Service Area
Design-build remodeling in San Jose, CA.
San Jose 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
- San Jose, California
- Design-build under one roof
- Based in Santa Clara, CA
In San Jose
Work we have finished here.
We rebuilt a dated San Jose kitchen from oak and granite into navy cabinetry under white uppers, with quartz counters, a blue-grey mosaic backsplash and an island hood. It is the one project on this site with a full before and after, shot from the same spot.
Building in San Jose
01
Two numbers that trigger a Single-Family House Permit
San Jose requires a Single-Family House Permit from Planning before a building permit when a new house or addition goes over 30 feet or two stories, or pushes the floor area ratio past 0.45. FAR leaves out the garage, basement, accessory structures and any ADU. The permit is also triggered by building within 100 feet of a creek on a lot of half an acre or more, a listing on the Historic Resources Inventory, or 10,000 square feet of new or reworked impervious surface. The city lists about two months and a $3,412 initial fee at staff level, or about six months and $11,005 with a public hearing.
City source02
Shape the second story to stay out of a hearing
A house permit stays at staff level only when the project removes no more than 50 percent of the exterior walls, stays within 30 feet and two stories, keeps the second floor to 60 percent of the first floor including an attached garage, and sets it back an extra 10 feet behind the required front setback. Rooflines, materials and trim must match the existing house, and the front porch cannot be enclosed. Miss one and the project goes to a public hearing with notice to neighbours within 300 feet.
City source03
A trunk 38 inches around needs a permit, even if dead
On a single-family or duplex lot, San Jose requires a permit to remove any ordinance-size tree, live or dead: 38 inches or more in circumference at 4.5 feet above ground. Removing a live one for a project means a 10-day public notice and a possible Director hearing. Trees within 5 feet of the house, garage or a buried utility line, or on the unsuitable list such as eucalyptus and pine, take a faster route with no notice. Single-family lots can replace trees 1:1, and the ratio doubles if a tree was cut without a permit.
City source04
Under 750 square feet, an ADU skips two fees
San Jose does not charge school impact fees or parkland fees on ADUs under 750 square feet, so we size many backyard units just below that line. Fire review is where sites get caught: every part of the ADU should be within 150 feet of the curb along a 4-foot clear path, and every exterior wall within 600 feet of a hydrant, or a Fire Variance may be needed. An attached ADU over 500 square feet that brings the total past 3,600 square feet means sprinklers for the whole house.
City sourceWe handle the submissions, but if you want to ask something before we speak, San Jose runs a Speak with a City Planner line (press 1, then 5) on ZoningQuestions@sanjoseca.gov and 408-535-3555. 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 San Jose: 95002 · 95013 · 95110 · 95111 · 95112 · 95113 · 95116 · 95117 · 95118 · 95119 · 95120 · 95121 · 95122 · 95123 · 95124 · 95125 · 95126 · 95127 · 95128 · 95129 · 95130 · 95131 · 95132 · 95133 · 95134 · 95135 · 95136 · 95138 · 95139 · 95141 · 95148
Our Services
What we build in a San Jose 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 San Jose project runs.
Five steps, one point of contact, no surprises between the design table and the build.
Free consultation
Talk to us about your San Jose 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 San Jose.
South Bay / Peninsula · Santa Clara + San Mateo Counties