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 Orange
Finding a general contractor in Orange who understands what your house is actually made of changes everything. We’re Elmwood Contractors, led by Nolan Shepherd, and we’ve spent years working inside Orange homes from Old Towne to the east-side tracts. When you call (866) 253-8554, you get a straight answer about what your remodel will uncover, what it will cost, and how long it will take. Not a sales pitch.
Orange is not a generic Orange County suburb. It’s a city where a 1922 Craftsman bungalow sits across the street from a 1974 ranch, three blocks from a 2021 infill build. That mix means every project we scope in Orange has to account for different wiring, different framing, different foundation types, and different permitting paths. We plan for that before the first wall comes open.
Why Elmwood Contractors Is Orange’s Preferred General Contractor Company
Orange homeowners call us because we treat the city’s housing stock as what it is: the largest historic district in California sitting next to standard mid-century tract development. Nolan Shepherd and our team have worked in the 92859, 92862, 92863, and 92864 zip codes long enough to know which streets in Old Towne trigger cultural resource review and which east-side subdivisions run on standard building permits. That local knowledge saves our Orange clients weeks of schedule and thousands in change orders.
We’re not a specialty subcontractor trying to upsell you. We’re a single-source General Contractor team that coordinates every trade from demolition to final paint, so you’re not chasing three separate bids and hoping they line up. Our Orange customers consistently tell us the same thing: knowing which brands are going into the home before the contract is signed matters more than a flashy estimate. That’s exactly how we write contracts.
When you call us from Orange, you’re talking to someone who knows that a roof on a 1950s addition near the 55 freeway ages differently than one in Old Towne. We can usually be on-site in Orange within a few days for a free estimate, and for larger remodels we’ll walk the property with you and point out what we see before you spend a dollar.
Styles & brands we work with
General Contractor Services in Orange
General Contractor Services in Orange means something different than it does in Irvine or Santa Ana. Here, the job often starts with an inspection of systems a newer city never thinks about: knob-and-tube wiring, pier-and-beam foundations, undersized floor joists, and roof decking that predates modern plywood standards. A typical kitchen remodel in Orange runs $14,000 to $45,000, and a bathroom remodel runs $9,000 to $28,000, but the final number depends on what we find behind the walls and what the city requires once we pull the permit.
We name the brands going into your home before the contract is signed, so you know exactly what you’re paying for.
Remodeling and Renovation Scope
We handle kitchens, bathrooms, whole-home remodels, and room additions across Orange. For a kitchen, that means coordinating cabinets, countertops, plumbing fixtures, tile, and electrical under one project plan. When your home is in Orange, that plan also has to account for the city’s historic preservation overlay if you live in or near Old Towne. We manage that paperwork so you don’t have to.
Multi-Trade Coordination
Most Orange remodels touch at least four trades: framing, electrical, plumbing, and finish work. We coordinate all of them. You get one point of contact, one schedule, and one standard of accountability from demolition to final inspection. No calling five different subs when something runs late.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees — you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Construction Company in Orange
As a Construction Company working throughout Orange, we handle the full arc of a residential project, from interior remodels to exterior envelope work like roofing, siding, windows, and fencing, up to home additions and ADU construction. A home addition in Orange typically runs $45,000 to $130,000, while an ADU runs $90,000 to $220,000 depending on size, site access, and whether you’re in a historic review zone. Those numbers reflect what we actually see in Orange’s market, not a national average.
We recommend products because they perform in Orange’s semi-arid Mediterranean climate, not because they’re convenient for us. That means roofing systems from GAF, CertainTeed, or Owens Corning, impact-rated windows from PGT or CGI, and fiber-cement siding from James Hardie where the exposure demands it.
Additions and ADUs
Orange’s lot sizes and setback rules make every addition a custom job. We scope the foundation, the tie-in to the existing roofline, and the drainage path before we quote. On ADUs, we can bring prefab options from Abodu, Dvele, or Plant Prefab to the conversation, something most traditional remodelers in Orange can’t offer.
Exterior Envelope and Roofing
Orange gets 14-plus inches of rain a year, almost all of it between November and March. Low-slope roofs on mid-century additions and homes near the foothills drain poorly and fail winter after winter. We inspect the roof decking and waterproofing as part of every whole-home remodel here, not as an afterthought.
Trusted Brands We Service in Orange
Elmwood Contractors works with a vetted lineup of manufacturers across every trade, so Orange homeowners get real options at multiple price points. That includes cabinets from KraftMaid and Wellborn, countertops from Cambria, Silestone, and Caesarstone, plumbing fixtures from Kohler, Moen, and Toto, and windows and doors from Therma-Tru, ViewLux, and Mr-Glass. We also work with Barrette for fencing where the project calls for it. We don’t stock every part in Orange, but our vendor relationships mean faster turnaround on specialty orders than a big-box install crew can manage. You’ll know the exact brand and model going into your home before the contract is signed.
Common General Contractor Problems We See in Orange Homes
- Knob-and-tube wiring hiding in pre-1940 homes. Open a wall in Old Towne or around North Glassell and you often find cloth-insulated wiring that no insurer will cover. We flag it during the pre-bid walkthrough and write a realistic allowance into the contract.
- Pier-and-beam foundations that have shifted over 80 years. Many older Orange homes sit on posts and beams that settle unevenly. We bring in a structural engineer before we frame anything, so the floor you pay for is the floor you get.
- Historic preservation overlay surprises in Old Towne Orange. The city’s cultural resource review can require period-correct window profiles and facade materials on any visible alteration. We file early and often, because waiting costs you weeks and money.
- Flat and low-slope roofs on mid-century additions leak every winter. Orange’s winter rains concentrate in a short window, so a roof that looks fine in August fails in February. We inspect roof decking and drainage as part of every remodel scope.
See the difference
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After
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AfterPricing for General Contractor in Orange, CA
Here are the numbers we actually quote in Orange, based on what the city’s housing stock and permit process demand. A kitchen remodel runs $14,000 to $45,000. A bathroom remodel runs $9,000 to $28,000. A home addition runs $45,000 to $130,000. An ADU runs $90,000 to $220,000.
| Project Type | Typical Orange 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 |
What moves the number in Orange specifically? The age of your home and the condition of its wiring, framing, and waterproofing. A 1970s east-side ranch with updated electrical will price on the lower end. A 1925 Spanish Colonial in Old Towne with knob-and-tube and foundation settling will not. We write allowances into every contract and price every change order in writing before we touch anything. Call (866) 253-8554 and we’ll walk your property and give you a free, line-item estimate.
We Also Serve Cities Near Orange
Elmwood Contractors works across central Orange County. Besides General Contractor in Orange itself, we regularly take projects in Villa Park, North Tustin, Tustin, and Anaheim. If you’re a few minutes down the 55 or the 22, call (866) 253-8554 and we’ll schedule a free estimate at your property the same way we do for our Orange clients.
Serving Orange, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Orange 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 Orange
The historic preservation overlay in Old Towne Orange can require the city’s cultural resource review to demand period-correct window profiles and facade materials on any visible alteration. That adds weeks to your schedule compared to a standard tract-home permit on the east side. We handle the historic review paperwork early, and we order windows and facade materials only after the city approves the profile. Call (866) 253-8554 if you’re in Old Towne and want to know whether your project will trigger review before you commit to a design.
Expect to find knob-and-tube wiring, undersized framing, and possibly foundation settling in pre-1940 Orange homes. We took on a kitchen and bath remodel in a 1920s Spanish Colonial on North Glassell Street, and once we opened the walls, we found knob-and-tube wiring and undersized framing that needed a structural engineer’s sign-off. Our crew wrote a change order with a revised draw schedule to cover the upgrades, priced out new Kohler fixtures and Wellborn cabinets, and got the city’s historic reviewer to approve the window profile before we ordered. That’s how we handle every Orange home of that age, with allowances written in so you’re never blindsided.
Yes. We pull all permits, schedule inspections, and stay on the job until the city signs off. On Orange projects in the historic district, we coordinate with the cultural resource review from the start so material changes don’t stall your timeline. The cost estimate you get from us includes permit fees and the time we spend managing the city’s process. Call (866) 253-8554 for an exact quote on your project.
We start with a pre-bid inspection of systems that Orange’s older housing stock is known for: knob-and-tube wiring, pier-and-beam foundations, and flat-roof drainage. Then we write allowances into the contract for exactly those unknowns. If we open a wall and find something the inspection couldn’t see, we price a change order and get your written approval before we do one hour of extra work. The number in the contract is the number you hold us to.
A kitchen remodel in Orange typically runs $14,000 to $45,000, and a bathroom remodel runs $9,000 to $28,000. Small kitchens can start around $9,000, and a small bathroom around $5,000, but pre-1940 homes in Old Towne and along the historic corridors usually run higher once wiring and framing upgrades hit. Call (866) 253-8554 and we’ll walk your specific home and give you a line-item range based on what we actually see.
Call Elmwood Contractors for Your Orange Project
If you’re planning a remodel, addition, or ADU in Orange, call us at (866) 253-8554 and ask for a free estimate. We’ll walk the property, talk through what your home’s age and location mean for the budget, and give you a written scope with real numbers. From kitchen countertops to roofing systems to prefab additions, coordinated under one project plan. One contractor, every trade, interior to exterior.
Written by Nolan Shepherd, Owner at Elmwood Contractors, serving Orange and central Orange County.