Solana Beach is a coastal suburb in San Diego County that offers residents a pleasant mix of urban and suburban living. The population is largely composed of young professionals looking to jumpstart their careers sprinkled with a nice number of retirees. It’s the classic California beach town: residents enjoy wonderful views of the Pacific Ocean and affordable living.

Given the rising popularity of custom home remodels, our editorial team compiled ten of the best general contractors in the area. They are behind some of Solana Beach’s most beautiful and luxurious spaces and were chosen for their various skills and expertise.

Alliance Green Builders

829 Second St. Suite A, Encinitas, CA 92024

Headquartered in Encinitas, Alliance Green Builders offers its clients a complete and comprehensive range of custom home building and remodeling services. The firm has secured a solid reputation for itself throughout the greater San Diego metropolitan area and is well-known for its superb high-performance homes. The firm infuses various sustainability and cost-effective approaches into its projects. In addition to this, its talented team specializes in an extensive range of architectural themes. The firm has been in business since 2013 and is personally overseen by its founders, Jeff Adams and Rich Williams. Together, the two draw inspiration from over six decades of combined experience in the industry. 

The project above was completed back in 2017 and entailed a two-story gut-remodel. The firm’s owner very much enjoys the outdoors and specifically wanted to minimize the environmental impact of the project so various green practices were employed. This project was featured in the San Diego Green Building Council’s 2017 Green Homes Tour and the firm takes great pride in the home’s coveted LEED Platinum status.

Atlas General Construction

601 N Cedros Ave., Solana Beach, CA 92075

With over 15 years of industry experience, Atlas General Construction is well-regarded for its excellent ability to work with its clients’ budgets and lifestyles. The firm offers them a complete range of services and assures homeowners that all of their spaces are overseen by an expert project manager, who works on keeping a project within schedule. The firm’s team has also been noted for its organization and orderly maintenance of its building sites, allowing for clients to continue with their day-to-day routines without disruption throughout the entire remodeling process. Throughout its years in the industry, the firm has had the honor of working with some of the area’s best and leading subcontractors. This has enabled it to create partnerships with some of Solana Beach’s most talented tradesmen, inspectors, and suppliers.

Showcased above is the company’s Rio Vista project. For this home, Atlas General Construction provided an expert project manager, responsible for keeping the project on a set time frame and within budget. Our editorial team also loved the modern and open floor plan, as well as various minimalist finishes. 

Classic Home Improvements

600 S Andreasen Dr. Suite A, Escondido, CA 92029

Headquartered in San Diego, Classic Home Improvements extends its services throughout the San Diego area and provides a full range of interior and exterior remodeling as well as new home construction. The firm is also known for its superior kitchen remodels, home additions, and accessory dwelling units. The firm offers a variety of services not provided by most firms. These include having an expert consultant to assist clients throughout the entire process, its own interior designer to aid clients with product selection out of its very own Escondido Kitchen and Bathroom Showroom, and in-house specialty subcontractors for any specific challenges that may arise during remodeling. The firm is a team of architects, designers, and builders who bring years of experience to each of its projects. 

The remodel above was completed in Solana Beach and best showcases the company’s expertise for bathroom renovations. It features a celebrity walk-in tub, which also serves as a great aging-in-place element. It also installed custom cabinetry with beautiful wood finishes. Learn more of their work at http://classichomeremodeling.com/.

Cross Construction

P.O. Box 231077, Encinitas, CA 92023

Cross Construction specializes in both custom home building and remodeling. The firm has also taken on several commercial projects and provides masonry, landscape installation, and landscape maintenance work. Cross Construction understands the difficulties that come with remodeling projects and takes great care to understand existing conditions and plan all of its spaces accordingly. Cross begins its construction process with an in-depth consultation that clearly outlines a client’s concept, visions, and lifestyle. The firm has also built relationships with some of the area’s best local architects, landscape designers, and interior designers. Cross Construction assists with preconstruction and is available throughout the entire process. 

Located in Solana Beach, the remodel pictured here is an excellent example of the company’s expertise. This beach bungalow features custom cabinets, engineered hardwood flooring, quartz countertops, and new backsplashes. It challenged the firm’s team with its extensive transformation into a stunning, functional space. For this home, the firm opted for soft neutral colors with durable materials.

Dagan Design & Construction

1106 2nd St. #262, Encinitas, CA 92024

As its name suggests, Dagan Design & Construction is an expert in both design and construction services and it takes a highly hands-on approach. The firm provides a complete and comprehensive range of home remodeling, design, and building needs. The firm’s portfolio showcases a variety of excellent kitchens, bathrooms, decks, outdoor living spaces, whole-house remodels, and custom home projects. It assists throughout the entire process—from design to build—and incorporates a variety of sustainable practices, ensuring that all of its projects are highly efficient. The firm stays up to date with the latest Californian building trends and adheres to current local building codes.

The bathroom above best embodies the company’s expertise. For this project, its team installed excellent overhead lighting. It also worked on a separate walk-in shower encased in glass completed with a tiled backsplash. Several minimalist finishes can also be observed. 

Steigerwald-Dougherty Inc.

427 S Cedros Suite #202, Solana Beach, CA 92075

Steigerwald-Dougherty provides both residential remodeling and ground-up construction work. The firm is especially known for its great exteriors, decks, patios, kitchens, and bathrooms. The firm has also been recognized for its fantastic woodwork. Dave Steigerwald and Pat Dougherty founded the company in 1984 and have been servicing the entirety of San Diego and the areas surrounding it ever since. They anchor the company’s vision and goals in excellent workmanship and a dedication to the latest industry techniques, which have resulted in timeless work. The firm operates out of its office in Solana Beach and comprises an experienced and talented team of roughly 40 professionals. 

The firm is the proud recipient of numerous industry awards. The firm is also no stranger to acclaim and has had its work featured in various publications including Décor & Style Magazine, San Diego Home & Garden Lifestyles, and Better Homes and Gardens. The firm’s work is often distinguished for its striking themes, recurring use of straight lines, and modern takes on otherwise classic architecture. 

Streamline Development

124 ½ E Cliff St. #C4, Solana Beach, CA 92075

Lauded as one of San Diego’s premier custom residential general contractors, Streamline Development uses a highly communicative approach that emphasizes the importance of client collaboration. That allows for minimal, to almost zero, major revisions as well as no overspending throughout the entire process. It maintains affiliations with various important organizations like the National Association of the Remodeling Industry and ASID. This has allowed the firm to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and practices. The firm assists its clients from inception to completion and is manned by an excellent team of experienced and hands-on professionals. 

Located in Encinitas, the project above primarily showcases a mid-century-beach theme. It uses a large Western pocketing door system to seamlessly integrate its indoor and outdoor spaces. The firm’s team also worked on several custom finishes with materials like concrete, marble, and reclaimed lumber.

Wardell Builders

649 Valley Ave. Suite A, Solana Beach, CA 92075

Established in 1979, Wardell Builders is composed of a team of highly-skilled builders. Headed by Terry Wardell, a craftsman with over two decades of experience, the team has constructed some of Southern California’s most detailed and challenging homes. Under his leadership, the firm has been recognized with numerous industry awards, including several Icon awards for its custom home building. Its work has also been featured in San Diego Home/Garden, Luxe Magazine, and Ranch & Coast Magazine. Being a LEED-certified firm, Wardell Builders also incorporates green building practices in an effort to further the movement, in addition to ensuring that each project it takes on becomes more energy-efficient. The firm is proudly affiliated with the US Green Building Council, the American Institute of Architects, and the American Society of Interior Designers. The firm builds in a wide array of designs, as can be seen in its portfolio, which showcases a range of modern, contemporary, French, and craftsman-style homes. 

The kitchen remodel above best embodies the firm’s work. For this project, the Wardell Builders team opted for a transitional design. It worked on various granite finishes, as well as custom cabinetry. Unique fixtures can also be observed.