Pictured: Modern Ranch, Templeton
San Luis Obispo County · Pismo Beach & Shell Beach
Custom Home Builders in Pismo Beach, CA
New homes, remodels, additions and ADUs in Pismo Beach and Shell Beach, from a family general contractor based in Paso Robles.
- LicensedCSLB #986950
- Your teamMichael & Chris Harrod
- Office1345 Riverside Ave, Paso Robles
- WherePismo Beach & Shell Beach 93449
Pismo Beach
Building on the coast in Pismo Beach
Harrod Built is a family custom home builder and general contractor led by brothers Michael and Chris Harrod. We build new homes on your lot in Pismo Beach and Shell Beach, rebuild tired beach houses, and take on remodels, second-story additions and ADUs.
Pismo Beach lots are small, steep or close to the ocean, and often all three. That shapes nearly every decision: how tall the house can be, how far it sits from the bluff, how the foundation is engineered and how materials get delivered on a narrow street. We sort those questions out with you before design gets expensive.
If you need plans, our design studio, Harrod Drafting & Design, draws them in-house so the same team carries the project from design through construction.
What we build here
- Custom homes on your lot (design-build or built to your architect’s plans)
- Remodels, kitchens and baths
- Home additions
- ADUs and guest houses
- General contracting
- Plans through our design studio, Harrod Drafting & Design
Building here
Permits and site conditions in Pismo Beach
City permits, planning first
Pismo Beach is an incorporated city, so permits run through the City of Pismo Beach Building Division, with applications filed online. A new house, or an addition that changes the footprint or the exterior, needs Planning approval before the building permit application goes in. The city explains the steps on its planning application process page.
Coastal zone and appeal zone
Much of the city sits in the coastal zone. The city notes that most R-1 and R-2 projects inside the coastal zone but outside the coastal appeal zone don’t need a Planning Commission hearing, while nearly all projects inside the appeal zone do. Decisions there can be appealed to the California Coastal Commission, so we plan for a longer review on ocean-side lots.
Bluffs, hillsides and soils
Shell Beach bluff-top lots and the hillside streets above the 101 usually need a geotechnical report, and bluff lots may also need a geologic setback study. Expect engineered foundations, retaining walls and careful drainage so water doesn’t run toward the bluff or the neighbors.
Salt air and wind
Ocean air is hard on a house. We specify corrosion-resistant fasteners, flashing and hardware, windows and doors rated for coastal wind, and siding and decking that hold up to salt and fog.
Wildfire zones
If a parcel falls in a mapped fire hazard severity zone, the house is built to the wildfire chapter of the building code, with ember-resistant vents, a Class A roof and defensible space. Check your address on the CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps; we confirm it on the first site walk.
ADUs and timelines
The city publishes its ADU rules and a pre-approved ADU plan program, which can shorten design for a backyard unit. For a new home, planning review is usually the longest stretch of the schedule, and coastal-appeal-zone lots take longest. We give you a written schedule before you commit.
Do you build custom homes in Pismo Beach?
Yes. Pismo Beach and Shell Beach are part of our San Luis Obispo County service area. We build new homes on your lot, including tear-down and rebuild projects.
Do you remodel and add on to homes in Pismo Beach?
Yes. Remodels, second-story and ground-floor additions and ADUs are a big part of our coastal work.
Does my project need a coastal development permit?
If your lot is in the coastal zone and the work counts as development, usually yes. The city decides which permit applies; we check the zone and the appeal zone at the start so the schedule is realistic.
Can you look at a lot or house before I buy it?
Yes, and it’s free. We walk it with you and talk through the bluff or slope, access, the permit path and what the budget is likely to depend on.
Cost by town
Custom home cost in other towns
Same rough ranges, different local costs: permits, fees, water, trees and site work change from town to town.
Planning guides
Budget and planning guides
What a custom home costs on the Central Coast
Rough per-square-foot ranges for SLO, Monterey and Santa Barbara counties, and what moves a home between them.
Cost to build a custom home in SLO County
What drives the budget on a Central Coast custom home, and how to get a real number.
ADU cost on the Central Coast
Detached, attached or conversion: what moves the price of an ADU or guest house.
Home remodel cost in Paso Robles & SLO County
Kitchens, baths, whole-home remodels and additions: the cost drivers we see.
Building on a hillside lot
Soils, foundations, retaining walls, drainage and access: what a sloped lot adds before the house begins.
How long it takes to build a custom home
The phases from lot to move-in, what sets the pace, and how long our own recent homes took to build.
Building with a well and septic in North County
Wells, septic under the County LAMP, Paso basin and will-serve letters: what a rural North County lot needs before the house.
Building in a fire hazard severity zone
What Chapter 7A (and the California Wildland-Urban Interface Code) change on the roof, vents, walls, windows, decks and landscape.
Build or buy a custom home on the Central Coast
Honest comparison: custom new build vs buying an existing home in SLO, Monterey and Santa Barbara counties.
SLO County building permits: city vs county
Seven cities vs unincorporated PermitSLO, planning vs building, coastal permits and fire-zone steps.
Coastal development permits in SLO County
Cambria, Cayucos, Morro Bay, Pismo Beach and Avila Beach: exempt vs CDP vs Minor Use Permit, and Coastal Commission appeals.
Need plans first? Our design studio, Harrod Drafting & Design, draws permit-ready house plans, ADU plans and remodel drawings for Pismo Beach: home design and drafting in Pismo Beach.
Areas we serve
Nearby in San Luis Obispo County
Custom homes, remodels, additions and ADUs across San Luis Obispo, Monterey and Santa Barbara counties.
Coast
San Luis Obispo & South County
Start your project
Building in Pismo Beach? Tell us about your project.
A few details help us call you back with useful answers about budget, schedule and permits.
805.712.8993michael@harrodbuilt.com
1345 Riverside Ave, Paso Robles, CA 93446
CSLB #986950
