Address: 3995 Cherry Ave NE Suite A Keizer, OR 97303
Address: 3995 Cherry Ave NE Suite A Keizer, OR 97303
Salem’s design-build remodeling team
Whole-home remodels, kitchens, baths, and additions for Salem homeowners. Designed and built under one roof.
or call (503) 409-1975
Star Builders is a licensed Oregon general contractor (CCB# 182498), a NARI member, and an award-winning design-build remodeling contractor serving Salem since 2008. We handle whole-home remodels, kitchen remodels, bathroom remodels, and home additions across Salem and the Mid-Willamette Valley.
Salem is not one housing market, it is several. The historic blocks around Court Street hold bungalows built between 1860 and 1937. Faye Wright, Morningside, and South Gateway carry the ranches and split-levels of the 1950s through the 1970s. Much of the rest of the city went up between 1970 and 1999, and those kitchens, baths, and systems are reaching the end of their service life together. A remodeling contractor working in Salem needs to know all of them.
Opening up closed 1970s and 1980s layouts, with every finish coordinated in one visit at The Tile Gallery.
Primary suites and hall baths in homes where the original tile, tub, and plumbing are 40 or more years old.
Full interior updates on ranches and split-levels, and sensitive updates where the character is worth keeping.
Added square footage, including hillside lots where the addition is a structural and design problem.
Ground-up homes for families who want the design-build process from the first sketch.
Whoever you hire, look for three things: an active Oregon CCB license, a detailed fixed-price proposal instead of a rough estimate, and one person accountable for your schedule. Star Builders provides all three. The plan you approve is the plan our crews build, one project manager runs your job start to finish, and every finish is selected in one visit at The Tile Gallery, our showroom in Keizer.
On Salem’s hillsides, Sunnyslope, Candalaria, Croisan Creek, and Fairmount Hill homes add structure and views to the design problem. In the historic districts, exterior work needs period-appropriate detailing. That range is exactly what a design-build contractor is built for.
Side by side with a typical remodeling contractor, here is what you get.
| Typical contractor | Star Builders | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Rough estimate after a quick walkthrough | ✓ Detailed fixed-price hard bid before construction |
| Design and build | Separate designer and builder, with handoffs | ✓ One team, design and build under one roof |
| Material selections | Weeks of driving between showrooms | ✓ Every finish in one visit at The Tile Gallery |
| Project management | A different point of contact at each phase | ✓ One project manager, start to finish |
| Painting | Subbed out to whoever is available | ✓ In-house partner, Star Painting, on one schedule |
| Track record | Unknown | ✓ Since 2008, CCB# 182498, NARI member, Gold Medal winner |
Star Builders is part of the Star Team, a group of locally owned businesses that regularly work together to support residential projects from start to finish.
Each business operates independently, but together we share the same standards for professionalism, craftsmanship, and communication. This allows homeowners to work with teams who are already aligned and experienced collaborating when projects overlap.
This connection creates smoother timelines, clearer communication, and a more seamless experience for homeowners.
Our work
Every finish in these projects was selected at The Tile Gallery and installed by our own crews.
Reviews
★★★★★
“We love our new kitchen. Star Builders transformed our 1970s kitchen and dining room into a more modern design while keeping with the period of our home. The workmanship was excellent and the crew always cordial and professional.”
Ron V.
Kitchen and dining remodel
★★★★★
“We are extremely happy with our new remodel by Star Builders, Star Painting, and Tile Gallery. It was a large project, and we needed a remodeler who could coordinate every aspect with one-stop shopping. Star Builders managed it brilliantly.”
Linda V.
Whole-home remodel
★★★★★
“Star Builders delivered excellent work on our home expansion, exceeding expectations in both quality and execution. Their professionalism, clear communication, and genuine friendliness made the entire experience smooth and reassuring.”
James H.
Home addition
Hear from REAL homeowners
The questions Salem homeowners ask us most before starting a remodel.
It depends on scope, the age of the home, and material selections. Rather than guessing, we develop your project first: an in-home consultation, showroom material selections, and a detailed fixed-price proposal built from real vendor pricing and labor. You know the actual number before construction begins, not after.
Yes. Star Builders is a licensed and bonded Oregon general contractor, CCB# 182498, a NARI member, and a Statesman Journal Mid-Willamette Gold Medal winner. We have served Salem and the Mid-Willamette Valley since 2008.
Kitchen and bath projects usually run several weeks of construction once materials are on site. Whole-home remodels and additions run longer. We build the full schedule into your proposal, so you know the timeline before construction starts.
Yes. Salem’s historic neighborhoods include homes built between 1860 and 1937, and those projects need period-appropriate detailing. We keep the character worth keeping and bring everything else current.
The honest answer is that it depends on the house and the scope, but Salem homeowners deserve better than a shrug. A kitchen renovation in a 1970s Salem ranch usually runs a different number than the same kitchen in a 1990s two-story, because the walls, wiring, and plumbing behind them are different problems. Older homes near Court Street can hide knob-and-tube wiring and undersized framing. Much of Salem went up between 1970 and 1999, and those homes tend to need panel capacity and plumbing brought current at the same time as the finishes.
Rather than guess, we develop the project first. You get an in-home consultation, material selections at our showroom, and a detailed fixed-price proposal built from real vendor pricing, takeoffs, and labor. You know the number before construction starts, not after.
Sometimes the house is right and there is simply not enough of it. Salem lots vary enormously, and that changes what an addition costs and how it gets built. On the hillsides in Sunnyslope, Candalaria, Croisan Creek, and Fairmount Hill, an addition is a structural problem before it is a design problem, because grade, drainage, and foundation work drive the budget. On the flatter lots in Faye Wright, Morningside, and South Gateway, a ground-floor bump-out is often the more economical route.
Building up costs more per square foot than building out, because a second story means structural reinforcement below and a roof that has to come off. We work through both options with you during design, with real numbers attached. Additions frequently require engineering and permit-ready plans, which may fall under a separate design agreement.
Star Builders builds new homes as well as remodels them. The same design-build process applies: one team from the first sketch through the final walkthrough, one project manager, and every finish coordinated in a single visit at The Tile Gallery. Homeowners who come to us for a custom build are usually people who have already been through a project where the designer and the builder were separate companies, and who do not want to referee that again.
We are a licensed Oregon general contractor, CCB# 182498, and a NARI member serving Salem since 2008. If you are comparing home building contractors in Salem, ask each one who carries responsibility when the plan and the build disagree. With a design-build firm, the answer is one company.
Most remodeling contractors in Salem price the job from a walkthrough and a rough estimate, then hand the work to whoever is available that month. That is where the surprises come from. A design-build remodeling contractor develops the scope, the selections, and the price before anyone swings a hammer, so the plan you approve is the plan our crews build.
There are three things worth verifying with any Salem remodeling contractor you talk to, including us. Confirm the CCB license is active. Ask for a detailed fixed-price proposal rather than a rough estimate. Ask who your single point of contact is for the whole schedule. We provide all three, plus an in-house painting partner in Star Painting and a 3,000 square foot finishes showroom in Keizer.
Star Builders works with homeowners across the Mid-Willamette Valley. Explore our service areas:
Built-out ranches on quarter-acre lots, minutes from our Tile Gallery showroom.
Nearly a quarter of homes predate 1940. Period-sensitive remodels done right.
A river town of 1980s homes now reaching kitchen and bath remodel age.
The fast-growing Polk County seat, with 1990s homes ready for upgrades.
If you have additional questions or would like to discuss your project in more detail, our team would be glad to help. Call (503) 409-1975 or schedule a free consultation.
