Residential Architecture Services for the South Bay and Peninsula
What determines whether a South Bay residential project holds together is not the design. It is the foundation evaluation, the permit threshold calculation, the site constraints that define what can actually be built.
We design remodels, additions, and custom homes throughout the South Bay and Peninsula. Our role starts before design does.
Home Remodels & Renovations
A whole-home remodel in the South Bay and Peninsula is not a construction project with an architect attached. It is a constraint problem with a design solution.
Existing structures contain conditions that are rarely documented: walls carrying load invisibly, systems modified without permits, foundations behaving differently than the drawings suggest. Discovering these during construction produces a redesign. Discovering them earlier produces an adjustment.
We work on full home remodels and layout reconfiguration, interior renovations and spatial upgrades, structural improvements, and complete home transformations. Some projects are targeted upgrades. Others involve a full rethinking of the home.
Understand what the remodel process involves → Project Planning Guide
Home Additions & Second Story Expansions
Second story additions and front or rear extensions designed to integrate with the existing home structurally and architecturally.
In the South Bay's ranch-era housing stock, the first question on a second story addition is not about form. It is whether the existing foundation can support a different load condition, and which permit track the project will land in.
In Cupertino, both are answered before a room is placed. The second-floor-to-first-floor ratio determines whether the project moves through the Two-Story Permit path or triggers Residential Design Review, and that distinction shapes the schedule and cost structure of the entire project.
We handle zoning and feasibility analysis, massing and spatial studies, full architectural design, and permit coordination through approvals.
Before working with Eyal, we interviewed more than 20 architects. He personally measured our house, identified discrepancies between public records and the actual square footage, and proactively clarified everything with the City of Palo Alto, streamlining the permit process so we could submit for Planning and Building simultaneously. From day one he has been client-minded, responsive, and thoughtful. We immediately felt confident in his expertise.
— Palo Alto Residential Client, 2026Discuss Your Project
We respond within one business day to confirm a time.
Custom Home Design
Full architectural design for teardown-rebuilds and new construction on vacant lots.
We design custom homes and teardown rebuilds in Saratoga, Los Gatos, Los Altos Hills, Atherton, Menlo Park, and across the South Bay and Peninsula. The decision between a teardown and a major addition is not always obvious. When FAR limits, structural condition, or program size make a whole-house addition inefficient, a teardown rebuild often produces a better outcome at comparable cost.
We evaluate that question before any design investment is made. New construction in these cities typically runs $1.2M to $2M or more for a 3,000 sqft home. We scope projects to construction reality from the first conversation.
We manage the full process from concept through permits: site analysis, architectural design, engineering coordination, and planning entitlements.
What separates a well-managed project from a difficult one
The most expensive mistakes on South Bay residential projects are not design mistakes. They are sequencing mistakes.
A contractor prices against a verbal scope before the permit path is established. A homeowner closes on a property before the structural candidacy for their addition is evaluated. A design cycles three times because the foundation was not assessed before schematic design began. None of these are unusual. All of them are preventable.
Most homeowners who have worked with another firm describe the same pattern: the architect completes the drawings, then steps back. That is not how we work.
We stay involved through structural and consultant coordination, so you are not managing technical decisions across multiple parties. Our construction documents are developed for your property and jurisdiction, detailed enough to support accurate pricing. We understand how each city operates in practice, and when decisions are required, we provide direction, not just information.
"We were doing a complex whole house remodel with additions and raised the ceiling. Eyal had a great vision and was able to put together a comprehensive plan and conceptualize our ideas. He made the seemingly impossible project a reality."
— Houzz review, Saratoga client, June 2026
From Feasibility to Full Architectural Design
Early Stage Evaluation:
Most projects begin with a structured property evaluation. We review existing conditions, zoning and planning context, permit path, initial scope, and budget range to establish what is realistically achievable.
Understand what the evaluation covers → Feasibility & Starting Smart
Full Architectural Services
Once direction is established, design moves through schematic, development, and construction documentation stages, coordinated with structural engineers and consultants, and submitted to the relevant city for permits. We manage that sequence so the drawings that reach a contractor reflect the actual project, not an optimistic version of it.
How each phase works → Explore our project process
Not certain whether to remodel, add on, or rebuild?
Most of our projects start with that question. The Discovery Call is a 30-minute conversation about your specific property, your program, and what the site can actually support. No design work begins until that is clear.
The permit process varies by city
Jurisdictional requirements across the South Bay and Peninsula differ significantly and directly shape how a project moves from design to approval.
In Saratoga, second story additions typically trigger design review with neighbor notification within a 250-foot radius. In Los Altos, planning approval is required before building permit submission for most exterior additions. Los Altos Hills routes projects through a Site Development permit process. Cupertino requires Residential Design Review for many two-story additions, triggered by the second-floor-to-first-floor ratio and side setback thresholds. Sunnyvale includes design review through its One-Stop Permit Center. Mountain View and Campbell are generally more streamlined, with most additions handled at the building department level. San Jose operates across multiple districts, and submittals must be structured accordingly.
We plan for these conditions from the outset.
For the complete architectural guide to each project type → Project Planning Guide · Feasibility & Starting Smart · What's Possible.
Areas we work in
We work throughout the South Bay and Peninsula. Each city links to project pathway and permit process detail for that area.
Santa Clara County (South Bay) Campbell · Cupertino · Los Altos · Los Altos Hills · Los Gatos · Monte Sereno · Mountain View · Palo Alto · San Jose · Santa Clara · Saratoga · Sunnyvale
San Mateo County (Peninsula) Atherton ·Belmont ·Burlingame · Hillsborough · Menlo Park · Portola Valley · Redwood City · San Carlos · San Mateo · Woodside
Every city carries different constraints, from hillside conditions to neighborhood review processes and zoning limits. These differences directly shape what is possible on a property and how a project moves from concept to approval.
Read what Bay Area homeowners say about working with us → [our clients' words]
Frequently Asked Questions
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Most of the projects we take on begin with a homeowner who is not sure whether to remodel, add on or rebuild. If you are in that position, the Discovery Call is the right starting point. It is designed to answer that question before any design work begins.
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We manage all permitting. This includes preparing the permit application, coordinating any required engineering, submitting to the relevant planning and building departments, responding to corrections and tracking the approval through to issuance.
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Design and permits typically take 6 to 18 months depending on project complexity and city. The range is wide because the permit track is determined by design decisions made early in the process, not by project size alone. A second story addition in Cupertino that lands in the Two-Story Permit path moves materially faster than one that triggers Residential Design Review. We provide a realistic timeline during the Feasibility Study so you know what to expect before committing to full design.
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We work with contractors you select. We can also provide introductions to contractors we have worked with on similar projects in your area and manage the bidding process on your behalf.
Discuss Your Project
Most homeowners leave the Discovery Call knowing whether their project is viable, what permit path it will follow, and what a realistic budget range looks like. That clarity is the starting point for everything that follows.