Recent Work Nearby
A sample from our project gallery — real jobs, from framing to finish.
Stone-front Victorians near Main Street, farmhouse estates in the vineyards, hillside properties rebuilding stronger after the Glass Fire — St. Helena asks more of a contractor, and that's exactly why we work here.
St. Helena's housing stock reads like a timeline of Napa Valley itself: 19th-century stone and Victorian homes near downtown, farmhouse compounds among the vines, and contemporary hillside estates in the Mayacamas and Howell Mountain foothills. Working here means knowing when to restore, when to replicate, and when to quietly modernize behind original walls — judgment that only comes from decades in North Bay construction.
It also means building for fire. The 2020 Glass Fire burned to the edges of St. Helena and through the hills above it, and every hillside project we touch now is designed around ignition resistance: Class A roofing, ember-resistant vents, tempered glazing, ignition-resistant decking, and defensible-space planning baked into the site work rather than bolted on afterward. This isn't upsell — in the WUI zones around St. Helena, it's simply how responsible construction is done in 2026.
Howard Construction has built in Calistoga and the Upvalley since 2000. We know the inspectors, the soil, the water and septic realities of vineyard parcels, and the subcontractors who actually show up. That's what keeps an Upvalley project on schedule.
Historic fabric downtown, wildland-urban interface in the hills, working vineyards in between — three very different building environments in one small city.
Projects inside city limits go through St. Helena's Planning & Building Department, with added review for properties in or near the historic district. Vineyard and hillside parcels outside city limits are handled by Napa County PBES, often with grading and erosion-control requirements.
For WUI parcels we build to Chapter 7A of the California Building Code as the floor, not the ceiling: Class A roofs, ember-resistant venting, ignition-resistant siding and decking, and site design that supports defensible space under PRC 4291.
Rural parcels mean wells, septic, long driveways, PG&E coordination, and harvest-season scheduling around your vineyard operations. We plan construction logistics so the build never interferes with the crop.
Kitchen, bathroom, and whole-home renovations built around your daily life — including phased work while you live in the home.
Primary suites, second stories, great rooms, and in-law wings engineered to match the existing structure seamlessly.
Detached ADUs, garage conversions, and junior ADUs handled end-to-end: feasibility, plans, permits, and build.
Outdoor kitchens, covered rooms, pool decks, and entertaining spaces built for wine-country indoor-outdoor living.
Engineered decks, pergolas, and shade structures — including ignition-resistant assemblies for WUI parcels.
Detached garages, shops, barns, and carriage houses with finished living space above.
A sample from our project gallery — real jobs, from framing to finish.
Yes. Work on or near historic properties requires extra design sensitivity and sometimes additional review, and we build to preserve street-facing character while upgrading structure, systems, and energy performance behind it. Complete submittals with clear historic-compatibility documentation are what keep these approvals moving.
At minimum for WUI parcels: Class A roof assembly, ember-resistant vents, ignition-resistant exterior cladding and decking, tempered or multi-pane glazing, and enclosed eaves — plus site-level defensible space planning. We price these as standard scope on hillside projects, not add-ons.
Regularly. Rural St. Helena parcels bring water, septic, access, and utility questions that town lots don't, and we scope all of it up front — including coordination with your vineyard manager so construction traffic never conflicts with harvest.
For substantial work, start conversations 6–12 months before you want ground broken. Design, engineering, and permitting on county hillside parcels take real time, and the best subcontractor crews book out. A free early consultation costs nothing and protects your timeline.
Philip Howard personally reviews every inquiry and walks every site. One call gets you a straight answer on feasibility, timeline, and budget — no pressure, no runaround.
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