Remodeling and Construction Services

A general contractor builds from drawings someone else produced. An architect draws plans and hands them off. In that arrangement the homeowner sits between two companies, and when a structural condition turns up that the drawings did not anticipate, or a design proves difficult to build as drawn, the homeowner is the one absorbing the disagreement.

Design-build removes that gap. One company carries the design, the engineering, the permit, and the construction under a single contract. Constructability gets tested while the design is still on paper, which is a great deal cheaper than discovering it after the walls are open. When something has to change mid-project, it changes in one place.

If you already have an architect and permitted drawings, we are glad to work as your general contractor and build from your plans. If you would rather we design it, we handle that too.

Feasibility first. Before anything gets drawn we look at what the property allows: setbacks, lot coverage, height limits, where the sewer lateral runs, whether the electrical panel has capacity, and what the existing framing can carry. Jurisdiction matters here too, since a mailing address does not always match the agency that reviews the permit. Finding these things out first is cheaper than redesigning later.

Design and engineering. Floor plans come first, then elevations, then structural engineering. Because our construction team reviews the drawings as they develop, buildability questions get answered while they are still inexpensive to answer.

Permits. We prepare the submittal and manage the review with the city or county that has jurisdiction over your address, including any design review, hillside, tree, or fire requirements that apply.

Construction. Demolition, structural, rough mechanical and electrical and plumbing, inspection, insulation and drywall, finishes. The schedule is built backward from inspection dates rather than forward from the start date, because trades arriving out of order create rework.

Our work is concentrated in Contra Costa County and the East Bay. Each city has its own review process, and in several cases a familiar mailing address sits outside city limits and is permitted by the County instead. We confirm which agency governs your parcel before design begins.

Danville, Lafayette, Orinda, San Ramon, and Walnut Creek.