The cost of a kitchen or bathroom remodel in San Jose comes down to four things: how much of the room changes, whether walls, plumbing, gas, or electrical lines move, what turns up behind the walls, and the finishes you choose. That is why Landford Construction doesn’t publish a price list. Two rooms of the same size can be very different jobs.
To get a real number for your room, define the scope. For suitable projects, Adam gives a free preliminary price range from your photos, so you know early whether the project fits your budget.
Why can two remodels of the same room cost so differently?
Because the finished photos don’t show the scope. Landford’s San Jose tub-to-shower conversion and Campbell shower expansion both ended with a linear drain, a recessed niche, and large-format tile. One replaced a bathtub with a curbless entry. The other enlarged an existing shower and kept a curb. Our comparison of the two shows what changed in each.
How much of the room changes?
San José’s permit categories are a useful way to see the steps. Each one adds trades, paperwork, and inspections. Our permit guide has the details.
- Surface work only: paint, flooring, countertops, and cabinet refacing or replacement, with no building permit
- Same layout, new systems: fixtures replaced in the same places with new plumbing, electrical, or mechanical work, which is a minor remodel with an online permit
- New layout: fixtures moved or added, or walls, windows, or framing changed, which is a major remodel with plans and plan review
What moves the price of a bathroom?
These items changed the scope on Landford’s own bathroom projects:
- Tub or shower: replacing a tub with a shower is a different job from enlarging a shower
- The entry: a curbless entry took special tile cuts and a floor sloped to the drain from every side in our San Jose project
- Fixture locations: our San Jose layout redesign repositioned the vanity and toilet and updated the plumbing
- Shower fixtures: the Saratoga shower has a rainfall showerhead, a handheld sprayer, and body sprays, and the separate handheld took reworked plumbing
- Stone: the Half Moon Bay bathroom uses vanilla onyx and Viola marble, with fluted panels and an arched mosaic niche
- Built-ins: benches, niches, and a freestanding tub
What moves the price of a kitchen?
These items changed the scope on Landford’s own kitchen projects:
- Moved lines: in the Los Gatos kitchen, we moved plumbing and electrical work and ran new lines for the cabinet lighting
- The island: a cooktop in the island, as in the San Jose and Palo Alto kitchens, brings power or gas and ventilation to the middle of the room
- The layout: the San Jose kitchen has a curved perimeter, a beverage station, tall pantry storage, and stacked wall ovens
- The backsplash: the patterned tile in Los Gatos took wall templates and a full dry layout before installation
- Cabinets, countertops, and appliances: the level you choose, and who orders them
What about what’s behind the walls?
Photos can’t show it. Opening walls and floors can turn up water damage, old wiring, or earlier work done wrong. Keep a separate reserve in your budget, and agree that anything extra goes through a signed change order before the work.
What do permits add?
In San José, the City charges plan review and permit fees, and for an online minor remodel permit, SJPermits.org shows the fee before you pay. Residential Express review for plans costs 1.5 times the plan review fee. On a Landford project, you pay the city’s permit fee directly, and it isn’t part of the contract price.
What does Landford’s price include?
One price for the agreed work, written in your proposal. It covers labor, rough materials, debris haul-away, and the final clean. It doesn’t cover the city’s permit fees or the finish materials you choose and order, unless your written agreement says otherwise. Payments are tied to stages listed in your contract.
Veterans, active military, and seniors 65 and older get 5% off, up to $2,500 per project. The terms are on the FAQ page.
How do I get a number for my project?
Send photos of your kitchen or bathroom with your city and what you want to change. For suitable projects, Adam gives a free preliminary price range. It isn’t a final estimate, because photos can’t show what’s behind the walls. If the range fits your budget, Adam visits the site at no charge and sends a free written proposal with the scope, price, and schedule.
Landford does kitchen and bathroom remodels in San Jose, the South Bay, and the Peninsula.
The bottom line
A room’s size tells you less than its scope. Decide how much changes and what moves, and the price starts to make sense.
Official resources
Fee and permit information reflects City of San José pages as of November 2026. Fees change; confirm current amounts with the agency that has jurisdiction over the property.
About the author
Adam Tamerlan Yagibekov owns Landford Construction, Inc., a licensed general building contractor based in San Jose, California (CSLB #1160801). With 9 years in construction and remodeling, Adam prepares each estimate and stays the client’s point of contact through the whole project.
See what this looks like in practice.
- Vanilla Onyx & Viola Marble — Half Moon Bay
- Tub-to-Curbless Shower Conversion — San Jose
- Shower Expansion — Campbell
- Navy Island, White Cabinetry & Curved Layout — San Jose
Explore the construction scope and completed Landford projects for your type of remodel.
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