Ventilation design & install
Load calculations, equipment selection, and installation for supply, exhaust and make-up air. Commercial and residential, new build or retrofit.
Crescent City, California · Est. 2009
Coastal air is salty, damp and stubborn. We build ventilation that handles it.
Redwood Draft designs, fabricates and services ventilation systems for restaurants, clinics, schools, canneries and homes across Del Norte County — sheet metal cut in our own shop on Fairway Drive.
17Years on the coast
2140+Systems serviced
4.9/5Average client rating
24hEmergency callout
Title 24 compliance·NFPA 96 kitchen exhaust·ASHRAE 62.1 ventilation rates·HRV & ERV specialists·Marine-grade sheet metal·
Title 24 compliance·NFPA 96 kitchen exhaust·ASHRAE 62.1 ventilation rates·HRV & ERV specialists·Marine-grade sheet metal·
Who we are
A small shop that answers its own phone
Holly Fitzgerald started Redwood Draft in 2009 after a decade balancing air systems for hospitals in Humboldt County. The company still runs the way she set it up: five technicians, two vans, one fabrication bay, and no call centre between you and the person doing the work.
We work almost exclusively within 60 miles of Crescent City. That's deliberate. Coastal buildings here fight salt spray, 70 inches of annual rain, and fog that never quite lifts — conditions that eat generic equipment specified from a catalogue three states away. Every system we install is sized against the building in front of us, not a rule of thumb.
- Licensed C-20 contractor, fully insured, workers' comp on file
- Written scope and fixed pricing before any metal is cut
- Same technicians on your building year after year
Services
Five things we do, and do properly
We turned down duct cleaning franchising twice. Staying narrow is why the work holds up.
Sheet metal fabrication
Rectangular and spiral duct built in our Fairway Drive shop, including transitions and plenums no supplier stocks for a 1940s cannery.
Indoor air quality
Humidity control, HRV/ERV systems, MERV upgrades and mould-risk assessments — the coastal damp problem, solved at the source.
Commercial kitchen exhaust
Hood sizing, make-up air balance, and NFPA 96 compliant installs for restaurants from Smith River to Klamath.
Maintenance agreements
Scheduled filter changes, belt checks, airflow readings and a written report every visit. Two or four visits a year.
Testing & air balancing
Hood capture velocity, room pressure relationships, CFM verification and documentation for permits and inspections.
Why coastal buildings are different
Salt, fog and 70 inches of rain a year
Del Norte County averages more rainfall than almost anywhere else in California, and the marine layer keeps outdoor humidity above 80% for much of the year. Standard ventilation strategies — pull outside air in, push stale air out — can make a building damper rather than drier if the equipment is not chosen for it.
We specify galvanised and stainless assemblies rated for coastal exposure, seal penetrations against wind-driven rain, and set controls around dew point rather than temperature alone. It costs a little more on day one and saves rusted-through curbs on year six.
- Corrosion-rated fasteners and coated curbs as standard
- Dew-point-aware control strategies for HRV and ERV units
- Condensate routing designed for sustained wet season loads
How it goes
Four steps, no surprises
The same sequence whether it's a bathroom fan or a 40-ton rooftop replacement.
Site visit
We measure, photograph and listen. Usually 45–90 minutes, always free within our service area.
Written proposal
Scope, equipment models, timeline and a fixed price. Plain English, no line items called "misc".
Fabrication & install
Duct built in our shop, installed by our own crew. Daily clean-up, protected floors, and no subcontractor surprises.
Commission & hand-off
Airflow readings taken and documented, controls explained, warranty paperwork emailed the same day.
Client feedback
What people say afterwards
★★★★★"Our kitchen failed its exhaust inspection two weeks before opening. Holly's crew re-hung the hood, rebalanced the make-up air and got us signed off with four days to spare. They also fixed a grease trap issue that wasn't theirs to fix."
— Marcus Reyes, owner, Harbor Street Kitchen
★★★★★"Third winter with the ERV they installed and the condensation on our clinic windows is simply gone. The quarterly reports actually get read — they flag things before they become invoices."
— Dr. Anita Boone, Del Norte Family Practice
★★★★★"They quoted less than the Eureka firm and finished a day early. When a damper stuck three months later, someone was out the next morning at no charge. That's rare now."
— Kelly Novak, property manager, Fairway Ridge Apartments
Service area
Where our vans go
We cover Del Norte County and cross the state line for the southern Oregon coast. If you're outside this list, call anyway — if we can't help we'll usually know who can.
- Crescent City
- Smith River
- Fort Dick
- Gasquet
- Klamath
- Hiouchi
- Brookings, OR
- Harbor, OR
Emergency callouts outside a 40-mile radius carry a travel charge, quoted before dispatch.
Typical price ranges
Published so you can budget. Final pricing always follows a site visit.
| Work | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Residential bath / kitchen exhaust | $390 – $950 |
| Whole-home HRV or ERV install | $3,400 – $7,800 |
| Commercial hood + make-up air | $8,500 – $26,000 |
| Duct fabrication (per shop hour) | $95 |
| Air balancing & report | $450 – $1,600 |
| Maintenance agreement (annual) | from $420 |
Need airflow sorted before the next inspection?
Talk to Holly Fitzgerald directly. Most quotes are back within two business days.