Home Renovation Designers in Pacific Grove

The Renovation Drafting & Design team has designed custom homes in the Monterey area for decades. With comprehensive services including drafting, design, BIM modeling, permit facilitation, and more, our experts can help you design the home of your dreams.
Get Started
Custom Homes
Home Additions
Home Renovations
About

Residential Drafting Services for Pacific Grove

Every street in Pacific Grove has a story, from Lighthouse Avenue with its cafes and restaurants to the stunning overlooks on Ocean View. Whether you’re a long-time Pacific Grove resident or just moving to town, there aren’t many better places to call home.

At RDD, we appreciate all that Pacific Grove has to offer, and we strive to design homes that complement the beautiful setting. We view the design process as a fully collaborative experience with you, the homeowner. To develop the concept for your ideal house, we not only get to know you, but we get to know your style preferences, what functions you’re looking for in your home, what design choices you’ve fallen in love with, and which ones you want to avoid.

These conversations are essential for putting together the initial sketches for your new home. RDD will then transform these ideas into digital renderings so you can fully visualize what your new space will look like, from the master bedroom to the mud room.

And this is only the starting point. Our experienced designers can assist with any design, drafting, or permitting needs you have, ensuring that everything goes smoothly and seamlessly pre-construction. Whether you’re wanting a bathroom or kitchen renovation or a completely new build, our skilled team can help you draw up your perfect living space. Contact us today to see what our team can design for you.

Learn More
Permitting

Getting a remodel approved 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.

Get Started
Administrative review
Architectural Review Board
Historic Resources Committee
7-day neighbor notice
Local housing stock

Designing for a Pacific Grove house

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.

Get Started
Historic Resources Inventory
Victorian & Craftsman stock
Small lots
As-built drawings
Our Services

Solutions We Offer

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. 
Learn More
Design
Drafting
BIM modeling
Permit facilitation
How we work

How a Pacific Grove project runs

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.

Get Started
Homeowners
General contractors
As-built drawings
Permit sets
Past Projects

See Our Work 

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.

To see how we’ve helped other owners achieve their dream look, check out some of our past projects.
Explore All
Open-plan living room with a stone fireplace opening onto a kitchen with an island
Read More
Hill Project
Kitchen with a timber-clad vaulted ceiling, breakfast bar and built-in desk
Toyan Project
Rendering of a garage interior with roll-up doors, before conversion
Barn Project
Testimonial

What Our
Clients Say

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.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Google 
 
 Karen H 
 
 
  
I highly recommend Renovation Drafting and Design.  We are currently remodeling our kitchen and will be digging out space underneath our bedroom for a gym.  Lance Holt provided the design and sent me the plans and renderings so I could see how the kitchen will look.  He is very respectful and attentive to what I am asking for; he makes adequate time for our meetings and offers practical suggestions.  He has made adjustments to the design in order to accommodate our wishes kindly and with patience.  The project manager, Ryan McJilton is very knowledgable about working with the county.  He has a good working history and put me in touch with our contractor, Ted Kelly, of Kelly Construction.  So far I am very satisfied with our project.
  
 
 
 
 
 Google 
 
 Paul G 
 
 
  
Lance Holt of Renovation Drafting and Design has listened to us, heard our concerns and saw how we live and thrive every day in our kitchen. He developed the design by seeing the limitations of the space, yet put forward creative ideas to make the new kitchen truly what we want. He's been flexible throughout every step of the process and we are so satisfied with what we are now going to build.
  
 
 
 
 
 Google 
 
 Katelin C 
 
 
  
My husband and I have had the pleasure of working with Lance Holt from Renovation Drafting and Design, over the past few years on several projects, and it’s been a consistently positive experience. He brings a great energy to every interaction; always thoughtful, collaborative, and solution-oriented.

What stands out most is his willingness to adapt and facilitate changes as projects evolve. Whether it’s design revisions or adjusting to unexpected circumstances, Lance handles everything with professionalism and a can-do attitude.

If you’re looking for someone who combines creative vision with practical execution, I highly recommend Lance and Renovation Drafting and Design.

Looking forward to continuing our collaboration!
  
 
 
 
 
 Google 
 
 Jeanne 
 
 
  
Lance did an excellent job start to finish.  He is knowledgeable on the process and coordinated the entire design to permit process in a very timely manner.   He worked closely with the city and engineers to make sure they were moving forward.   His design suggestions made the bathroom addition fit nicely into my small space. He gave me better options and also referrals for a solid contractor to build it out.    I would highly recommend his work.
  
 
 
 
 
 Google 
 
 David O 
 
 
  
Fantastic listener and communicator. Reasonable fees. Timely and professional. Everything you could want from a talented draftsman or architect.

Seamless Drafting and Design Services

We’re here to make the process of designing your new home or remodel in Pacific Grove as smooth as possible. From consultation to drafting and even connecting you with potential contractors, RDD has the experience and local knowledge to complete your vision. Reach out to our team at Renovation Drafting and Design to see how we can help today!

Get Started