Full-Service Construction
& Remodeling
From a single bathroom to a complete custom build — we manage every permit, subcontractor, and detail. Serving Santa Rosa, Sonoma Valley, Napa Valley, Healdsburg, Windsor & Calistoga since 2000.
Get a Free Estimate →We build houses from the ground up — raw land to keys in your hand. One licensed contractor carrying the whole project: site work, foundation, framing, roof, every system, every finish. Philip Howard is on site for all of it.
- Ground-up custom homes on raw or developed land
- Site evaluation, grading, drainage and engineered foundations
- Framing, roofing and the full weather-tight envelope
- Plumbing, electrical, HVAC and solar — coordinated in-house
- Insulation, drywall, cabinetry, tile, flooring and finish carpentry
- Permits, plan-check corrections and every inspection through occupancy
- WUI Chapter 7A fire-hardened construction and Title 24 compliance
- Post-fire rebuilds — Tubbs, Nuns and Glass Fire reconstruction
- Lindal post-and-beam and other manufacturer packages
Complete kitchen, bathroom, and whole-home renovations that respect your budget and your daily routine — including when you live in the space during construction.
- Kitchen renovations — full gut or cosmetic refresh
- Bathroom remodels and master suite upgrades
- Open floor plan conversions and structural work
- Flooring, drywall, finish carpentry, and paint
- Window and door replacements
- Whole-home renovations and upgrades
Seamlessly integrated additions that match your home's existing architecture and significantly increase property value.
- Single-story and second-story room additions
- ADU construction (detached and attached)
- Master bedroom and bath suite additions
- Garage conversions to living space
- Sunroom and family room additions
- In-law suite and guest house construction
Custom pool construction and complete backyard transformations. Authorized
- Fiberglass pool installation
- Gunite and vinyl pool construction
- Pool deck and surrounding hardscape
- Outdoor kitchens and barbecue centers
- Retaining walls and drainage solutions
- Complete backyard renovation
Custom wood, composite, and Trex® deck systems with pergolas and built-in seating designed for Sonoma County's climate.
- New deck framing and construction
- Deck replacement and structural repair
- Pergolas, arbors, and shade structures
- Built-in benches, planters, and railings
- Fencing and privacy screens
- Concrete patios and walkways
Detached garages, utility rooms, and outbuildings built to California code with the same quality as our primary residential work.
- Detached and attached garage construction
- Garage rebuilds after damage
- Utility room and laundry room builds
- Workshop and storage structures
- Garage door replacement and framing
- Electrical and plumbing rough-in
We guide you from site assessment through design, permits, construction, and final sign-off for your accessory dwelling unit.
- Detached ADU new construction
- Attached ADU additions
- Garage conversion to ADU
- Junior ADU within existing home
- Full permit management with Sonoma County
- Utility hookups and separate metering
We also handle concrete flatwork, window and door replacement, exterior painting and siding. Have a project not listed? Ask us — chances are we've done it.
CA Class B license. Full liability and workers' comp on every project, every time.
We file and manage all permits with Sonoma County and the City of Santa Rosa.
Realistic timelines. Nightly cleanup. Professional crews. We finish what we start.
Philip Howard personally runs every project. No middlemen. No call centers.
Completed projects across Sonoma County. Click any photo to view full size.
Have a project in mind?
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Technical Standards We Build To
Northern California has some of the most demanding residential building requirements in the country. These are the standards that shape what a project here actually costs and how long it takes.
Chapter 7A — Wildland-Urban Interface
Much of Sonoma and Napa County sits in a mapped WUI zone. That means Class A roof assemblies, ember-resistant vents, ignition-resistant siding and soffits, enclosed eaves, dual-pane windows with tempered glass, and decking restrictions within ten feet of the structure. Typically adds $25,000–$70,000 on new construction — and increasingly determines whether a home is insurable at all.
Hillside Foundations & Seismic Design
Expansive clay is widespread across the Santa Rosa plain and the Petaluma and Cotati valleys, and it swells and shrinks with the seasons. Hillside sites in Fountaingrove, Bennett Valley and the Mayacamas add slope stability, drainage and often drilled piers. Every foundation here is engineered for seismic lateral load and inspected accordingly.
Title 24 Energy Compliance
California's energy code governs insulation, glazing performance, HVAC efficiency and lighting on every permitted project. New detached ADUs and new homes are also subject to the state solar mandate. Compliance documentation is part of the permit submittal, not an afterthought.
Residential Fire Sprinklers
Required in all new California residential construction since 2011 — roughly $4–$8 per square foot. Worth knowing: state law says an ADU only needs sprinklers if the primary residence has them, which saves owners of older homes a significant sum.
Septic, Well & Water
Many unincorporated parcels run on well and septic. Adding a bedroom typically triggers an Environmental Health evaluation and sometimes an expanded leach field, $15,000–$55,000. This belongs at the start of a project, not after the design is done.
Twelve Permitting Jurisdictions
A Santa Rosa mailing address does not mean the City of Santa Rosa reviews your project — Larkfield-Wikiup, Mark West and much of Bennett Valley are Permit Sonoma. Each agency has its own fee schedule and timeline. See the full permit guide →
Howard Construction Inc. · CSLB License #836369, Class B General Building Contractor · Verify at cslb.ca.gov