Our Story
One Vision. Under One Roof
OUR DESIGN + BUILD APPROACH
Design is the promise. Construction is keeping that promise.
At Sarah Ray Design + Build, we believe the strongest projects begin with a simple idea: the people who design a place should also understand how to build it.
Our approach brings creativity, technical expertise, and craftsmanship together under one roof, creating a seamless experience from the first conversation to the final installation. Rather than separating design from construction, we believe the two disciplines should inform one another every step of the way. Clients don't have to coordinate a designer, a contractor, and multiple consultants.
They have one team accountable from the first sketch through the last detail.
Every space we design is created with the intention that Sarah Ray Design + Build will also build it. Our design fees are intentionally structured around this integrated relationship because our goal is not simply to produce beautiful drawings—our goal is to create extraordinary places.
By remaining involved from concept through construction, we preserve the integrity of the original vision while making thoughtful decisions about materials, grading, drainage, lighting, planting, permitting, budgets, and constructability long before work begins. This integrated process creates continuity, minimizes surprises, and results in projects that are as practical as they are beautiful.
OUR QUALIFICATIONS
Sarah Ray Design + Build is licensed in California as both a Landscape Contractor and a Class B General Contractor. These complementary licenses allow us to think beyond the landscape alone. We understand how gardens connect to architecture, how outdoor spaces influence the experience of a home, and how structures, drainage, utilities, grading, and planting systems must work together as one cohesive environment.
Building the Vision—Whether It's Ours or Yours
While we design only the projects we intend to build, we are equally passionate about building projects designed by others. We frequently collaborate with landscape architects, landscape designers, architects, and interior designers, and structural engineers who are looking for a construction partner that values design as much as they do.
Whether the vision originates in our studio or with another design professional, our commitment remains the same: thoughtful collaboration, clear communication, meticulous craftsmanship, and unwavering respect for the design intent.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
Thoughtful design begins with listening.
Before we talk about materials, plants, or architectural details, we want to understand something far more important: how you want to live.
The answers to those questions become the foundation of every design.
The spaces we design should not only complement the architecture of a home but also respond to the Bay Area’s unique climate, celebrate its remarkable biodiversity, and become more beautiful with time.
We believe the greatest measure of success is not how a landscape looks on the day it is completed, but how deeply it becomes woven into everyday life.
OUR TEAM
Great projects are never created by one person.
What unites us is a shared respect for thoughtful design, exceptional craftsmanship, honest communication, and careful stewardship of the places entrusted to us.
Every member of our team takes pride in creating spaces that are built with integrity and designed to be enjoyed for decades to come.
OUR PROMISE
We promise to listen before we design.
We promise to tell you the truth, even when it's difficult.
We promise to respect your home as if it were our own.We promise to build thoughtfully, communicate clearly, and remain faithful to the vision we create together.
Most importantly, we promise never to lose sight of why this work matters: creating places where life is lived well.
MEET SARAH
Long before she became a designer, builder, and founder of Sarah Ray Design Build, Sarah was simply a curious child exploring the hills of Marin County.
“Growing up in Marin County with five brothers and a gang of equally adventurous friends, we spent long days wandering the hills, building rope swings from old oak branches, horseback riding through open fields, cardboard sliding down grassy slopes, and creating entire imaginary cities along the banks of Miller Creek. We built tree forts high in the branches, constructed shelters from fallen limbs, engineered bridges across the water, and learned by doing. Every day felt like an invitation to explore, create, and solve problems together. I believe those experiences taught me that the places we inhabit shape the way we live—that a thoughtfully designed environment can inspire curiosity, invite connection, and become the setting for a life well lived.”
That early connection to the land led Sarah to study Landscape Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley, where she graduated with Highest Honors. There, she developed a deep understanding of design, ecology, and the relationship between architecture and the landscape.
Yet one question remained.
What happens after the drawings are complete?
Determined to guide projects beyond the design table, Sarah earned both Class B- California General Contractor and C-27 Landscape Contractor licenses, bringing together the creative vision of a designer with the technical expertise to thoughtfully lead construction from beginning to end.
Today, that uncommon combination shapes the way Sarah Ray Design Build approaches every project. Design and construction are never separate conversations. They are part of one collaborative process, where thoughtful ideas are carried through with integrity, craftsmanship, and care.
Sarah believes clients deserve more than beautiful plans. They deserve a trusted guide who listens carefully, communicates openly, and makes the design-build process understandable and enjoyable. Because creating a home should feel inspiring—not intimidating.