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 Burlingame
Hiring a general contractor in Burlingame means finding someone who understands the split personality of building here. Half the city runs through a design-review process that scrutinizes window swaps on 1920s Spanish Revivals. The other half, up in the Burlingame Hills, answers to county permitting rules most city contractors never touch. We work both. Timberline Contractors, led by Nelson Fung, has built our reputation on moving projects through both sets of hoops without losing momentum. If you’re planning a remodel, addition, or ADU in 94010 or 94011, call (866) 253-5808 for a free estimate and a straight conversation about what your specific lot will actually require.
Why Timberline Contractors Is Burlingame’s Preferred General Contractor Company
Burlingame homeowners tend to ask harder questions than most. You should. A 1910 Craftsman off Burlingame Avenue has different bones than a 1970s ranch in the flatlands, and a contractor who treats them the same will cost you money. We walk every site before quoting. We look at foundation condition, drainage patterns, and whether the project falls inside the design-review footprint or up into unincorporated county land. That upfront work is why our Burlingame estimates hold.
Our General Contractor team brings scope most remodelers can’t. Interior remodel, exterior envelope, hardscape, and ADU construction under one contract. No juggling five separate trades, no “that’s not in our contract” surprises. From the foundation to the ridge cap, one accountable team.
Nelson Fung has built Timberline around a simple rule: quote the job you’d want done on your own house. That means engineered drainage on bay-side lots with high water tables, county-approved variances on Burlingame Hills acreage, and material selections backed by manufacturers who stand behind their product. No shortcuts. Built to last, not built to flip.
Styles & brands we work with







Remodeling Contractor in Burlingame
Remodeling Contractor work in Burlingame almost always means working inside an existing footprint. The city is built out. There’s little vacant land, so value comes from reworking what’s already there: a second-story addition on a 1920s Spanish Revival, a kitchen gut on a 1940s ranch, a bath refresh in a downtown condo. And many projects, especially exterior changes, cross a design-review desk before rough-in can start. That adds time. Our job is to sequence the work so planning review doesn’t stall construction.
Second-Story and Structural Work
Burlingame’s early-20th-century framing often can’t carry a second story without seismic and shear upgrades. We scope that honestly. A home addition in Burlingame runs $45,000 – $130,000 depending on structural work, finish level, and design-review requirements. You get a written line-item quote before we pull anything.
Kitchen and Bath Remodels
A kitchen remodel in Burlingame typically runs $14,000 – $45,000. A full bathroom remodel runs $9,000 – $28,000. We bring the showroom to you: Cambria quartz, KraftMaid cabinetry, Kohler and Toto fixtures, Schluter-system waterproofing behind the tile. Material-tier flexibility means you decide where performance-grade works and where premium matters without changing contractors mid-project.
Licensed General Contractor in Burlingame
A Licensed General Contractor in Burlingame carries responsibility the city watches closely. The design-review footprint around Burlingame Avenue means even a garage door swap on a contributing structure can need planning approval. Up in the Burlingame Hills, unincorporated lots fall under county jurisdiction, where septic and well setbacks add a separate inspection thread. We manage both. Licenses, permits, variances, inspections: we pull them, we schedule them, we pass them.
Permit and Design-Review Navigation
Burlingame’s planning department sees a lot of remodels on old homes. Exterior changes to homes in the downtown design-review zone get scrutinized for character compatibility: window type, roofline, siding material. We prepare submittals that answer the questions before staff asks them. That keeps your ADU or addition moving while neighbors’ projects stall in review.
ADU and Detached Structure Construction
Garage conversions in Burlingame run $30,000 – $80,000. Detached ADUs run $90,000 – $220,000. We build both through partners like Abodu, Dvele, and Boxabl when prefab makes sense, or stick-built when the lot and design review call for it. On a Burlingame Hills half-acre lot, we scoped a detached ADU and shop where the septic system needed a county-approved set-back variance and the well line had to be re-routed around the new foundation. We set the draw schedule around a 200-foot material haul from the street and used a track hoe to keep equipment off the ranch house’s load-bearing wall. Final inspection signed off clean, including the upgraded 200-amp service.
Trusted Brands We Service in Burlingame
We don’t hand you a limited catalog. We bring a curated roster of 50-plus brand partners across every major construction category, and we stock enough local parts and materials for fast turnaround on Burlingame jobs. Hardscape on a Burlingame Hills lot might call for Unilock pavers on a re-graded patio. A bay-side home with drainage concerns might get engineered paver work from Techo-Bloc over a properly compacted base. We work with those brands and more, including Cambridge Pavers where the project calls for them, so every material decision is backed by a proven manufacturer warranty, not a generic supplier promise.
See the difference
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AfterCommon General Contractor Problems We See in Burlingame Homes
- Assuming city permitting applies everywhere. Burlingame Hills and other unincorporated pockets fall under county review for septic, well, and setback requirements. Homeowners who quote a project without checking jurisdiction get surprised by a second permit track and a separate inspection sign-off. We verify jurisdiction before quoting.
- Long material hauls and tight access on hillside lots. A detached ADU or shop on a steep 94011 lot can need a 200-foot haul from the street with no staging area. That changes material allowances and sometimes requires different equipment. We line-item the haul cost up front, not as a change order after demo starts.
- Skipping grading and drainage on clay soils. Winter rain on an open Burlingame lot with clay subsoil means standing water if grading isn’t planned first. Foundation moisture leads to failed subfloor and flashing inspections later. We include grading and drainage plans in every acreage quote.
- Old framing that can’t carry the load. Early-20th-century Craftsman and Spanish Revival homes often have framing that predates modern seismic standards. Adding a second story or a heavy countertop island without shear upgrades is a structural liability. We inspect framing and quote upgrades honestly.
Pricing for General Contractor in Burlingame, CA
Burlingame pricing reflects two realities: design-review permitting adds time, and hillside or acreage work adds logistics. A modest home addition runs $45,000 – $130,000. A garage conversion runs $30,000 – $80,000. A full detached ADU runs $90,000 – $220,000, with county septic and well variances often adding to the higher end of that range. Here are the line-item ranges we quote most often:
| Project Type | Typical Burlingame Range |
|---|---|
| ADU Construction | $90,000 – $220,000 |
| Home Addition | $45,000 – $130,000 |
| Garage Conversion | $30,000 – $80,000 |
Every estimate is free. Every quote is line-item. We write fixed pricing with no change orders unless you change the scope. Call (866) 253-5808 to schedule yours.
We Also Serve Cities Near Burlingame
Timberline works throughout the Peninsula. We regularly serve Burlingame and the surrounding communities: Hillsborough, Millbrae, San Mateo, and Highlands-Baywood Park. If you’re a few blocks over the city line, the same team and the same process apply. Call (866) 253-5808 and tell us where you are.
Serving Burlingame, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Burlingame 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 Burlingame
It depends on your exact address. Properties inside Burlingame city limits go through city planning and building. Unincorporated Burlingame Hills lots go through county permitting, which means septic and well setbacks, separate inspection sign-offs, and a different review timeline. We confirm jurisdiction during the estimate walk. Call (866) 253-5808 and we’ll check your parcel before you commit to a design.
Setback variances can add thousands and weeks. A detached ADU or shop close to an existing septic field or well line may need a county-approved variance, re-routed utilities, or an engineered alternative system. We factor that into the Burlingame Hills quote up front. It changes the ADU range from the low $90,000s toward the $220,000 high end. Free estimates mean you’ll know the real number before signing.
It changes both time and equipment choice. A 200-foot material haul from the street with no staging area means smaller loads, more trips, and sometimes a different machine to protect existing structures. We line-item haul distance and access constraints in every quote so the allowance is realistic. Call (866) 253-5808 before you assume a flat per-square-foot number.
We include a grading and drainage plan in the scope before foundation excavation starts. Clay soils and November-to-April rain on an open lot mean water needs a designed path away from the slab or crawl space. Flatland bay-side lots with high water tables get engineered drainage and sometimes dewatering. That plan is part of the fixed quote, not a surprise add-on.
Yes, often by weeks. Downtown Burlingame and surrounding single-family neighborhoods sit in a design-review zone where exterior changes, including window replacements on older homes, need planning approval before construction starts. We prepare submittals that match the city’s character guidelines the first time, which reduces the back-and-forth. If your project is exterior-facing, plan for the review window. Call (866) 253-5808 and we’ll tell you what your specific block requires.
Written by Nelson Fung, Owner at Timberline Contractors, serving Burlingame and the Peninsula.