Sunnyvale, CA
Room additions in Sunnyvale
Room additions, second-story studies, and kitchen rebuilds for Sunnyvale's single-story tracts. K.S. Builders is based in Redwood City, CA License #685152.
Sunnyvale's postwar neighborhoods were built as one-story houses for a smaller household. The people in them now want a bedroom that is not the size of a closet, a kitchen that faces the yard, or a second floor so the grandparents can stay. That is addition work, and it is why this page leads with it.
We also remodel kitchens and baths when the footprint can stay. Heritage District houses near Murphy Avenue need a lighter touch than a 1968 ranch in Lakewood. Both are in our scope. The difference is what the existing walls are made of and what the city will allow on the lot.
New custom homes are available when you are replacing a house rather than stretching it. Design, foundations, framing, and drainage are listed under new home construction.
The houses
Tract by tract, the houses are not the same
Lakewood, Washington Park, and Ponderosa are classic Sunnyvale family tracts. Low roofs, attached garages, and kitchens that were never meant to hold an island. Rear additions are the usual way to get a great room without a full second story.
Cherry Chase and Fairbrae include Eichlers and other low mid-century houses. Adding on top of those roofs is rarely the right move. A careful rear addition or an interior remodel keeps the line of the house.
The Heritage District and the older streets near downtown have houses with more character and tighter lots. Serra, Ortega, and Birdland are another band of ranches where a primary suite addition is a frequent request. We measure lot coverage before we promise a room count.
What we run into
Foundations that were poured for one story
A second story needs a foundation and shear walls the original ranch may not have. If the slab and the footings cannot carry it, the honest options are a rear addition at one story, or a bigger structural project with a price to match. We would rather say that on the driveway than after you have told the family the bedrooms are coming.
Many Sunnyvale kitchens still vent to a small window and a tired hood. Opening the back wall for light is as much about the header and the exterior finish as it is about the island.
Electrical and plumbing from the original build are often the hidden half of the budget. We include panel and supply-line upgrades when the fixtures you want require them.
Planning numbers
Addition costs and timing in Sunnyvale
A single-story room addition on a typical Sunnyvale lot often prices around $500 to $800 per square foot, including foundation, frame, roof tie-in, and a finished interior. A second story costs more per foot when the first-floor structure has to be strengthened. Kitchens that stay in the existing shell commonly fall between $90,000 and $220,000 if cabinets, stone, and layout all change.
Sunnyvale plan check on an addition is often several weeks to a few months, longer if planning review is required for height or for the second story. On-site construction for a rear addition is often four to eight months after the permit. A kitchen is shorter if the walls stay put.
Can you add a second story in Sunnyvale?
Sometimes. It depends on the foundation, the planning rules for that tract, and the neighbor impacts. We look at the structure first and tell you if a one-story addition is the better build.
How much does a room addition cost?
Use $500 to $800 per square foot as a Peninsula planning range for a finished addition. Your lot, access, and finishes move the number. The proposal follows the site visit.
Will you remodel the kitchen at the same time?
Yes. Doing the kitchen with the addition usually saves a second permit cycle and a second time opening the back of the house.
How far are you from Sunnyvale?
The shop is in Redwood City. The drive is about 25 minutes when 101 is moving. We schedule site visits on weekdays, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
These ranges are for planning. A proposal comes after we see the house. Start with the service list or a visit.
Proof nearby
An addition that looks like it was always there
James and Patricia Lee hired us for a room addition in San Carlos that finished on time and on budget. The photo here is a San Carlos addition with a new upper level, brick base, and shutters matched to the original house. Sunnyvale additions get the same goal: the new room should not look stapled on.
Read their note and see more exteriors in the gallery.
Map
Sunnyvale sits south of Mountain View. We cover the drive from Redwood City for both the visit and the build.
Other city pages: Redwood City · Palo Alto · Mountain View · San Mateo · Menlo Park · Atherton · San Carlos.
Free on-site visit
If the Sunnyvale house is one room short, start there.
Free site visit. We will tell you whether the lot wants a rear addition or a second story.