Home Renovation Designers in Pacific Grove

Pacific Grove runs a tiered permit system, and which tier you land in decides your schedule. Minor work is approved administratively by staff. New construction, major alterations and demolition go to the Architectural Review Board. Use permits and variances go to the Planning Commission, with the City Council as the appeal authority.

If the property sits on the City's Historic Resources Inventory — and a great many Pacific Grove homes do — expect concurrent ARB and Historic Resources Committee review, with additional noticing and hearings triggered automatically. Architectural permits notice abutting owners seven days ahead and require a notice posted on the site; use permits and variances notice within 300 feet, with newspaper publication ten days before the hearing.

These are estimates drawn from the City's published guidance as of August 2026, not a determination about your property. Confirm current requirements with Pacific Grove Community Development before committing money or a schedule.

Pacific Grove holds one of the densest concentrations of preserved late-Victorian and early-twentieth-century housing on the peninsula — board-and-batten cottages, Queen Anne, shingle and Craftsman bungalows, most of it on small lots sitting close to the street.

That produces a particular kind of design problem. Exterior alterations are scrutinised in a way they are not elsewhere, additions have to be massed so they read as secondary to the original house, and the drawing set has to show the existing conditions clearly enough for a reviewer to judge what is changing and what is not.

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.

We offer everything you need for the design, drafting, and permitting phases of your construction project. With nearly three decades of experience, our remodeling design services in Pacific Grove are designed to help you prepare for a remodel or new build—setting you up for a smooth construction process. 

Site visit and as-built measure. We come to the house, measure it, and record what matters later — framing, grade, existing stairs, panel location.

Constraints check. Before any design, we establish which review tier applies and whether the property is on the Historic Resources Inventory. It is the cheapest hour in the project.

Schematic design, then design development. Two or three options against your budget and the limits of the lot, then the chosen one becomes the package that goes to the City.

Construction documents, submittal and response. The full permit set, coordinated with your structural engineer — and we answer the corrections, not you.

We’re advocates of homeowners putting their unique stamp on their home. Whether you want to lean into the classic elements of your historic home, or you want a sleek, chic look for your new build, we’ll work with you to create the optimal balance of your styles.

As your Monterey Peninsula neighbors, we bring the utmost respect and professionalism to every project we do in this community. To see what some of our past clients have said about working with us, check out our testimonials below.