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Home Addition in Kensington

Kensington Home Additions

Tailored design-build home expansions for Kensington’s unique historic and hillside properties.

Whether you are adding a modern wing to a historic Spanish-style home or building upward to maximize panoramic views, we design additions around the realities of your specific structure. By integrating architectural design and heavy construction management into a single service, we ensure a smooth, predictable expansion experience.

Expanding Beautiful Homes in Kensington

Expanding a home in Kensington requires specialized expertise. The area’s steep terrain presents complex engineering challenges when trying to pour new foundations. Furthermore, seamlessly blending a massive new structure into a historic home requires an artisan’s attention to detail. We start every project by peeling back the layers to understand exactly what your property requires to safely and beautifully support new square footage.

Geotechnical Hillside Engineering

Pushing a home’s footprint out over a slope requires deep caissons and robust retaining walls. We conduct soil testing and structural planning immediately to ensure the new addition is safe and up to code.

Engineering for Seismic Safety

Adding significant mass to an older home requires strict adherence to modern seismic codes. We solve these load-bearing and sheer-wall puzzles during the design phase, bringing the whole structure up to date.

Navigating Winding Roads

Kensington is known for its steep, twisting streets which make construction logistics incredibly complex. We meticulously schedule lumber deliveries, concrete pours, and crew parking to navigate these narrow thoroughfares safely.

Maintaining Your Routine

A major expansion temporarily turns your property into a job site. We work with you to establish secure dust barriers and provide a clear, phased timeline so you always know what to expect.

Home Addition Process

1. Initial Site Visit: 1 to 1 ½ hrs

Every home addition begins with a clear understanding of your existing home and how you want it to grow. We start with an on-site walkthrough to evaluate current conditions, understand your goals, and discuss how the new space should function, feel, and connect to the rest of the home. By listening closely to your vision, questions, and budget, we help shape an addition that feels intentional, well-integrated, and built for long-term comfort.

On-site walkthrough to evaluate the existing structure, site conditions, and how the addition can best integrate with your home
We provide a free ballpark construction cost range for the addition, for example $180k – $240k, based on size, complexity, and scope
To move forward, we execute a preconstruction agreement (PCA), covering architectural coordination, engineering, and permit planning
Home addition design can range from straightforward expansions to highly complex projects, depending on structural constraints, zoning, and client selections

2. Design & Material Selection: 1 -2 months

Once the vision is clear, the design process puts it all on paper. Every detail is considered, from the countertops, to cabinet layout, to lighting, we will figure out every last detail. A thorough design phase is key to staying on budget.

In-depth consultations for all project goals and design considerations.
Some common design goals include careful layout for cabinet use, best lighting options, countertop / flooring selection as well as overall colors, finish fixtures.
The contractor creates an all-inclusive list of all project selections for client review, which will be used to guide the project.

3. Permitting: 2 - 3 months

Once the design is complete, it’s time to submit the plans to the city for approval! This can take a few months, but during this time you can still keep the project moving! While most product selections will have already been considered, this is the time to actually start shopping for certain items, in most cases top on that list is tile to allow for precise layout of fixtures, niches, and other elements that may be involved.

4. Construction: 1 - 4 months

Finally, our team begins with a careful protection of your surrounding areas. Dust barriers with zipper doors, HEPA air filtration, and floor protection are some of the methods we implement to ensure your home and family are protected from the process. A dedicated project manager and construction team will carry out the work in close coordination with the homeowner, providing clear communication, organized scheduling, and day-to-day oversight to keep the project running smoothly and predictably.

5. Move In

Once final city inspections are approved, we complete a detailed walkthrough of the new addition to confirm all work, systems, and finishes are complete and performing as intended. We then review and deliver all close-out documentation, including manuals and warranties, and provide a long-term maintenance overview to help ensure the addition integrates well and performs for years to come.

Our Home Additions

A look at recent Home Additions work from Beyond Green Construction.

What Our Clients Say About Us

Ready to start planning your Kensington Home?

FAQ

You Ask We Answer

What types of home additions do you specialize in? +

We specialize in primary suite additions, kitchen and family room expansions, second-story additions, detached structures, and complex structural expansions that require a high level of coordination and craftsmanship.

Will you manage permits and inspections? +

Absolutely. We handle permitting, coordinate with local jurisdictions, and manage inspections to keep the project compliant and moving forward smoothly.

Do you handle Contra Costa County permits for home additions? +

Yes, we act as your sole representative with Contra Costa County, managing all complex hillside permit applications, structural revisions, and site inspections from start to finish.

How do you protect the rest of the home during construction? +

We implement site protection, dust control, and clear access planning to minimize disruption. Respect for the existing home is a core part of our construction standards.

How do you match the new addition to our older home's style? +

We specialize in historic and architectural blending. From sourcing specific terracotta roof tiles to matching unique exterior stucco textures, we ensure the new addition perfectly respects the original design.