Questions owners ask first

Yes. Wine Country Builders holds California CSLB license #763980, Classification B — General Building Contractor. You can verify the status, classification and bond at cslb.ca.gov. We carry liability and workers’ compensation coverage and can provide certificates upon request.

Sonoma and Napa Valleys, including Sonoma, Glen Ellen, Kenwood, Napa and Petaluma. We keep most projects close to the office so we can be present on site rather than managing the work from a distance.

Our roots in the North Bay go back to 1982, when Cam Fraser founded Cam Fraser Construction in Marin. In the early 2000s, as the company’s work increasingly shifted to Sonoma Valley, it became Wine Country Builders. Many of our clients have been with us for decades.

The cost depends on the scope, the site, the structure and the level of finish. A square-foot figure given before the plans and site have been reviewed is only a rough benchmark. During preconstruction, we price the drawings so you have a useful number before work begins.

Not typically, estimates are generally free. We explain what the number includes, which assumptions remain and what decisions could change it. If the scope or timing is not a fit, we will say so before either side commits to the work.

Oftentimes, yes. We work on both occupied and vacant houses and plan the sequencing, dust control and utility shutoffs accordingly. If a particular scope makes staying impractical, we will tell you that at the outset rather than halfway through.

Before the drawings are complete. Bringing the builder in early gives you real pricing while the design can still change, before budget questions become construction problems.

Yes. Much of our work comes from architects, interior designers and landscape architects across Sonoma and Napa, and from owners we have built for before. If you already have a design team, we are used to being the builder at that table. If you don’t, that is just as common — plenty of our work comes straight from owners, and we can suggest people to draw it if the job needs drawings at all.

Yes — detached units, attached units and garage conversions, from permitting through completion. We account for the applicable local requirements and coordinate the review process as part of the work.

Yes. We have been recognized by the Sonoma League for Historic Preservation for work on Sonoma Valley homes. We begin by identifying what should remain — the proportions of a room, a run of original windows or an existing material — and design the new work around it.

Yes. Along with custom homes and whole-house remodels, we take on kitchens, additions, bathrooms, single rooms, porches and repairs when the project is a good fit.

A small number, deliberately. That keeps the people who price and manage the project close to the work on site. If we are already committed when you call, we would rather say so than stretch a crew across one project too many.