Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
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AfterFast, Reliable General Contractor Across Fairfax
Finding a General Contractor in Fairfax who understands Marin County permitting and hillside construction is the difference between a remodel that starts on schedule and one that stalls in plan check for eight months. We’re Penhallow Remodeling, led by Trevor Nash, and we work on Fairfax kitchens, bathrooms, additions, and whole-home remodels with written pricing before any work starts. Call (936) 259-2607 for a free estimate.
Why Penhallow Remodeling Is Fairfax’s Preferred General Contractor Company
Fairfax homeowners don’t need another contractor who quotes a number over the phone and revises it after demo. They need a company that knows what Marin County plan check actually does to a timeline, and prices that into the bid. Trevor Nash has built our Fairfax reputation by doing exactly that: every job gets a written price, a defined arrival window, and a 365-Day Done Right Promise in writing before the first cabinet comes out. If the work fails inside that year, we come back and fix it at no charge. No service call fee, no re-inspection fee, no back-and-forth.
Our crews serving Fairfax are background-checked and uniformed. The same professional standard on every visit, no exceptions. Scheduling and dispatch run from our San Francisco Bay Area office, but the people who show up at your door know Fairfax streets, Fairfax hillside lots, and the Fairfax inspectors they’ll be meeting.
Residential General Contractor in Fairfax
Residential General Contractor work in Fairfax means more than swinging hammers. It means sequencing fire-hardening scope, Marin County permit review, and tight-lot logistics before a single wall opens. On a sub-1,200 sq ft craftsman bungalow off Bolinas Road we opened the walls to find original balloon framing, knob-and-tube wiring, and no adequate foundation for the hillside load, so we re-sequenced the scope of work with a structural upgrade at the rough-in stage rather than after cabinet installation.
What a Fairfax remodel actually involves
A kitchen remodel in Fairfax runs $14,000 – $45,000 depending on cabinet line, countertop material, and whether the existing wiring survives the Marin County electrical review. Bathroom remodels run $9,000 – $28,000. The numbers go up when the house is on a hillside lot with limited staging, and they go up again when plan check flags the project for fire-hardening upgrades.
When the permit timeline drives the job
We tell Fairfax clients the honest truth: a major remodel permit can sit in Marin County plan check for 6 – 12 months. We price that lag into the schedule and sequence the work so rough-in happens after the fire-hardening details are locked, not before. That’s the only way to keep the draw schedule from blowing up.
Hire a General Contractor in Fairfax
When you hire a General Contractor in Fairfax, you’re hiring someone to manage access, permits, and neighbors on streets that weren’t built for dumpsters and material trucks. Because the lot had no off-street staging on that Bolinas Road job, we ran a single-stall parking plan with the neighbors, kept the dumpster off the shared driveway, and rolled the added access and staging cost into a written allowances line instead of a surprise change order.
How we handle tight lots
Fairfax’s core is dense with small craftsman bungalows and wood-framed cottages built in the 1920s – 1950s. Narrow streets mean crew vehicles, deliveries, and neighbor parking all compete for the same few feet of curb. We write an access plan into the quote: where the dumpster goes, where materials stage, and how many parking spaces the crew will need. The price reflects that plan, not a guess.
What that means for your quote
A home addition in Fairfax runs $45,000 – $130,000. An ADU runs $90,000 – $220,000. Those numbers include the staging and access costs that most bids leave out and then add back as change orders. We’d rather have the conversation up front.
Trusted Brands We Service in Fairfax
We install materials that carry their own warranties alongside ours: Cambria and Silestone quartz countertops, KraftMaid and Wellborn cabinetry, Kohler and Moen fixtures, James Hardie siding. For Fairfax clients considering prefabricated or panelized options, we’ve also worked with systems from Abodu and Dvele where the project scope calls for it. Countertop installation in Fairfax runs $2,000 – $6,500, and cabinet installation runs $4,000 – $13,000. The product brand you choose affects that number, and we’ll walk you through the trade-offs before you commit.
Common General Contractor Problems We See in Fairfax Homes
- Permit lag surprises. Marin County plan check on a major Fairfax project can run 6 – 12 months, and a bid written without carrying that lag blows up the draw schedule. We build the wait into the timeline from day one.
- Fire-hardening retrofits after walls close. Fairfax sits inside a CAL FIRE Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, so ember-resistant vents, Class A roofing, and ignition-resistant siding get flagged in review. Retrofitting them after drywall is up is pure change-order money.
- No staging plan on a narrow street. Crew vehicles, material deliveries, and neighbor parking all compete for the same curb on Fairfax’s hillside lanes. A quote without an access plan is a quote that will grow.
- Shared wall and party-wall notice failures. Many Fairfax cottages sit close enough that a remodel affects the house next door. We handle party-wall notice and neighbor communication before the first nail, not after the neighbor calls the town.
Pricing for General Contractor in Fairfax, CA
Fairfax remodels are priced by scope, not by square foot alone. The table below gives the range for the jobs we do most often, and the number that drives the range is usually access: a hillside lot with no off-street staging costs more to run than a flat parcel with a driveway. We write the price, the access plan, and the guarantee before work starts.
| Project Type | Fairfax 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 |
| Garage Conversion | $30,000 – $80,000 |
| Roof Replacement | $8,000 – $20,000 |
| Window Replacement | $4,500 – $15,000 |
| Cabinet Installation | $4,000 – $13,000 |
| Countertop Installation | $2,000 – $6,500 |
Call (936) 259-2607 for an exact written quote. The estimate is free, and the number on the estimate is the number on the invoice.
We Also Serve Cities Near Fairfax
We serve Fairfax and the surrounding Marin County communities, including San Anselmo, Kentfield, San Rafael, and Larkspur. If you’re just over the hill or down the valley, the same written pricing and 365-Day Done Right Promise apply. Call (936) 259-2607 and we’ll schedule your free estimate.
Serving Fairfax, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Fairfax 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 Fairfax
Fairfax permits go through Marin County’s building department, not a town office, and major projects routinely sit 6 – 12 months in plan check, one of the longest review windows in the Bay Area. San Anselmo and San Rafael have their own processes, but Fairfax’s county review and fire-hazard overlay make the timeline structurally different. We price that lag into the schedule and sequence work so rough-in doesn’t start before the permit issues. Call (936) 259-2607 and we’ll map out a realistic timeline for your street.
Yes. We run full remodels on Fairfax hillside lots with no off-street parking, but we plan for it before the quote. Crew parking, dumpster placement, and material staging all go into a written allowances line, and we coordinate with neighbors so delivery trucks don’t block the street. The access plan is part of the price, not a surprise after demo. Call (936) 259-2607 and we’ll walk your lot with you.
In most cases, yes. Fairfax is inside a CAL FIRE Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, and Marin County plan check routinely flags ember-resistant vents, Class A roofing, and ignition-resistant siding on any permitted project, including a kitchen remodel. Retrofitting those after the walls close costs more than doing them during rough-in, so we build them into the scope from the start. Call (936) 259-2607 for a written quote that includes them.
Many Fairfax bungalows sit close enough that a remodel touches the house next door, so we handle party-wall notice before work starts. We talk to the neighbor, document the shared wall condition, and build any required protection or access into the written quote. It’s easier to get the notice right before the first nail than to argue after the neighbor calls the town. Call (936) 259-2607 and we’ll walk your property line with you.
Written pricing and a written guarantee. Every Penhallow Remodeling job gets a written line-item price before work starts, and the 365-Day Done Right Promise covers the work for a full year after completion. If something fails, we come back and fix it at no charge, no service call fee, no re-inspection fee. The number on day one is the number on the invoice. Call (936) 259-2607 to see what a written Fairfax quote looks like.
Written by Trevor Nash, Owner at Penhallow Remodeling, serving Fairfax, CA.