Service Area
Design-build remodeling in Los Altos, CA.
Los Altos sits inside the area BayCraft serves. Design and construction stay under one roof, so a single team carries your project from the first conversation to the final walkthrough.
We build home additions, ADUs, kitchens, bathrooms and whole-home remodels for families across the South Bay and the Peninsula, working from Santa Clara under California contractor license #1158750. Permits, zoning research, plan submissions and inspections are handled by us, with whichever agency has jurisdiction over your address.
- Licensed CSLB #1158750
- Los Altos, California
- Design-build under one roof
- Based in Santa Clara, CA
In Los Altos
What to know before you build here.
Los Altos applies design review to exterior alterations, additions and new homes in its single-family zone. Second stories are decided at a public Zoning Administrator meeting. ADUs are the exception and need only a building permit, so the path your project takes sets the real timeline.
Building in Los Altos
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Second stories go to the Zoning Administrator
In Los Altos, a Design Review Permit decided by the Zoning Administrator is needed for a new two-story house, a second-story addition, or a one-story house taller than 20 feet. Those meetings are held on the first and third Wednesdays of each month at 4 PM. There are no meetings in July or December, so plan around them. Staff can also send any other residential design review to this meeting. Staying one story and under 20 feet usually keeps a project off the agenda, and it is often the most useful schedule decision we make.
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What the design review submittal needs
A design review application for a new house or addition needs a preliminary title report prepared within the last year, a neighbourhood compatibility worksheet and a posted project sign. If any new work comes within five feet of a required setback, a licensed land surveyor must survey the site. Every existing tree over 4 inches in diameter goes on the site plan. Projects that need a public hearing must show outreach to the two homes on each side, the homes behind and five or six homes across the street.
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Native trees are protected from 10 inches
Los Altos protects any tree 12 inches or more in diameter, and any native species from 10 inches, measured 48 inches above the ground. Every approved removal is replaced 1:1 with at least a 24-inch box tree, following a plan by a Certified Arborist. That includes dead trees. A standalone permit takes about 30 days, and it must then be posted on site for 10 calendar days before the tree comes down. Trees affected by an addition or new house are reviewed with that application, and the City will not approve removals in advance.
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An 18-foot ADU and free City plans
A detached ADU in Los Altos can be up to 1,200 square feet and 18 feet tall. An attached ADU is also capped at 1,200 square feet, but it cannot be more than 50% of the main house floor area. Its height limit is 16 feet or the zoning height, whichever is greater. Side and rear setbacks are 4 feet. The City offers free permit-ready plans for detached ADUs of 525, 854 and 1,190 square feet, each in three styles. Only a JADU requires the owner to live on the lot.
City sourceWe handle the submissions, but if you want to ask something before we speak, Los Altos runs a Public Service Counter on planning@losaltosca.gov and 650-947-2750. Requirements on this page are from the city's own planning pages and can change, so we re-check them per address.
ZIP codes we serve in Los Altos: 94022 · 94024
Our Services
What we build in a Los Altos home.
Every project runs through the same design-build team, whether it is one room or the whole house.
ADU & Junior ADU Construction
Independent living spaces, from permits to final walkthrough.
View service →Complete Home Remodeling
Whole-home transformations, planned and built under one roof.
View service →Kitchen Remodeling & Design
Kitchens and living spaces shaped around your family's rhythm.
View service →Garage-to-Living Space Conversions
Underused garages become bright, functional rooms.
View service →Architectural Design & Planning
Design-build coordination, structural engineering, and permits.
View service →Landscape & Hardscape
Patios, walkways, driveways, retaining walls, drainage and grading.
View service →Our Work Process
How a Los Altos project runs.
Five steps, one point of contact, no surprises between the design table and the build.
Free consultation
Talk to us about your Los Altos project.
Tell us about the house and what you have in mind. We will come back with the questions that decide scope and budget, and what a realistic first step looks like.
(669) 732-7329
info@baycraftdb.com
Mon - Fri: 9AM - 6PM
Sun: 10AM - 4PM, Sat closed
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Areas We Serve
Beyond Los Altos.
South Bay / Peninsula · Santa Clara + San Mateo Counties