Whole Home Remodeling in Highland
Whole home remodeling in Highland is the right move when you like your neighborhood but the house itself no longer works for you. Most of the housing stock here grew out of a citrus townsite established in 1891, with heavier tract development in the decades around the city’s incorporation in November 1987. That leaves a range of homes across areas like East Highlands Ranch, West Highland, and the Palm Avenue historic core, from early bungalows to single and two story tract houses with kitchens walled off from the family room. A whole home remodel addresses all of it together: floor plan changes, rooms updated at the same time, plumbing and electrical brought current, and one permit pulled through the City of Highland Building and Safety Division covering the full scope. If your property sits near the Palm Avenue corridor, exterior changes may warrant a preservation review given the Highland Historic District’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places. We plan for all of that from the first walk-through.
Services We Offer
Structural & Seismic Work
Roof, Windows & Envelope
Additions & ADUs
Our Whole Home Remodeling Process in Highland
Whole home remodeling in Highland starts long before a single wall comes down. We walk the entire house first, attic to slab, and look at the electrical panel, supply lines, and any framing that prior owners may have altered. Where something is in doubt we investigate before drawing anything, running a sewer camera or arranging asbestos testing on older textured ceilings common in the tract houses built around the time Highland incorporated in November 1987. If your property sits near the Palm Avenue historic core, exterior work may also warrant a preservation review given that area’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places, and we factor that into the schedule from the start. Structural engineering and Title 24 energy documents go into a single plan set submitted to the City of Highland Building and Safety Division as one permit.
Once plans are approved, selections for cabinets, tile, flooring, and fixtures across every room are finalized at our design center in Fullerton before demolition begins. Work follows a fixed order: demolition, structural, rough plumbing, electrical and HVAC, inspections, insulation, then drywall and finishes. One project manager carries the job through final inspection.
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Permits, History, and What the Work Actually Involves
A whole home remodel in Highland almost always requires a full building permit with plan check, because the scope typically touches structural, plumbing, electrical, and mechanical systems at the same time. That process runs through the City of Highland Building and Safety Division. One detail worth knowing early: part of the original 1891 townsite along Palm Avenue falls within the Highland Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. If your property sits in or near that corridor, exterior work may be subject to a preservation review before anything else moves forward. We check that against your project scope at the very start, because it can affect material choices, setbacks, and which review path applies before demolition begins.
The age of the house shapes most of what we find once planning begins. Homes built before 1978 may contain lead-based paint, and any contractor who disturbs it must follow the EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting rule. Older popcorn ceilings, some flooring materials, and duct wrap can also contain asbestos, so suspect materials get tested before any removal takes place, with abatement handled by a licensed specialty contractor. Galvanized supply lines and undersized electrical panels show up regularly in houses from that period. A whole home remodel is the practical moment to address those issues, since the walls are already open and the work is coordinated across trades anyway.
Two state-level requirements come up on nearly every job of this size. California Civil Code 1101.4 requires older high-flow toilets, showerheads, and faucets to be upgraded to water-conserving fixtures on many permitted remodels of homes built before 1994, so we build that into the fixture schedule from the beginning rather than discovering it at final inspection. California’s Title 24 energy code applies to remodels as well as new construction, covering windows, insulation, lighting, and HVAC changes. We prepare the compliance documentation as part of the plan set.
Structure is its own conversation. Many tract-era homes in Highland have kitchens separated from the family room by a bearing wall, and opening that space means engineering a beam, posts, and sometimes new footings. Raised-floor homes may benefit from foundation bolting while the work area is accessible. Unpermitted additions and enclosed patios are common in houses of that generation, and they typically need to be legalized or rebuilt before the city will sign off on the broader project. If additional square footage is part of the goal, state law allows an ADU on most single-family lots, and that can be planned alongside the remodel from the start.
Other Remodeling Services We Offer
A kitchen remodel touches more trades than any other room in the house: layout, cabinetry, plumbing, electrical, ventilation and finishes. Horizon designs and builds kitchen remodels under one contract, from the measured layout to the final inspection.
Whether you envision a classic Southern California pool or a fully customized backyard oasis, Horizon Construction & Remodeling delivers the highest level of quality and service. Our comprehensive pool design and remodeling services cover everything from layout and decking to built-in BBQs and final touches like landscaping. Let Horizon be your trusted partner in transforming your backyard into the perfect outdoor retreat.
If you are planning a complete bathroom remodel or simply want to change your tub, shower, update your plumbing fixtures, or make the space more efficient, our team at Horizon will help you through the process with expert advice, professional craftsmanship, and affordable options with beautiful results. Learn more about our bathroom remodeling services.
Transform your space with our expert interior work services. We offer a comprehensive range of solutions — from space planning and custom design to the selection of high-quality finishes and materials. Our team of experienced professionals works closely with you to create a space that’s both functional and stylish, tailored to your unique needs, goals, and budget. Whether you’re updating a single room or overhauling your entire interior, we bring precision, creativity, and craftsmanship to every project.
At Horizon, we believe your home is more than just four walls — it’s where life happens. It’s the place you relax, gather with family and friends, and create lasting memories. That’s why we offer a full range of exterior work services designed to elevate your outdoor living space. From patios and hardscaping to custom decks and exterior renovations, we help turn your vision into a dream yard that complements your lifestyle and enhances curb appeal.
At Horizon Construction & Remodeling, our expert team includes a dedicated design and planning division that works hand-in-hand with licensed architects and structural engineers. We take care of everything — from detailed plans and blueprints to securing city permits — so you don’t have to deal with delays or red tape. Our goal is to streamline the process and provide a fully approved set of documents that aligns with both your vision and city regulations, saving you time and stress.
Why Choose Horizon Remodeling For Whole Home Remodeling in Highland
Horizon Construction and Remodeling is a licensed Class B general building contractor and bonded, with the license active since 2009. A whole home remodel is exactly the kind of work a Class B license is built for: multiple trades, structural coordination, and a single permit pulled through one contractor. In Highland, that permit goes through the City of Highland Building and Safety Division, and we handle the application, the inspections, and everything in between so you are not chasing paperwork on your own.
Our approach puts drawings, engineering coordination, and construction under one contract with one project manager. The people who worked out the floor plan talk directly to the crew building it, which cuts down on the miscommunication that slows jobs down. Finishes for every room, kitchen, baths, flooring, are chosen together so the selections stay consistent from one end of the house to the other. If your home sits along the Palm Avenue historic core, exterior changes may warrant a preservation review given that part of the original townsite falls within a nationally registered historic district, and we factor that into planning from the start.
We are also straightforward about the things homeowners sometimes do not want to hear: what an older Highland tract house or citrus era bungalow is likely to need behind the walls, which upgrades can reasonably wait, and whether living in the home during construction is a realistic option given your specific scope.
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Whole Home Remodeling FAQ
How is a whole home remodel different from a regular home remodel?
A whole home remodel treats the house as a single system rather than a collection of separate projects. Instead of updating one room and leaving the rest untouched, we rework several areas at once, moving or removing walls to open the floor plan, and updating plumbing, electrical, and HVAC throughout in one coordinated sequence. For Highland homeowners, many of whom live in the tract-era single-story and two-story houses built around the time of the city’s 1987 incorporation, that often means finally connecting a kitchen that was walled off from the family room. Everything is drawn, permitted through the City of Highland Building and Safety Division, and scheduled together so trades come through once rather than reopening finished work on a later job. Properties near the Palm Avenue historic core may also warrant a preservation review before exterior changes begin.
What's the difference between a whole home remodel and a complete home renovation?
Remodeling and renovation are related but not the same thing. A remodel changes layouts and finishes, while renovation addresses the building itself, meaning structure, windows, mechanical systems, and anything else that keeps the house sound. Most whole home remodeling projects in Highland combine both, especially in the tract houses built around incorporation where kitchens are often walled off from living areas. We scope the work together, prioritizing what protects the structure, then systems buried behind walls, then the finishes you live with every day.
Do we have to move out during a whole home remodel?
Whether your family stays home during a whole home remodeling project in Highland depends entirely on the scope of work involved. If the kitchen and every bathroom are coming out at once, or drywall and flooring are being replaced throughout the house, most households move out for the heaviest phases. When the project can be phased, keeping one bathroom functional and setting up a temporary kitchen elsewhere, some families do stay. In older tract homes where the kitchen is walled off from the family room, that kind of phasing is often more practical than it is in open layouts. Either way, phasing adds time to the schedule, so we walk through the trade-off with you once the plan is drawn.
How long does a whole home remodel take?
How long a whole home remodeling project takes in Highland depends on the scope of work, how fast the plan check moves through the City of Highland Building and Safety Division, and how quickly you finalize your selections. Design and permitting can take as long as the construction phase itself, and plan check alone often runs several weeks. Construction on a full house typically spans several months, with structural work, additions, or surprises behind the walls adding time. We build a schedule specific to your home into every proposal, and getting drawings started early is the single biggest factor in shortening your move-back-in date.
Who handles the permit for a whole home remodel in Highland?
Yes, we handle the full permit process for whole home remodeling in Highland. Our team puts together the plan set, which covers structural engineering and Title 24 energy compliance documents, submits everything to the City of Highland Building and Safety Division, and works through any plan-check comments until the permit is issued. We coordinate and attend all required inspections throughout construction and close the permit at final. For homes near the Palm Avenue historic core, we also factor in any preservation review that exterior work may require before the schedule is set.
What drives the cost of a whole home remodel?
Whole home remodeling costs in Highland vary widely, and two houses of the same square footage can land far apart in price. The main drivers are structural changes such as removing a load-bearing wall, relocating a kitchen or bathroom on a slab foundation, the extent of repiping, rewiring, and panel upgrades the house requires, any lead or asbestos handling, added square footage, and your chosen finish level. Many of the tract homes built around Highland’s 1987 incorporation also need updates that older citrus-era bungalows near the Palm Avenue historic core do not, and vice versa. Your written proposal separates every cost line by line, distinguishing work that must be done from decisions that are yours to make.
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Horizon is a licensed Class B general building contractor serving Highland and the surrounding San Bernardino County communities.