Every Home Service You Need in the Mountains

The short version

• Check the license first. Before you pay anyone, look up the contractor at the CSLB license lookup and confirm it's active, matches the work, and carries a current bond.
• Deep benches: plumbers, electricians, general contractors, and tree crews all have several Boulder Creek options.
• Thin spots: roofing, flooring, handyman work, and chimney sweeps are harder to find, and a few of those come from outside the valley.
• Need someone fast? Several local crews list 24-hour emergency service, including for wells, electrical, and septic.
• Missing your go-to person? Tell us.

When the water heater quits on a Sunday morning, the mountains ask you a question the flatlands don't: who do you call? The hardware store, the plumber, and the tree crew aren't around every corner the way they are in Scotts Valley or Santa Cruz. Owning a home up here means keeping a short list of people you can reach when something goes wrong, and this is that list, organized by the problem you're trying to solve rather than by trade name.

Where a state contractor license is shown, use the number for the first check before hiring.

Check the license before you hire

California wants the contractor licensed for any job that needs a building permit, uses employee labor, or runs to $1,000 or more in combined labor and materials. That covers most structural, electrical, plumbing, and roofing work.

You can look up any license in about two minutes at the CSLB license lookup, which shows whether it's active, what classification it covers, and whether the bond and workers' comp are current. We verify licenses when we add a contractor, but statuses change, so confirm it yourself before money changes hands. For the bigger picture on vetting a contractor in the Santa Cruz Mountains, see our guide on hiring a contractor in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Water: plumbing, wells, and septic

Everyday plumbing has depth right in town. Apollo Plumbing (Boulder Creek) handles drains, pipes, fixtures, and water heaters. Travis Martin Plumbing (Boulder Creek, CSLB #1048423, C-36), which also does business as San Lorenzo Valley Water Heaters, covers drains, fixtures, water heaters, and filtration. Hwy 9 Plumbing (Boulder Creek, CSLB #1045811, C-36) does residential repairs, water heaters, and leak diagnosis; find its number in our directory.

Down valley, Collins Coastal Plumbing (Ben Lomond, CSLB #1004212, C-36), Wade's, Inc. (Ben Lomond, CSLB #1087260), and J Fisher Plumbing (Felton, CSLB #985600) round out the options.

Wells and pumps are their own specialty. Tavares Plumbing and Pumps serves Boulder Creek, Ben Lomond, and Felton with pump installation, tanks, and 24-hour emergency service. Maggiora Bros. Drilling (Watsonville) has drilled and serviced county wells since 1962; confirm mountain coverage for your specific job.

For septic, Affordable Septic & Excavating Services (Boulder Creek) advertises pumping, inspections, repairs, installations, and 24-hour service. If you're new to owning a septic system, read our septic basics primer before your first pump-out.

Power: electricians

Boulder Creek has a solid bench of licensed electricians. SE Electric (Boulder Creek) does residential and commercial installation, repair, and lighting. Big Basin Electric (Boulder Creek), Wilson Electric (Boulder Creek, CSLB #1058620, C-10), and PCIS (Boulder Creek, electrical and low-voltage, with 24/7 emergency service) are all in the directory.

Down valley you'll find Jessi Phillips Electric (Ben Lomond, CSLB #980978, C-10) and SLV Electric Inc (Felton, CSLB #881810, C-10). Adding solar? Farinsky Energy Solutions (Ben Lomond, CSLB #1118587, C-46 and C-10) installs photovoltaic systems.

Build and remodel: general contractors

For a build, an addition, or a remodel, the valley's roster of licensed general contractors runs deep. In Boulder Creek: Geist Builders Group, Meadows Custom Builders, LK Construction and Management, Markey Construction (home builds, remodels, decks, fences, retaining walls, and concrete), Kevin Foster Construction, JRG Construction, GNN Construction, Aaron Chase Construction, and Platinum Contracting Services. In Ben Lomond: Eric Martin Construction and Lotz Construction. In Felton: Dixon Construction and Oliveira & Sons. For cabinets and finish carpentry, Gary Fox Cabinets (Boulder Creek, CSLB #697984, B) is a licensed option.

Phone numbers for the ones without a linked site are in the directory, and we have a dedicated roundup of valley-based general contractors coming as the hub series fills out.

A note on handymen. There are people doing this work in and around town, but handyman work generally doesn't require a contractor's license, which means there's no register for us to check them against the way we check a licensed trade. Rather than pick names we can't verify, we've left this one to you: ask a neighbor, or ask at the counter at Scarborough Building Supply. For anything beyond a small job, the licensed builders above will often take on minor work.

Surfaces: paint, concrete, roofing, and floors

Painters are well covered. In Boulder Creek: Jeff Vedder Painting, Machado Bros. Painting (CSLB #1012390, C-33), and California Custom Painting and Design (CSLB #1019283, C-33), which also handles cabinetry and tile. In Felton, Fine Edge Painting (CSLB #1110102, C-33).

For concrete, Boulder Creek Concrete (Boulder Creek, CSLB #1142895, C-8) does flatwork, foundations, and retaining walls, and Terry Miller Concrete (Ben Lomond, CSLB #755895, C-8) is a long-established option.

Roofing is thinner. The one verified roofer serving the valley is Christopher A New Roofing (Ben Lomond, CSLB #668255, C-39); its number is in the directory.

Flooring is thinner still. Briones Built (Boulder Creek, CSLB #1115996, B) is a licensed general contractor based in town that advertises flooring installation, though its posted flooring service area names Felton and Ben Lomond rather than Boulder Creek, so ask. There's no flooring-only specialist based in the valley. If you install floors in the San Lorenzo Valley, please tell us.

Outside: landscaping, tree work, and gutters

For landscape design and installation, Baxter Landscaping, Inc. (Scotts Valley, CSLB #829811, C-27), Angus Hill Landscapes (Boulder Creek, CSLB #1127823, C-27), and Good Earth Landscape & Design (Ben Lomond, CSLB #874175, C-27) are licensed C-27 contractors.

One thing to know going in: these are design-and-install firms. For ongoing mow-weed-and-haul work you want a maintenance gardener instead, and several serve the valley; we list them in our gardeners and yard help guide.

Tree work is the one trade Boulder Creek has in real depth, which makes sense in a redwood forest. Christianson Tree Experts, Stellar Tree Care, Sunderland Tree Service, and Travis Tree Professionals are all Boulder Creek based and cover pruning, removal, and defensible-space work. Before anyone climbs, read our questions to ask in tree work in Boulder Creek, including the county permit thresholds for large trees.

For gutters, Daniel's Cleaning Services (Seaside) cleans rain gutters, chimneys, and dryer vents across the county, including the San Lorenzo Valley; its number is in the directory.

Heat: HVAC, chimney, firewood, and propane

Two licensed HVAC contractors serve the area: Herranen Heating & Air (Ben Lomond, CSLB #814852, C-20) and Zephyr Climate Solutions (Felton, CSLB #1072237, C-20), which specializes in ducted and ductless mini-splits.

If you burn wood, get the chimney swept yearly. No chimney sweep is based inside the valley, so both options come from outside it: Safeguard Chimney Sweep Company (Watsonville, operating since 1979) and Daniel's Cleaning Services (Seaside).

For the wood itself, Cozy Firewood (Felton) delivers and stacks seasoned oak, almond, and eucalyptus. On propane, Mountain Propane Service (Felton) is the locally owned choice, and both Ferrellgas and AmeriGas cover the 95006 area as national providers.

Clean: house cleaners

Three cleaning services are based right in Boulder Creek: San Lorenzo Valley Housekeeping (operating since 2012), SCM Custom Cleaning, and Clean Mountain House Cleaning. Soap Bubble Cleaning Service works the valley from Brookdale at 831-252-0720. Further out you'll find Santa Cruz Maids. Our full house cleaners guide has the details.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which home services don't exist locally?

We don't list a chimney sweep based inside the San Lorenzo Valley; the ones serving the area come from Watsonville and Seaside. Maintenance gardeners are on a separate page. Handymen we've left off deliberately, since the work usually isn't licensed and we can't verify them the way we verify a licensed trade. Licensed builders often take on the small jobs a handyman would. If you know of someone we've missed, tell us.

How do I check that a contractor is licensed?

Use the CSLB license lookup at cslb.ca.gov. Enter the license number or business name and confirm the license is active, matches the classification for your work, and carries a current bond.

Do these companies come up the hill?

The ones listed as Boulder Creek based do, and each entry notes its home town and service area. For businesses based down valley or over the hill, especially wells and specialty trades, call and confirm they cover your exact address before scheduling. Access and road conditions are part of every mountain job.

Why isn't my go-to person on here?

Probably because we haven't verified them yet, not because anything is wrong. We only list businesses we can confirm directly, and the directory grows every week. Send us a name through the submit page and we'll check it out.

License status can change. Before signing or paying a deposit, confirm the number, classification, bond, and workers' compensation status through the Contractors State License Board.

License numbers here come from the California Contractors State License Board. Statuses change, so confirm any license yourself at the CSLB before you hire.

Full contact details for every trade above live in the business directory, and current happenings are on the events calendar. Report a changed or missing listing through the submit page.