Home Design & Remodeling for Contra Costa County

Architectural, landscape and interior design services for new build homes, additions, remodels and beyond.

SDL Residential Design has grown from a humble design firm in Sonoma in 2014 to an experienced design team helping clients in the greater Contra Costa County area and throughout the Bay Area.

We provide a full service solution for clients looking to build a new home, guest house or ADU from the ground-up, expand their existing footprint with an addition or simply renovate their kitchen or bathroom. We work with our clients to create a design, introduce you to contractors, and work with specialists like structural engineers to finalize the construction drawings required for a building permit from Contra Costa County. We also work with you to pick out interior design & finishes, and produce layout and installation drawings for your contractor. Then during construction we’re on-hand for you and your contractor to provide additional details and problem solving if issues come up.

We pride ourselves on working closely with our clients from the beginning until after a project is completed, providing as much knowledge, opinion, and coordination as needed. Behind us is a large network of professionals who are ready to support our clients and their projects.

A black new build home looking over Sonoma Valley.

“We just completed our second project with SDL and were thrilled with the results, once again. Sam is great at listening and bringing your vision to life. He suggests additional elements graciously (take it or leave it) that really make things shine. The 3D renderings his firm now does are super helpful for envisioning the final look and feel.”

— EMILY W. - CLIENT

FAQ

Contra Costa County’s review timeline for permit applications is quicker than most Bay Area counties. Not all permits are created equal, so depending on the type of project you may wait a few of weeks for an over-the-counter permit, vs 2-3 months for a new-build home or ADU. However that time is valuable; during that period we produce many details and dial in specifications so that your contractor can hit the ground running once your permit is approved.
All Contra Costa building permits are now submitted and reviewed exclusively online.
Contra Costa County has a diverse range of architectural styles, building ages and property types; from small, flat inner-city lots, to lush hillsides with poor accessibility. All these factors affect the economic feasibility, but in our opinion aging properties normally require extensive remodeling, to the extent that it may ultimately be cheaper to reconstruct portions of a home.
As this question might require heavy consideration depending on the project, we can determine what the best path for you is through an optional Building Feasibility Study in the early stages of a working together.
2024 saw the adoption of state-wide regulations that aimed to ease the housing crisis by making the construction and use of Accessory Dwelling Units more flexible. This included expedited timelines for permit review, and relaxed building setback, height and parking requirements. However there are still site-specific constraints that may make an ADU untenable, so before design begins we would advise using a Building Feasibility Study to outline design parameters.
After a free consultation to evaluate the scope of the project, a total design fee will be created on a flat fee basis. This flat fee is then split up between the different phases of the project, giving you financial runway as we work through the project.
We certainly do! Before we embark on any project we will always offer a free consultation so that we can get to know each other and see if we’ll be a good fit. If so we’ll be happy to provide design services, including consultation, for projects big or small.