It's rare to find someone who balances meticulous attention to detail with a clear vision of the…read morebig picture -- but Andrew does exactly that. His background as an architect, combined with his aesthetic sensibility and deep technical knowledge, makes him exceptional. He knows the best approaches, materials, and craftsmen for any project and offers complete transparency on everything. He lays out your options clearly, helping you balance quality with budget considerations. I hired Andrew to convert my garage into a studio and perform roof maintenance on my main house. During the roof work, his expert roofer spotted a serious issue that had been missed in the home inspection -- catching something that could have caused significant problems down the road. Andrew also counseled me on other renovation priorities, helping me understand what needed immediate attention and what could wait until I had the funds. If you want a project done right the first time, with someone who truly has your best interests in mind, I wholeheartedly recommend Andrew.

An update to my earlier review of Blue Dog. Since my first engagement with Andrew and crew, he has…read moreconstructed a deck on our north Berkeley home. What a *GREAT* job his team did for us. We have a relatively small house so the deck has virtually added a new living space. And we could not be happier with its build, the elegant beauty. Andrew designed the deck for us, recommended the wood materials and well, we love it! We hired Blue Dog again to rebuild our daughter's house in Albany. Again, he has taken the lead on design and rebuild. And once again, we couldn't be happier. Many thanks to Blue Dog and Andrew and his team.

I'm one of the owners of Domicile, a cabinet and design showroom at the San Francisco Design…read moreCenter. We specialize in kitchens, baths and functional areas of the home. I have been in this business since 1974 and have worked with contractors who range from cowboys with hammers to mega developes in Manila and the normal people in between. One assumes that if someone has a contractor's license you're going to get the finest quality work and that these workers are capable of doing whatever project they are hired to do. What elevates some contractors to a level above the rest is rational analysis of problems that may arise. The designer might be a tad dyslexic, the architect's draftsperson might inadvertantly err, materials might fall off the back of the truck, someone's toolbelt might accidently mar finished material - name your construction nightmare then analyze how the contractor reacts. Sean Kennedy never seems to derail. He takes a deep breath, discusses the options and resolves the issues, whatever they may be, in a mature, deliberate and calm manner. This is so important when you're working with a contractor. There are always surprises in renovation. Integrity should be this man's middle name. There is no blame, there is resolution and the end results are always at or above what the owner has expected. I can't tell you what a joy it is to work with Sean and his staff. They do what they're hired to do, in a timely manner, at the highest level of quality and for the amount of money that has been agreed to. This is what you expect from a contractor and this is consistently what you get from Sean Kennedy and Phollies. Hire these guys. You won't be sorry.

Phollies installed double paned windows in our property and did major dry rot repair work. Also…read moreSean's subcontractor painted the building. Everything done was five star work.

I am marveled that Joe Reilly and his team finished not only on time but a WEEK AND A HALF EARLY,…read moreand stayed on budget! My husband is completely type A and anal attentive - Joe was able to respond right away every time proactively. He managed to keep the areas near our neighbors clean and kept good rapport with them as well through our 3 month renovation. There were extra touches (like having the shower glass door that can fold out fully to the wall) that we didn't ask for, but I am SO grateful for. Or the fact that they knew we were expecting twins and mentioned a hot, filtered water faucet at the sink to easily warm up bottles?! (Which I've already fallen in love with for my oatmeals and teas) All the subcontractors he used were professional and I felt comfortable with them whenever I dropped by. If the subcontractors did something wrong, Joe would fix it in a nanosecond. Our house is absolutely stunning, spacious, homey and I couldn't be happier. Thanks Joe and team! * Bonus, my husband and I agreed that the young Irish foreman was quite the looker.

After a few years of having Joe and his crews come out to our house with great results, the last…read moreproject--a full kitchen remodel--showed us he's decided to cut a lot of corners and has basically given up on supervision of his crews. In the past, we've had a great crew for other projects and we saw Joe around almost every day while the work was going on. We felt like he kept the quality of the work at a high level. With our kitchen remodel, Joe seemed nowhere to be found. We had to constantly monitor the crew, correcting blatant sloppiness of the work. As an example, we had to have a painter out 5 times to paint one wall before we finally got it correct. The electrical (done by Kevin, Joe's brother) was passed off to one of his workers. While we did a walk-through on what we needed before the wiring started, none of the information we gave Kevin was passed on to the guy actually doing the work. We had to repeat ourselves constantly to the the man doing the work. Once he had the right info, he did the work adequately, but there was still a lot of re-doing of work throughout the project that should have been common sense: Re-centering a dining room light; placing can lights in kitchen so they're not blocked by cabinets (!!); having to tell them to wire a light already installed in the backyard to the switches in the kitchen (had to tell them 7 times before it happened). The highlight of the whole electrical experience was texting Kevin about an item, then receiving a text (that he obviously thought he was sending to his worker) stating what a "f***ing pain" I was being for asking when he would do something--since he'd stated it would happen two days prior. Other basics had to be repeatedly followed-up on like sealing the front door they installed; getting the door stained and sealed correctly (still never got them to stain around the door knob correctly as they stained around the old lock hardware instead of the new stuff we bought. Was never sure why they didn't stain and seal the door BEFORE the hardware was installed to begin with.); trim around cabinets being installed straight; finishing panels on cabinets being cut straight and without jagged edges; installing cabinet door and drawer handles straight (!!); installing baseboards with some sealant and making them straight with the flooring. During the painting of the entire house interior, they STAPLED floor paper to the hardwood floors. It was 3 months before we think we got the final staple out of the floors. While the floors aren't new, they're not in horrible shape and we weren't replacing them. Staple holes are not an attractive addition to the decor. The painters also re-painted our deck (the one Joe built for us in 2010). Unfortunately, they only scraped the deck, but never power-washed it. The amount of debris and dust from the kitchen remodel on the deck was a lot. After they painted the deck, I had to clean out screws, nails, drywall bits and other debris from between the boards--all of it with sloppy deck paint on it. When I complained, their response was to put another coat on the deck. Less than 6 months later, a good deal of the paint is pealing up since there wasn't a clean base to adhere to. In addition to the painting, we requested Joe replace some boards that were rotting on the deck, as well as closing the back of the stairs for a soon-to-arrive puppy. (We realize this rotting happens living out by the ocean in the Outer Sunset--this is not a reflection of his 2010 build this long afterwards.) He said the boards were fine. Within 3 months after the project, we had to have someone come out to replace the very same boards as they were disintegrating, along with several stair boards. That was an addition $1,300 we had to pay for that. Several of the boards that he installed to close up the stairs are cracked and loose only 6 months later. Again, quality of work was never checked on by him. I think if it had, this type of thing wouldn't happen. I put the review to two stars because the past projects with Joe were great. This one, however, makes us unable to call him again for any project. It's unfortunate. We felt like we were in good hands going into the kitchen remodel. Afterwards, we just hope everything stays together.

We used Mizen for a fairly full remodel and were incredibly happy with the results and overall…read moreexperience. For context on the scope of work, we moved our kitchen, removed a bathroom, added a bathroom, replaced doors, added skylights, and redid almost all of the electrical and plumbing in a house that was originally built in 1908 and hadn't been updated since the 70s. They went down to the studs on half the house and we have basically a new house coming out of it. We worked with Mark and Ciaran and the project took 6 months. We'd highly recommend working with Mizen and we'd use them again in a heartbeat. We feel like they delivered an excellent product, were highly communicative, stayed on budget, and we'll definitely be using them again for any future work. So the short of it is that Mizen was fantastic but below are a few more thoughts on specific areas.  Work quality - Mark and Ciaran are craftsmen and they have a strong attention to detail. We felt like they were thoughtful throughout the entire process. It was clear they were very focused on delivering an excellent project rather than optimizing for what was easier or faster for them. They sweat the details. There were also areas that we didn't know to ask for but they pushed on. As an example, they laid the tile in our kitchen such that the midline of the tile hit the center of our oven perfectly. That wasn't something we asked for, it wasn't in the architects plans, and I'm sure it required extra work, but they did it and it's one of the subtle details I most appreciate about the kitchen.  Budget  - My wife and I were quite focused on costs for our project. We found Mizen very reasonably priced and responsive to our budget. They were only slightly higher than some of the other options we considered but we felt like their work quality would be better. We also thought their cost estimate was more thoughtful and therefore less likely to be wildly over budget relative to the alternatives. We did end up going slightly over our original budget but for two reasons that were outside of Mizen's control. The first was around some unforeseen structural issues that they discovered upon opening the walls. We have an old house and anticipated some changes like this. It came out to ~2% of our overall budget and we ended up very glad that they addressed these underlying issues. The second area where we went over our original budget was for things we decided to add mid-construction. We ended up replacing some doors and making a few minor cosmetic changes while we were doing the other work. Again, we're very glad we did it and don't regret the increase. For all the change orders we added, we never felt like Mizen was pressuring us or doing it just to drive up the bill. We felt like they had our budget and overall best interest in mind throughout.  Timing - The project ended up going over our original target by 3 weeks. On a 6 month project that happened in the middle of the tariff blow up, we felt like it was a pretty great outcome. We feel like they made a big push at the end to get us back in the house ahead of a hard deadline we had.  Other - We felt like the Mizen team was also great about dealing with our neighbors. There were a few areas where they want above and beyond what the structural engineer recommended and didn't charge us for it. I've already recommended Mizen to multiple friends. They're fantastic and we'd love to work with them again.

Ciaran and Mark's team has helped me complete two projects in the last few years. One was a…read morecomplete rebuild of a Victoria home in SF; the other is a remodel in East Bay. We are very satisfied with both projects. In fact, my neighbors on the same block have selected them for similar projects right after ours. Here are the 3 key areas we have chosen them twice and will do so in the future. 1). High quality with reasonable price - Mark can solve all technical problems while Ciaran is very detail-oriented. They make sure their employees and subcontractors deliver high-quality finishes from the alignment of the tiles to the cut of the wood trims and beautiful paint job. They do it with a reasonable price discussed before signing the contract. 2). Excellent time management and communication - a rough project timeline is given during the signing of the contract. Spencer manages the project timeline well and keeps us informed about the schedule. In addition, if we ever have questions, he always answers within a day via text, call, or email. Great customer service! 3). A sense of respect and high level of integrity - when Mizen decides to take on a project, the whole team treats the project as though it is their property. They clean up at the end of the day, are respectful of the surrounding neighbors, and protect existing appliances or furnishing. You don't need to worry about neighbor complaints. Sharing some before and after photos of the last remodel project.

I have heard tales of contractors, good and bad, but mostly bad. Even in my neighborhood, there are…read morehorror stories about jobs left unattended, pest infestations from careless workers leaving food around, poor craftsmanship, cost overruns, and general mayhem. When Vince and his teams take on a project, You can feel the confidence and experience that comes along with it. From a kitchen remodel several years ago up to our most recent major three level remodel, and has always provided build quality, accurate estimates, a fair price, and excellent results. If you can get on Vince's schedule (he is busy) then you can beconfident that your job will be handled. professionally and expediently. He is trustworthy and his teams do great work. We are so glad we worked with Rinaldi Construction!

We had Vince repair a serious leak in our home. Vince and his crew were extremely professional. Our…read morerepair required the opening of walls, detailed plumbing and roofing. From the beginning to the end, the job was performed with true professionalism. Vince made certain that every detail was met. Each day, at the end of the work, my home was left broom swept and as clean as they found it in the morning. I would highly recommend Rinaldi Construction to everyone. Mark B

Fahan Construction, quite simply, did an incredible job. That's the long and short of it. They…read moreimpressed, whether it was with the handling of inspections and inspectors, the transparency with financials, or the simply trade itself, John Shaw and his team were always on top of our renovation. Professional, respectful, and highly communicative, he was always there whenever we needed him, by text, phone, or in person, if we needed reassurance, advice or progress reports he always seemed to be right on the ball. It's hard to communicate just how important this is to keep the blood pressure down while undertaking something as life altering as a major home renovation, but we always felt Fahan had it under control. Our project was completed on schedule, 7 months to do a new kitchen, master bath, staircase installation, family room and deck, plus electrical and lots of small detail work around the house. Seven months is really something considering how easily big renovations like ours can go off the rails. Horror stories abound, and we, quite literally, had none. What a huge relief. In terms of costs, Fahan was transparent and upfront with us. They estimated and invoiced all expected and unexpected costs up front, and clearly stated any potential overruns. There were some, but none that we felt were from left field, and for each one we were given options to keep in line with what we were comfortable with. We understood and signed off on everything before anything moved forward, with a comforting degree of transparency. The only downside we could see was that the pricing tended to be high. It's not entirely clear however if this was due to the current economic conditions of '22-'23 or if it's just what quality work and workmanship costs. But as they say, you get what you pay for. Overall, we felt well-taken care of throughout the process, like there was an insider who knew the business, the pitfalls and the tricks. "I trust them", were words we uttered more than once. Most of the time we weren't even at the house, only catching up on the progress on weekends, but we always knew that the work would get done and with little to no issues along the way. THe house turned out amazing. We really couldn't be happier with the work they did. Fahan's just a quality outfit, contractors and subs, that you should trust with your house too. Just top-shelf all the way. Two thumbs up.

Highly recommend Fahan Construction (John and his crew) -- they were absolutely perfect and you…read morewill be extremely satisfied with their services too! We hired Fahan for a number of projects at our home in the Outer Sunset of San Francisco: building a new deck, extending power and plumbing to the back yard, replacing our leaky roof, providing access to the new deck from our bedroom and a number of other misc projects inside our home. All of these projects were completed on time and with superb quality. John was incredibly friendly, professional and responsive throughout the whole process. He was extremely thorough: from working with the architect to co-ordinating with all the inspectors, to introducing us to all the members on his team and what we could expect from them on a regular basis. He managed the whole project effectively by providing us with timely quotes, invoices and being diligent about addressing any follow up questions we had. If there were any unforeseen issues with the weather or supply chain issues, John kept us informed and worked around each of these issues while keeping the project on time. Every single day, his team would show up on time and work diligently while keeping us posted if they needed anything. When we wanted something updated or changed, they obliged us immediately. What was particularly impressive is that they pulled off a number of different projects working across 3-4 different groups of people! I will definitely miss them around our home. And will reach out to them we need anything built or fixed moving forward.

I love working with Murphy Construction. Chris is amazing. I've worked with a handful of…read morecontractors and Chris is my favorite. He does very high quality work, he is detailed, a problem solver and super easy to work with. I highly recommend Murphy Construction. They do whole house remodels, new builds, small projects and commercial work.

Chris and his team did a full gut renovation for us on our home in southern Marin. He went above…read moreand beyond to make sure we were always happy with the progress and results. We love our new home and can't thank Chris and his team enough for all their hard work and great communication.

Michael's crew is the best there is. We refer them to many of our clients (I own a real estate…read morecompany in SF), and everyone is thrilled with their work and, as importantly, work ethic.

We are so grateful to have been referred to 7 Hills, they have been such a valuable addition to our…read moreteam! They helped us with a kitchen and bath renovation for our project in Cole Valley, including refinished floors, new paint throughout, landscaping and ongoing maintenance. We are so happy with the results and look forward to working with them again!