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Home Remodeling and ADUs in Lafayette
Remodels, additions and ADUs, including hillside lots.
In Lafayette's hills, building usually starts with a Hillside Development Permit.
Lots in Lafayette’s Hillside Overlay District need a Hillside Development Permit for almost any exterior work that also needs a building or grading permit. Small projects can be approved by city staff. Larger ones go to the Design Review Commission, and anything inside a protected ridgeline setback goes to the Planning Commission. Planning approvals come from the City of Lafayette; building permits and inspections come from Contra Costa County. On the 2025 state fire maps, about 5,300 acres of Lafayette are rated High fire hazard.
Our Services
What Building in Lafayette Actually Involves
Three things we plan for on every Lafayette job
The hillside permit
If your lot is in the Hillside Overlay District, we design around the review it will get, so it doesn’t come back for a redesign.
ADUs on sloped lots
A backyard ADU on a hill means grading, retaining walls, drainage and a long utility run. Those set the budget more than the finishes do.
Two agencies
City planning first, then county building permits. We run both, so you don’t chase either one.
How a Lafayette Job Runs
Design-build means one team from the first walkthrough to the final inspection: design, engineering, permits and construction. On a hillside lot, site work and structure drive the cost, so the people designing it should be the people pricing and building it.
The first visit is on site. We check whether your lot is in the Hillside Overlay District, walk the grade and drainage, and look at the panel and utility runs. Then a preconstruction agreement covers design, engineering and the permit set, and ends with a detailed construction budget. If a Hillside Development Permit applies, we size the project to the right level of review: city staff, the Design Review Commission or, near a ridgeline, the Planning Commission. Building permits and inspections go through Contra Costa County. During the build you get a weekly update, and we photograph every wall before it closes.
Our Nearest Work
Oakland Hills: a 750 sq ft ADU built into an unfinished basement, with radiant floor heat and a gray water system for irrigation.
Adams Point: a 575 sq ft backyard ADU, where PG&E wanted the meter on the front and we got the 400-amp service approved on the side.
We’re based in Oakland, a short drive through the tunnel. Start with a free 15-minute call. If it’s a fit, we’ll walk the property with you, tell you whether the hillside rules apply, and give you a straight ballpark.
