This page has, by far, proven to be one of our most popular pages on the entire site. It figures because this is essentially the page where you get to see San Francisco real estate through the eyes of two the City’s top agents (and their dog — you never know what things Raffi will detect that we humans can’t (really, there was one listing we had that was bad enough for Raffi to turn his nose up to; take away lesson: make people sign a waiver before coming in). 

We’ll go over the basics and then move into the possibilities in terms of how you can add to a property’s value through minor updates to whole-scale, blow-out renovations with neighbors, change orders and the whole spread. How the approval process goes with San Francisco supposedly building some 80,000 new housing units by 2030 remains to be seen, but the hope is for it to get easier as we know how terrifying it can be. See the news articles referenced to the right if you had any doubt. 

When Buying A Fixer...

A general understanding of how houses work is something you may want to have when buying such a valuable asset.

And given that most of the housing inventory in San Francisco is older, knowing what to look for behind the staging, under the paint and in the basement, for example, should help you understand if there’s work to be done or underlying issues (despite what the marketing says) thats should go to help inform you of what a property is really worth. Conversely, the fact a property needs attention, deeper awareness will work to our advantage because other folks may be unwilling to take on issues that may really be only minor ones in the grand scheme of things. Here’s a quick overview of some of the issues and questions we see often ...

Question. Renovating a home in San Francisco versus buying a done, done, done home—which is easier/costlier/better?

This, of course, is a loaded question. On the one hand if you renovate you get to pick finishes and pay for your own choices, not someone else’s. But you’re going to need time (at least 2 months, if not 2 years), patience, and money. Nothing is ever guaranteed and prepare for the unexpected. Ripping out walls and floors and ceilings can reveal a whole slew of unexpected surprises. Most surprises in the City come in the form of: structural deterioration from termites, dry rot, fungus or inadequate engineering; outdated systems like electrical (knob and tube, Federal Pacific boxes) and plumbing (galvanized pipes and sewer lateral connections); patchwork past renovations; foundations, and past use of asbestos-containing materials. This is not to mention the requirement to build to modern codes. Quite naturally, San Francisco has its own Building Code. Another radical element: discretion or whimsy of neighbors (both owners and renters) up to 300 feet away, inconstant city inspectors and planners and haphazard, legislate-as-you go regulations. Thus the only thing that is certain is that there are no guarantees in San Francisco as the process is so subjective with various choking hazards on the way. The rewards are, however, pretty impressive.

Quick Rankings 

Of brands, appliances and home improvement stuff.  

(As based on our experience, hearsay and research) 

When hiring a contractor you’ll want to shoot for a flat rate approach versus a time and materials (i.e., hourly) agreement with your contractor/subcontractor so you are paying for the result and not for inefficiency.

The fewer change orders you have the better. The more materials you can source yourself and have delivered directly to you the better, but remember you’d be the one making mistakes, dealing with supply chain issues and physical damage en route to the site.

Project management is essential as one of the more frustrating part of the entire process is seeing the property sit idle or vendors flaking out or being hired away because of delayed supplies and materials. Factor in wait times in your calendar and then add even more time and alternatives. 

Your Contingency Amount is too small. Instead of keeping an overrun contingency amount of cash the standard 10 or 15 percent, set aside 25 to as much as 40 percent extra to account for surprises, ever increasing delays, redesigns, revisions, inspection issues, mistakes and splurges.

Material Wait Times 

Now that the Pandemic introduced the concept of supply chains into most people's vocabularies, we're starting to see things come back to normal.

Most Bay Area mass-market vendors (see right) will have most building materials in stock. But be smart about it too. 

Amazon's abilities to get building materials using their impressive delivery network, to Wayfair's shipping-is-free delivery model has changed things up.

When dealing with Home Depot, for example, be sure to check other Home Depot Bay Area locations as certain stores will have different inventory. Colma has two Home Depots — regular and pro, which compliment the Daly City one that supposedly has more 'design-y' stock (Colma has more of everything in general, the Pro store is so much better for detailed and specific building materials), whereas the Emeryville Home Depot's landscaping department is just astounding. Suburban locations have even more! 

Along with your Home Depot, Lowes and Discount Builder’s Supply, you should be pretty good for most basic things and even beyond the basic items. many tile stores have Bay Area connections and locations. Heath tile, for example, is made in Marin and on 18th Street (and don't forget the outlet in Sausalito! Ceramic Tile Designs has a South Bay warehouse, while Anne Sacks has to get inventory from Portland and so on.

But for specialty finishes, high-end appliances, custom-made items, and anything European, the wait times will vary wildly (especially for places that take the month of August off!).  So expect to do a lot of waiting. Here are some common lead times:   

All Good Things Come To Those Who Wait 

Kitchen Cabinets (domestic): 6-8 weeks; (European): 3-4 months (more if company takes August vacation)

Appliances (big-box retailers): 2-3 weeks (delivery); (high-end): 6-8 weeks; (imported): 10-12 weeks 

Lighting (widely available): 2-3 weeks if not stocked; (high-end): 3-4 weeks; (imported, European): 3-4 months; (custom/bespoke): 6 months 

Windows (assuming custom sizes): 6-8 weeks; (custom - high-end/specialty): 3-6 months 

Doors (custom): 3-4 weeks

Hardware (Baldwin/Emtek quality privacy/passage): 10-14 days

Furniture (catalog): 6-8 weeks; (custom): 10-12 weeks

*With the pandemic’s impact on supply chains, it’s anybody’s guess. 

How Much It May Cost: On A Per-Square-Foot Basis

San Francisco recently recaptured the dubious honor of being the most expensive place for construction in the world. The world! The blended average for homes and massive commercial buildings added up to more than $400/sqft, which may not seem like a lot (see below) but given how massive those giant buildings are...  One thing to consider is that large commercial projects will often be union sites, meaning that all the workers onsite are part of a given union, whereas most individual residential projects are done by non-union types. 

The dollars-per-square foot method is really just a rough yardstick (pun intended) to gauge the costs of remodeling, rehabilitation or renovating. The rules of thumb: 

(Good) Decent Remodel: $250-$500/sqft (risk: next to impossible keeping to this figure if project is major)

(Better) Good Remodel: $400-$600/sqft (resulting product could be builder-grade but functional)

(Best) Luxury Remodel: $600-$1,000+/sqft (this is when properties are truly transformed and you’ll be amazed; when asking, clarify is this is based on the ‘before’ square footage or the completed square footage)