It is no secret that the state of California is studded with stunning beach towns and gorgeous coastlines, making California one of the sunniest spots to live in. One of the cities that thrives on this lifestyle of sun, surf, and fun is the city of Santa Cruz, in Northern California. While the beauty of nature is a hallmark of life in the city, it doesn’t stop there—the homes and houses are sights to behold too. Scattered around the beach town are homes ranging in size and style, from quintessential coastal and beach mansions to modern and contemporary dwellings. Whether Santa Cruz clients are looking to build a new home, or remodel an existing one, they can turn to the best custom home builders in Santa Cruz who can help them with all their construction needs.
The top builders in this list have been ranked according to company profile, experience, services offered, customer satisfaction, awards received, and media features and coverage. With these firms’ unique designs and services, and their high levels of quality, clients are sure that their discerning tastes and preferences will be satisfied, whichever firm on the list they choose to work with.
Commons & Burt Builders
1040 River St. Suite #317, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Commons & Burt Builders’ is a Santa Cruz construction company that specializes in fine custom homes, new construction, remodeling, additions, restoration, and commercial building projects.
The firm is helmed by Owen Commons and Stephen Burt, and is a member of the Santa Cruz Construction Guild. Under the leadership of Owen and Stephen, the firm sets its mission to be the provision of a cost-efficient, high-quality building to the client’s satisfaction. Today, Commons & Burt Builders continues to grow its business and reputation that it began to cultivate more than 40 years ago.
Costa Bella Builders
8032 Soquel Dr. Suite C, Aptos, CA 95003
The Costa Bella Builders team has been providing general contracting, new home building and major remodeling services in the greater Monterey Bay Area for more than 30 years. Its reputation for customer satisfaction and capable project management has been built by nurturing long-term partnerships with its clients, subcontractors, architects, designers, and suppliers.
The firm was founded by Jeff Thranow, who has been helping people realize their new home building and remodeling dreams in Santa Cruz County for more than 30 years. Under Jeff’s leadership, Costa Bella Builders has gone on to be voted “Best Contractor in Santa Cruz,” and has been a runner up for the “Best Green Business and Best Green Service” award, both from The Good Times Weekly. The firm and its work have also been featured on The Mercury News, Aptos Times, and the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Darrough Construction
1795 Matthew Lane, Santa Cruz, CA 95062
For more than 30 years, Darrough Construction has specialized in custom home construction, renovation, and remodeling in Santa Cruz, San Jose, and the Bay Area. The firm is committed to providing its clients with personal attention and professionalism throughout every project.
Darrough Construction believes in building creative partnerships with its homeowners through courteous communication and collaborative listening. Mutual trust and openness stem from Darrough Construction’s commitment to transparency, which the firm delivers to its customers in detailed weekly reports, bid breakdowns, and contracts. Its system has proven to deliver the highest level of communication and craftsmanship with the lowest level of cost to the owner. The firm has been featured on Sunset magazine, is a member of GuildQuality, and is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-Certified.
De Mattei Construction
1794 The Alameda, San Jose, CA 95126
In more than 30 years in business, De Mattei Construction has achieved the amazing feat of having built nearly 2,000 homes, earning the firm the distinction of being the Bay Area’s premier custom home building and remodeling firm. Headed by principal Mark De Mattei and his 75-strong team of professionals, De Mattei Construction continues, today, to honor its history and dedication to uncompromising quality through every home it builds.
Mark firmly believes that “If you do a good job, more projects will come.” This motto has driven the firm’s practice forward, and has resulted in most of De Mattei Construction’s business coming from referrals. Founded, as well, on the principle that building relationships is just as rewarding as building exquisite homes, the firm maintains good relations with its past clients and their neighborhoods. In addition to its good business, the firm has been the recipient of several prestigious awards from award-giving bodies such as the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), and the Silicon Valley Business Journal, among others.
Hansmann Construction
PO Box 2070, Santa Cruz, CA 95063
Established in 1979, Hansmann Construction, Inc. is a third generation, fully licensed general building contractor serving the local Santa Cruz area. The firm specializes in home remodels and custom new construction projects.
Owner and president, Steve Hansmann, has more than 40 years of experience in construction. He and his brothers grew up working in construction for their father. Steve’s got his start in construction with his successful foundations and framing business which quickly expanded to a general construction company after he was propositioned by architects to take on the G.C role. Today, Steve is now accompanied by his two sons, John and Dave.
John Fuchs Properties, Construction & Real Estate
758 Rio Del Mar Blvd., Aptos, CA 95003
John Fuchs Properties, Construction & Real Estate has been owned and operated by the Fuchs Family for more than 30 years. Nestled between the ocean and the mountains, the company has found a place to call home in beautiful Rio Del Mar, CA. JFP has designed and built many homes, custom additions and completed an extensive amount of remodels, working with many local architects and designers. The firm employs a group of full time carpenters and has assembled a team of reliable, high-quality subcontractors and material suppliers.
In 2015, the firm was the recipient of the “Business of the Year” Award from the Aptos Chamber of Commerce. Accolades such as these have served to push the firm’s practice to even greater heights, with its portfolio already composed of countless homes, additions, and remodels. Today, JFP continues to build its reputation as a reliable custom home builder that it started cultivating more than 35 years ago.
Meschi Construction
PO Box 2504, Santa Cruz, CA 95063
Since 2001, Meschi Construction, Inc. has been helping building professionals and homeowners make their projects a success. The firm is owned and operated by brothers Josh and Zach Meschi, who are fourth generation natives of Santa Cruz County. Josh served his carpentry apprenticeship in San Luis Obispo while earning his degree in construction management from Cal Poly. Zach also served his apprenticeship in San Luis Obispo and obtained his degree in business from San Jose State.
With their background in construction, Josh and Zach lead Meschi Construction through to its goal of building custom residential homes in the Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay Area. The firm is able to accomplish this consistently by providing quality contracting services, in a professional manner at a fair price. Meschi Construction has proven jobsite experience that translates into beautiful finished projects. Each person on its project team has been chosen for their work abilities, communication skills, and overall attitude. For all the hard work that went into building a reputable business, Meschi Construction is proud of the company it is today.
MG Custom Builders
4145 Nova Dr, Santa Cruz, CA 95062
MG Custom Builders is a Santa Cruz County-based residential custom home builder with more than 20 years of home building experience. The firm specializes in ground-up construction, fine custom homes, large and small scale remodels, residential additions, and outdoor living spaces.
Just 10 years after its founding, the firm went on to win the 2015 City of Santa Cruz Green Building Award—a testament to the speed of its growth. Helmed by owner Matthew George, MG Custom Builders is composed of a crew of highly dedicated employees who bring teamwork, positive attitude, attention to detail, and high-end craftsmanship to every project. MG Custom Builders takes great pride in its work and strives to make the experience as painless as possible and fun for its clients.
MS Builders
115 Redwood Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
MS Builders is a hands-on quality-conscious construction company with experience in green building. The firm sets its goal as the delivery of a high-quality product in the most efficient, effective, and affordable manner possible. As a testament to the firm’s expertise in green building, it was awarded the City of Santa Cruz Green Building Award in 2013.
The firm is led by principal Marc Susskind. Marc and his team at MS Builders enjoy working locally on all aspects of residential remodels and new construction. Marc has been building for the past 20 years and has been a licensed general contractor since 2001, the year he founded MS Builders. He maintains excellent relationships with local subcontractors, suppliers, architects, designers, planners, and building inspectors. Because of the impeccable work of the team, Marc and MS Builders are well respected and liked by their clients, who regularly refer them to new projects.
Santa Cruz Green Builders
303 Potrero St. Suite #45-105, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Santa Cruz Green Builders is a firm with a mission to contribute to a sustainable community by designing and building healthy, energy efficient, environmentally sound, long-lasting homes and workplaces. The firm understands that building green today means starting with a smart design, using sustainable and non-toxic materials, maximizing energy and water efficiency, and building to last for generations.
With a talented crew of workers, the firm is able to accomplish a wide variety of projects, from new homes, to commercial buildings, restaurants, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), whole house remodels, kitchen remodels, and solar projects. Santa Cruz Green Builders works extremely hard to make the whole building process as easy as possible for clients. The firm uses a process that helps to make the whole building experience less stressful and makes it much more likely that the project will turn out exactly as clients would like. Because of this dedication, the firm’s past clients have all turned into good friends.
Schultz Construction
815 Almar Ave. Suite #17, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Schultz Construction is a third generation, full-service general contracting firm. The company has more than 30 years of experience in residential construction, both new and remodel, as well as commercial and engineering work. The firm is a member of the Santa Cruz Construction Guild, and has been featured on the pages of the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
The firm’s motto “No Holds Barred” indicates that it is not afraid to tackle any project—whatever scope or complexity—and have the expertise to back up that claim. Schultz Construction specializes in projects of the highest quality, and is proud of its ability to compete in today’s marketplace. As the firm considers itself a builder of the old school, it self-performs all layout, earthwork, concrete and foundation, rough and finish carpentry, supervision, and project management. Its craftsmanship is second to none.
Timeline Design + Build
14401 Big Basin Way, Saratoga, CA 95070
Timeline Design + Build is a custom home builder with 30 years of experience in the construction industry, specializing in collaboration with the best architects, interior designers, and craftsmen working in the industry today.
Over the years, Timeline has garnered recognition and press, with the firm going on to receive awards such as the “30 Under 30” Award from the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA), as well as various accolades from organizations like the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI). Its work has also been featured in Punch magazine, South Bay Accent, and Home & Garden magazine. Today, the firm continues to cultivate a reputation as one of the premier custom home builders in operation today.
