Construction and rebuilds in Rancho Santa Fe
Additions and rebuilds in Rancho Santa Fe, where County permits and the Association's Art Jury both apply.
What is different about Rancho Santa Fe
- Rancho Santa Fe is unincorporated, so building permits come from the County of San Diego, not a city.Source: County of San Diego Planning & Development Services (PDS)
- Inside the Covenant, development and building applications go to the Rancho Santa Fe Association's Art Jury, and the Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District reviews plans for fire sprinklers and other fire-code items.Source: Rancho Santa Fe Association; Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District
- About 55% of the roughly 4,600 housing units in ZIPs 92067 and 92091 were built before 1990, and the Census median home value is about $1.9 million.Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year, tables B25034 and B25003 (via Census Reporter)
Rancho Santa Fe projects run through two reviewers before the County: the Association's Art Jury for design and the fire district for access, sprinklers and defensible space. Approval order matters, and we plan it as a schedule item at the first visit. Large lots give room for guest houses and ADUs, and some properties use septic systems rather than sewer. County code requires the Department of Environmental Health and Quality to sign off before a building permit for an addition on a septic property, so a new bedroom or unit can add a review step.
The 2007 Witch Creek Fire reached parts of Rancho Santa Fe, and anyone rebuilding after a fire here faces current wildland-urban interface rules: ignition-resistant materials, vents and decking. The Covenant also governs materials and colors. We read the Association's guidelines with the owner before pricing, because a finish the Art Jury rejects costs more to redo than to choose correctly. We work from your architect's plans, and we say when an engineer or specialty partner is required.
Services in Rancho Santa Fe
Home additions and room additions
Added bedrooms, bathrooms, family rooms and second stories, built to the permit set.
ADU construction (backyard units and garage conversions)
Detached, attached and garage-conversion accessory dwelling units, built to current state rules.
Whole-home renovation
Kitchens, baths, floors and layout changes planned as one job with one schedule.
Fire damage reconstruction
Rebuilding a fire-damaged home to current code, working with your insurance claim.
Water damage reconstruction
Rebuilding floors, walls and ceilings after a leak or flood, once the structure is dry.
Structural repair
Framing, beams, floors and rot repair, plus work around foundations, built to engineer's details.
Permits and plans
Which office permits your project, what plans it needs, and how we coordinate the paperwork.
General contractor
One licensed contractor to schedule, build and inspect a residential project from start to finish.