Service Area
Design-build remodeling in Palo Alto, CA.
Palo Alto 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
- Palo Alto, California
- Design-build under one roof
- Based in Santa Clara, CA
In Palo Alto
What to know before you build here.
In Palo Alto the review path is set before the design is: second stories face objective standards or Individual Review, protected trees can fix the footprint, and flood rules reach every parcel. The ADU rules, by contrast, go beyond state minimums.
Building in Palo Alto
01
150 square feet upstairs triggers the two-story rules
In Palo Alto, a second-floor addition of 150 square feet or more, or a new two-story home, must meet every one of the city's two-story objective design standards, adopted in February 2025. If the design misses any of them, it needs Single Family Individual Review, a discretionary planning application filed before the building permit. A remodel that keeps at least 75 percent of the existing exterior walls can apply for a Home Improvement Exception to relax specific development regulations. We design to the objective standards first.
City source02
Protected trees start at 11.5 inches across
Palo Alto protects coast live, valley, blue and black oaks, big leaf maple and incense cedar at 11.5 inches in diameter at breast height, coast redwoods at 18 inches, and most other mature trees at 15 inches. Removing one for a project needs its own Tree Removal Permit, best secured before the building permit is submitted. Construction alone is not a reason: the city expects a design that saves the tree unless that would add more than twice its reproduction cost or 10 percent of project valuation, whichever is greater, or cut buildable area by over 25 percent.
City source03
Every parcel sits in some flood zone
All of Palo Alto is in some flood zone, though most of the city is Zone X. In the AE and AH zones, work costing more than 50 percent of the existing structure's current market value is a substantial improvement, and the rules can then reach the existing house as well as the new work. The lowest floor must sit at or above base flood elevation plus 1 foot, which effectively rules out basements. To show a project stays under 50 percent, the city wants a detailed cost estimate covering everything down to paint and flooring, plus a professional appraisal of the structure alone.
City source04
An 800 square foot ADU fits on any eligible lot
Palo Alto allows two ADUs and one JADU on a single-family lot. An 800 square foot detached ADU can go on any eligible lot at up to 16 feet, or 18 feet within half a mile of major transit. Going to 900 square feet for one bedroom or 1,000 for two or more brings extra city standards, such as privacy rules for windows facing neighbours. An attached ADU can add up to 800 square feet beyond the lot's floor area and coverage limits. The city estimates development impact fees at $10,000 to $80,000.
City sourceWe handle the submissions, but if you want to ask something before we speak, Palo Alto runs a Planner on Duty on planner@paloalto.gov and 650-617-3117. 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 Palo Alto: 94301 · 94303 · 94304 · 94306
Our Services
What we build in a Palo Alto 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 Palo Alto project runs.
Five steps, one point of contact, no surprises between the design table and the build.
Free consultation
Talk to us about your Palo Alto 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 Palo Alto.
South Bay / Peninsula · Santa Clara + San Mateo Counties