Frequently asked questions
Questions people ask us
These come from questions people have asked us and the chat on this site. Costs are ballparks in 2026 dollars, not quotes. Updated October 2026.
Is the first meeting at my house complimentary?
Yes. Ben meets you at your house at no charge, usually within one to two weeks of your first call. The written description of your project and the cost range that follow are also at no charge. Planning, which turns the range into a firm price, is billed hourly.
Can I get a price before anyone comes out?
Yes, a cost range. The chat on every page of this site gives one in a few minutes, from our own finished jobs in today’s dollars. It is a ballpark, not a quote. A firm price comes after planning. How the cost chat works.
What does a bathroom remodel cost?
A full bathroom remodel runs from about $775 to $1,050 per square foot in 2026, and most land at $950 to $1,050. A typical 60 to 80 square foot bathroom, taken down to the studs, is most likely $66,000 to $75,000. How the shower is built, what moves and how much of the house around it is worked on matter more than the fixtures you pick. Our bathroom cost guide has the details.
Can you turn my tub into a walk-in shower?
Yes. Replacing a tub with a shower, and keeping the vanity and toilet, runs from about $28,000 with an acrylic unit to about $37,000 with solid-surface walls and a new tile floor. That usually includes a drywall patch, new flooring, baseboard and fresh paint, because the new shower has to fit exactly and the old floor rarely comes out intact.
What does a kitchen remodel cost?
A full kitchen remodel with new cabinets runs about $500 to $650 per square foot of kitchen in 2026. A typical 165 square foot kitchen is most likely about $94,000. Keeping the cabinet boxes with new doors, or painting them, takes $27,000 to $33,000 off. Our kitchen cost guide has the details.
Can you build a deck that holds a hot tub?
Yes. We include the hot tub’s dedicated electrical circuit, and its weight may call for an engineer, which we arrange during planning. Decks run about $175 to $295 per square foot. Tall decks, several levels and a steep lot cost more.
What do you build decks out of? Can you use redwood?
We build decks with cedar and composite, not redwood. Cedar and composite come within a few thousand dollars of each other on a typical deck. In Ashland, most decks 30 inches to 12 feet off the ground need fire-rated decking.
Can I build an ADU or a backyard studio in Ashland?
Usually, yes. Ashland allows one ADU per lot in its residential zones with only a building permit. In single-family zones it can be up to half the size of the house, to a maximum of 1,000 square feet, and the city cannot require you to live on the property or add parking. A new detached ADU starts around $500 per square foot, and most land at $550 to $600 or more.
Can I add a bathroom upstairs, or in a loft?
Often, yes. New drains are usually the largest cost upstairs, more than on a main floor with a crawlspace below where the plumber can reach the pipes. Heat and fresh air for the new room are part of the plan too. Ben looks at how the pipes can run at the first meeting.
Can you make a window opening bigger?
Yes. A bigger opening needs a new header above it, a siding patch outside, and drywall and paint inside, and we price all of it. Replacing one standard window in the same opening is most likely about $6,000. Enlarging the opening for it is most likely about $12,000.
Do you take small jobs?
For new clients, we take projects of $2,500 and up. Past clients are welcome for jobs of any size. For a smaller repair, a local handyman is often the better fit.
Do you work outside Ashland?
Yes. Our main service area is Ashland, Medford and Talent. Central Point and Ruch are sometimes possible, and Ben decides other towns case by case.
Do you build pools?
Yes, as the general contractor. We built a hillside pool with a spa, a pool house and a changing house on Ashland Mine Road.
Do you take commercial projects, like a group of rental cabins?
Yes. Ben is glad to look at commercial and multi-unit work. For several cabins or homes on one site, the road, septic and power are shared, so we price the whole project together.
Can you price extras like a steam shower, a bidet or a sauna?
Yes. We price extras like a steam shower, a bidet seat, a sauna or wallpaper as part of your cost range. The chat on this site can give you a first number for most of them.
Can I put a cedar shake roof on my house?
Not on a new roof in Ashland. The whole city is in a wildfire hazard zone, and its building code does not allow wood shake or wood shingle roofs on new homes, additions or full roof replacements. Other towns decide for themselves, so we check the rule for your address.
Do older homes have lead paint or asbestos?
They can, so we test before work begins: for lead in homes built before 1978, and for asbestos in homes built before 2004. The results go into the plan and the price. Ben The Builder Inc is a certified lead renovator.
Do I have to deal with the city about permits?
No. We work out which permits and planning approvals your project needs, file them, schedule the inspections and meet the inspector. In Ashland’s historic districts we also handle the historic review. Permit fees are included in the construction price.
Can I see before-and-after photos of your work?
Yes. Our portfolio shows finished projects across Ashland, Medford and Talent, and the chat on this site can show before-and-after pairs from our past jobs.
Can you tell me what my neighbor’s project cost?
No. We keep each client’s project and price private. Our cost guides show what projects like yours cost in 2026, and Ben can give you a cost range for your own project.
Talk with us
Ask what your project would cost
Fill out the contact form; we get it right away and respond within a day. You can also call the office at 541-300-8118, Monday to Friday, 7 am to 3:30 pm, or email office@benthebuilderinc.com.