You signed. You’re excited. And then… it gets quiet.
For many San Diego homeowners, this is the moment they start wondering, “Is anything happening with my project?” The answer is yes — a lot is happening, it’s just the part of the remodel you don’t always see. Before our team shows up with protection, tools, and trades, we’re lining up permits, materials, and people so construction actually runs smoothly.
This post walks you through what’s happening behind the scenes at a design-build firm like Kaminskiy between the day you approve your project and the day demo starts.
🎧 Prefer the podcast version? We walked through this exact pre-construction phase — what we’re doing in the office, what slows projects down, and how homeowners can help. Hit play there if you’d rather listen than read.
Most homeowners only see the part where crews show up — not the weeks of lining things up so the job doesn’t start and then stall. This is that part you don’t usually see. If you’ve ever wondered, “What are they doing while I’m waiting?”, the next sections spell it out step by step so you know your project really is moving.
Before anyone shows up with tools, there’s a whole wave of activity that has to happen first — decisions to lock, permits to chase, materials to order, trades to line up. This is the “invisible” part of remodeling that most homeowners never get to see, and it’s what makes on-site work faster and cleaner. So in the sections below, we’re pulling the curtain back and showing you, step by step, what we’re doing for your project in that quiet window.
Before we can build, we have to make sure we’re all building the same version of your project.
That means your designer or project manager will confirm:
Why this matters: We can’t order materials or schedule certain trades until these are decided. If selections stay open too long, it pushes the start date. This is also the best time to make small changes — they’re much easier (and cheaper) to handle now than after framing or rough-in.
San Diego note: some finishes and windows take longer to come into our market, so locking them in early keeps your timeline realistic.
Not every project needs a permit, but many in San Diego do — especially if we’re moving walls, changing structure, adding an ADU, or touching exterior elements.
During this phase, we may:
From the outside, it can look like “nothing is happening,” but inside our office, it’s a lot of emailing, revising, and resubmitting to keep your project from being delayed or red-tagged once we’re on site.
One of the biggest reasons remodels drag on is that demo happens before materials are ready.
We try to do the opposite.
Right after we finalize selections, we place orders for items that typically take the longest:
Then we track ETAs so we know when it’s safe to start. We want to minimize the time you spend in a construction zone.
Why we don’t start tomorrow: starting demo before the essential materials are on the way can leave you without a kitchen or bath longer than necessary. We’d rather start a week later and keep moving than start today and leave you in limbo.
This is pure behind-the-scenes work, but it’s what makes the project feel organized once we start.
Your project manager will often walk the job with key trades:
We confirm things like:
Catching conflicts here — not in Week 3 — is one of the reasons people choose design-build.
A good remodel protects the home you’re not remodeling.
Before the demo, we decide:
This is unglamorous, but it’s what keeps your home clean(er) and your neighbors happy.
Only after we have:
…that’s when we release your start date.
That’s because your schedule is tied to real-world things — like when cabinets arrive — not just to an empty slot on our calendar. This is how we avoid the start/stop/start pattern that frustrates homeowners.
Our philosophy: it’s better to start slightly later and keep moving than to start immediately and leave you without a kitchen for an extra month.
Homeowners always ask, “Is there anything I should do while I wait?” Yes, and doing these things makes day 1 go more smoothly.
Think of this phase like pre-boarding a flight — the more ready you are, the faster we can take off.
Even though this is a quieter phase, we do want to hear from you if:
Good communication here prevents rescheduling later.
Because most of the work in this phase is office work—permits, ordering, scheduling, and trade walks—you don’t see people at your house yet. We’re lining everything up so construction doesn’t start and then stall.
We could, but it usually makes the project longer and more expensive. Waiting for permits and long-lead materials first means we demo closer to the date we can actually build.
It depends on permits, HOA response time, and material lead times. Custom cabinets or coastal/HOA approvals can add time. That’s why we don’t release a start date until the key pieces are in motion.
Make your selections quickly, send us HOA info right away, be available for questions, and clear the work areas before day 1. Slow selections are one of the biggest start-date killers.
We revise and resubmit—and if the change affects scope or cost, we’ll let you know. This is normal in San Diego, and it’s one of the reasons we start this work before the demo.
Any time something changes on your end — appliances delayed, you’re traveling, HOA sent new conditions, or you want to swap a finish. Telling us early helps us keep your spot on the schedule.
Between “yes, let’s do it” and “first hammer swing,” a lot of moving parts have to be coordinated — especially in San Diego, where permits, HOAs, and long-lead materials can affect start dates. If things feel quiet, it’s usually because we’re lining everything up so construction is faster, cleaner, and more predictable once we’re in your home.
Schedule your complimentary in-home design consultation at 858-271-1005 to see what this process would look like for your project — or ask our team where your current project is in this pre-construction phase.
Kimberly Villa is a recognized expert in the Home Design and Remodeling industry. Her passion for the industry is matched only by her love for sharing insights, new trends, and design ideas. Kimberly’s expertise and enthusiasm shine through in her contributions to the Kaminskiy Design and Remodeling website blog, where she regularly shares valuable information with readers.
