Pictured: Stone Cottage, Carmel-by-the-Sea
Monterey County · Carmel Highlands
Custom Home Builders in Carmel Highlands, CA
New custom homes and larger projects on the steep, wooded coast south of Carmel, planned around the permits, the slope and the water.
The short answer
Harrod Built builds new custom homes and larger projects in Carmel Highlands. Building here usually means Monterey County coastal permits under the Carmel Area Land Use Plan, steep-lot engineering, protected trees, a Monterey Peninsula water permit, and septic or sewer review. Nearby, we built a stone cottage in Carmel-by-the-Sea and are building in the Santa Lucia Preserve. Call 805-712-8993 or contact us.
- LicensedCSLB #986950
- Your teamMichael & Chris Harrod
- Office1345 Riverside Ave, Paso Robles
- WhereCarmel Highlands, Monterey County
Carmel Highlands
Pines, rock and the ocean below
Harrod Built is a family custom home builder and general contractor led by brothers Michael and Chris Harrod. In Carmel Highlands we focus on new custom homes and larger remodels and additions, usually with an architect our clients already trust.
Highlands lots are steep, wooded and close to the ocean. That makes the site work, the engineering and the review process as important as the house itself, so we start there.
Every Monterey County job is run by one of our project managers, or by Chris or Michael himself, with an update every week.
What we build here
- New custom homes on your lot, built to your architect’s plans or design-build
- Guest houses and ADUs as part of a larger project
- Larger remodels and additions
- Landscaping and outdoor living through our sister company, Paso Robles Landscaping
- Plans through our design studio, Harrod Drafting & Design
Building here
Permits, slopes and water in Carmel Highlands
County coastal permits
Carmel Highlands is unincorporated Monterey County in the coastal zone, so permits run through Monterey County Housing & Community Development under the Carmel Area Land Use Plan, part of the County’s local coastal program. A new home is typically reviewed as a combined development permit, with coastal permits and design approval in one application.
Extra triggers
Separate coastal development permits are common here for removing protected trees, building on slopes over 30%, building near a coastal bluff, or working near archaeological or sensitive habitat areas. Sites are often flagged and staked so reviewers can see the outline of the house.
Steep lots and foundations
Expect geologic and soils reports, engineered foundations, retaining walls and careful drainage, plus a plan for how trucks, crews and materials reach a narrow, steep site. We plan staging before construction starts.
Water
Water is a real constraint across the Monterey Peninsula. New fixtures and connections are tracked through a Monterey Peninsula Water Management District water permit, and some Highlands homes are served by small private water systems. Confirm your water situation before design gets far along.
Septic or sewer
Many Highlands homes use septic systems reviewed by Monterey County Environmental Health, and sewer service is reaching parts of the area through the Carmel Area Wastewater District. Which one applies to your lot affects the site plan, so we check it first.
Fire and salt air
Wooded hillsides can sit in mapped fire hazard severity zones (check the CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps), so the house is built to the wildfire chapter of the code, with defensible space. Ocean exposure calls for corrosion-resistant hardware and coastal-rated windows and doors.
Do you build in Carmel Highlands?
Yes. Carmel Highlands is part of our Monterey County service area, where we focus on new custom homes and larger projects.
What permits does a new home in Carmel Highlands need?
Usually a Monterey County combined development permit with coastal permits and design approval, plus building permits, a water permit and septic or sewer approval. Tree removal, steep slopes or a nearby bluff can add separate coastal permits.
Can you build to my architect’s plans?
Yes. We build to plans drawn by outside architects, and we can join early to give cost and constructability input before the design goes to the County.
Do you take on smaller remodels here?
In Monterey County we focus on new custom homes and larger remodels and additions. Smaller remodels we keep closer to home in San Luis Obispo County.
Can you look at a lot before I buy it?
Yes, and it’s free. We walk the property with you and talk through slope, access, trees, water, septic or sewer and the likely permit path while you can still walk away.
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 in Carmel
Design review, tree permits, water and tight lots: the Carmel-specific costs, with Michael’s rough ranges.
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.
Building in the Santa Lucia Preserve
Design Review Board stages, CSD water and will-serve, lot-specific fuel management and Monterey County permits.
Pebble Beach building permits
Del Monte Forest coastal permits and design approval, Pebble Beach Company ARB, protected trees, Cal Am water and fire rules.
Carmel design review: Track 1 vs Track 2
Carmel-by-the-Sea design studies: staff-level Track 1 vs Planning Commission Track 2, site assessment, story poles, trees and volume.
Montecito Board of Architectural Review (MBAR)
What MBAR reviews, conceptual vs preliminary vs final review, what to submit, floor area guidelines, fire and water steps in Montecito.
Big Sur building permits and the critical viewshed
Coastal permits, staking and flagging, the Highway 1 viewshed test, water and septic, fire access and rebuilds on the Big Sur coast.
Building in Hope Ranch: architectural review and County permits
The Association’s ABR stages, floor area, height and view rules, County design review and coastal permits, water, septic and fire access.
ADU rules in San Luis Obispo County
County vs city rules, how many ADUs a lot can have, size, setbacks, water, septic and fire checks, pre-reviewed plans and the permit path.
ADU rules in Monterey County
Inland vs coastal zone rules, size caps by area, Cal Am water permits, septic, guesthouses and the County permit path.
Areas we serve
Nearby in Monterey County
Custom homes, remodels, additions and ADUs across San Luis Obispo, Monterey and Santa Barbara counties.
Monterey County
Start your project
Building in Carmel Highlands? 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
