Find invaluable resources and inspiration for your home and your life with detail-oriented stories, design how-tos, and recipes from resident experts from Lars Remodeling and Design. This is your one place for all information and imagination you require.
Plan a San Diego ADU up to 1,200 square feet with current cost, permit, setback, financing, rental, and project-timeline guidance for local homeowners.
Most homeowners should keep total renovation spending under 30% of their home’s current market value. On a $900,000 San Diego home, that’s a $270,000 ceiling across every project combined. Individual rooms carry tighter guidelines than that, and the bigger risk usually isn’t spending too much overall. It’s spending too much relative to the houses around you. […]
A kitchen remodel in San Diego costs between $25,000 and $150,000+ for most projects, with luxury and addition-scale work reaching $300,000 or more. What separates a $30,000 kitchen from a $130,000 one isn’t finish quality. It’s scope. This 2026 guide breaks down what each level actually costs, and what most quotes leave out. Key Takeaways Typical San Diego […]
On a kitchen remodel, cabinets take 30% to 40% of the budget and labor takes another 25% to 35%. Together that’s more than half the money before you’ve picked a single tile. Which is why the decisions that actually control a budget kitchen remodel aren’t the backsplash or the faucet finish. They’re layout, cabinets, and what you leave […]
The primary bedroom is the one room in your home that belongs entirely to you. It’s where the day starts and ends, where you retreat when the rest of the house is at full volume, and where the quality of design either restores you or doesn’t. Most San Diego homes were built with primary bedrooms […]
The best kitchen remodel ideas on a budget improve what you notice and use every day without paying to rebuild what already works. Keep a functional footprint. Refresh sound cabinets. Repair good surfaces. Add useful storage and layered lighting. Then spend on replacement only where condition, safety, or daily function makes it necessary. That approach […]
Hiring a remodeling contractor is one of the largest financial decisions most San Diego homeowners make. A kitchen remodel, home addition, or whole-home renovation involves significant money, months of living disruption, and a contractor working inside your most valuable asset. The protections you put in place before work starts determine how much control you keep […]
You need more space, but a full room addition feels like a bigger project than you’re ready to take on. That’s where a bump-out comes in. A bump-out addition is one of the most practical, cost-effective ways to expand a San Diego home without the complexity of a full-scale addition — and for the right […]
If your San Diego home has run out of room, you have options — but the costs range widely depending on what you build, how you build it, and who builds it. A modest bump-out that expands your kitchen might cost $50,000. A full second-story addition could approach $500,000. Understanding what drives home addition costs […]
A kitchen remodel can add value before a sale, but the kitchen remodel return on investment is usually strongest when the scope stays small. In the 2025 Cost vs. Value Report, a minor midrange kitchen remodel recouped 112.9% nationally. An upscale major remodel recouped 35.7% (Journal of Light Construction, 2025 Cost vs. Value Report). That doesn’t […]