SVHN for General contractors
ADUs and additions with a budget and a stage, not a dream.
Big-build requests on SVHN ask where the homeowner is in planning, the size, the budget, whether the home is pre-1978 and whether an engineer has looked at it - with photos, plans or reports attached. You choose the job types and sizes you want.
- No monthly fee · pay only for jobs you accept
- One general contractor at a time, never a shared lead
- Founding pros: first 2 matches free
Sound familiar?
The headaches every general contractor knows - and what SVHN does about each
Three meetings with someone who hasn't talked to an architect.
Requests say where they are in planning, the budget, the size and whether an engineer has looked at it - with plans or sketches attached if they have them.
Subs who disappear mid-job.
Your network on SVHN: pass a scope to a trusted sub, see who's licensed and insured, and post openings with pay ranges on SVHN Jobs.
Small jobs mixed in with real projects.
Set the job types and minimum size you take; big-build requests have their own place.
Permits and ADU rules differ by city.
The Permit Checker covers 59 cities and the permit helper tracks each job's permit to final.
What lands on your phone
Every request is answered before it reaches you
These are the actual questions and photo prompts homeowners answer for general contractors on SVHN. Phone verified, address in your area, decision-maker confirmed - every time.
Job types you can choose to receive
Job Card · New home or rebuild
Ready to hire- What's on the lot today?
- About how big is the new home?
- Where are you in planning?
- Do you have a budget in mind?
- What kind of ADU?
- About how big?
- What kind of addition?
- Was the home built before 1978?
- What's in scope?
- Will you live in the home during the work?
- What do you need?
- Has an engineer looked at it?
Photos homeowners are asked for
- • The lot or home today – wide shots
- • Plans or sketches, if you have them
- • Where it would go (yard, garage)
- • The side of the home where it would go
- • The spaces today – wide shots
- • The crack, slope or area
You see all of this before you accept or pay anything. Unreachable, spam, wrong trade or area? The deposit comes back as a credit.
What it costs
Lead fees for general contractors, by job type
No monthly fee. A small deposit when you accept (it counts toward the total); the balance only when the job closes. Close it within 7 days and the balance is 20% off.
| Job type | Usually | Deposit at accept | Total lead fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| New home or rebuild | Large project | $179 | $695 |
| ADU or garage conversion | Large project | $179 | $695 |
| Home addition | Large project | $179 | $695 |
| Major remodel (several trades) | Large project | $179 | $695 |
| Structural, foundation or seismic | Install/project | $119 | $395 |
The band can move with the answers (a water heater replacement is bigger than a repair). Emergencies add $10 to the deposit. Your own customers who book through your link are $0.
Where your next jobs are
The ZIPs whose homes fit general contractors best
Ranked from Census data on home ages, heating, owners and movers. Your dashboard has the full list for every ZIP we cover.
#1
94024
Los Altos
- median household income $250,000+
- 95% single-family houses
#2
95070
Saratoga
- median household income $250,000+
- 85% single-family houses
#3
95120
San Jose
- median household income $250,000+
- 88% single-family houses
#4
95030
Los Gatos
- median household income $250,000+
- 79% single-family houses
#5
94022
Los Altos
- median household income $250,000+
- 82% owner-occupied
Your toolkit
Built for how general contractors actually work
Everything here is live on SVHN today and free with your page unless it says otherwise.
Job preferences
ADUs, additions, rebuilds, major remodels, foundation/seismic - choose yours and your minimum size.
Pick the job types and sizes you want, how far you'll drive and your smallest job. Requests that don't fit never reach you.
Dashboard → Job preferences
Permit Radar (San José)
San José ADU, remodel and new-home permits by ZIP - see where building is happening.
Counts of new permits by ZIP - re-roofs, remodels, ADUs, solar, HVAC - and which trades those homes need next. Counts only, never addresses.
Dashboard → Permit Radar
Pass a job / add a trade
Bring in your electrician or plumber on the same job; credits when a passed job is finished.
Can't take it? Pass it to a pro you trust. Finds a sewer line problem? Bring in the next trade. You get a $15 fee credit when a passed job is finished.
Job Card → Ask my network
SVHN Jobs (hiring)
Post a carpenter or laborer opening with a pay range; applicants apply from their phone.
Post a tech or helper opening with a real pay range; applicants apply from their phone in about 2 minutes, no resume needed.
Dashboard → Hiring
Team seats
Your estimator gets their own login.
Give your office manager or dispatcher their own login to accept jobs and answer homeowners.
Dashboard → Team
Permit helper
Track each permit to final; it lands on the homeowner's Home Record.
A suggested permit work description and the city's permit link on the Job Card, reminders, and the permit recorded on the homeowner's Home Record.
Accepted Job Card
Market Finder
ZIPs ranked by income, single-family share and long-time owners - the remodel crowd.
Every ZIP we cover, ranked for your trade from Census data: home ages, heating fuel, owners vs renters, new movers, long-time owners.
Dashboard → Get more jobs
Content kit
Project photos become posts for Instagram, Houzz-style galleries and Nextdoor.
Turns before-and-after photos into ready-to-post captions for Instagram, Facebook, Nextdoor and your Google Business Profile.
Dashboard → Promote
How to start
Your first week
- 1Claim your page and add your B license and insurance.
- 2Set your big-build job types and minimum project size.
- 3Add 3 projects with photos to your page.
- 4Invite your go-to subs to SVHN so you can pass work between you.
- 5Accept your first Job Card (Founding pros: first 2 free).
License and compliance
General building work needs a CSLB Class B license; many cities require separate business licenses and your workers' comp on file for permits.
Questions
What general contractors ask us
Are big projects expensive leads?
Large projects are the top band and the deposit counts toward the total; you only pay after seeing the scope. See the table on this page.
Do I have to take small jobs?
No. Choose the job types and minimum size; small jobs go to handymen and trade pros.
Can my team use it?
Yes - add team seats so your office or estimator can accept and answer jobs.
Your page may already be on SVHN.
Thousands of local businesses are listed. Claim yours in about 2 minutes - free - and set the jobs you want.
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