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 Home Remodeling Across North Tustin
Home remodeling in North Tustin typically runs $14,000 – $45,000 for a kitchen or $9,000 – $28,000 for a bathroom, while a whole-house remodel on one of the area’s 1950s – 70s custom ranches commonly lands between $45,000 and $130,000. Those numbers move based on what we find once walls are open, and in North Tustin, what we find is rarely predictable. Elmwood Contractors has worked these hillside homes long enough to know that the permitting path runs through Orange County, that mature oaks dictate where you can build, and that a written allowance for outdated wiring is the difference between a smooth remodel and a stalled one. If you’re planning work on a home in the 92711 zip code, call us at (866) 253-8554 to schedule a free estimate.
Why Elmwood Contractors Is North Tustin’s Preferred Home Remodeling Company
North Tustin homeowners hire us because we treat a remodel on a 1963 custom ranch off Cowan Heights Drive differently than we would a tract home in a planned community. The homes here were built one at a time, by different builders, over three decades. That means no two floor plans match, no two electrical systems are the same, and no two lots have the same relationship with the oaks. We’ve worked enough jobs in this unincorporated enclave to anticipate what the county will flag before we submit for permit, and that saves our clients weeks of plan-check back-and-forth.
Our reputation in North Tustin is built on written scopes and written change orders. We name the exact brands going into your home before the contract is signed, whether that’s KraftMaid cabinetry, James Hardie siding, or a Tuff Shed structure for the back lot. Nolan Shepherd, who leads Elmwood Contractors, insists on this because it removes the single biggest source of remodel conflict: ambiguity about what “included” means. One contractor, every trade, interior to exterior, with the paperwork to prove it.
Styles & brands we work with
Whole House Remodel in North Tustin
A Whole House Remodel on a North Tustin property usually means taking a 1960s or 1970s custom ranch down to the studs in phases, upgrading the electrical service, reconfiguring the floor plan, and bringing every system up to current Orange County code. We see these projects on lots along Skyline Drive, Newport Avenue, and the foothill streets off Cowan Heights, where the original homes still have their single-pane windows, low-pitch roofs, and 60-amp panels. The work typically runs $45,000 – $130,000 depending on square footage, structural condition, and whether you’re adding square feet or working within the existing envelope.
Electrical and Structural Upgrades
Opening walls in these homes almost always reveals something the county will require us to correct. Aluminum branch wiring, undersized subpanels, and framing that no longer meets shear requirements are not optional fixes once the inspector is involved. We write an allowance into every contract so the cost of these discoveries is discussed before demo, not argued about after.
Layout Reconfiguration
Mid-century ranches were built with small, compartmentalized kitchens and bathrooms positioned away from the living areas. A whole-house remodel is the moment to fix that, and we coordinate everything from load-bearing wall removal to relocated plumbing drains under one project plan. The result is a home that works the way your family actually lives in it, not the way a 1968 builder assumed you would.
Luxury Home Remodeling in North Tustin
Luxury Home Remodeling in North Tustin means working at a level where material selection, finish detailing, and the coordination between trades all have to be flawless, and it usually starts at $90,000 and runs to $220,000. These are the projects where a Cambria or Silestone countertop is specified, where the kitchen island gets custom casework rather than stock boxes, and where the primary suite becomes a retreat instead of just a bedroom and bathroom. The big lots off Newport Avenue and along the ridgelines give us room to work, and the homes themselves reward careful, high-end execution.
Kitchens and Primary Suites
We build these spaces around the brands we’ve tested in the field: KraftMaid and Wellborn for cabinetry, Kohler and Toto for plumbing fixtures, and Caesarstone for surfaces that will take daily abuse for twenty years. The selections get locked into a written finish schedule before construction begins, so you know exactly what’s coming and what it costs. No design-by-surprise.
Indoor-Outdoor Flow
North Tustin’s climate means a luxury remodel should consider how the house connects to the yard. Inland Orange County heat in summer and Santa Ana winds in fall argue for shaded outdoor living areas, durable hardscape from Belgard or Unilock, and window packages that manage solar gain. We recommend products because they perform in this specific climate, not because they’re convenient for us to source.
Trusted Brands We Service in North Tustin
We carry working relationships with 50+ named brands across every trade, and that matters when you’re remodeling in North Tustin because it means we’re not limited to whatever a single supplier keeps in stock. KraftMaid cabinet lines, James Hardie siding, Plant Prefab systems for ADU work, and Tuff Shed structures are all available to our clients here. We recommend products because they perform, chosen from a vetted lineup, not a single supplier’s catalog. When a homeowner asks why we specified one brand over another, we can explain it in terms of durability, warranty coverage, and how it holds up under Southern California sun.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon Home Remodeling Problems We See in North Tustin Homes
- Outdated electrical systems. Many 1950s – 70s ranches in North Tustin still run on 60-amp panels with original cloth-jacketed or aluminum branch wiring. Opening a wall for a kitchen remodel almost always triggers a panel upgrade and rough-in rewrite, which the county will require before any drywall closes.
- Oak-protection permit delays. Mature coast live oaks on these large lots are often protected by Orange County ordinance. If your addition or pool excavation falls within the root zone of a protected tree, you’ll need an arborist report and setback review before the county issues a permit. Contractors who don’t know this lose weeks.
- Failed waterproofing and subfloor damage. Original shower pans and window flashings on 60-year-old homes are frequently at the end of their service life. We’ve opened bathroom floors to find termite-damaged subfloor and failed shower pan waterproofing that was never addressed, which changes the scope and the cost.
- Hillside drainage and wind exposure. The foothill edges of North Tustin get hit hard by Santa Ana winds, and the rare heavy winter rain can overwhelm drainage that was designed for smaller storms. Any remodel on a sloped lot should include a drainage plan, and any exterior work should account for wind-driven rain against the envelope.
Pricing for Home Remodeling in North Tustin, CA
Here’s what you can expect to pay for common remodel scopes in North Tustin. These ranges reflect what we’ve bid and built in the 92711 area:
| Project | North Tustin Price Range |
|---|---|
| Whole House Remodel | $45,000 – $130,000 |
| Luxury Home Remodeling | $90,000 – $220,000 |
| Kitchen Remodel | $14,000 – $45,000 |
| Bathroom Remodel | $9,000 – $28,000 |
What moves the number most on a North Tustin remodel is what’s behind the drywall. A 1968 ranch with original wiring and no prior structural work will cost more than a home that was partially updated in the 1990s. We build allowances into every contract for electrical, framing, and waterproofing discoveries, and we price every change order in writing before we touch it. Call (866) 253-8554 for a free estimate on your project.
We Also Serve Cities Near North Tustin
While this page focuses on Home Remodeling in North Tustin, our crews also work in Tustin, Orange, Villa Park, and Santa Ana. The same written-scope process, the same brand lineup, and the same accountability apply on every job. If you’re just over the border from North Tustin and wondering whether we cover your street, call us and ask.
Serving North Tustin, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the North Tustin 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 Home Remodeling in North Tustin
North Tustin is unincorporated, so there is no city building department here. Every permit, plan check, and inspection for your remodel runs through Orange County, which means the process has extra layers for hillside setbacks, oak root zones, and building-envelope requirements that a city like Tustin or Orange wouldn’t apply. We handle that paperwork and scheduling as part of our general contracting scope. Call (866) 253-8554 if you want to talk through how it affects your specific property.
We price the required correction in writing before we do the work. That’s what the allowances in our contract are for. On a full gut remodel of a 1968 ranch off Cowan Heights Drive, our crew opened the kitchen wall to find the original 60-amp panel feed and knob-and-tube wiring spliced into a 1980s addition, forcing an unplanned rough-in upgrade. We had already written an electrical allowance into the scope, so the change order was priced and signed before we touched the panel, and the county inspector signed off on the new 200-amp service before drywall closed. That’s the system, applied every time.
If your proposed addition or excavation falls inside the root zone of a mature coast live oak, Orange County requires an arborist report and a setback review before a permit is issued. No arborist report, no permit, no work. We identify protected trees during the estimating phase and submit the arborist documentation with the initial plan set so the county doesn’t stop the project mid-review. Call us at (866) 253-8554 to have us walk your lot before you commit to a design.
It means the contract lists every trade, every material allowance, and every brand we’re specifying before construction starts. When something changes, you get a written change order with a price and a signature line. No verbal approvals, no “we’ll sort it out later.” Nolan Shepherd runs Elmwood Contractors on this principle because it’s the only way to keep a $90,000 remodel from becoming a $130,000 argument.
Yes. We run full gut remodels on original 1950s – 70s ranches and we build luxury kitchens, primary suites, and indoor-outdoor living spaces at the $90,000 – $220,000 level. The same team, the same brand catalog, the same written-scope discipline on both ends of the spectrum. If you’re not sure which path your home needs, call (866) 253-8554 and we’ll give you an honest read during the estimate.
Written by Nolan Shepherd, Owner at Elmwood Contractors, serving North Tustin since the company’s first Orange County project.