builder files18 buildersboyenga team at compass
The Builder Files
Who built your house changes what’s under the floor, behind the walls and on the tract map. The Builder Files cover the builders buyers ask us about by name, from 1920s San Francisco to today’s Silicon Valley townhomes, with tract lists, how to spot one and a live ledger of every sale on record.
- builder files18
- tracts and communities122
- years covered1927–today
- selling silicon valley since1996
the timeline
Who built here, and when
Each bar shows the years a builder was building in our area. Eichler homes have their own field guide.
- Doelger1927–1960s
- Rousseau1931–1933
- Stern & Price1951–1953
- Mackay Homes1950s
- Mardell1955–1959
- Ditz-Crane1962–1984
- Brown & Kauffmann1960s–1981
- Bahl1968–1986
- SummerHill Homes1976–today
- Robson Homes1989–today
- Classic Communities1990s–2010s
- Trumark Homes2012–today
- KB Home1980s–today
- Pulte Homes2000s–today
- Shea Homes2000s–2010s
- Lennar2000s–today
- Toll Brothers2000s–today
- Taylor Morrison2007–today
the files
Open a file
Each file has the tracts, how to spot one, what owning one involves and a live ledger of recorded sales. The photos are from homes we listed.
Historic tract builders8 files · 1927–1986
The builders behind San Francisco’s Sunset District and Silicon Valley’s postwar tracts.
Doelger
Thousands of Sunset District houses from 1927, then Westlake in Daly City.
counting…open file →
Rousseau
Fewer than 200 storybook houses in the Sunset, 1931–1933, with an upstairs patio.
counting…open file →
Stern & Price
Cliff May–designed ranch houses at Rancho Rinconada in Cupertino, and a 1951–52 tract in south Palo Alto.
counting…open file →
Mackay Homes
Modern tracts by Anshen and Allen in Santa Clara and Mountain View, next door to Eichlers.
counting…open file →
Mardell
Mardell Manor in Monta Loma: raised foundations, plank ceilings and hardwood floors.
counting…open file →
Ditz-Crane
Waverly Park in Mountain View and 1960s tracts in Sunnyvale and Los Altos.
counting…open file →
Brown & Kauffmann
Rinconada Hills in Los Gatos: 394 townhouses and 40 homes, 1968–1981.
counting…open file →
Bahl
Courtyard homes behind 8-foot stucco walls in Sunnyvale and Mountain View, 1968–1986.
counting…open file →
Bay Area builders today4 files · since 1976
Local and regional companies building infill communities near downtowns and transit.
SummerHill Homes
Founded in Palo Alto in 1976: Nuevo, Bellaterra, 28FIFTY and more.
counting…open file →
Robson Homes
Small infill communities in Campbell, Los Gatos and San Jose since 1989.
counting…open file →
Classic Communities
“Classics at” infill homes near downtowns and Caltrain.
counting…open file →
Trumark Homes
Townhomes near light rail in San Jose and Milpitas, and Harmony in Sunnyvale.
counting…open file →
National builders6 files · since the 1980s
Large companies behind many of the area’s townhome and condominium communities, often near Caltrain, BART and light rail.
KB Home
Founded as Kaufman & Broad: Communications Hill, Berryessa and Daly City.
counting…open file →
Pulte Homes
With Centex: Rivermark, Milpitas Metro, UrbanOak and San Mateo’s One 90.
counting…open file →
Shea Homes
Rivermark in Santa Clara and townhomes at Bay Meadows in San Mateo.
counting…open file →
Lennar
With Standard Pacific and CalAtlantic: Rivermark, Foster Square and Milpitas.
counting…open file →
Toll Brothers
One Lawrence Station, The Station in Sunnyvale and new Milpitas townhomes.
counting…open file →
Taylor Morrison
With William Lyon: townhomes from Parc 22 to Westport Cupertino.
counting…open file →
tell them apart
Tell them apart
The short version of each file.
| builder | built | where | architects | look for | listings say |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Historic tract builders | |||||
| Doelger | 1927–1960s | Sunset and Golden Gate Heights, San Francisco; Westlake, Daly City | in-house designers; Charles O. Clausen | living floor over a tandem garage, facades that changed by era | “Doelger” |
| Rousseau | 1931–1933 | Sunset District, San Francisco | Oliver and Arthur Rousseau | storybook towers, clay tile, an upstairs patio | “Rousseau” |
| Stern & Price | 1951–1953 | Rancho Rinconada, Cupertino; south Palo Alto | Cliff May, at Rancho Rinconada | single-story ranch houses sold from four models | “Rancho Rinconada” |
| Mackay Homes | 1950s | Maywood, Santa Clara; Oakwood in Monta Loma, Mountain View | Anshen and Allen | sheetrock walls, painted ceilings, slab or raised foundation | “Mackay” |
| Mardell | 1955–1959 | Mardell Manor in Monta Loma, Mountain View | not on record | raised foundation, plank ceilings, hardwood floors | “Mardell” |
| Ditz-Crane | 1962–1984 | Waverly Park, Mountain View; Sunnyvale; Los Altos | not on record | mainstream 1960s tract homes | “Ditz-Crane” |
| Brown & Kauffmann | 1960s–1981 | Rinconada Hills, Los Gatos; Sunnyvale | not on record | townhouses and homes around shared amenities | “Brown & Kaufman” |
| Bahl | 1968–1986 | seven projects in Sunnyvale, one in Mountain View | Robert Jones and Edwin Hom | 8-foot stucco courtyard walls, slab set low, lots of glass | “Bahl Patio Home” |
| Bay Area builders today | |||||
| SummerHill Homes | 1976–today | Santa Clara, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Los Gatos, San Jose and more | varies by community | townhomes near transit; solar on newer homes | “SummerHill Homes” |
| Robson Homes | 1989–today | Campbell, Los Gatos, San Jose, Milpitas, Mountain View | Robert Hidey Architects, at Rosewood | small infill enclaves in period styles | “Robson Homes” |
| Classic Communities | 1990s–2010s | Mountain View, Palo Alto, Menlo Park, San Mateo | Dahlin Group; Bassenian/Lagoni | “Classics at” infill near Caltrain | “Classic Communities” |
| Trumark Homes | 2012–today | San Jose, Milpitas, Sunnyvale | KTGY, at SP78 and Velocity | three-story townhomes near light rail | “Trumark” |
| National builders | |||||
| KB Home | 1980s–today | San Jose, Milpitas, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Daly City | not named | condo flats and townhomes near BART | “KB Home,” “Kaufman & Broad” |
| Pulte Homes | 2000s–today | Milpitas, San Jose, San Mateo, Sunnyvale, Campbell; Centex at Rivermark | Dahlin Group; KTGY | townhomes and row homes near transit | “Pulte,” “Centex” |
| Shea Homes | 2000s–2010s | Rivermark, Santa Clara; Bay Meadows, San Mateo | KTGY, at Bay Meadows | townhomes by Caltrain | “Shea Homes” |
| Lennar | 2000s–today | Santa Clara, Foster City, Milpitas, Mountain View, San Jose | not named | condominiums and townhomes | “Lennar,” “Standard Pacific” |
| Toll Brothers | 2000s–today | Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Milpitas, San Bruno, Cupertino | Woodley; SDG | four-story townhomes with roof terraces | “Toll Brothers” |
| Taylor Morrison | 2007–today | San Jose, Milpitas, Campbell, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Cupertino | not named | three-story townhome condominiums | “Taylor Morrison,” “William Lyon” |
the nerd check
Why the builder matters
When you buy
- Construction differsNeighboring tracts can look alike and still differ in foundation, heat and wall finishes, as the Mardell, Eichler and Mackay houses in Monta Loma do.
- The right comparablesWe price a builder’s house against that builder’s sales first. Every file has a live sales ledger.
- Rules on the lotRecorded tract maps can carry easements and access limits, like the shared strips in the Bahl Cluster Homes.
When you sell
- Buyers search by builderA listing that names the builder and tract correctly reaches the buyers looking for one.
- Records over guessworkWe confirm the builder from tract and permit records before we put it in a listing.
- Photos that show the designWe shoot the courts, glass and ceilings that set each builder apart, as we did at Cape Blanco and Cronin Drive.
questions
Questions we hear
Which builders are covered?
Doelger, Rousseau, Stern & Price, Mackay Homes, Mardell, Ditz-Crane, Brown & Kauffmann and Bahl; SummerHill Homes, Robson Homes, Classic Communities and Trumark Homes; and the national builders KB Home, Pulte, Shea Homes, Lennar, Toll Brothers and Taylor Morrison. Eichler homes have their own field guide.
How do I find out who built my house?
Start with the recorded tract map and the original permits for the address. The county recorder holds tract maps and the city holds permits. We can pull them for you.
Why don’t the sales counts match the number of homes?
The ledgers count sales whose listing names the builder. Many listings don’t mention the builder, and some homes have sold more than once.
Where do the facts come from?
City records, recorded tract maps, builder and neighborhood association records, archives and oral histories. Each file lists its sources.
talk to a property nerd
Who built your house?
We can pull the tract map and permits, then value it against the same builder’s sales. Commissions are negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what’s included.
