Building it yourself? We do the rest.

Design, engineering, permit documents, utility interconnection and equipment procurement for California homeowners building under their own owner-builder permit. You hold the permit and do the installation. We do everything around it.

Request the agreement (619) 389-9222

What we provide

Five deliverables. Each one is professional or supply work, and each one is something we can do for a project we are not building.

1

Design and engineering

Load calculations, single-line and site drawings, equipment sizing and selection, and the code analysis behind them. You get documents you own and can use.

2

Permit documents

We prepare the complete application package in the form your building department wants, and respond to plan-check comments by revising and reissuing. You sign and submit it — that part is yours by law, and we will explain exactly what to expect at the counter.

3

Utility interconnection

We prepare the interconnection application and supporting documents your utility requires. With your written authorization we can submit and track that application for you.

4

Procurement and delivery

We source, order, receive and deliver your equipment to the property. Trade pricing, correct parts, no guessing at a counter. Title passes to you on delivery.

5

Inspection support

We tell you what each inspection covers and what the inspector looks for, read any correction notice and explain in writing what it means, and revise the drawings if a correction needs it.

—

Not the installation

We do not install on these projects, and no part of the price is installation labour. Under an owner-builder permit the permit holder is responsible for the work.

Two ways to do this

Both are real options and they are not the same deal. Here is the honest difference, so you can pick rather than find out later. GP Solar does the design, permitting and procurement either way — what changes is who installs it and who carries the risk.

Owner-builder

You hold the permit

Lower cost. You are the builder and the responsible party.

  • You apply for and sign the permit personally
  • You perform the installation, or a licensed contractor you hire directly does
  • You schedule inspections and meet the inspector
  • No contractor's licence bond stands behind the work
  • The CSLB has no jurisdiction over it and cannot help if something goes wrong
  • If you hire unlicensed help, you are likely their employer — workers' compensation, payroll tax and injury liability become yours
  • No installation warranty from us, because we did not install it
Licensed contractor

A contractor holds the permit

Costs more. A licensed contractor is the contractor of record and carries the risk.

  • They pull the permit under their own CSLB licence
  • They perform the work with their own licensed crew
  • They deal with the inspector and the utility
  • Their licence bond and their insurance stand behind it
  • You can bring a complaint to the CSLB
  • Their workers’ compensation covers the crew, not you
  • Written workmanship warranty, and a home improvement contract with every protection B&P 7159 requires
  • GP Solar can still do the design, the permit package and the equipment — we just are not the ones installing it

Read this before you choose owner-builder

California requires your building department to tell you the same thing at the counter, and we would rather you hear it from us first: an owner-builder permit makes you the contractor. There is no licence behind the work, no bond to claim against, and the Contractors State License Board cannot investigate a complaint about your own permit.

If you hire anyone who is not a licensed contractor to help — including day labour — you are likely their employer under California law. If they are hurt on your property you can be personally liable for their medical care and lost wages, and most homeowner policies exclude it. Call your insurer and get the answer in writing before work starts.

It follows the house, too. When you sell, you may have to disclose the work was done under an owner-builder permit, and you stay responsible for it.

How it runs

  1. We scope it and quote itA short call and a look at your service, your panel and what you are trying to add. You get a fixed price for the design, engineering and procurement, itemised so you can see what is professional work and what is equipment.
  2. You sign the agreementDigitally, from a link we send you. No paper, no DocuSign. You get a copy you can keep, and three business days to cancel.
  3. We design it and build the permit packageDrawings, calculations, forms. Delivered to you complete, in the form your department wants.
  4. You pull the permitYou sign and submit. We tell you exactly what to bring and what they will ask. If plan check comes back with comments, we revise and reissue.
  5. We order and deliver your equipmentTo the property, on your schedule, with the manufacturer warranties assigned to you.
  6. You build itYourself, or with a licensed contractor you retain directly.
  7. We support the inspectionsWe tell you what each one covers, read any correction notice, and revise the drawings if one calls for it.

Request the agreement

Tell us the property and what you are building. We will send you a scoped agreement with a fixed price and a signing link. No obligation, and nothing to print.

Start the request Call (619) 389-9222

Already have a signing link from us? Open it on any device — it works on a phone. If you cannot find it, call the number above and we will resend it.