Kitchen remodeling
Bathroom remodeling
Home additions & ADU
Roofing
Windows & doors
Driveway & pavers
FenceFree written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
Fast, Reliable Home Remodeling Across Running Springs
A full home remodel in Running Springs typically runs $45,000 to $130,000, with kitchens landing between $14,000 and $45,000 and bathrooms between $9,000 and $28,000. The wildcard here isn’t labor rates, it’s what’s inside your walls. We’ve remodeled enough 1960s – 80s mountain cabins off Highway 18 and around Live Oak Drive to know that opening a wall in this town frequently turns a three-week job into a six-week job, and we plan for that from the first estimate. Call (866) 623-7205 and we’ll walk the property with you, pull the permit records, and give you a written scope that accounts for the code upgrades Running Springs actually triggers.
Why Square Deal Contractors Is Running Springs’s Preferred Home Remodeling Company
Square Deal Contractors is a full-scope general contractor, not a kitchen-and-bath specialist who subs out everything else. One contract covers framing, rough-in, finishes, roofing, windows, and site work, so when a remodel in Running Springs uncovers a structural issue, you’re not calling a second company and waiting two weeks for a bid. Nolan Breckett runs our crews, and his standing instruction is the same on every mountain job: tell the homeowner what we found, what it costs to fix, and what happens if we don’t. No soft-pedaling.
Our reputation across Running Springs, Lake Arrowhead, and Crestline comes from how we handle exactly the surprises this area is known for. We don’t write a low teaser bid and then pad change orders after demolition. We build allowances into the contract for the things we know we’re likely to find in a mid-century cabin, then price any actual discovery as a written change order that you approve before we touch it. That’s the Square Deal name, and it’s how we’ve earned repeat work from homeowners on Keller Peak Road, near the 92382 corridor, and up toward the Running Springs library.
Response time to Running Springs is the same as any of our mountain jobs, since we schedule dedicated crews for the San Bernardino range rather than sending a valley team up on a day pass. When snow closes Highway 330, we adjust. When county inspectors flag a WUI item mid-project, we’re already familiar with their checklist because we work it every month up here.
Styles & brands we work with
Luxury Home Remodeling in Running Springs
Luxury Home Remodeling in Running Springs means something different than it does in Irvine or Newport. At 6,000 feet in the San Bernardino National Forest, a high-end remodel still has to meet fire-hardening and snow-load requirements, so the luxury is in the materials and the execution, not in pretending the mountain doesn’t exist. A luxury kitchen here might run $35,000 to $45,000, with slab counters from Cambria, fixtures from Grohe, and cabinetry from KraftMaid set over a rebuilt subfloor that’s actually engineered for the grade it sits on. A luxury bath with a walk-in shower and heated floor typically lands between $15,000 and $28,000.
We’ve done these jobs on chalets with exposed beams where the beam itself became the focal point, and on 2003 rebuilds where the owners wanted to upgrade from the original fire-rebuild spec. What separates a luxury remodel from a standard one isn’t just markup, it’s the tolerance for discovery. When we open a wall and find a post that’s undersized for the snow load it carries, we fix it properly, with an engineer’s letter if needed, then put the finish materials over a structure that will actually hold them.
Mountain-Ready Finishes
Running Springs homeowners choosing higher-end finishes should think about freeze-thaw cycles before picking materials. Porcelain tile holds up better than soft stone on an exterior entry; a solid hardwood floor in a cabin that drops below freezing at night will gap more than engineered wood. We’ll tell you exactly what you’re getting and why, including which materials make sense for a second home that may sit unheated for stretches of the winter.
Sloped-Lot Master Suites
On a graded lot, a luxury primary suite addition in Running Springs needs a foundation and drainage plan before any framing goes up. Spring snowmelt runs hard down these slopes, and a poorly drained crawlspace under a new suite is a mold liability. We handle the full scope, from roofline to backyard, so the drainage, the foundation, and the finishes all get built by one accountable contractor.
Full Home Remodel in Running Springs
A Full Home Remodel in Running Springs is the right call when the scope spans at least a kitchen and a bathroom plus structural or systems work, or when the cabin needs to be brought up to current code before you can safely add onto it. These projects run $45,000 to $130,000 here, with the spread driven by square footage, foundation condition, and how much legacy wiring and framing has to come out. For a 1,200-square-foot 1970s cabin that’s never been opened up, plan on the higher end because you’re paying for discovery as much as finishes.
We approach a full remodel here as a sequence of controlled openings, not a gut-and-hope. We open one structural bay, inspect with the county when required, price any corrections in writing, and only then move to the next bay. That’s how we keep a Running Springs full remodel from turning into an open-ended liability, and it’s the reason our change orders on mountain jobs are specific down to the line item.
Code-Upgrade Sequencing
When a permit opens a wall in Running Springs, the county often requires the exposed framing to meet current WUI and structural standards before you can close it back up. That means fire-blocking, proper shear, and in some cases engineered posts where the original cabin used whatever lumber was cheap in 1972. We sequence this work so you’re never paying for finish materials until the framing and rough-in have passed inspection.
Bringing Legacy Cabins to Current Code
Many Running Springs homes were built as weekend cabins and never intended for year-round occupancy. Converting one of these into a full-time residence through a full remodel means upgrading insulation, sealing the envelope, and often replacing knob-and-tube wiring that insurance companies won’t touch. We handle all of it under one contract, with every trade coordinated by our own superintendent.
Trusted Brands We Service in Running Springs
We source materials from a vetted portfolio of more than 50 recognized brands, so our Running Springs jobs use components with proven performance records rather than whatever a single supplier happens to stock. That includes GAF roofing for the snow-load and ice-dam conditions up here, CertainTeed siding and trim for the fire-zone envelope, and Grohe fixtures in kitchens and baths where the homeowner wants German engineering without the supply-chain guesswork. We don’t push one brand tier at every job, because a rental cabin in Running Springs and a full-time chalet on a view lot off of Highway 18 don’t need the same materials. We’ll match the line to your actual budget, and we’ll tell you where spending more actually buys durability and where it doesn’t.
Common Home Remodeling Problems We See in Running Springs Homes
- Knob-and-tube and 1960s aluminum wiring inside walls. Opening a wall for a kitchen remodel and finding ungrounded, frayed wiring is routine here, not rare. Insurance carriers often refuse to renew a policy on a mountain home with this wiring once they know it’s there, which is why we bring it up before the permit does.
- Undersized load-bearing framing. A lot of these mid-century cabins were framed with 4×4 posts or doubled 2x4s where current snow-load tables require engineered columns. When we find a post that’s been quietly carrying too much weight for 50 years, we price the correction on the spot.
- Pier-and-post foundation settlement on sloped lots. Spring snowmelt and runoff channel under cabins on graded sites, loosening the posts and sagging the subfloor. A remodel that starts at the kitchen island can end with us re-shimming and bracing the floor structure before cabinets go in.
- Failed waterproofing around decks and window penetrations. Decades of freeze-thaw cycles crack old flashing and let water into the envelope. Remodeling a Running Springs home is often the first time anyone has looked behind the siding since the original build, and water damage is what we find.
See the difference
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AfterPricing for Home Remodeling in Running Springs, CA
Here’s what we see for common scopes in the 92382 market, based on current county permit costs, mountain material delivery, and the discovery work these cabins typically require. These are planning numbers; your written estimate will be exact.
| Project | Typical Running Springs Range |
|---|---|
| Full Home Remodel | $45,000 – $130,000 |
| Kitchen Remodel | $14,000 – $45,000 |
| Bathroom Remodel | $9,000 – $28,000 |
What moves the number: whether we’re doing a surface refresh over existing wiring and framing, or opening walls and bringing the rough-in up to code. If your cabin hasn’t been rewired since the 1970s, your full remodel lands at the top of the range because we’re rebuilding the platform before we finish it. We give you a free estimate with allowances written into the contract, so a Running Springs discovery doesn’t blindside you. Call (866) 623-7205 to schedule yours.
We Also Serve Cities Near Running Springs
Our crews cover the entire San Bernardino mountain range, including Home Remodeling in Running Springs, Lake Arrowhead, Highland, Mentone, and Crestline. If you’re on the valley floor but buying or remodeling a mountain property, same team, same contract, no handoff to a separate mountain crew that’s never seen your file.
Serving Running Springs, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Running Springs area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage — if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Home Remodeling in Running Springs
Because 1960s – 80s mountain cabins here routinely hide knob-and-tube wiring, undersized framing, and water damage that no one could see until the drywall came down. Once a permit opens a wall in Running Springs, any exposed structural or electrical deficiency that fails current code has to be corrected before the wall can be closed. We handle this by writing discovery allowances into the contract upfront, then pricing any actual finding as a written change order you approve before work proceeds. Call (866) 623-7205 and we’ll show you exactly how that line item works on your estimate.
Yes, in most cases. Running Springs sits inside a high fire-hazard severity zone, and when a remodel permit opens walls, the county can require the exposed assembly to meet current Wildland-Urban Interface standards, including fire-blocking, ember-resistant vents, and specific siding and roof requirements where those components are part of the scope. The trigger is the scope and the square footage opened, which is why we check the permit record and the WUI checklist before we write your bid.
A full home remodel in Running Springs typically costs $45,000 to $130,000, depending on square footage, foundation condition, and how much legacy wiring and framing has to be replaced. Kitchens run $14,000 to $45,000, bathrooms $9,000 to $28,000. The single biggest variable on the mountain is discovery: a cabin that’s never been opened up will cost more per square foot to remodel than a 2003 rebuild. We give you a free, written, line-item estimate so you can see exactly where your number falls.
We open one structural bay at a time, inspect what’s behind it with the county when required, price any correction in writing, and get your approval before we move to the next bay. We also write allowances into the contract for the things we know are likely on an older mountain cabin, so the first discovery doesn’t come as a shock. Nolan Breckett’s rule is that no wall gets closed in Running Springs until the rough-in and framing have passed inspection and you’ve signed off on the cost.
Yes, and we do it regularly. A-frames and chalets on graded lots here are often built on pier-and-post foundations that were never engineered for the snow load or the runoff they actually get. When we remodel one, we assess the foundation and the slope drainage first, because putting new finishes on a shifting platform is a waste of your money. If we need an engineer’s letter on the framing or the foundation, we get it, and we build that cost into the written change order before any finish work begins.
Get a Free Estimate on Your Running Springs Remodel
If you’re planning a remodel in Running Springs, start with a contractor who’s opened enough of these mountain walls to know what’s behind them. Call Square Deal Contractors at (866) 623-7205 and we’ll schedule a walkthrough of your property, pull the permit and parcel records, and give you a written estimate that includes the discovery allowances this area actually requires. One contractor, every phase, from the first inspection to the final walkthrough.
Written by Nolan Breckett, Owner at Square Deal Contractors, serving Running Springs and the San Bernardino mountains since the company was founded.