3,200 sq ft · 9 months
Whole-home remodel
Riviera Hillside Remodel
The Riviera, Santa Barbara
A 1920s Spanish Colonial brought up to current code without losing a single tile of its character. Structural retrofit, new systems, restored arches.
Sunshine Build · General Contracting
The builder who also reads the contract
Custom homes, remodels, additions, ADUs and commercial build-outs across the South Coast. A Class B general contractor who happens to hold a law license, which means the agreement you sign protects you as much as the house you get.
Building in Santa Barbara is not like building anywhere else. Coastal rules, historic neighborhoods, hillside lots and a permit process that tests everyone's patience. The work rewards a builder who knows the city, not just the trade.
Sunshine Build brings something rarer than a good crew. The same person who pours your foundation can read your construction contract, spot the clause that would have cost you, and file the lien release at the end. You are not translating between a contractor and a lawyer. They are one and the same.
The result is a build with fewer surprises. Risks get caught on paper. Change orders get explained, not buried. And when the job is done, the permits are closed and the paperwork is clean.
A handshake is nice. A contract that holds up is better.
Every Sunshine Build project runs on a clear, fair agreement drafted by a working attorney. You know the scope, the schedule and the number before the first nail.
- Licensed Class B general building contractor
- Bonded and fully insured
- Permits filed and tracked in-house
What we build
Six ways Sunshine Build takes on a project
From a single ground-up home to a downtown tenant improvement, all delivered with the legal side handled under the same roof.
Custom Home Building
Ground-up homes designed for how Santa Barbara actually lives: indoor to outdoor flow, ocean light, and finishes that hold up to salt air.
- Architect coordination
- Title 24 energy compliance
- Coastal-zone experience
Remodels & Additions
Kitchens, baths, second stories and whole-home reworks that respect the bones of older Riviera and Mesa houses while bringing them up to date.
- Structural upgrades
- Permit-ready drawings
- Lived-in scheduling
Accessory Dwelling Units
ADUs and junior ADUs handled end to end, from feasibility through final sign-off, so you add real value and rental income without the runaround.
- Feasibility review
- City and county filings
- Detached and conversion builds
Tenant Improvements
Retail, office and restaurant build-outs along State Street and beyond, delivered to open on schedule and pass inspection the first time.
- ADA compliance
- Phased occupied work
- Health-department coordination
Permitting & Compliance
The paperwork most owners dread. We prepare, file and shepherd permits through the City of Santa Barbara and County so your project does not stall.
- Plan-check responses
- Coastal Development Permits
- Historic Landmarks review
Owner's Project Advisory
Already have a builder? Bring in a licensed contractor and attorney to review your contract, budget and schedule before you sign and as the job runs.
- Contract review
- Change-order audits
- Lien and payment guidance
From first call to final permit
How a build runs here
01
Sit down
A real conversation about what you want to build or the problem you are facing. No script, no pressure, no clock running on the first call.
02
Map the risks
Before anything moves, we walk the plans, the budget and the contract together and mark every place a project like yours tends to go sideways.
03
Do the work
Build the thing or handle the matter, with one point of contact who answers the phone and tells you the truth about where things stand.
04
Stand behind it
Permits closed, paperwork clean, and a professional who is still here if a question comes up next year. The relationship does not end at final payment.
The part owners dread
Permitting, handled so your project does not stall
Plan-check comments, Coastal Development Permits, Historic Landmarks review. The filings that quietly add months to a project when nobody is steering them. Sunshine Build prepares, submits and chases them through the City of Santa Barbara and the County, then keeps you posted in plain language the whole way.
Plan-check responses
Fast, complete answers that keep your file moving.
Coastal & land use
Experience with the rules unique to the South Coast.
Historic review
Respecting older homes while meeting current code.
Inspections passed
Built to clear inspection the first time through.
Recent builds
A few projects, by type
740 sq ft · 5 months
New accessory dwelling unit
Mesa Detached ADU
The Mesa, Santa Barbara
A detached rental unit permitted through the city in a single plan-check cycle, delivering income for the owner inside the same calendar year.
2,100 sq ft · 4 months
Commercial build-out
State Street Tenant Improvement
Downtown Santa Barbara
A restaurant space taken from bare shell to open doors on schedule, with health-department and ADA sign-off handled in-house.
Need the legal side too?Same professional, one phone call away at (805) 555-0142.
Building questions
What owners ask before they break ground
Santa Barbara Sunshine
Ready to build it right the first time?
Bring the plans, or just the idea. The first review is free, and you will leave knowing exactly where the risks are.