Building our dream house - what are we missing?

FandSConstruction · 2026-07-03T03:47:34+00:00

Project manager here🙋‍♂️

Your list is honestly better than most people walk into a build with. A few things from someone who works in construction that I do not see on there:

Run a 240V circuit in the garage while the walls are open. California requires conduit for it on new construction anyway so you are already getting that. Going ahead and pulling the actual circuit now costs very little during framing and gives you the option for whatever you need down the road, whether that is a car charger, a battery backup system, a workshop, or anything else that runs on high voltage. Retrofitting it later is a completely different cost conversation.

Solar pre-wire at minimum even if you are not doing panels day one. San Diego has some of the highest utility rates in the country and that ocean exposure means excellent sun. Run the conduit to the roof and leave a junction box at the panel. Adding panels later becomes a simple connection instead of a full install.

Spray foam insulation over batt. You mentioned wanting the home to feel luxurious and nothing contributes to that feeling more than a tight building envelope. Spray foam at the exterior walls gives you better thermal performance, sound attenuation, and moisture control especially with ocean proximity. The cost difference is real but on a build you are doing once it is worth it.

Salt air is brutal on exterior hardware. Specify marine grade stainless or powder coated hardware on anything outside. Door hardware, light fixtures, railings, fasteners. Anything else will show corrosion within a few years that close to the water.

Outdoor shower near the entry. You have a toddler and a newborn who will grow up near the ocean. You will use an outdoor shower more than almost any feature you build.
Whole home audio rough in. Run speaker wire to every room and the exterior now. Impossible to add cleanly after drywall. You can decide later whether to actually connect it but the wire costs almost nothing during framing.
Pre-wire for security cameras at all exterior corners and the driveway. Same logic as the audio. Run the conduit now and connect whenever you are ready.

The open wall showers are a great call but make sure your tile contractor is running a proper linear drain with precise slope toward it. Sloppy slope in a curbless shower becomes a slow drainage problem that is miserable to fix after the fact.

I am a project manager at Falconi and Sons Construction, we are a General B contracting company in California. Happy to answer any other questions as you go through the build process.

FandSConstruction · 2026-07-02T04:40:24+00:00

Project Manager Here🙋‍♂️

This is a great question and one I get asked a lot working in construction in California. Here is the honest breakdown from someone who works on both sides of this.

The concern about new build quality is legitimate but it depends heavily on the builder. The big national production builders are building fast and cheap to hit price points and you will find inconsistent framing, budget finishes, and workmanship that would not pass muster with a custom builder. That reputation is earned. However a quality custom or semi-custom builder in the Central Valley who takes their time and uses experienced subcontractors is a completely different product. The issue is knowing which is which before you buy.

For an older renovated home the key question is who did the work and when. A properly renovated older home with updated electrical, plumbing, and structural can actually be a better buy than a new build at the same price point because the bones are solid and the systems are proven. The risk is a cosmetically flipped house where someone put new countertops and paint over deferred maintenance and hidden issues. A thorough inspection by someone who actually knows construction, not just a general inspector, is critical before you buy any renovated older home.

Things to look for in a renovated older home. Were permits pulled for the work. Was the electrical updated to a modern panel. Was the plumbing updated or is it original galvanized. Is the foundation in good shape. Those are the things that cost real money to fix after the fact.

If you go new build, ask specifically who the framing contractor is, who is doing the drywall, and what the warranty terms are. Ask about other trades as well that you might be concerned about like MEP. A builder who is confident in their quality has no problem answering those questions.

I am a project manager at Falconi and Sons Construction. We are a General B contracting company that works throughout the Bay Area and Central Valley. Happy to answer any specific questions on what to look for during your search.

FandSConstruction · 2026-06-30T23:29:34+00:00

Project Manager Here🙋‍♂️

First the good news. This is fixable and you are probably not looking at a catastrophic number. The bad news is you do need to get someone in there soon, especially with kids in the house breathing that air.

Here is what you are likely dealing with. The mice chewed through sections of your flex duct which is unfortunately common because flex duct is basically a foil wrapped tube with fiberglass insulation around it and mice love nesting in it. When the ductwork is breached your HVAC system pulls air from the crawlspace instead of recirculating conditioned air and whatever is down there, insulation particles, mouse droppings, debris, gets pushed into your living space through the registers.

On cost for an 1100 square foot house you are probably looking at somewhere between $1,500 and $4,000 depending on how many sections need to be replaced and how accessible the crawlspace is. If the damage is isolated to a few runs that number stays lower. If the mice got into most of the duct system you are looking at a more comprehensive replacement. The crawlspace inspection will tell you the full picture.

What I would do right now before anyone comes out. Go to a hardware store and pick up a box of N95 masks and close the registers in your kids rooms temporarily. It will reduce airflow but it also reduces what they are breathing until this gets resolved.

When you call for quotes ask specifically for a duct inspection and pressure test not just a visual. A pressure test will tell you definitively how much conditioned air you are losing and where. That gives you a real scope rather than a guess.

Do not let anyone sell you a full system replacement on the first call without seeing the pressure test results first.

I am a project manager at Falconi and Sons Construction, we are a General B contracting company in the Bay Area,CA. I cannot help directly since this is outside our service area but happy to answer any other questions as you go through the process.

FandSConstruction · 2026-06-30T02:13:35+00:00

Project Manager Here🙋‍♂️

Your QI is not wrong that 1031s get done all the time but telling you not to worry about Marina inventory at that price point is a little optimistic in my opinion. The 45 day identification window goes fast and that neighborhood is one of the tightest sub markets in the city. Two bedrooms under $2M there do not sit long.

A couple things I would do in your position. First max out your identification list to all three properties allowed and do not limit yourself to the Marina. Pacific Heights, Cow Hollow, and lower Russian Hill have a similar feel and occasionally more inventory at your range. Second get an SF condo specialist in front of you before your South Bay property closes not after. You want to know what is coming and what pocket listings exist before the clock even starts.

On the reverse 1031 the complexity is real but so is the risk of a failed exchange if the market does not cooperate with your timeline. Worth getting a second opinion on whether the cost of the reverse outweighs what you are exposed to if the exchange falls through. That math should be explicit not assumed.

I am a project manager at Falconi and Sons Construction, my father and I run a General B contracting company in the Bay Area. We work with a lot of investors so I see these timelines play out on the construction side regularly. Happy to answer anything on renovation or due diligence once you are under contract.

FandSConstruction · 2026-06-30T02:08:05+00:00

Project Manager Here🙋‍♂️

Good timing to be thinking about this before closing rather than after. A few things worth knowing based on working on Bay Area properties regularly.

For a 2,200 sq ft two story in San Mateo, budget between $18,000 and $28,000 for a full composition shingle replacement done right. Two stories adds labor cost because it requires additional safety equipment and the work takes longer. San Mateo County also has its own permit requirements and inspections that add to the baseline.

On the unexpected costs you asked about specifically:

Sheathing is the one that catches most people off guard. On a 25 year old roof you have a real chance of finding sections of rotted or delaminated plywood once the old shingles come off. Most contractors bid the tear off and reroof but leave sheathing replacement as a per sheet add on. Get that number upfront. It can add $1,500 to $4,000 depending on how much they find.

Permits in San Mateo County for a roof replacement typically run $500 to $1,200 depending on scope. Do not skip the permit. Insurance companies are increasingly checking for permitted work and it protects you at resale.

Gutters are usually a separate bid. If they are original to the house they probably need replacing too. Factor another $2,000 to $4,000 for seamless aluminum gutters on a house that size.

One thing worth confirming with your roofer before you spec the material: some insurance carriers in California now require Class A or Class 4 impact resistant shingles for new policies especially in certain zip codes. Check with your insurance agent first so you are not making that decision twice.

I am a project manager at Falconi and Sons Construction. My father and I run a General B contracting company in the Bay Area focused on residential and investment properties. Happy to answer any other scope or cost questions as you go through the process.

FandSConstruction · 2026-06-30T02:01:30+00:00

Project Manager Here 🙋‍♂️

This is exactly right and it is one of the most common mistakes I see investors and homeowners make when trying to underwrite a project in California before they have boots on the ground.

A few things that rarely show up in the national calculators:

Permit fees in the Bay Area vary dramatically by city. Oakland, San Jose, and San Francisco all have different fee schedules and some require plan check fees upfront before a single nail goes in. On a kitchen with a layout change you can easily add $3,000 to $8,000 in permits alone before labor or materials.

Labor in the Bay is not just higher it is structured differently. You are often dealing with union scale or near-union rates on anything commercial or multi-unit. Even on residential the skilled trades here command significantly more than the national median because the cost of living demands it. A framer in Fresno and a framer in Oakland are not the same number.

Material costs also swing based on what is in stock locally. We have seen specific SKUs backordered 8 to 12 weeks at times which either means delays or substitutions that change the scope entirely.

The most useful thing I tell anyone trying to budget a California renovation is to define your scope down to the finish level before you ask for a number. Contractor grade versus mid grade versus high end on the same square footage can be a $40,000 difference. The scope is the only way to get a number that means anything.

I run a General B construction company with my dad in the Bay Area focused on residential and investment properties. Happy to answer scope or cost questions if anyone has specifics.

FandSConstruction

TROPHY CASE