Kris Sarkela

What Kris Sarkela does

Sarkela Building Design is a family-owned architectural building design firm headquartered in San Diego, California. Originally founded in 1974 as 'Sarkela & Associates' by Jon Sarkela, an SDSU graduate, the firm is now operated under its current name by his son Kristofer 'Kris' Sarkela, who serves as principal designer and owner with over 26 years of experience across both commercial and residential projects. The firm offers a focused suite of residential architectural design services including custom homes, remodels and additions, accessory dwelling units (ADUs/granny flats), bearing wall removal, code violation corrections, retaining walls, patios, decks, and miscellaneous custom design work on request.

The firm's core capability is professional building plan production grounded in extensive working knowledge of City/County of San Diego building code ordinances and surrounding jurisdictions. Underlying technology is conventional architectural drafting — no software platforms, AI tools, or proprietary digital systems are referenced. Service delivery is project-based with one-time design fees charged per engagement; specific pricing is not disclosed publicly, and free estimates are offered to prospective clients. The go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer: Kris Sarkela personally engages homeowners and contractors via phone (619-905-1564) and email ([email protected]), with no resellers, marketplace listings, or intermediary distribution channels.

The firm serves two primary customer segments — individual homeowners seeking new builds or renovations, and contractors sourcing plans for client projects — with a smaller commercial client base inferred from the principal designer's commercial-sector experience. Marketing is limited to the sarkelabuildingdesign.com website; no social media, content marketing, or paid acquisition channels are evident. The business is bootstrapped with no institutional funding, no parent company, and concentrated ownership within the Sarkela family.

Name

Kris Sarkela

Legal name

Sarkela Building Design

Website

https://sarkelabuildingdesign.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sarkela Building Design is a family-owned San Diego architectural building design firm, founded 1974 and now led by principal designer Kris Sarkela, providing custom residential building plans and code-compliance services to homeowners and contractors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Residential Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) & Backyard Homes (IMAFABAK)

Keywords

• Residential building design
• Architectural design services
• Custom home plans
• ADU design services
• Building plan drafting

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Building Design Services: Project-based architectural building design services for custom homes, remodels, additions, ADUs, and other construction projects. Revenue is generated through one-time design fees for producing building plans for individual projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Sarkela Building Design is a residential architectural building design firm that produces custom building plans for homeowners and contractors, covering custom homes, remodels/additions, ADUs/granny flats, bearing wall removal, code violation corrections, retaining walls, and patios/decks. The principal designer personally consults with clients and delivers project-based design packages, leveraging deep familiarity with San Diego City/County building code ordinances to produce compliant plans. Service is provided regionally in the San Diego, California market on a direct-engagement, estimate-based basis.

Product overview

Sarkela Building Design is a building design firm offering architectural design services for residential projects. The company provides a unified set of design services centered around custom home design, with complementary services including remodels, additions, granny flats/ADUs, structural modifications, code violation corrections, and outdoor structures. The firm operates primarily in the San Diego area and serves both homeowners and contractors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Homes Design Custom residential home architectural design services producing personalized building plans for homeowners and contractors within the City/County of San Diego and surrounding areas.
• Remodels and Additions Design Architectural design services for home renovation projects and additions to existing residential structures.
• Granny Flats / ADU Design Design services for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and secondary living structures on residential properties, frequently for rental or multi-generational housing.
• Bearing Wall Removal Design Structural design services for residential projects requiring removal of bearing walls, including proper load-distribution planning.
• Code Violation Corrections Building plan corrections and redesign services for residential properties to address existing code violations.
• Retaining Wall Design Design services for structural retaining walls used in landscaping and site preparation projects.
• Patio and Deck Design Outdoor living space design services including patios and decks for residential properties.
• Miscellaneous Custom Design Services Additional custom building design services available upon request for specialized project needs beyond the core service categories.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Dvele: Technology-forward prefab home company producing high-performance custom residential units. Competes indirectly with Sarkela by offering design-integrated prefab housing as an alternative to traditional custom architectural services.
• Cover: Tech-enabled ADU design and build company that overlaps with Sarkela's granny flat/ADU design offering. Represents the emerging digital and prefab model of residential accessory unit delivery competing with traditional design firms.
• Method Homes: Prefab modular home builder offering custom and ADU residential products. Provides an alternative delivery model to traditional architectural design firms like Sarkela by integrating design and factory construction.
• Plant Prefab: Prefab and sustainable home builder offering factory-built custom and ADU solutions. Overlaps with Sarkela's custom home and ADU service lines through an alternative, technology-driven delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Standard Architecture: Los Angeles-based design firm working across residential and hospitality projects. Comparable in custom residential design capability but serves a higher-end, broader market with more institutional reach than Sarkela.
• Marmol Radziner: Established Los Angeles-based residential architecture practice known for high-end custom homes, additions, and ADU projects across California. Overlaps with Sarkela's residential design offerings but operates at significantly larger scale and broader geographic scope.
• Backen Gillam Kroeger: Recognized California residential architecture firm with a national portfolio of custom homes and estate work. Comparable in core residential design focus but operates at a larger scale and broader market reach than Sarkela.

Regional players

• Olson Kundig: Seattle-based residential architecture studio with a national reputation for custom homes. Comparable in custom residential design focus but operates primarily in a different geography with broader market reach than Sarkela.

Direct peers

• Safdie Rabines Architects: San Diego-based architecture firm providing building design across residential and community projects. Comparable in geographic focus on the San Diego market and in offering custom residential design services to homeowners.
• Studio Schicketanz: California-based residential architecture studio focused on custom homes and renovation work. Directly comparable to Sarkela in residential building design for private clients and small-scale project delivery.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sarkela-building-design

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kris Sarkela