The story behind Blackline
In firefighting, the black line is the ground where the fire has been fully put out: the burned edge that crews have secured, checked, and made sure won’t flare up again. Once a fire is black-lined, it’s finished, with nothing left to chance. Blake spent 20 years in the fire service, including 16 years as a captain with Santa Barbara Fire, before leaving in 2020. The name is a reminder of the standard he brings to construction: every project finished completely, with nothing left smoldering.
From the fire service to multifamily development
After the fire service, Blake brought his years of leadership and management experience into construction, joining Pacific Apartment Homes, a well-known multifamily development company in the South Bay. There he led the company’s ADU portfolio, overseeing preconstruction and execution on more than 30 ADUs, including garage conversions, tuck-under parking conversions, and freestanding structures. He was integral to the design and build process, using value engineering to keep projects efficient and add lasting value to multifamily properties.
Building Blackline Builders
In 2024, Blake left Pacific Apartment Homes to start Blackline Builders. Since then, he’s overseen investment ADUs, home renovations, and new construction across the Santa Barbara area. Blackline is more than a home builder. Our work includes:
ADUs of every kind, including garage conversions, tuck-under conversions, and ground-up builds; multifamily renovations and value engineering; and new construction and construction management for residential and commercial clients.
Family owned and operated
Santa Barbara isn’t just where Blackline Builders works. It’s home. As a small, family-owned company, we treat every project like it’s going up in our own neighborhood, because it usually is. Blake is hands-on with every job, so you work directly with the owner from the first conversation to the final walkthrough. Over the years he’s built strong relationships with trusted local trades and suppliers, which means your project is in experienced hands at every stage.