About Us

Our Approach

Find a Way

This is something of a mantra within our team. You could say it’s in our DNA. We work with owners and architects to make their vision happen, responding to each challenge by looking for how we can do it, rather than explaining why it can’t be done.

We don’t make excuses. We are resourceful and we take initiative.

In our 35+ years in business, we have built and worked on just over one hundred homes. From compact jewel-boxes to grand estates, we are passionate about building beautiful and enduring spaces.

What these numbers reveal is that we are intentional about our project volume, preferring to work on fewer projects so we can offer the focus of the entire firm.

Our Origins

Ours is a quintessential Silicon Valley story: a failed startup, followed by a successful pivot.

In 1984, Paul and Libby Conrado launched PRC Construction, specializing in building spec homes. Paul is a civil engineer by training and Libby had worked in sales at a Fortune 500 company. Four years in, following a downturn in the housing market, the venture shuttered.

But Paul and Libby failed forward, starting over the very next day by outlining a vision for what would become Conrado Home Builders: a new client-centric business building custom luxury homes throughout the Peninsula and South Bay.

With this approach, Conrado has been serving clients in the Bay Area for over 35 years.

Great places to live are that way because of the people invested in those places.

—Colleen Conrado Ferguson

Our Community

Relationships are central to what we do — not only with architects, subcontractors and owners, but also within the community. At Conrado, contributing our time, expertise and funding in support of local organizations is a priority.

Over the past several decades, our efforts have included building the Los Altos History Museum; donating to schools, from elementary to the university level; contributing to local art and architecture organizations and serving on boards of nonprofits, such as the Montalvo Arts Center and others.

Our personal passions also inform the business. With an affinity for decorative arts, architecture and design, Colleen loves to bring an architectural vision to life and brings a discerning eye to every project. Paul’s wine-making hobby, started in 1992, led to Conrado Cellars, which produces award-winning wines that are donated to charity.

Our Team

We are passionate builders, fanatical about project management. Thousands of decisions. Dozens of subcontractors and suppliers. We pay attention to all the details, and we look ahead and anticipate.

We love great design. From the first foundation pour to the finishing touches of the interior design, we love being able to build our clients’ vision.