Frequently asked questions.

Design-build means one firm is responsible for both designing your project and building it. You sign with one team and work with one point of contact. Because the people drawing the plans are the same people who will build them, budgets are grounded in reality from the first sketch, and the vision and the finished home are one and the same.

We meet at your property, listen to your goals, and talk honestly about scope, feasibility, budget, and fit before anything is drawn. There is no pressure and no obligation. If we are not the right team for your project, we will tell you.

A project moves through three phases: design, permitting, and construction. Design depends on how quickly decisions come together, permitting varies by city and county, and construction depends on scope. We set a realistic schedule up front and keep you informed at every milestone.

The firm is led by its two partners: Matt Thompson, a seasoned general contractor and combat veteran, and Michael Gross, an accomplished building designer. They have worked together for 13 years, and they lead every project the firm takes on.

Because craftsmanship does not scale by shortcuts. A limited number of builds at a time is how we protect the quality, attention, and care each home deserves.

For most additions and renovations, yes, and we plan for it with contained work areas, disciplined site management, and clear communication about what happens each week.

Most of our ADUs range from $300,000 to $1.5 million, and junior ADUs can start around $225,000. These are wide ranges because every project carries its own site conditions, size, utility requirements, and level of finish. We give you an honest number for your specific property at the first consultation.

Our new builds range from roughly $750,000 to $5 million and beyond, driven by size, site, structural complexity, and finishes. We design to the budget we agree on together, so the number you approve on paper is the number the project is built around.

Size and site conditions come first, including hillside work, soil, and utility access. Then structural complexity, then the level of finishes. A candid budget conversation at the start is how we keep all three aligned with your number.

We discuss realistic budget ranges at the first consultation, before anything is drawn, and then design to the number we agree on. Fixed construction pricing follows the completed design, because an honest price requires a finished set of decisions.

Our design-build model exists to prevent them. Because the builder helps create the plans, constructability and cost are checked at the drawing stage, not discovered on site. When unknowns exist, such as concealed conditions in a renovation, we identify them as risks up front.

Yes. Every ADU requires permits, but California's ADU laws have streamlined approvals significantly. We prepare, submit, and manage the entire permit package on your behalf.

Detached ADUs, attached ADUs, garage conversions, and junior ADUs created within the existing home. The right type depends on your lot, your goals, and your budget.

In most cases, yes, and it is often the most cost-effective path to an ADU because the structure already exists. Feasibility comes down to the garage's condition, utilities, and your city's requirements, all of which we assess at the consultation.

Housing for family, long-term rental income, a guest house, a home office or studio, or a pool house. The design is shaped around how you intend to live with it.

A well-designed, fully permitted ADU adds livable square footage, functional flexibility, and rental income potential, which is why ADUs have become one of the most popular investments Los Angeles homeowners make.

Yes. We design and build ADUs in the Greater Tampa Bay area under our Florida general contractor license, CGC1535040.

Yes. Design and plans only is one of the ways we work. You receive permit-ready construction documents and 3D renderings you can take forward however you choose.

Floor plans, elevations, sections, and construction details prepared to your local building department's submittal requirements.

Seeing the design before it is built. Clients use them to make confident material and layout decisions and to communicate the project clearly to family, neighbors, HOAs, and lenders.

We do. We prepare, submit, and manage the complete permit package with your local building department, including plan checks and corrections, so the project keeps moving.

That is the entire goal of the design phase. Rooflines, proportions, windows, and materials are drawn to read as original to the house, and renderings let you confirm it before construction.

Greater Los Angeles, California, from our Burbank office, and the Greater Tampa Bay area of Florida, including Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater.

Yes. We build under our own general contractor licenses in both states: California CSL 1079184 and Florida CGC1535040, and we are fully insured.

Yes. The firm is veteran-owned and family-operated. Partner Matt Thompson is a combat veteran.