The Design & Building Works -

Barb Baruth

Ellen designed a wonderful attached ADU for us; it was exactly what we wanted. We have received many compliments about it from our friends and neighbors. We enjoyed working with Ellen and highly recommend her.

Elisa Chieffo

If you are building an ADU, a deck or a new home, The Design and Building Works is who you want drafting your project! They have decades of experience, are very affordable, and are very easy to work with.

julie “bon débarras”

Very good experience with the team. Great work. We have a beautiful deck now !

Robert Stevenson

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.

Ellen 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.

Evaristo Valle

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.

Ketzy Guzman

Ellen is a true professional. She is well connected in her industry and approaches each project with a careful and knowledgeable eye!