Pictured: now building in the Santa Lucia Preserve, Carmel
Santa Barbara County · Hope Ranch
Custom Home Builders in Hope Ranch
New custom homes, rebuilds, remodels and guest houses in Hope Ranch, from a family general contractor on the Central Coast.
- LicensedCSLB #986950
- Your teamMichael & Chris Harrod
- Office1345 Riverside Ave, Paso Robles
- WhereHope Ranch, Santa Barbara
Hope Ranch
Two approvals, one plan
Harrod Built is a family custom home builder and general contractor led by brothers Michael and Chris Harrod. Hope Ranch projects are large-lot, private-road builds where the Association’s review matters as much as the County’s, and that suits the way we work: a small team, early planning and a schedule that accounts for every review.
We build new homes and rebuilds, remodel and add on to existing houses, and build guest houses and ADUs. We build to your architect’s drawings, or our design studio, Harrod Drafting & Design, can draw the plans.
Our closest current work is in a private community with its own design review: a custom home we are now building in the Santa Lucia Preserve near Carmel, pictured above.
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, review and site work in Hope Ranch
Association permit and ABR
Under the Hope Ranch Building Guidelines, building, altering or removing a structure, or moving more than 50 cubic yards of dirt, needs a permit from the Hope Ranch Park Homes Association. Larger projects go through the Association’s Architectural Board of Review in three stages: conceptual, preliminary and final. Some smaller projects can be approved by Association staff.
County permits too
Santa Barbara County also has jurisdiction over land use in Hope Ranch, so your project needs County planning and building permits through Santa Barbara County Planning & Development, and copies of the County permits are filed with the Association. We line up both reviews so neither holds the other up.
Story poles and neighbors
The ABR looks at the site, setbacks, massing and the effect on neighbors and views, and neighbors can comment at review meetings. Story poles may be required to show the height and outline of a new house. We plan for that time.
Water and septic
Water in Hope Ranch comes from the La Cumbre Mutual Water Company. Many homes are on septic systems, so a new house or a bigger one usually needs a County-reviewed septic design, and the Association asks for septic plans as part of its approval.
Bluffs, slopes and fire
Lots near the beach and bluffs can be in the coastal zone, which adds a coastal development permit. Hillside lots need soils reports and engineered foundations, and wooded parcels can sit in mapped fire hazard severity zones; check yours on the CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps.
Schedule
With two review processes, design and approvals usually take longer than construction planning. We give you a realistic written schedule before you sign.
Do you build in Hope Ranch?
Yes. Hope Ranch is part of our Santa Barbara County service area, along with Santa Barbara, Montecito and the Santa Ynez Valley.
Do I need Association approval and County permits?
Usually both. The Hope Ranch Park Homes Association issues its own building permit and runs architectural review, and Santa Barbara County issues land use and building permits.
Can you work with my architect through ABR?
Yes. We can join early to give cost and constructability input during conceptual and preliminary review, then build to the approved plans.
Do you build guest houses and ADUs in Hope Ranch?
Yes, within the Association’s guidelines and County rules. See our ADU and guest house page and our ADU cost guide.
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.
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.
Areas we serve
Nearby in Santa Barbara County
Custom homes, remodels, additions and ADUs across San Luis Obispo, Monterey and Santa Barbara counties.
Santa Barbara County
Start your project
Building in Hope Ranch? 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
