..  With Design/Build you and the contractor have control of the design and construction details. What that means is you won’t end up with a plan that is cost prohibitive and you will get more for you money.

Rancho Bernardo is a master-planned community located in the northern hills of San Diego County, about 25 miles north of downtown San Diego. The community is north of Carmel Mountain Ranch, south of Escondido, and northwest of Poway.

The land consists mainly of canyons and hills and features the typical shopping malls, golf courses, and office buildings you might expect. Still, this small community possesses a rich history and culture.

A Brief History of Rancho Bernardo

The area of Rancho Bernardo was originally called La Canada de San Bernardo, which translates to “the Gorge of Saint Bernard.” Saint Bernard of Clairvaux was a theologian of the Middle Ages and leader of the Second Crusade.

Beautiful valleys and the land’s fertile soil brought many people from all walks of life, including Spanish conquistadores, explorers, traders, mission padres, and ranchers, among others. The area was perfect for ranchers with its temperate climate that lasted all year long. Rancho Bernardo soon became well-known for exports like cowhides and animal fat.

The land that would be Rancho Bernardo was granted by Mexico to Captain Joseph Snook between 1842 and 1845. The land, which measured 17,763 acres, was the beginning of present day Rancho Bernardo. Unsurprisingly, the land was used as a cattle ranch.

The area changed hands frequently over the years, dividing into smaller and smaller lots. The land was finally purchased by John and Laurence Daley, who partnered with W.R. Hawn and Harry L. Summers in 1961, forming a corporation called Rancho Bernardo, Inc.

Summers, a well-known developer, made plans for the community featuring wide streets, exclusive neighborhoods, and plenty of entertainment. Rancho Bernardo, Inc. was eventually acquired by AVCO Community Developers, which planned for a community that included residential housing developments, educational institutions, shopping areas, cultural and entertainment centers, clubs, open spaces, and golf courses.

Rancho Bernardo Today

Today, Rancho Bernardo has an average population of over 40,000 residents and is home to several well-known businesses, including Hewlett-Packard, the Eastman Kodak Company, and BAE Systems. The community is also home to the corporate headquarters of Sony US.

Furthermore, the oldest operating winery in Southern California, the Bernardo Winery, is located in Rancho Bernardo. The winery was established in 1889 and has been family owned and operated since 1927.

Schools and Education

Rancho Bernardo is part of the Poway Unified School District. Many schools in the district consistently achieve national top rankings, and three schools (Rancho Bernardo High School, Poway High School, and Mount Carmel High School) have been ranked in the top 1000.

The two schools within the Rancho Bernardo community are Bernardo Heights Middle School and Rancho Bernardo High School.

Home Design

Rancho Bernardo is home to dozens of residential developments, each built with different styles and perspectives in mind. Though exteriors tend to take after classic California Spanish influences, interiors offer a wide variety of choices, giving residents the perfect opportunity for home remodeling and other redesign projects including Room Additions, Second Stories, Casitas/Pool Cabanas, Custom Kitchens and Major Home Make Overs.

Coronado, often referred to as Coronado Island, is just one of the many beautiful resort cities located in San Diego County. Just a little over 5 miles south of downtown San Diego, Coronado is one of the most upscale places to live in the United States. The city is part of a peninsula connected to the mainland by a ten mile strip of land called the Silver Strand.

According to the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,697 – an increase from the 24,100 citizens reported in the 2000 census.  This resort town is probably best known for the historic Hotel Del Coronado, but the Crown City has its own rich history and culture.

A Brief History of Coronado

In the early nineteenth century, before Coronado was Coronado, the land was used as a harbor for whalers, who built hide houses in order to carry out their work. The land was still under Spanish control, but 1821 marked Mexico’s independence from Spain.

Land grants were issued and the peninsula we know today as Coronado changed many hands before it was purchased by Elisha Babcock, Jr., Hampton Story, and Jacob Gruendike on November 19, 1885. Babcock invited Heber Ingle, his brother-in-law, and a railroad stockholder named Josephus Collett to become mutual investors. These founders then organized the Coronado Beach Company on April 7, 1886, planting the seeds for current day Coronado.

Work on the new town began promptly with the division and landscaping of lots. Water and irrigations systems were constructed and railroad tracks were laid. The San Diego and Coronado Ferry Company was established on April 16, 1886 with the ferry completing its first run in August.

Lots were auctioned off in November. With the community finally coming together, the founders hired architects James and Watson Reid to design the Hotel Del Coronado in March of 1887. The hotel opened its doors February 19, 1888.

Construction and development continued in the area, eventually including a naval base in North Island.

The Hotel Del Coronado

The Hotel Del Coronado is a famous beachfront luxury hotel, officially designated as a historic landmark. The hotel has played host to many celebrities and persons of interest, including Prince Edward. The hotel was known as a playground for Hollywood’s finest by the 1920s and was the venue for numerous parties during the Prohibition era.

Schools and Education in Coronado

The school district includes several public schools:

-        Silver Strand Elementary School

-        Village Elementary School

-        Coronado Middle School

-        Coronado High School

The Coronado School of the Arts is a school-within-a-school, located on the Coronado High School campus.

Private schools in the area include Sacred Heart Parish School and Christ Church Day School.

Architecture, Design, and Style

Home design in Coronado embodies a unique style that reflects the town’s proximity to the sea. Homes features classic California Spanish design while incorporating aspects of the beachside cottage. The Hotel Del Coronado is a beautiful example of the wooden Victorian beach resort, a remnant of an American architectural genre that still stands out today.

There are many old homes in downtown Coronado, so remodeling is very popular and property values have held up well making home improvement a great investment.

Popular Coronado projects are Kitchen Remodeling, Major Home Makeovers, Second Stories, Room Additions, and View Decks.

La Jolla is a seaside community, occupying seven miles of coastline along the Pacific Ocean, and home to hundreds of beachside residences and a variety of businesses.

A Brief History of La Jolla

La Jolla was originally settled by the Kumeyaay. Research and archaeological findings show that these natives settled the coastline about 10,000 years ago.

La Jolla’s land eventually became incorporated into San Diego in 1850, though the area lacked any permanent settlers. Nineteen years later, two brothers, Daniel and Samuel Sizer, each bought a plot of land. These 80 acre plots were sold to the brothers at $1.25 an acre.

Frank Botsford joined the brothers in 1886, purchasing his own plot of land and developing it. Botsford proceeded to survey, subdivide, and auction pieces of land.

In 1890s, the railroad brought even more growth and development. Real estate developers took interest in the town’s coastal property and built resorts to attract visitors. La Jolla became an artist colony, bringing newspaper heiress Ellen Browning Scripps, who was generous with her wealth. Today, we see her name on several landmarks in La Jolla and beyond, such as the Scripps Institute of Oceanography and Ellen Browning Scripps Park.

Population Over the Years

Over the years, La Jolla has seen quite a boom in population growth.

• At the beginning of the twentieth century, La Jolla had a modest 350 residents.
• Between 1900 and 1920, La Jolla’s economy strove from tourism, and at the end of World War I, the town grew to 4,000 citizens.
• The stock market crash and the subsequent Great Depression devastated development in La Jolla with only a few new homes built. When World War II began, La Jolla was home to 7,700 people.
• After World War II, service members settled in La Jolla. Large subdivisions sprouted up on mountain slopes, while old horse trails were cemented over for further development. By 1960, over 17,000 people lived in La Jolla.
• Today, La Jolla is home to well over 40,000 people.

Style of Homes

The look and design of La Jolla’s homes has been affected by the area’s coastal environment as well as the trends of the day. Mixing the beach cottage look with a California Spanish style and sleek, modern trends, construction companies and architects sometime preserves La Jolla’s historical designs, but often design and build to current trends.

Most of the homes in La Jolla are constructed well structurally.  A large number of homes are in the coastal zone, but exempt as long as 50% of the existing exterior walls are maintained.  Popular projects are major home renovations where all but the minimum amount of walls are left, and the entire home is rebuilt.  This often includes second stories and walking view decks.  Being that the home values are very stable in La Jolla, the area is one the most consistent areas for home improvement in San Diego County.

One of the most quaint cities in San Diego County is Mission Hills. Perfectly situated south of the San Diego River, north of downtown, and overlooking the scenic old town and San Diego Bay, residents of Mission Hills have easy access to everything Southern California has to offer. It is easily one of the most desirable places to live in San Diego County for its location, architectural design, and strong community. There are several public and private schools in the area and multiple universities within a 10 minute drive. Residents in the area have access to mass transportation just down the hill in Old Town on the Coaster, Amtrak, and Trolley lines. From Mission Hills, you can quickly get to the 5 freeway, downtown, North County and multiple beaches. Next door, Old Town offers fine Mexican cuisine and shopping.

Mission Hills has a relatively small population compared to the densely populated areas surrounding it. The city has just over 30,000 residents as of the 2000 U.S. Census. The inhabitants are well educated, affluent, and predominately Caucasian. There crime rates are much lower in the Mission Hills residential area than nearby downtown and the county as a whole. The neighborhood is family friendly but has a smaller average household size than the national average. The median age is 39.5 years of age and family income is over $61,000. The median home value is $382,700 and has definitely increased since the last census. Residents only average a 20 minute travel time compared to the 25 minute national average. With only 69.5% of the population still in the work force, the community is slightly oriented towards retirees.

The city of Mission Hills is primarily residential and the majority of the homes were developed either in the early or mid 20^th century and many are considered historical or “medallion” homes.  The city has a gorgeous location atop the hillside overlooking San Diego Bay, but that comes at a cost.

Due to the age of Mission Hills homes, the climate, and the primarily wood exteriors, major exterior remodeling/restoration are a common home improvement.   Exterior home remodeling projects often consist of interior/exterior total restoration, along with window, door and roof replacements.

Of course Mission Hills homes also frequently have outdated kitchens and bathrooms.  A very typical project is a custom designed kitchen and bathroom/bathrooms remodel.

Another popular project in Mission Hills is to add a second story that will allow for the family to grow and capitalize on the spectacular ocean views from the hillside. If you aren’t looking to go up or don’t want to deal with stairs every day, you can still expand by doing a single story addition or expansion. Room additions can include everything from a new bedroom and entire new living area.  Older homes were generally built smaller than what most homeowners like today and so a room addition or second story remodel is always a good option.

If both the interior and exterior of your home are outdated and in disrepair, it may be time to opt for a major interior and exterior home renovation. Tear down the old and build something new that you will be able to custom design to your taste and lifestyle.