builder filesfile 24 of 42building here since 1989boyenga team at compass
Pacific Peninsula Group
Steve Ackley and Brad Smith founded Pacific Peninsula Group in 1989, added an in-house architecture arm in 1990 and built their first Atherton spec home in 1991, per Punch Magazine. The Menlo Park company says its development arm now works almost entirely in Atherton, where Punch counted more than 200 homes it designed, built or remodeled. Here’s what the records confirm and what the homes resell for.
- builder
- Pacific Peninsula Group
- founders
- Steve Ackley and Brad Smith, 1989
- base
- Menlo Park, per the company
- architecture
- in-house since 1990
- custom homes
- Pacific Peninsula Custom Group, since 2000
- focus
- Atherton spec homes, per the company
- listings say
- “Pacific Peninsula Group,” “PPG”
- sales on record · live…
- median $/sq ft, last 2 yrs…
- for sale now · live…
- Atherton homes designed, built or remodeled, per Punch Magazine200+
where they are
Pacific Peninsula Group work in our area
From a city approval, local and trade press and the company; listing-only credits are marked.
| community | city | years | homes | notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atherton spec homes | Atherton | 1991–today | 200+ (all work) | Estates the company names by style and number, such as Atherton Contemporary and Atherton Transitional, designed in-house; Punch counted more than 200 Atherton homes designed, built or remodeled. |
| Atherton Contemporary | Atherton | completed by 2020 | 1 | About 14,000 sq ft over three stories on a sloped site, designed by the company’s architects with interiors by Leverone Design, per Dezeen. |
| Partridge Avenue homes | Menlo Park | early 1990s | 7 | Early remodels and small subdivisions in the Allied Arts neighborhood, per Punch. |
| 324 Bryant Street condominiums | Mountain View | approved 2012 | 7 | Three-story condos of 981 to 2,367 sq ft, each with a garage, near downtown, per the Mountain View Voice. |
| Pacific Parc | Menlo Park | 1996 (listings) | — | Two-story townhome-style condos on Willow Rd in the Willows; listings credit Pacific Peninsula Group. |
| Downtown Menlo Park townhomes | Menlo Park | 2011 (listings) | — | Townhomes on Fremont St; listings credit Pacific Peninsula Group. |
| Ludina Way and Kentfield Ave | Redwood City | 2012–2013 (listings) | — | A small private community of detached homes and townhomes; listings credit Pacific Peninsula Group. |
Listings also credit the company with single homes in Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Woodside and Palo Alto, and some of those credits are for remodels rather than original builds. Outside our area it has built in Pebble Beach, Carmel and Tahoe, per Punch.
the homes
What the homes are like
From the company, trade press and listings.
- names
Numbered style series
The company names its Atherton spec homes by style and sequence, such as Atherton Transitional XXIII, which helps match a listing to a project.
- one roof
Design, build and interiors
Architecture, building and interiors sit inside one group, per the company; some listings credit its architecture arm for the design only.
- contemporary
Stone and glass
Atherton Contemporary pairs split-cut limestone walls with wide glass, oak floors and a lower level with a gym and theater, per Dezeen.
- traditional
Traditional styles too
Listings describe Tuscan-inspired, shingle-style and colonial estates, several with landscapes by Thomas Klope Associates.
- myth check
Built or remodeled?
The company also remodels, and listings say “renovated by” as well as “built by,” so check the year built and the permit history.
the sales ledger
Every recorded Pacific Peninsula Group sale
Each dot is a sale whose listing names Pacific Peninsula Group, as builder or in some listings as remodeler, mostly in Atherton, Menlo Park, Mountain View and Redwood City. Hover a dot for the address, date and price.
- sales on record…
- median price…
- median $ per sq ft…
- latest sale…
one recorded salemedian for the yearprice per sq ft = sale price ÷ listed living area
| sold | address | price | $/sq ft | bd / ba | sq ft |
|---|
Some listings credit the company for a remodel rather than the original build, and some estates sell without the MLS. Sales come from the MLS records available to us and include every sold listing whose description names the builder, so a few homes may be labeled by the listing agent rather than confirmed from tract records. Sold data is shown with the listing brokerage. Price per square foot uses the living area in the listing. Ask us for a full comparable-sales report on any address.
on the market
For sale now
Active listings whose description names Pacific Peninsula Group.
Checking active listings…
owning one today
Owning one today
- Heritage treesAtherton and Menlo Park protect large trees, oaks especially, and require permits to remove or work near them. Check the town’s current rules before planning a project.
- HOAsThe townhome and condo communities have associations. Ask for the CC&Rs, budget and reserve study.
- Warranty and SB 800California’s Right to Repair Act covers homes sold new since 2003 and generally limits defect claims to 10 years after completion, so 1990s homes predate it, most homes through 2015 are past it and recent Atherton spec homes may still be inside it.
the nerd check
Buying or selling one
What we check when you buy
- Built or remodeled?We match the year built, permits and listing wording to tell an original build from a remodel.
- Which project?We match an Atherton home to its style series and completion date, which set the comparables.
- Trees and permitsWe check heritage-tree rules and permit history before you plan changes.
- The right comparablesWe compare against similar homes nearby first.
How we market one when you sell
- Name the builderBuyers search for Pacific Peninsula Group by name, so we confirm it from records and say so in the listing.
- Paperwork up frontWe gather plans, permits and any warranty records early.
- Prep with a planOur Prep Lab budgets repairs and refresh before you list.
- Price from real salesWe price from recent sales of similar homes nearby.
questions
Questions we hear
Who is Pacific Peninsula Group?
A Menlo Park design-and-build group founded in 1989 by Steve Ackley and Brad Smith, per Punch Magazine and the company. It added an architecture arm in 1990 and a custom-homes arm in 2000.
Where does it build?
Mostly Atherton. The company says its development arm focuses almost entirely there, and Punch counted more than 200 Atherton homes it designed, built or remodeled. It also built seven condos at 324 Bryant St. near downtown Mountain View, approved in 2012.
How can I tell an original build from a remodel?
Compare the year built with the listing wording, “built by” versus “renovated by,” and check the permit history. We can pull it for you.
Is a Pacific Peninsula Group home still inside the defect window?
Only if it was sold new since 2003 and is less than 10 years past completion, under California’s Right to Repair Act. Recent Atherton spec homes may be; 1990s homes and most from 2003 to 2015 aren’t.
sources
Sources
Local and trade press, city records and company pages, checked October 2026.
- Punch Magazine: 30 years building the Peninsula (2020)Founding, divisions and the Atherton countpunchmagazine.com/30-years-building-the-peninsula
- Mountain View Voice: condos approved for 324 Bryant St. (2012)Seven condos, with the company named as developerwww.mv-voice.com/news/2012/04/06/12-million-condos-approved-for-324-bryant-st
- Dezeen: Atherton Contemporary (2020)Design, build and interiors creditswww.dezeen.com/2020/06/28/atherton-contemporary-pacific-peninsula-leverone-design-california/
- Pacific Peninsula: aboutFounders and divisions (company)www.pacificpeninsula.com/about
- Pacific Peninsula: developmentAtherton focus (company)www.pacificpeninsula.com/divisions/development
- City of Menlo Park: heritage treesProtected trees in Menlo Parkwww.menlopark.gov/Government/Departments/Public-Works/Maintenance-Division/Trees/Heritage-tree-definition-and-ordinance
- Atherton Municipal Code § 8.10.020Heritage tree definitionsatherton.municipal.codes/Code/8.10.020
- California Civil Code § 94110-year limit for construction-defect claimscalifornia.public.law/codes/civil_code_section_941
builder files
Every builder file, by era
Bars show the years each builder was building here. See all builders or the home styles field guide.
- Fernando Nelson1880–1920s
- Gellert (Sunstream)1922–1972
- Birge Clark1922–1970s
- Stoneson1920s–1960s
- Doelger1927–1960s
- McKeon1927–early 1970s
- Gardner Dailey1930s–1960s
- William Wurster1930s–1960s
- Rousseau1931–1933
- Bohannon1936–1955
- Cliff May1950s
- Stern & Price1951–1953
- Mackay Homes1950s
- Mardell1955–1959
- Hayman Homes1960s–1970s
- Ditz-Crane1962–1984
- Brown & Kauffmann1960s–1981
- Bahl1968–1986
- Ponderosa Homes1970s–1990s
- Shapell1971–2000s
- SummerHill Homes1976–today
- Pinn Brothers1976–today
- Robson Homes1989–today
- Pacific Peninsula Group1989–today
- Barry Swenson Builder1990s–2010s
- Classic Communities1990s–2010s
- Warmington1990s–2020s
- DeNova Homes2000s–today
- City Ventures2011–today
- Trumark Homes2012–today
- Dividend Homes2010s–today
- KB Home1980s–today
- Brookfield1990s–today
- Pulte Homes2000s–today
- Shea Homes2000s–2010s
- Lennar2000s–today
- Toll Brothers2000s–today
- Taylor Morrison2007–today
- D.R. Horton2010s
- Tri Pointe Homes2012–today
- K. Hovnanian2014–2018
- Meritage Homes2010s
talk to a property nerd
Own a Pacific Peninsula Group home?
We can confirm what the company built or remodeled, check the tree and permit records and value it against recent sales nearby. Commissions are negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what’s included.
