One firm.
Every stage
of the build.
From the first site visit to the last piece of furniture, SJ Design Studios carries your project through real estate, architecture, structural & civil engineering, construction, and interior design — under one roof, one point of contact, no handoffs.
Five disciplines. One continuous line.
Most projects pass through five separate vendors — a broker, a designer, an engineer, a builder, a decorator — with a handoff, a markup, and a delay at every seam. SJ Design Studios runs all five off one benchmark, one schedule, one accountable firm.
Real Estate
Site search, feasibility review, and acquisition strategy for the Bay Area lot, teardown, or property that fits your build.
Architecture
Concept design and full permit-ready drawings for residential and small multifamily projects, prepared in-house.
Structural & Civil
Stamped structural calculations, grading, and drainage — the engineering backbone behind every set of plans we issue.
Construction
Permitting through final walkthrough. The team that designed it also builds it — nothing gets lost in translation.
Interior Design
Finishes, fixtures, and furnishing plans developed alongside construction, so what's on the drawing is what's on the walls.
The gap between vendors is where projects stall.
The Traditional Way
- Broker, architect, engineer, contractor, and decorator — five contracts, five invoices
- Design gets value-engineered after the engineer sees it
- Permit delays while drawings pass between offices
- No one owns the outcome end to end
The SJ Way
- One firm, one contract, one schedule
- Structural logic built into the design from day one
- Plans move from desk to desk, not office to office
- One licensed team, accountable from site to keys
What we carry, start to finish.
Real Estate
- Site & lot search
- Feasibility & underwriting
- Acquisition support
- Resale, once built
Architecture
- Concept & schematic design
- Permit-ready drawing sets
- ADU & small multifamily plans
- Renovation & addition design
Structural & Civil
- Stamped structural calculations
- Foundation & framing design
- Grading & drainage
- Retaining & hillside structures
Construction
- Permitting & scheduling
- General contracting
- Subcontractor management
- Final walkthrough & closeout
Interior Design
- Finish & material selection
- Fixture & lighting plans
- Cabinetry & millwork design
- Furnishing & move-in styling
Backyards are the fastest-growing project on our board.
California's ADU laws make a second unit one of the highest-return projects a homeowner can build — but only if design, structural, and permit work move together from day one. That's the piece most ADU builders skip, and where projects usually stall.
*Per state ADU law; actual timeline depends on jurisdiction and site conditions.
under license,
not templated
Pick a finish direction, or bring your own.
Interior packages are developed alongside construction drawings, not bolted on after the walls are up.
Light Oak, Plaster, Soft Edges
Board & Batten, Black Steel
Whitewash, Linen, Rattan
What it's like working with one firm instead of five.
Illustrative examples — placeholders until replaced with real client feedback.
We didn't juggle a single subcontractor. One schedule, one point of contact, and permits landed faster than the city's own estimate.
Started with a weedy side yard. Six months later it's a rented studio covering half my mortgage.
I expected a permit office and got a fully furnished unit. The interior team was the surprise.
Founder & Principal Engineer
Ten-plus years preparing architectural, structural, and civil plans for clients across the Bay Area — now building the firm that carries those plans through construction and sale, without handing the project off to someone else along the way.
Built by the person on your stamped drawings.
SJ Design Studios was founded on a simple frustration: too many good projects get slower and more expensive every time they change hands. A broker hands off to a designer. A designer hands off to an engineer. An engineer hands off to a contractor — and somewhere in those handoffs, budget, intent, and accountability all take a hit.
SJ Design Studios exists to close those gaps. Real estate, design, engineering, and construction operate as one team, working off the same set of drawings from the first site visit to the final walkthrough — so nothing gets lost, and no one else gets to say "that wasn't our part."
Start with a site visit.
Tell us what you're working with — a lot, a teardown, a remodel, or just an idea — and we'll walk the site with you before anything gets drawn.
Prefer to just reach out directly? Drop us an email at sanjana@sjdesignstudios.org or call us at 408-509-4993.