Fixer-Upper Renovation Specialist in San Diego and Orange County
We find the right property, evaluate it before you make an offer, unlock renovation loans, and manage the full renovation from start to finish.
The Problem We Solve
Most people find a fixer on Zillow, fall in love with it, and start figuring out what the renovation will actually cost after they're already in contract. By that point they're emotionally committed, the clock is ticking on their inspection contingency, and they're making one of the biggest financial decisions of their life based on guesses. Most either overpay and find out later, or get scared and walk away from a property that might have been exactly right.
The problem is that a renovation estimate from a quick walkthrough is only as good as the person doing the walking. Unless that person is a licensed general contractor who has built hundreds of homes and knows what everything costs in San Diego and Orange County, you're guessing. And this process moves fast, so you need someone who knows what they're looking at, is already on your team, and is accountable to you from the start.
That's what Buildable is. We get involved before you buy, not after. We find properties worth looking at, walk every one of them with a builder's eye, and give you directional cost data before you make an offer. So when you decide to move forward, you're doing it with a real picture of what you're getting into, not finding out six months later that the renovation costs doubled and the deal you thought you made wasn't a deal at all.
Work with the most experienced team
Why Fixer-Uppers Make financial Sense Right Now
San Diego's housing market doesn't leave a lot of room. Move-in ready homes in desirable neighborhoods are expensive and move quickly, inventory over priced, and you're usually competing against multiple offers just to pay full price for someone else's finishes.
A fixer-upper changes the math. You're buying at a discount in the same neighborhood, customizing the home exactly the way you want it, and financing both the purchase and renovation through a single loan with only 20% down on the entire budget (home + renovation) You get the location you want, the home you want, and you build equity in the process.
The catch is that most people do it wrong. They overpay for a property they didn't properly evaluate, underestimate the renovation scope, and end up spending just as much as they would have on a turnkey home. That's the problem Buildable exists to solve.
We Find the Fixer.
Most GCs Won't.
Most general contractors need you to already own a property before they'll get involved. Or you scramble to find anyone that will come check out the property before you put in an offer. You handle the search, the evaluation, the offer, and the purchase and then you call a GC. By then, the most important decisions have already been made without builder input.
We do it differently. Buildable gets involved at the search stage, before you've committed to anything.
Here's how it works…
Active Search
We don't just work with agents who send you automated listings. We build targeted campaigns aimed at properties that fit your vision, and we reach out directly to our network of real estate agents, wholesalers, and off-market sellers to find properties that haven't hit the public market yet. Some of our best finds come from homeowners who weren't actively thinking about selling until we reached out.
On-Site Evaluation With a Builder’s Eye
Once we have a shortlist, we tour every property with you. What a regular buyer sees on a walkthrough is surface-level: the kitchen, the bathrooms, the floors. What we see is a renovation budget.
As a licensed general contractor with 1,000+ homes built, we're evaluating structural condition, mechanical systems, permit history, scope of work, and hidden costs in real time. We're looking at the foundation, the electrical panel, the roof condition, the plumbing stack. We're thinking about what it takes to bring this property to where you want it, not what it looks like today.
Renovation Cost Assessment Before You Buy
Before you make an offer, we give you directional cost data on what the renovation will actually take. Once we’re in contract, will give you a more detailed estimate, not a ballpark number pulled from thin air, a grounded estimate from a GC who has priced out hundreds of similar projects in San Diego.
This is the thing that protects you. It's what keeps you from buying a money pit. And it's something no other GC in San Diego is doing at the search stage.
Renovation Loan Documentation
If you're using a renovation loan, we prepare the estimates and builder documentation required for lender approval during escrow and we're approved by a number of commercial banks that offer this product, which is what makes this approach possible in the first place.
The way a renovation loan works: you finance both the purchase price and the renovation cost together, putting 20% down on the combined total. So if your all-in budget is $1,500,000, and let’s say you pay $1,200,000 for the home and are allocating $300,000 for the renovation, you only need $300,000 down at close. One loan, one down payment, one monthly payment when construction is complete.
For most buyers this is a game changer. Instead of buying a home and then figuring out how to fund a separate renovation, everything is wrapped into a single transaction from day one.
Not Every Fixer Is Worth Buying.
San Diego and Orange County have no shortage of homes that need work. What it has a shortage of is homes that need the right kind of work at the right price. After evaluating hundreds of properties, here's how we think about what's worth pursuing and what isn't.
Here’s what we look for.
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Paint, flooring, outdated kitchens, and tired bathrooms are all fixable at a reasonable cost. Foundation problems, bad framing, failing plumbing systems, and water intrusion are a different story entirely. We know the difference on a walkthrough, and we'll tell you straight which one you're looking at.
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Unpermitted additions and unpermitted work are a liability that transfers to the new owner. We check what was done legally and what wasn't before you're in contract, so there are no surprises when you go to pull permits for your renovation.
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HVAC, electrical panels, plumbing, and roofs are expensive to replace and easy to miss on a casual walkthrough. We factor real replacement costs into our evaluation, not optimistic guesses.
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The best-renovated fixer in the wrong neighborhood is still a bad investment. We look at what fully renovated homes are actually selling for within close proximity, and whether the renovation budget you're considering makes financial sense given those numbers.
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We think about what the finished home will be worth, not just what it costs to get there. If the numbers don't work, we tell you, even if you love the house.
How It Works
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Step 1: Define Your Style and Budget
We will start by aligning on your remodel requirements, style, and materials to develop a renovation plan and target budget. This upfront planning helps us move quickly during escrow, creating estimates and the necessary documentation for securing a renovation loan when the property is identified. Buildable offers predefined styles for customization, or you can define your own.
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Step 2: Find The Right Fixer
Once the home budget and renovation requirements are set, we will search for on-market and off-market properties that match your vision and unlock value. These properties may not show well, but can offer significant potential. With our expertise, you can be confident in understanding the full scope of work needed. We will also assist in processing documentation, plans, and estimates for renovation loans if you choose that approach.
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Step 3: Renovate It
Once the remodel design is finalized and permits are approved, we move into the renovation phase. Buildable, as your general contractor, will oversee the entire remodeling process. We manage subcontractors, coordinate inspections, and keep you informed through our digital platform. Our goal is to ensure quality craftsmanship, stay on budget, and deliver a transformed home that exceeds your expectations.
How to Finance a Fixer-Upper in San Diego
One of the most underutilized tools in San Diego and Orange County real estate is the renovation loan, a financing product that covers both the purchase price and the renovation cost in a single loan, which converts to a standard 30-year mortgage when construction is complete.
Here's why it changes the math on a fixer-upper:
You finance both the purchase and the renovation together at close, putting 20% down on the combined total. So if your all-in budget is $1,500,000, say $1,200,000 for the home and $300,000 for the renovation, you only need $300,000 down. You pay interest only during construction, and when the work is done you have one monthly payment at your locked mortgage rate. The equity you created through the renovation is baked in from day one.
Most renovation loan applications slow down or fall apart because the buyer doesn't have a GC organized and approved by the lender from the start. The lender needs renovation estimates, scope of work, and timeline documentation, and pulling that together mid-escrow is stressful and slow, and impossible without planning. Because Buildable is involved from the beginning of your search, that documentation is ready to go when you need it. We're also approved by a number of commercial banks that offer this product, which is what makes this approach possible in the first place.
What Does A Fixer-Upper Renovation Cost In San Diego?
Renovation costs in San Diego can vary wildly depending on what you want, the condition of the property, and the neighborhood. Before we start looking at homes, we interview you to understand your vision, priorities, and must-haves. That conversation lets us build high-level cost estimates upfront so we're searching in the right budget range from day one, not falling in love with a property and then discovering the renovation costs don't fit.
As a general starting point, we suggest allocating roughly 75% of your total budget to the home purchase and 25% to the renovation. That ratio shifts depending on the scope of what you're doing. If you're adding square footage, reconfiguring the layout, or taking on a full gut, the renovation percentage goes up accordingly.
Here's a general framework for renovation costs in San Diego:
Cosmetic Renovation: $75,000 to $150,000
New flooring, paint, kitchen refresh, bathroom updates, landscaping. The house is structurally sound and the mechanical systems are in good shape. You're updating finishes, not rebuilding systems.
Mid-Range Renovation: $150,000 to $300,000
Full kitchen and bathroom remodels, new HVAC, updated electrical and plumbing, possibly an addition or layout reconfiguration. You're making the home feel new throughout.
Full Scale Renovation, plus additions: $300,000 and above
Down to the studs. New mechanical systems, new layout, structural work, everything replaced. This is the highest-risk category and where pre-purchase evaluation matters most.
It's also worth knowing that a full renovation opens up a much larger pool of potential properties. If a home is a little smaller than what you had in mind, an addition can change that entirely. By expanding your search to include homes you'd normally filter out on size, we can find opportunities in neighborhoods and at price points that wouldn't otherwise be available to you.
These numbers are directional until we've walked the property and evaluated the actual scope. Your real number depends on the specific home, your vision for the finished product, and current subcontractor pricing in San Diego.
If you want a real number for a specific property, schedule a free consultation and we'll walk through it with you.
Why Buildable vs. Just Hiring A GC After The Buy
We Get Involved Before You Buy
The traditional approach goes like this: you find the property, buy it, then start calling contractors for bids. By the time you have an accurate renovation cost, you've already made the most expensive decision. Buildable changes where in the process a builder gets involved. We're with you at the search stage, before you're committed. That's a fundamentally different kind of help.
One Partner Instead of Four
Working with Buildable means you're not managing a real estate agent, a home inspector, a designer, and a general contractor separately and hoping they all communicate with each other. We manage all of these partners and make it easy for you. One partner, accountable for the outcome, from the first property tour to the final walkthrough.
Deep Roots in Real Estate
Our team has 50+ years of combined real estate experience, and we're not just builders. We've personally bought, renovated, and sold homes in this market. We know what a smart investment looks like from every angle because we've made those decisions ourselves. That perspective is something you won't get from a GC who has only ever been hired to build, not to invest
Fixer-Uppers We've Transformed Across San Diego
Explore how we’ve helped clients turn vision into value. Real projects, real results.
How It Works FAQs
How is Buildable different from other builders?
Buildable manages the entire process, from a fixer-upper to handing you the keys to your new home. We will be your partners throughout the process, guiding you to success.
We created this unique approach and no one else offers this kind of start-to-finish guidance. Just set up a time to meet with us, and you’ll get why we are different.
How do you find off-market fixer-uppers in San Diego?
We use a proprietary Active Search process that combines targeted marketing campaigns with direct outreach to our network of real estate agents, wholesalers, and developers. Many of the best fixer opportunities we find are properties that were never listed publicly, sellers who weren't actively marketing their home but were open to the right offer when we reached out.
How do you know what a renovation will cost before I buy the property?
We walk every property with a licensed general contractor who has priced out hundreds of similar projects in San Diego. We're evaluating structural condition, mechanical systems, scope of work, and neighborhood context in real time. The cost assessment we give you is directional, it's a grounded estimate based on real experience, not a number pulled from a calculator. Once you're in contract, we refine that estimate into a full renovation plan and budget.
What is a renovation loan and how does it work?
A renovation loan covers both the purchase price and the renovation cost in a single loan. It's one of the most effective ways to finance a fixer-upper because you're not scrambling to fund the renovation separately after purchase. We handle all the builder documentation the lender requires during escrow.
How long does a fixer-upper renovation take?
Most renovations take 3 to 6 months depending on scope. A cosmetic renovation can be done in as little as 8 to 12 weeks. A full gut renovation will take longer, particularly if structural work or additions are involved. The permitting timeline also varies by city, some San Diego municipalities process permits faster than others. We'll give you a realistic timeline based on your specific project.
What areas do you serve?
We primarily serve San Diego County, including North Park, South Park, Clairemont, Encinitas, Carlsbad, Escondido, La Jolla, Del Mar, Point Loma, and surrounding areas. We also work in parts of Orange County.
What is the minimum budget to work with Buildable on a fixer?
We work with clients who have an overall budget of $1M or more across the purchase price and renovation combined. If your budget is at or above that threshold, schedule a consultation and we'll walk through what's realistic in the neighborhoods you're targeting.
What if I already found a property I want to renovate?
Great! We can evaluate it and take the project from there. Get in touch and tell us about the property. We'll give you our honest assessment of the scope, the cost, and whether it's worth moving forward.
Can I live in the home during the renovation?
It depends on the scope. For a cosmetic renovation where only certain areas of the home are being worked on, it's sometimes possible. For a mid-range or full gut renovation, it's usually not practical and can actually slow the project down. We'll give you an honest answer based on your specific project.
What neighborhoods are best for fixer-upper ROI in San Diego?
North Park, South Park, Clairemont, Normal Heights, University Heights, and parts of North County like Encinitas and Carlsbad tend to offer strong combinations of lower entry prices, renovation upside, and solid resale values. The right neighborhood depends on your budget, lifestyle, and goals. We help you think through this as part of the search process.
We are an A&B licensed building company that has delivered 1,000+ homes.
General Building and Engineering License (#1080271)
Subject Matter Expert (SME) for California Contractors State License Board
Featured in the San Diego Business Journal
Cited by Redfin as a trusted resource on home building and renovation