About Us – cheneybuilders

Company Profile

With over 19 years of experience, we specialize in both residential and commercial general contracting services. As a licensed and insured contractor in California (#968885), we provide a comprehensive range of solutions to meet the diverse needs of homeowners and businesses alike.

Our services include custom home building, architectural design and engineering, fire rebuilds and restoration, and home additions. Additionally, we excel in kitchen and bathroom remodels, new commercial construction, tenant and leasehold improvements, and more.

Our expertise extends to grading, site drainage, concrete foundations and caissons, steel and ornamental iron work, welding, and retaining wall construction. We are also proficient in framing using wood, steel, and CICF block, as well as the installation of windows, doors, and skylights, and expert waterproofing.

Furthermore, we manage roofing, plumbing, electrical work, HVAC systems, low voltage systems, drywall installation, flooring (tile, wood, carpet), finish carpentry, painting, cabinetry, and countertop installations (including concrete, granite, and Corian). We also offer appliance installation services for both residential and commercial projects.

Regardless of the project’s scale, we are dedicated to delivering exceptional craftsmanship and unparalleled service, ensuring every detail meets the highest standards of quality.

Why Choose Cheney Builders

We are a full-service Design-Build firm. If you don’t already have an architect or draftsman, we can provide a proposal to design your home and manage the entire construction document process from start to finish.

We’ll prepare a Construction Document Services (CDS) agreement that clearly outlines the scope of work needed to produce a set of permitted plans, enabling you to move forward with your construction project.

By assisting during the pre-construction phase, we can help save both time and money. As licensed contractors, we bring practical, cost-conscious insight to the design process through value engineering—ensuring your home’s design is optimized with construction feasibility and budget in mind.

Experienced Fire Rebuild Contractor

We’ve rebuilt several homes in the area that were lost to fire over the years and have developed a strong understanding of fire-resistant construction methods.

Our team has experience building with Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF), a highly fire-resistant material made from recycled polystyrene, cement, and bonding agents. These blocks resemble oversized CMU blocks but are lighter and less dense. Like CMU, they are reinforced with rebar and filled with concrete, but they also serve as built-in forms and offer excellent insulation value.

In addition to ICF, we have experience constructing homes with steel framing—another strong option for fire resistance. While these materials can increase overall construction costs slightly, there are other effective fire-resistant strategies that have minimal impact on your budget. These include:

Fire-resistant vents
Eliminating exposed lumber or using heavy timber when necessary
Closing soffit areas
Using cement board fascia
Selecting fire-resistant roofing materials

If you choose to have us design your home, we can provide accurate cost estimates for these upgrades during the design phase—giving you full visibility before construction begins and helping ensure a safer, more resilient home.

Local

We focus our work in the Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. Because we are a local contractor we have experience working with local building agencies in both the cities and counties of Santa Barbara and Ventura. Many homeowners will find this to be valuable because each city and county has its own way of doing things. We have become familiar with their requirements and processes which helps both the planning and building process.

Customer reviews

Shaun was my general contractor on a townhouse remodel, including new kitchen, bathrooms, fixtures, and paint throughout. Whenever I had any concerns or change orders, Shaun was always responsive in working with me to address them. He followed the schedule and budget. I had separate contractors install flooring and countertops. Shaun coordinated well with them even though he was not managing their work. I would definitely use Shaun again.

Project: Remodel a Bathroom

City: Santa Barbara, CA

Shaun is a remarkable person. From the moment we requested services, he stayed with us till we had reviewed the process and cost in detail. We had had other experiences with remodeling, and were somewhat suspect about the whole process. Shaun was willing to discuss every detail of our remodel, including not only cost, but also where we might find materials for our remodel-tile, paint, hardware, sink/bath, alternative options for countertops, etc. What we really valued was his interest in getting what we really wanted. He stayed with us through the whole process. High recommendations.

Project: Remodel a Bathroom

City: Summerland, CA

Short notice, small job and yet still received superb service. On time, reasonable and great work. Would hire them for future projects!

Project: Install or Replace Interior Doors

City: Camarillo, CA

I was very satisfied with the work and availability. The price was fair and they listened to me and my questions. My only negative comment was they could have put their tools and done the inside work on a drop cloth instead of the carpet.

Project: Install or Replace Interior Doors

City: Camarillo, CA

Shaun Cheney was professional, on schedule, knowledgeable about construction and material solutions, and cleaned up after every phase. I will use him and his crew again, and did request more services. The result is very satisfactory.

Project: Install or Replace Interior Doors

City: Thousand Oaks, CA

Very good and honest company. The were fast to respond to my phone call, and they completed the job in a very timely manor. Highly recommended.

Project: Repair Drywall

City: Santa Barbara, CA

Shaun is amazing. He is very calm, clean, and he figures out ahead of time how long it’s going to take him. He also has really good helpers. I would recommend him highly

Review by: Clarinda

Work Description: He made some bypass doors, installed a kitchen, and did some plumbing.

We had a family room remodel this past September and we chose Cheney Builders to do the job. There was fireplace demo, fireplace tiling, cabinet doors and built ins, drywall and painting work involved. Shaun and his crew did a good job. Everyone was pleasant to work with and Shaun oversaw the job very closely. We would definitely use Cheney Builders again for future projects.

Review by : Vel

We live in Village at the Park, and Cheney Builders finished a loft and turned it into a bedroom by removing a stair rail and adding a wall, as well as hanging closet doors. We also used them to do some custom cabinetry and garage shelving. The quote they gave us was very reasonable and the service was fabulous. He was professional, friendly, started and finished within the time frame he originally quoted, the work he did was great, and everything was cleaned up and ready to go during the final walk through. I would definitely use Cheney Builders again and I’ve already recommended them to several friends/neighbors.

Review by: Emily