Our process
Our process runs in clearly defined stages, each designed around your confidence and satisfaction. We want you to LOVE your remodel.
The problem we TACKLED
Nearly every remodel horror story starts the same way: construction began before anyone knew exactly what was being built, or what it would really cost.
Decisions got made in a hurry, on site, with a crew standing around waiting. That’s where budgets break and relationships go sideways.
So we tackle the hard part first. By the time a single trade shows up at your house, the drawings are done, every finish is chosen, the permits are in-hand and your price is fixed. There is very little left to chance – and we prepare for that too.
Each project is broken into three separate agreements (Discovery, Design, Construction). We don’t lock you in to a monstrous contract; the freedom is yours to move forward.
Discovery and Design turn your ideas into a real, actionable plan for your home – one you’re actually excited to build.
Your construction agreement is a single number, built from finished drawings and from finishes you have already chosen and approved.
Every material is selected, specified and approved by you before the contract is signed. There is almost nothing left to decide once work begins.
How it runs
Only three stages involve a payment. The rest run inside your construction agreement.
We walk your home, listen to what you are trying to accomplish, and talk openly about money. You will hear a realistic range before we leave. If we are not the right company for your project, we will tell you that and point you toward someone who is.
We scan your home in 3D and turn it into a measured drawing set. Then we find out what is actually possible — before anyone designs anything.
One agreement covering everything from layout to a fixed price, with four approval points along the way so you always know where you stand.
The stretch between signing and the first day on site, where most companies go quiet. We name it so you can watch it move.
Because the decisions are already made, construction is a matter of building what was agreed.
Five years on our workmanship — five times the California minimum — with cosmetic and adjustment items covered through the first year.
Stage 01 pricing
A fixed fee set by project type, so you know the number before you agree to anything. It covers the 3D scan, the measured drawings, the feasibility work, and the meeting where we walk you through all of it.
Single room, non-structural. Bathroom, powder room, laundry, single-room renovation.
Kitchen or multi-room. No walls moved and no added square footage.
Structural remodel. Walls removed or layout reconfigured. Includes a pre-engineering review.
Whole home or addition. Adds a zoning and setback study, HOA review, exterior scan.
How we price
We price for the way we work: everything decided before we start, one fixed number and a five-year warranty behind it. A cheap bid normally gets there by leaving scope out, setting allowances at numbers nobody can buy from, or skipping the preparation a clean job requires. Those cut corners don’t disappear – they show up later, once you’re already locked into a contract.
A fixed number, quoted at the end of Discovery — because by then we know what we are designing. It covers everything from layout through your fixed-price construction agreement. Sign that agreement within 15 days of your proposal and the fee is credited against your project.
If your project needs a structural engineer, Title 24 energy compliance, or a survey, those are quoted as a separate line — and only when your scope actually requires them. A bathroom that moves no walls carries none of it. Most firms bury these costs inside a higher design fee whether you need them or not.
Permits, plan check and HOA submittal fees are reimbursed at cost. Every city charges differently and nobody should be marking those up.
Your construction agreement is a single number, built after the drawings are finished and after every material has been selected and priced. Selections happen during design, before you sign — so by the time you see the price, the tile, cabinetry, countertops, fixtures and flooring are all chosen.
Nobody can see inside your walls without opening them, and we are not willing to damage your home during design to go looking. Older houses hide things. So your price includes a contingency allowance from day one, drawn against only when we actually find something, with the cost and photographs shown to you. Whatever is left is credited back on your final payment.
Every change gets a written order showing cost and schedule impact, approved by you before we do the work. Nothing reaches your invoice that you have not already seen.
WE STAND BEHIND OUR QUALITY
Five times the California minimum. Cosmetic and adjustment items – hairline drywall cracks, nail pops, door and drawer adjustment, caulk and grout maintenance – are covered through the first year.
One place for everything
Every Integria project runs inside a secure client portal you can open from your phone or laptop at any hour. It is the single record for your job, so the answer to “where are we?” is never a phone call away from someone who can look it up.
You will also get a written summary every week: progress since last week, budget position, decisions we need from you, and what is coming next. You will never have to ask us for a status update.
Milestones, trade dates, and what happens next week, updated as the job moves.
Every finish logged with a real price and a decision date, approved by you in writing.
Line-item budget, invoices, and any change order with its cost and schedule impact.
Site photos and a written log of the day’s work, whether or not you were home for it.
Common questions
A free estimate on an undefined project is a guess, and guesses are what blow up later. Discovery produces a measured drawing set of your home and a budget built on real conditions — structure, systems, setbacks, permit path. It is a fraction of a percent of your project, it credits back when you build, and it is yours either way.
No. That is the point of running it in stages. You decide on Discovery, then on Design, then on construction — each time with more information than you had before. And we are deciding too: Discovery tells us both whether your project is buildable at a number that makes sense, and Design tells us both whether we are the right team to build it.
You keep the plans. The itemized pricing, priced selections and trade breakdowns are our commercial work product and stay with us, but the drawings you paid for go with you.
Discovery is usually two to three weeks. Design runs four to eight weeks depending on scope. Permitting and HOA approval are calendar time we do not control, and in Orange County that can run six to sixteen weeks — which is exactly why we start it early and show you where it sits. Construction depends entirely on scope, and you will have a projected schedule before work begins.
It depends. For most of the work we do, no. California allows a designer to prepare and submit plans for wood-frame single-family homes up to two stories, which covers the large majority of Orange County remodels, additions and structural reconfigurations. We bring in a licensed structural engineer for anything structural, and Title 24 energy compliance where it is required — quoted separately, and only when your scope actually needs them.
It depends on the scope. For a partial remodel — a bathroom, a kitchen, a single area — most of our clients stay, and we plan for site protection, dust control and keeping your living areas clean and usable throughout. On a whole-home remodel or a significant addition, most clients choose to move out for part or all of the work. We will tell you honestly which situation yours is before you sign anything.
Your price already includes a contingency allowance for exactly that. Remodels uncover things — failed wiring, hidden water damage, framing that was never right — and nobody can find all of it during design without damaging your home. The allowance sits in your contract from the start, we draw against it only when we actually find something, and we show you the cost and the photographs. Anything left over is credited back to you on your final payment.
Yes. Integria is a licensed general contractor in the State of California. We carry general liability insurance, workers’ compensation coverage, and all bonds required for the work we perform.
Start with a conversation. We will walk your home, talk openly about budget, and tell you honestly whether we are a fit. No charge, and no obligation to go further.
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