Home Renovation Designers in Monterey
Our Monterey Drafting & Design Services
From its scenic views and the marine sanctuary to its superb dining scene, Monterey is truly one of a kind. If you’re lucky enough to put down roots in Monterey, you’ll want a home that reflects the natural beauty of your community.
At Renovation Drafting & Design, our experienced team is excited to hear your vision for your home and turn those ideas into tangible designs. No detail is too small when it comes to your future home, and we want to hear it all. Do you have an ideal layout for your kitchen or a creative shape for your backyard deck? Let us know. We view these brainstorming sessions as conversations, and our knowledgeable design experts will listen and offer recommendations for room configurations and flow based on your preferences. Together, we’ll craft a design that ticks all the functionality boxes and matches your ideal aesthetic.
We’ve helped Monterey homeowners design new builds and renovations, including bathroom remodels, kitchen overhauls, room additions, basement upgrades, attic conversions, and more. Curious if we can handle your project? Give us a call to see if we’re a good fit!
Getting a remodel permitted in Monterey
Monterey runs two separate reviews that can each hold a project: a building plan check, and — for a large share of residential properties — a planning architectural review. We design around both from the first sketch.
Plan check runs roughly 15 business days for first review under $100,000 and roughly 20 from $100,000 to $1 million, plus about four days of intake. Architectural review applies in Monterey Vista, Casanova Oak Knoll, Del Monte Grove / Laguna Grande, Fishermans Flats, Flagg Hill and Villa Del Monte when the lot is under 5,000 sq ft, the site slopes more than 15%, the home is two stories, or the project adds a second story.
These are estimates compiled from the City's published guidance as of August 2026, not a determination about your property. Confirm current requirements with Building & Safety and Planning before committing money or a schedule.
Designing for Monterey's older homes
Monterey's residential neighborhoods largely grew between 1884 and 1945, and each style carries its own renovation problems — Monterey Colonial and Spanish Colonial Revival in stucco and clay tile, Craftsman bungalows that are low and small, Victorians with ornate exteriors and chopped-up interiors, and post-war stock with undersized headers and no seismic detailing.
Add a hillside lot and the list grows. Sloped sites here regularly trigger a geotechnical report before a foundation can be finalized, and on an addition we also have to show how new structure will move relative to old in a seismic event.
If your house has no original drawings, that is normal. We measure it and produce an as-built set first — and you own it afterwards.
Comprehensive Solutions
Monterey neighborhoods we work in
Monterey Vista · New Monterey · Del Monte Grove · Laguna Grande · Casanova Oak Knoll · Fishermans Flats · Villa Del Monte · Flagg Hill · Skyline Forest · Del Monte Beach · Deer Flats · Alta Mesa · Old Town Monterey · Glenwood Circle
We are based in Carmel, fifteen minutes from downtown Monterey, and we work across the city and the wider peninsula. If your neighborhood is not listed it almost certainly still falls inside our service area — ask.
We also work as the drafting department for general contractors in Monterey who are booked past their own capacity. We design and draft only: we do not build, we do not expedite construction, and we do not take your client.
See Our Work
To get a feel for our level of work or to get inspired for your home design, check out some of our recent work.
What Our
Clients Say
Drafting and Design Simplified
Whether you’re looking for remodeling design services in Monterey or you’re designing a new construction, choose RDD to enjoy a straightforward, stress-free drafting experience. Contact us to design a masterpiece together.