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Completed ground-up custom home built by Elusive Construction in San Jose

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Ground-Up Home Construction

Building a house from raw land is a different job than remodeling one. It's the work we're built around — and the work we'd rather be doing.

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  • Licensed CA General B #1112902
  • Fully Insured
  • Santa Clara & San Mateo Counties
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The short answer

Ground-up home construction in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties starts at From $500/sq ft — and that rate describes new construction only, not remodels or ADUs. We are a licensed General B builder, so we hold the whole job: foundation, framing, every trade, and the permit from application through final inspection. We do not design your house, but we are not handing you a homework assignment either — we coordinate the architect and structural engineer who produce your stamped permit set, and that work is a line item we price and manage. Expect roughly 14–24 months from first drawing to keys, with plan check the least predictable part.

Licence
CA General B #1112902
Bond & insurance
$25,000 bond, insured
Permits
We pull and close them
Where
Santa Clara & San Mateo

One contract, from dirt to final inspection

A ground-up build has more moving parts than any remodel: site work, utilities, foundation, framing, three or four inspection cycles, and a finish schedule that has to land in the right order or it costs you twice. We carry all of it under one contract, so there's one company accountable when something needs a decision.

We're a builder, not a design firm. If you already have plans and an engineer, we price and build from them. If you don't yet, we'll tell you honestly what you need and point you at someone good — that's a better outcome than us pretending to be architects.

Scope

What's in a ground-up build

Feasibility & site review

Before anything is drawn, what the lot will actually allow — access, utilities, slope, soils and setbacks.

Permits & plan check

We carry the submittal and the corrections. Plan check comments are normal; chasing them is our job, not yours.

Site work & foundation

Grading, utility trenching, forms and foundation, with special inspections scheduled where the engineer calls for them.

Framing & dry-in

Structure, sheathing, weather barrier, windows and roof — getting the building watertight before anything finish-grade goes in.

Systems rough-in

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical roughed and inspected before the walls close.

Finish & walkthrough

Interior finish, exterior, punch list, and a walkthrough that isn't over until you say it is.

Building new versus remodelling what is there

Building new versus remodelling what is there
Build newWhole-home remodel
What you are paying forEverything, from the soil upKeeping what works, replacing what doesn't
Published rangeFrom $500/sq ft$130K–$490K
Layout freedomTotal — the plan is yoursBounded by the existing structure
Surprises after demolitionFew — nothing is hidden yetThe main schedule and budget risk
Permit pathFull plan checkDepends how much structure moves
Typical timeline14–24 months incl. design and plan check6–12 months
Best whenThe existing house is not worth keepingThe bones are sound and the layout is the problem

Common Questions

Straight answers

Do I need plans before you can price a new home?
Yes — for a real number. A ground-up build can't be priced honestly from a conversation. If you don't have plans yet, book a discovery call anyway; we'll tell you what you need and roughly what the build is likely to run so you're not designing something you can't afford to build.
How long does a ground-up home take?
Longer than most people are told. Permitting alone can run months before a shovel moves, and it varies by city. We'll give you a realistic schedule at proposal, not an optimistic one — a schedule you can't hit isn't a selling point, it's a future argument.
Do you handle the roof?
Yes, as part of the project. We don't self-perform roofing — we bring in a licensed roofer and sequence them so the roof lands before interior finish. You're not chasing a separate contractor for it.
How long does it take to build a house in Santa Clara County?
Plan on 14 to 24 months from first drawing to keys. Design and engineering take three to six months, plan check is the least predictable stretch and depends entirely on the jurisdiction, and construction itself typically runs nine to fifteen months. The single biggest schedule variable is not our crew — it is how many rounds of comments the plan set draws from the city.
Do I need an architect, or can you handle the drawings?
You need an architect, and we will bring one in. We are a builder, not a design firm — but that does not mean you are on your own for plans. We coordinate the architect and the structural engineer who produce your stamped permit set including Title 24, they submit through the city portal, and that work is a line item we price and manage inside the project. What we do not do is sit and choose your layout and finishes with you. That is interior design, it is a real skill, and it is not ours.
Is it cheaper to tear down and rebuild or to remodel?
It depends almost entirely on the foundation and the framing. If the existing structure is sound and the layout is the problem, remodelling usually wins. Once you are taking a house to the studs and replacing electrical, plumbing and insulation anyway, the saving from keeping the shell is smaller than most people expect, and you inherit every constraint of the old plan. A down-to-the-studs rebuild is priced like new construction, not like a remodel.
What happens if the soil report comes back bad?
It changes the foundation design, and it is better to find out in the report than in the excavation. Geotechnical work typically runs $4,500 and up, and it is money spent to avoid a far larger surprise. Expansive soils, fill or a high water table can add piers, a deeper footing or a mat slab. We carry it as an allowance until the report exists, then convert it to an actual — and whatever is not spent comes off the final invoice.
Are you licensed, bonded and insured?
Yes — California General Building (B) license #1112902, a $25,000 contractor bond, and an active workers' compensation policy with The Hartford. Verify the license on the CSLB registry. Certificates of insurance are available on request.
Do you handle the design?
We build your vision — we're not designing the place with you. But "we don't design" does not mean "you're on your own for plans." We coordinate the architect and structural engineer who produce your stamped permit set, including Title 24, and they submit to the city portal. That is a line item we price and manage — on an ADU it runs about $10,000 and it is in the estimate, not a homework assignment we hand you.

On ADUs we can also start from a standard design and give you a materials list, which is usually the faster and cheaper route.

What we won't do is sit and choose your layout, cabinet doors and finishes with you. That is interior design, it is a real skill, and it isn't ours — if that's the help you want we'll say so up front rather than three weeks in.
How do allowances work?
An allowance covers work nobody can honestly price until something is opened up. Those are billed at actual cost, and whatever isn't spent comes off your final invoice. We'd rather show you the unknowns than bury them in a padded fixed price.

Process

How a ground-up build actually runs

  1. Feasibility and budget reality

    Before anyone draws anything we look at the lot, the utilities and what you actually want, and tell you whether the budget and the ambition are in the same postcode. This is the cheapest hour in the whole project and the one that saves the most money.

  2. Design and engineering

    We coordinate the architect and structural engineer who produce your stamped permit set including Title 24. That is a line item we price and manage, not homework we hand you. Soils work happens here too, because the foundation design depends on it.

  3. Permit and plan check

    The set goes to the city. This is the least predictable stretch of any project and it runs on their queue, not ours. We handle the submission and the comment cycles; what we will not do is promise you a date the city controls.

  4. Site work and foundation

    Clearing, grading, utilities and the foundation. Once concrete is in, the shape of the house is fixed — which is why the decisions before this point matter more than the ones after it.

  5. Framing, dry-in, rough trades

    The house goes up, gets weather-tight, and then electrical, plumbing and mechanical go in while the walls are still open. Two inspection holds live here and they are the expensive ones to fail.

  6. Finishes and close-out

    Insulation, drywall, cabinetry, floors, fixtures. Then final inspections, the permit gets finalled, and we walk a punch list together before you take it.

Deposit is capped at $1,000 by California law. Milestone draws follow the work — see how payments work.

Before you sign anything

Worth reading first

All guides →

Service Area

Where we build

Permit process, plan check and utility requirements change at every city line. Each page covers what's actually true where you're building.

Tell us about your project

Book a 30-minute discovery call and we'll tell you what's realistic — scope, budget and timeline — whether or not we're the right builder for it.

Book a Project Discovery Call Call (408) 597-2733