Why do people build their homes from scratch instead of buying a pre-built house? The appeal of custom home building is in the opportunity for project owners to design, curate, and build their dream home according to their own ambitious design ideas. Architects can translate these ideas into feasible designs, and owners can handpick builders who share their vision and cater to their financial and timeline requirements.
Below are the best custom home builders in Pismo that have helped the city’s and its nearby communities’ aspiring homeowners to breathe life into the homes that they’ve been dreaming of. These firms have years of experience as builders and they qualified for this list based on the quality of their work, the awards they have won, their press features, and the quality of client testimonials that bear witness to the quality provided to previous projects.
Allen Construction
201 N Milpas St. Santa Barbara, CA 93103
Allen Construction is nationally-recognized as one of California’s pioneers in green and sustainable construction. The firm operates from its headquarters and other regional divisions in Ventura, San Luis Obispo, and West Los Angeles. Since the firm first launched its service in 1983, it has enjoyed an award-winning career, commended by the industry’s biggest institutions and publications. In 2020, it was named Best of Santa Barbara by Santa Barbara Independent magazine. That same year, Qualified Remodeler included the firm in its Top 500 rankings and also recognized some of its remodeling projects with the sought-after Chrysalis Award.
Dennis Allen leads the firm as chairman of the board. Under his guidance, the company has delivered some of the most stunning residences and estates that grace California’s high-end communities. Luxury homes inspired by the old-world allure of European classical architectures and homes that celebrate the sleek, minimalist, and expansive spaces of contemporary and modern design can both be found in the firm’s stylistically diverse portfolio.
Schaefer Custom Homes
4251 S Higuera St # 800, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Luxury custom residences and remodeling projects represent Schaefer Custom Homes’s three decades of experience in the construction industry. Erich Schaefer, a second-generation builder, founded the company as an answer to the region’s growing need for modern spaces that address the functional and architectural needs of their inhabitants. The result is a portfolio of high-end homes that celebrate a wide range of styles, including Mediterranean, Spanish, Tuscan, traditional, modern, and contemporary.
In Pismo Beach, the firm built the Wegis Residence, a single-family home completed in 2016. The luxury home project—which cost almost $2 million— brings together the airy and expansive structures of contemporary architecture and the light and refreshing palette and materials of coastal interior design. The home’s stucco façade is set on a neutral palette that complements its surrounding environmental context. Long windows and full glass entrance doors blur the line between the indoors and the sunny outdoors. The second-level balcony gives owners a full 180-degree view of the beach area. The home’s interiors create comfort through contrasting neutral-saturated textiles, as well as the cozy feel of light wood textures and custom fixtures.
CK Builders Inc.
5700 Dot Com Ct Ste 1070, Oviedo, FL 32765
CK Builders is a woman-owned, woman-operated company that has been in the industry for over 20 years. One of the highlights of the firm’s practice is its sustainable and energy-efficient practices. The firm is licensed and trained to incorporate green products and materials. Its portfolio includes zero-energy homes that feature passive solar systems for any size of household.
Cindy Edwards leads the firm’s practice: she is a second-generation builder that combines traditional craftsmanship with emerging construction technologies. As a result, the firm provides modern and contemporary homes that answer to the ever-changing needs of every household. Under her leadership, the company operates as a design-build firm that takes charge of every step of the development process, from conceptual design through completion.
Frantz Construction
633 Vista Pacifica Cir. Pismo Beach, CA 93449
Frantz Construction is an emerging custom home builder that is starting to establish its presence in the Central Coast’s construction scene. Veteran-owned and operated, the company introduces traditional, transitional, and contemporary living spaces to the mid-range and luxury residential markets. Josh and Desra Frantz founded the firm and personally lead every project.
Josh Frantz has over two decades of experience as a builder and that experience has allowed him to develop a practice that focuses on the present and future needs of its clients. The firm’s portfolio highlights projects in kitchen and bathroom remodeling, home additions, and outbuilding construction. The firm is also a custom home builder that works with leading interior designers and architects to translate a client’s design aspiration into an enduring, functional structure.
Norholm Builders, Inc.
P.O. Box 1356, Pismo Beach, CA 93448
Poul Norholm has been serving California’s central coast as a licensed custom home specialist for over 25 years. Poul has several design teams he partners with. His process starts with meeting the clients to discuss the project and their needs in order to put together the right team for them. The company is a design-build firm that makes use of the latest in construction technologies to deliver buildings that answer to the emerging needs of present-day lifestyles. A part of this approach is incorporating green design and building methods into the building projects that the firm takes on.
The result is a portfolio of modern and contemporary custom homes and living spaces commended for their architecture and functionality. These homes are curated to fit their surrounding environment and design context. Aside from its modern designs, the firm has a deep understanding of the classic elegance of European-inspired homes. Tuscan, Mediterranean, Frank Lloyd Wright, Country, Farm House and Spanish homes make up a big part of its luxury project list.
Robertson Builders
210 Traffic Way, Suite A, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420
Robertson Builders first opened its doors for the Central Coast residential market in 1980. Focusing on custom homes and remodeling, the business grew to cater to commercial construction projects as well. Bruce Robertson led the firm until Chad and Dustry, sons and second-generation builders came on board as the firm’s new principals. Together, they combined the old craftsmanship that Bruce introduced into the company early on, with their knowledge of the latest in building technologies.
The combined experience and understanding of the building process produced a diverse portfolio of custom homes and interiors inspired by a wide spectrum of styles. The firm’s project list highlights the classic, traditional, and nostalgic homes of craftsman and farmhouse architectures, as well as the bold and imposing structures of Mediterranean and Tuscan designs. These homes— although inspired by old-world and classic structures—make use of leading industry materials. They are thoughtfully built with modern functionality and space optimization in mind.
Ed Cuming Construction, Inc. dba Ed Cuming Custom Homes
535 Le Point St. Arroyo Grande, CA 93420
Ed Cuming Custom Homes offers a comprehensive approach to custom home building. The firm was established in 2003 and since then it has served as a one-stop-shop professional that takes on full-service design-build work for residential communities throughout the region. Ed Cuming, the firm’s principal builder, applies a hands-on approach to construction. Personally leading the firm’s everyday operations, he has an extensive background in project planning, in-house design services, and construction. This method has allowed the company to secure a client following based on referrals and repeat business.
These unique contemporary homes featured here are some examples of the firm’s work. They were built in 2020. Located in the hills above San Luis Obispo in the Monterey Heights neighborhood, this two-home build was expertly designed by architects TenOver Studio to maximize views and functionality. The detail is top-notch with its spacious open floor plans, high-end finishes, abundant natural light, and harmonious connection to its surroundings. Ed notes that this hillside project was unique from a construction standpoint, using about 10 times more concrete than a home built on flat terrain. About 800 yards of concrete went into these homes and the many retaining walls required based on the sloping grade.
KGM Construction
1508 Mill StSan Luis Obispo, CA 93401
KGM Construction has over 30 years of custom home construction experience. Mike Morain, the principal, joined the industry as a carpenter and has been with the firm as it grew into what it is today: a construction company that can take on commercial and residential high-end projects regardless of size or value. As one of the region’s leading companies, it has one of the most extensive homebuilding portfolios in the industry. Its residential project list features luxury homes inspired by a diverse range of styles, including Mediterranean, traditional, craftsman, farmhouse, contemporary, and modern.
In Santa Ynez Valley, the firm completed an 8,000-square-foot custom home project that highlights elements of traditional and craftsman architecture. The use of light materials of wood and natural stone masonry adds a more homey and comfortable feel to the space. A large porch that runs across the home’s front exterior extends the living space and connects the indoors to its expansive outdoors. Modern, full-glass windows and doorways take advantage of the location’s abundant daylight. The light palette and open layout inside allows this light to flow around the rooms. Exposed beams and framing bring a farmhouse-style charm to the interior.
Mountain Pacific Builders, Inc.
225 Suburban RdSan Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Since Mountain Pacific Builders’s inception in 2004, the firm has been known for its delivery method that emphasizes collaboration where the client actively takes part in the most important stages of the development process. As a custom home builder, the firm provides pre-project personal meetings and a detailed project checklist so clients can directly communicate design and structural specifications to the builder and the architect. The resulting structure not only represents their architectural aspirations but also answers to the inhabitants’ functional and structural needs. Reviews from project owners highlight the firm’s transparent, on-budget, and on-time delivery.
Principal builder Kyle Martin has developed this construction method over a number of years. The result is a construction portfolio that showcases uniquely designed living spaces and custom builds. The firm’s remodeling and new construction work often features architectures as complex as the classic Spanish and Mediterranean villas, to creatively flexible styles like the craftsman. This diverse work not only shaped the firm’s building practice but also allowed them to explore the varying needs of homeowners in terms of space, function, materials, and style.
IMC Building
541 Calle Vista Del Asta, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420
IMC Building is a locally-owned and operated general contracting firm that offers commercial construction as well as new home construction, kitchen, and bathroom remodeling, additions, restoration, foundations, and outbuilding installation services. The firm was established in 2008. Isaac Montgomery, the company’s principal builder, has been with the industry for years.
Montgomery’s experience helped him incorporate a vast range of designs, building techniques, and industry-standard materials into every build. The result is a project portfolio that highlights the craftsmanship of traditional and farmhouse designs as well as the clean and minimalist appeal of contemporary and transitional interiors. In the past, the firm was voted the Best of San Luis Obispo by the NEW TIMES, a reflection of its loyal client following.
Artifex Industries
3547 S Higuera St. Suite F, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Since Artifex Industries launched its operations in 2006, the firm has provided residential homeowners with modern construction services that focus on functional and energy-efficient living spaces. The firm relies on the field’s leading manufacturers to source the latest technologies and materials as it completes remodeling, custom home building, and additions projects.
The firm’s principal builder, Manuel Ramos, heads the firm’s construction management and general contracting team. Under Ramos’s leadership, the firm maintains its Better Business Bureau (BBB) accreditation as a testament to its ethical business practices and stellar customer services. As a custom home builder, the firm has serviced mid-range and high-end clients to complete exterior and interior building projects. These spaces draw inspiration from the natural materials of traditional and classic architectures: the wood, metal, and stone of modern and contemporary designs.
MFI Design
3596 Broad St. Suite #104, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Launched in 2014, MFI Design is an emerging design and construction company that was established by Andy Mangano. Mangano is a second-generation builder and a member of a family of homebuilding professionals that have been establishing their influence in the residential industry since 1963. The company takes on commercial and residential construction projects and regularly collaborates with the big names in architecture, design, and property development.
As a custom home builder, the firm has completed mid-range and high-value properties across Central Coast’s neighborhoods. Many of the firm’s projects reintroduce the comfortable allure of coastal architecture through natural materials and light palettes. In other projects, the firm provides a redefinition of Tuscan and Spanish styles through classic European homes that are upgraded to cater to today’s functional and structural demands.
Hunstad Homes Inc.
120 N Halcyon Rd. Arroyo Grande, CA 93420
Hunstand Homes Inc. is a family-owned and operated custom home builder that takes on high-end and luxury projects throughout the Central Coast. Kevin Hunstad has served as the lead builder for the company since its founding in 1985. Hunstad has been with the industry for over three decades. To date, he has delivered over 300 homes to the region’s most sophisticated homeowners.
For one of the firm’s custom home projects, the firm built a single-family residence that celebrates the natural materials of Tuscan architecture. Earthy colors form the tapestry of brick walls and the stucco exterior exudes a classic European elegance. This marriage of modern and classic elements can be seen in the home’s asymmetry as well as its choice of fixtures and finishes. The windows are large and expansive, to bring in natural daylight and let it flow throughout the home’s warm interiors.
Coast Construction
2420 Broad St. San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Custom homes and remodeling projects make up a large portion of Coast Construction’s two decades-in-the-making building portfolio. The firm’s experience as a residential builder is exemplified by its diverse gallery of projects inspired by sophistication and tradition. Tuscan, Spanish, Mediterranean, traditional, and transitional homes embody the individuality and specific functional needs of their homeowners while representing the company’s deep understanding of design.
The firm’s industry knowledge and its ability to deliver a design-build delivery method can be attributed to the design, building, and management backgrounds of its principals, Rich and Pamela Blythe. As a custom home builder and remodeler, the firm stays with the client from the first stages of project conceptualization, through construction, and on to the warranty stage. The firm offers post-construction service through its Home After Care Program that makes sure that every detail of the build remains intact and protected for years.
RLH Construction
694 Trouville Ave, Grover Beach, CA 93433
Custom home construction, remodeling, and new construction projects can be found in RLH Constructions’s two decades-in-the-making portfolio. The firm offers an end-to-end delivery method where the firm stays with the client every step of the way, from pre-construction through to completion. That approach has helped it secure a client base from repeat business and customer referrals. Reviews from the industry’s leading platforms highlight the firm’s open communication, transparency, and cost-efficient services.
Principal Luke Hernandez developed the firm’s full-service construction process for years. Across the Central Coast, Hernandez worked with private homeowners and project owners to complete modern and traditional homes for the mid-range residential market.
