Pacific Builders has been entrusted with numerous high profile, historic building renovations in the South Bay. Here are several of their stories.

Historic Spanish

Sunnyvale, 94087

This century-old Spanish-style estate, currently on the California Historic Registry, required a renovation in the spirit of the original home. Working with Architect Gary Kohlsaat, Pacific Builders incorporated the owner’s wishes while keeping with Registry Rules and the spirit of the home. Original lights, mantles, grills, copper gutters, and architectural elements were carefully documented, removed and restored, then reinstalled on the home. Walls were opened up to bring light to dark, small rooms, and single-pane metal windows and doors were redesigned with modern, energy-efficient custom designed metal replacements. Spanish interlocking tiles, walnut floors, and custom stained interior doors were thoughtfully designed and crafted to follow architectural and period details, bringing this gorgeous estate into the 21st Century.

Historic Greek Revival

Saratoga, 95070

This distinctive home, built by George A. Wood and prominent architect William Weeks, is known as Woodleigh. Built in 1911, the home is on the Saratoga Heritage Resources Inventory. Restoring the historic building’s exterior required honoring century old architectural details and restoring them to their former glory. Work included an entire exterior update with siding, trim, fascia, and crown moulding and custom-milling new wood to match existing profiles. Special balusters were designed and hand-turned to match the original, and the roof and century old soffit and wooden gutter system was replaced with specialty flashing, shingles, matching gutters, and downspouts to match.

The McCarty House of Saratoga

Pacific Builders remodeled the McCarty home, one of the original homes built in Saratoga, which had fallen into disrepair. Working with the guidance of the Saratoga Historic Society, the entire front porch was saved, along with the front elevation and roof structure. Siding, trim and detailing was carefully matched. A large basement was set underneath the original building, and nearly 3,000 square feet was seamless added matching the original structure and detailing.

  • The McCarty House after renovation by Pacific Builders

  • Before the McCarty Renovation

The Historical Importance of the McCarty Family in Saratoga

Saratoga Village is one of the oldest platted communities in California, or on the West Coast for that matter. While many other little communities "just grew" in response to a gold strike, a crossroads or a ferry crossing, Saratoga was first surveyed, platted and registered with Santa Clara County in 1852 by Martin and Hannah McCarty. It is a unique village settlement in the history of California because it was not only planned and developed as a community, it has survived as an economic entity for over 150 years. Martin McCarty was born in County Clare, Ireland in 1825 and emigrated about 1846. He was in New Orleans when the Mexican American War broke out and served in the military, remaining in the army until 1849. He came to California and worked in the mines where he reportedly made $20,000 in seven weeks. When Martin McCarty was 27 years old, he married Hannah Barry. They were wed in San Jose about 1852. Hannah Barry was 17 years old, a native of County Wexford, Ireland who had immigrated to the United States and to San Jose a few months earlier. Together they filed for a 320 acre homestead claim in the West Valley and laid out the lots for a little town. The McCarty's named their little town McCartysville and proceeded to sell town lots for interested home builders. They also built a number of buildings themselves, which they rented. The town was changed in 1865 from McCartysville to Saratoga.
– April Halberstadt and the Saratoga Historical Foundation

Casa Tierra of Saratoga

Pacific Builders was invited to remodel Casa Tierra in the early 1980s. A beautiful home with a rich history, it had been sadly “let go” for many years.

This adobe structure was built in 1941 by Maude Meagher and Carolyn Smiley as the publishing house residence for World Youth, an international children's magazine. The two women, with the help of a few others, made the adobe by hand from the clay on site, and the roof tile is the last of the homemade tile used in replacement of tile on the California missions. It is reported to be the largest secular adobe in North America, containing some 13,000 square feet of floor space.

Working with the Saratoga Historic Commission to restore the home, work included remodeling the entire interior, including the kitchen, repairing windows, doors, tile, roofing, and walls. Pacific Builders also:

  • Worked to restore historic features including the fireplaces, where decorative copper plates were originally used for magazine print ads and photographs in the 1940s

  • Original adobe bricks were replicated using soil on-site to repair around windows and doors; lintels were repaired and replaced.

  • Tiles were custom fabricated to match the rich textures and colors of the originals.

  • Wood floor, cabinets, and trim were carefully measured, replicated, installed and finished to match the original work.

“We had a flawless construction project thanks to Tony’s incomparable experience and exemplary project management skills.”
— A.S.