What we know, written down.
Costs, permits and how the review boards on this coast actually behave. The answers we give on the phone, here to read first.
Everything here is dated. Rules change and parcels differ, so confirm your own address. Where we are unsure, we say so.
September 2026Design7 minutes
Seven South Coast house styles, and how to tell them apart
Adobe to Coastal Modern, drawn, with the features a review board looks for. Choose a style, then a feature.
November 2026Hiring4 minutes
Owner’s rep, construction manager, general contractor: who does what on a house
Three titles that sound alike. The difference is who signs the construction contract, and who is left holding the price.
November 2026Hiring4 minutes
How to hire a general contractor in Santa Barbara, in seven checks
Every check here can be run on us. License 802739. Start there.
November 2026Finish carpentry3 minutes
When finish carpentry happens, and what has to come first
Cabinets, doors and trim go in near the end. The decisions that make them fit are made months earlier.
November 2026Project management4 minutes
How to read a construction schedule, and what to ask when a date moves
A schedule is a list of promises that depend on each other. Reading one means finding which promise everything else waits on.
November 2026Entitlement5 minutes
Who permits your house, town by town
Montecito, Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, Summerland and Hope Ranch: who issues the permit, who reviews design, and where the Coastal Zone applies. Every point sourced.
August 2026Fire3 minutes
Building for fire on the South Coast, ember by ember
Most homes lost to a wildland fire are lost to embers, not flame, and that changes what is worth specifying.
August 2026Entitlement2 minutes
The Montecito Board of Architectural Review, from a builder who has been through it
Two review processes, not one, and the one that meets every few weeks sets your schedule.
July 2026Entitlement2 minutes
Coastal zone review in Carpinteria and Summerland, in plain terms
The question is not whether you need a permit. It is whether the decision can be appealed.
Built by Matt Newman. Licensed since 2001. Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, twenty years on this coast, and on every AMN site himself. One name on the contract. His story
Send us the address. We'll tell you the truth about it.
Email it to purchasing@amnbuild.com. Matt reads it himself and writes back within two business days.
- Same dayMatt confirms he has it, and flags anything obvious that is missing.
- Within two business daysA written reading of your parcel: jurisdiction, review bodies, an order of cost and the permit path.
- Then nothing, unless you askNo follow-up sequence, no call from anyone else. The reading is yours to keep.
CSLB 802739 · Class B General Building · Licensed and insured · Two-year workmanship warranty, in writing
Updated October 2026