The Design & Building Works

Ellen and team are a pleasure to work with. They take ownership of their portion of the design, drawing development and creation, and work seamlessly with the engineers producing the calculations for the project. They also work through any details that come up during the permitting process for clarification by adding those details to the plan set and answering any questions that may arise. They are extremely conscientious and helpful throughout the entire process of your project regardless of size or complexity.

We hired Ellen to design a custom rebuild of our home lost in the 2017 Northern CA Tubb’s Fire. She had been recommended by neighbors also in the process of rebuilding their lost homes as someone who was excellent and affordable. In our case redesigning and rebuilding a home was nowhere on our bucket list. Accommodating limited insurance funds and uncertain builder costs in addition to a personal wish list, much of which needed to be scaled back, had a steep and emotional learning curve (mostly for one of us -that would be me). Throughout the process, Ellen initially followed our lead on design ideas. I cannot count how many times I told Ellen “You drew exactly what we asked. But, after seeing it, we want something different”. Most times her subsequent design suggestions were ones that worked. Ellen's knowledge of state and local building codes, her services related to the permit process, and her working relationships with engineering firms, energy consultants, etc. were very helpful as she took care of most related requirements so that we did not have to. She was the perfect supportive and knowledgeable partner for helping us come up with the final unique non-cookie cutter design we wanted and now love. During the construction process and since moving in, we have regularly received complimentary reviews on her design from neighbors and passersby alike. Thanks Ellen.

The Design and Building Works was key in obtaining my building permit from the City of Santa Rosa. I was in need of having drawings, plans, and specifications done for the conversion of my garage into a 1 bedroom unit, an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU). The Design & Building Works put together drawings and specifications that required only one review by the Santa Rosa Building Department in order to issue me the required building permits. The drawings were complete in regards to referencing all of the required building codes, specifications and on calling out all of the correct details. Ellen Picard, owner is really easy to work with, detailed oriented, and has a very good reputation with the City of Santa Rosa Building Department. I highly recommend her and I would hire again for any project without a second thought.