Kitchen and bath remodel in San Diego: two rooms, one plan

Kitchen Remodel San Diego is a referral service: it connects homeowners with independent local remodelers and is not a contractor.

One contractor or two

Kitchens and bathrooms share the same trades: plumbing, electrical, carpentry, tile and paint. CSLB’s guidance is that when kitchen remodeling involves plumbing, electrical and carpentry under one contract, you should hire a B General Building contractor (CSLB). A single general contractor then schedules both rooms and answers for the whole job.

Two specialists can also work, for example a kitchen remodeler and a separate bathroom or tile contractor. Then each has a separate written contract, and you become the person who lines up their dates. Ask each one how they would work around the other.

Permits for both rooms

The City of San Diego’s Information Bulletin 203 lists “remodel of an existing kitchen and/or bathroom(s) within residential buildings” as work that can use a No-Plan Building Permit (Development Services). The bulletin’s conditions are that the remodel makes no changes to structural elements, wall framing or exterior walls and adds no plumbing fixtures. The city extended no-plan kitchen permits to multi-dwelling units in July 2023, while homes with a historic designation or in a historic district still submit plans.

Moving a wall, adding a second sink or turning a tub into a larger shower with new drains takes the job outside those conditions. Your contractor pulls the permit, and the city decides what the job needs. Homes in Chula Vista, La Mesa or another incorporated city go through that city’s own building department, and unincorporated areas go through the County of San Diego.

Which room goes first

Many contractors open both rooms together, so the plumber and electrician do their rough-in for both in one visit and the inspector sees both before walls close. Finishing then splits: one room is completed while the other waits for tile, a vanity or counters. Ask your contractor which order fits your house.

• In a one-bath house, the bathroom often goes first and fast, because a household can live without a kitchen longer than without a toilet and shower.
• With two bathrooms, the kitchen can lead while the second bathroom carries the family.
• Long lead items such as custom cabinets or a special tub set the order more than anything else.

Plumbing in older San Diego houses

Craftsman and Spanish Revival houses in North Park, South Park, Kensington and Golden Hill can still have galvanized steel supply pipe and older drain lines. Once walls are open, the remodeler may recommend replacing runs that feed both rooms. Postwar houses in Clairemont, Bay Park and the College Area often place the kitchen and bathroom on shared or nearby plumbing walls, which can make a combined project simpler.

What hides behind a wall is not known until it is opened. Ask how the contract handles surprises. California requires that changes or additions to a home improvement contract be in writing, with the price, before the extra work is done.

Living at home during the work

Most families stay home through a kitchen and bath remodel. A little planning makes it bearable:

• Set up a temporary kitchen with a microwave, a hot plate or electric pot, the refrigerator and a folding table.
• Ask where the dust walls go and how the remodeler protects floors on the path between the rooms.
• Get the days the water or power will be off in writing.
• Plan laundry and dishwashing for the weeks the sink is out.
• In a condo, read the HOA rules on work hours, elevator booking and parking before the schedule is set.

Paying for two rooms

One contract for both rooms is still one home improvement contract under California law. The down payment may not exceed $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less, and later payments may not run ahead of the work done or the materials delivered. Tie each payment to a stage you can see, such as rough-in passed or the kitchen cabinets set.

Published averages exist for kitchens; see kitchen remodel cost in San Diego. For the kitchen parts themselves, compare kitchen cabinets in San Diego and countertops in San Diego.

Questions to ask before you sign

• Will one contract and one contractor cover both rooms?
• Which room finishes first, and how long will each be out of use?
• Does the job fit the city’s No-Plan permit, or will it need plans?
• How are hidden plumbing or wiring problems priced and approved?
• How will you keep dust out of the rest of the house?
• What does the payment schedule tie each payment to?

Questions people ask