Ladies and gentlemen, I stand before you in a beautiful house, having survived a 6-month renovation…read moreproject, completed on-time and within budget, and with my relationship and sanity intact. Oh yes, we also had a baby and founded a software startup in the middle of the whole thing. We met Kyle through our architect (also fantastic - Jonathan Feldman) and he was helpful with assessing feasibility and cost during various stages of design, even though we hadn't yet hired him. We chose him after a bidding process and haven't looked back. There's so much I could say, and feel free to message me if you want a more detailed reference, but we've just been thrilled through the whole process. Almost everything went super smoothly, his lead carpenter (on site every day) and other subcontractors were all great, communication was fantastic, and he's not let a single thing just slide. When issues came up (and we had no expectation of there being zero issues), he handled them with integrity. Lastly, I feel like he's not "just a builder" - he took way more time with the design details and was far more knowledgeable in that regard than I had anticipated, and pushed me on things that I wouldn't have noticed until far later if ever - perfectly aligning tile/mirrors/windows in the bathroom for instance. An architect friend came over and complimented our architect on some of the precision details and I said, "That was actually all Kyle!". (Not because the architect failed to notice them - it was just something that could only be addressed once all the finishes were chosen.) We worked pretty hard at being good clients (collaborative and communicative) but Kyle exceeded our expectations and we're looking forward to working with him again! Feel free to message me if you want a reference or any advice on the process.

We had the misfortune of hiring this firm for a total remodel project in San Mateo, and caution…read moreprospective customers to factor in our experience. Among three firms we asked to bid, they were not the cheapest but they were available right away (now I know why) so we hired them, despite cautionary comments from a prior customer and a vendor who occasionally works with them. Boy, do we regret our decision. The first month or so was fine. No hiccups no problems, and they were as nice as can be. Then when we started getting the bills, we noticed errors (all in their favor of course) for items that they knew were taken out of scope, and duplicate charges that were being booked in different line items on prior bills for the same work. We started to examine every charge after this, and in every single bill there were extraneous charges. Had we not stayed on top of this, we would have paid thousands more than necessary. Kyle, the owner, and Judy the accountant, have absolutely no ethics, and will try to sneak in every excess charge they can. Even in an industry known for being dishonest, they stoop to a new low. And the work is shoddy. We had a lot of problems with their plumber and drywall subs so the work had to be redone again and again, and it's still not right. They hire the cheapest subs they can find, pay no attention to the quality, and will steal from the subs too. If you HAVE to hire these people, pay attention to every line item and do the supervision of the subs yourself, because they certainly won't do it. And the "project management" was a joke. She was so bad they fired her, but we paid the price literally and figuratively for the confusion she caused. I would run, not walk, from these people.

Arnoldo and his crew are absolutely incredible. We had them renovate our kitchen, including taking…read morea wall down to combine two rooms, and turned our freestanding garage into a finished studio. Arnoldo and his crew work quickly and he is a total perfectionist - there were tiny things we hadn't even noticed that he insisted on fixing because he wasn't happy with how they turned out. He will treat your house as his own, and brings a huge amount of experience and expertise to his work. I couldn't recommend him more highly!

We had a great experience working with Lombera Construction and Erandy! We had water damage due to…read morea neighbors leaking appliance, and after the water remediation company completed their work Erandy quickly accessed our project, was very communicative with the repairs that needed to be done, the process they'd take and gave us a fair quote. Our drywall repairs and the re-painting of ceilings and walls looks fantastic!

We had a great experience working with KC Custom Builders on our project. From the very beginning,…read morecommunication was phenomenal. Nathan and his team were consistently responsive across phone, text, and email, and we always felt like we knew what was happening and what to expect next. That level of communication alone set them apart from many other contractors we considered. One of the standout aspects of the process was their use of Buildertrend. Having a centralized place for updates, schedules, selections, and messaging made the entire remodel feel organized and transparent. It eliminated a lot of the typical uncertainty that comes with construction projects and gave us confidence that nothing was slipping through the cracks. Given the complexity of our project and the inevitable unknowns that come with remodeling, we felt the schedule was managed very well. When adjustments were needed, they were clearly communicated, along with the reasoning behind them. That transparency made a big difference and helped us stay aligned throughout the process. The team was also very mindful of keeping our home clean and protected during construction. They took consistent care to minimize disruption, which made day-to-day life much easier while the work was ongoing. In terms of quality, there was a clear attention to detail at every stage, and especially in the finished work. You can tell they take pride in what they do, and the final result feels well-crafted, thoughtful, and built to last. We spoke with several contractors before moving forward, and while there were other solid options, none matched the level of transparency, organization, and ease of working that we experienced with Nathan and his team. They were straightforward, professional, and genuinely focused on delivering a good outcome. We have already recommended KC Custom Builders to friends and neighbors and will continue to do so. If you're looking for a team that communicates clearly, manages the process well, and delivers high-quality results, they are an excellent choice.

HOMEOWNERS BE AWARE! DO NOT PAY FOR THE ITEMIZED BID!!…read more We hired Nathan Casey to do an itemzied bid for our home remodel project. He charges people $3,000 to give a detailed bid for projects. Our experience led us to the conclusion that Nathan was more interested in charging us for an estimate and that he ultimately had little intention of taking the job (unless we bit on his extremely and surprising "final bid"). We'll explain why. First he gives you a ballpark number. At the time we already had all of our architect and structural drawings that he reviewed. And he had come to the house a couple of times. His delivered an estimate that ranged from $500K - $800K, without any details about what drove that range. Knowing what we know now, that should have been the first red flag. Someone with his background and experience should never had given that large of a range as all plans were done, and most of the major materials were chosen. Yet, we hired him to do an itemized specific estiamate, for $3000, so that we could seriously consider him for the project. After agreeing to pay the fee and hiring him, he missed deadline after deadline of providing us a final bid we could consider - which jeopardized our ability to commit to the contractor we ultimately selected while we waited. He told us that his estimate would take 4-6 weeks and we didn't have a final number until over 8 weeks. He kept forgetting specific information that was given to him, like what materials were being used where. He also kept misunderstanding the structural drawings and insisting that the information needed validating (which it did not, we are using the same structural now for the job and they are correct). Also, as an interesting corroborating side note: his final bid never involved his stated intention to inspect our attic and crawlspace/foundation to ensure accuracy. Is that evidence that his "final" bid wasn't in good faith, accurate, or best practice... given the substantial work to our foundation and roof in this project? As we communicated to him in person, the fact that he gave us an "original range" in writing of $500k-$800k for our project (which included full architectural, engineering, electrical, and most all design plans)... but he still required $3000 for an "accurate bid"... only to then deliver a final bid at $830k without any project scope change... was revealing. When we asked him point blank: "under what circumstances was this project ever possible to be $500k"... he provided no answer. Interestingly enough, after many delays and us pinging him on delivering his final estimate over the 8 weeks we engaged, when it came to collecting his $3000 bid fee Nathan then frequently emailed and texted us, and was very focused and communicative around collecting.

Joe and his crew replaced and deepened 80% of our foundation, framed new living space, and added…read moremajor seismic upgrades including shear wall, ties, and foundation bolts. His price was competitive and he was responsive and attentive to our concerns throughout the process. He also went above and beyond in several instances to make sure the project was a success. We would certainly work with him again!

KC Custom Builders made a complex retrofit project look easy, when others couldn't. The plans and…read moreprice were fair, Joe Casey and his guys were never late, finished on time they were, courteous and most of all professional. I will definitely use this company again!

We had one of the BEST experiences anyone expects to have when they go through stress of major…read morehouse renovations with this company "Bro Builders Renovations". Anyone hears about our renovation experience with Bro Builders Renovations ; can't believe it and immediately asking for their contact Information!!!! Ben, Anjel and Jose are the leaders of this amazing family business. The factors that make this company one of the best GC company in Bay Area as we experienced it first hand are: 1. The clear communication and follow through 2. Meet the timeline 3. Meet the budget 4. Very HONEST 5. Very thoughtful 6. Very creative 7. Never late to any milestones during the project 8. Amazing customer service They estimated 6months to practically build a new house and in reality they got it done in 5 months considering the rain season. When the house was completed; they were on top of it if ANY follow up visit was required. It felt working with amazing competent family who CARES about you, your budget, your time and your safety. Highly recommended and if you have any further questions email me at imanrph@gamil.com Thanks

Kitchen remodel Bro…read morebuilders did an awesome job for me in renovating the kitchen . Structural work also had to be done and they took care of it and completed the work in a neat way and as per design. They helped completely right from design, to city approvals to completing the work to clean the debris. Thanks bro builders for the awesome work.

We worked with Baywood for an extensive down-to-the-studs whole house remodel of our 125 year old…read morehome and couldn't be more pleased with the process and outcome. Robert and his team are kind, communicative, creative but grounded, accountable and just an overall delight to work with. The quality of their work definitely shined through after completion and since we've been living in the house for a couple of years. I can't recommend Robert and the rest of the Baywood team enough.

Baywood has been a contractor for me for 40 years. I first met Robet Malone, the owner of Baywood,…read moreafter purchasing my first house in Berkeley where they performed extensive renovations. 5 years later, I hired him and his team to construct a small office building and help remodel an existing office building on the same lot. And 15 years later, my wife and I purchased another home in Berkeley where we enlisted Baywood to convert a garage into a stunning guest room. Baywood is not inexpensive, but I found that they perform their operations with care, integrity and uncanny expertise.

Personally, I would not trust just any contractor, it has to be word of mouth... and here is…read moremine... Matt Bailey completed painting our historic two-story Victorian near the Panhandle in San Francisco. He and his team did a wonderful job. I am writing this a couple of months after the project and I could not be more pleased with the work, the cost and the ease of working with Matt. Our building is pretty large with some sides that include a light well and only accessible via neighbors. Matt specked everything, used excellent quality paint, and here is where this outfit is always going to be a better choice than other painters. His guys are also carpenters and good ones. If you own an older home or a Victorian and you need to have it painted (every 7-10 years), especially if it is 2 or more stories and you just can't see what condition every window sill or cornice is, you need a trustworthy and competent contractor to call out any issues to you and address it. Issues are more or less going to be dry rot. We had some issues, not extensive but enough, and I feel grateful that Matt could address it and make the best recommendation. If we had hired just painters, they would probably not have said anything or just told us to get a contractor to look at it. What a huge pain and expense that would have been. We also needed some panels changed out on our staircase and his team did a beautiful job matching wood cuts, paint. They do very clean work. Their work is very nice quality, thoughtful, practical, and thorough. They work quietly, are polite, trustworthy and the best part for me, a cost-sensitive owner, is that Matt will inform you in advance of any concerns, send you photos, talk to you in person (or phone) about it so you can decide. It build trust. Mat Bailey is honest, friendly, professional and very easy to talk to. He also does remodels and pretty much everything in the interior. I would have no hesitation recommending Matt Bailey for any work. By the way, your home or income property is a major investment, don't skimp on the paint, its an incredibly stupid an irresponsible thing to do. The dry rot alone will cost you thousands if you don't take care. Don't screw around! Your time and peace of mind are too valuable. If you hire MBC, you are going to find that you are in control of what you want to do with reasonable recommendations along the way. There are so many incompetent, expensive an flaky contractors out there (I call that a 'nightmare'). If you care about your investment/home and want someone easy to work with and talk to, call Matt. You'll see for yourself. He and his team work very hard and care about the client and do excellent work. Thanks to Matt and crew. I'm so grateful that the project went so smoothly.

I can say that Matt Bailey and his team were very professional, reliable, clean, and finished the…read morework that they promised both on time and with quality work. Matt is not the least expensive contractor out there but he is really good. You get what you pay for. I mention that because often times, people want good work but don't take into account that the cost also reflects the fact that people like Matt are licensed, bonded, handle all the logistics, and back up their work. There is a peace of mind that comes with that. That is why I am taking the time to write this review because I feel fortunate to have been referred to Matt from my neighbor. Matt came through and completed the work exactly as we wanted. Matt oversees everything, he is on-site as needed, he personally manages and inspects and oversees all work, he listens to you, he keeps you informed, and he keeps his word. He gave us options each step of the way along with his recommendations. For example, do you want this paint or that one etc. I also trusted him with my neighbor's keys b/c he needed to enter there in order to set up scaffolding. I had no concerns about Matt's team having access. As my neighbor reported, they were quiet, clean and professional which gave me peace of mind since I like good neighbors. After personally meeting with Matt onsite, we felt that we would not only get good work but that we would not be over billed. Our job was somewhat extensive in that he repaired lots of dry rot, leaking and resealing areas in a two-story Victorian which required scaffolding for the work. Once again, I think there is peace of mind that comes from working with a good, honest and hardworking contractor which Matt is. We are so happy to have been referred to Matt. I highly recommend Matt Bailey Construction. I think Matt and his employees are trustworthy, talented and reliable. He also happens to be a pleasant and personable person which makes it easier to communicate with regarding questions, concerns and the scope of the work. I genuinely felt that Matt worked hard to accommodate our budget while also explaining to us what would be important to replace/repair in order to ensure no future leaking or damage to the building. Again it comes down to trust. I just feel so appreciative of his good work. Thank you Matt for taking such good care of our home and making sure that it is protected for years to come.

We had inherited my mother's house in Menlo Park. My sister and I decided to upgrade it in order to…read moresell it for top-dollar in the 2015 Real Estate Market. After having Mike Mrakovcich of Mrakovcich Construction, do an awesome remodeling of two bathrooms in our San Ramon home, we decided to contract him to handle remodeling the Menlo Park house because we knew he is licensed, bonded and insured. He helped us to make an $800,000 house into a $1,500,000+ property. We started with a 1,100 sq ft, 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom house, which hadn't been touched since it was built in 1953, with the exception of a roof replacement sometime in the 1980s. We sold a 1,500 sq ft, 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house, completely upgraded from the inside out. In order to add an en suite bathroom to the master bedroom, Mike and his crew had to expand a bedroom and make it the new master bedroom. Mike also entirely modernized the existing bathroom. He had to completely reconfigure the kitchen in order to make room for modern appliances which formerly had a 1950s refrigerator, a 1960s stove/oven, no dishwasher, and no microwave...not even a waste disposal. He also removed walls to create an "open concept" flow from the dining area to the living room. Since the house was heated with only one wall heater, he ended up installing a central heating and air conditioning unit with all the attendant ductwork, while we had him replace the roof. Mike essentially tore up the entire house in order to bring the electricity and plumbing up to code in order to handle modern requirements. We also had Mike wire the house with cable and internet wiring in the living room and all the bedrooms. While working in the kitchen he noticed that the ceiling joists were running in the wrong direction, which he explained to us and we had him fix. He also took care of resurfacing the sooty, wood fireplace with a renovated, stone façade. Mike expanded all the tiny bedroom closets into sliding, wall-covering mirrored doors in each room with a minimum of labor. He also replaced all the doors in the house with updated interior and security exterior doors. He refurbished the original hardwood floors and replaced, with matching hardwood, areas that could not be restored. Mike had his crew working on the exterior of the house while remodeling the interior. While installing the new roof and its expansion, he had to reinforce the beam across the roof line and install new gutters which disappeared during the 1980s roof replacement. He installed all new custom-sized windows and added a sliding glass door to the new master bedroom. He poured a new, expanded driveway and walkway, as well as adding a new parking pad on the other side of the house since Menlo Park does not allow overnight street parking. He suggested an economical way to re-stucco the outer walls and handled the painting of both the interior and exterior of the house. He put up extensive new fencing and gates all around the property. He installed sprinklers, a lawn and landscaping in the front yard. In the back yard he removed a broken, concrete fish pond to revamp the backyard landscaping. He repaired the back patio and created new steps into the house. We devoted quite a bit of time and money to renovate the house to maximize our return on investment. We would not have been able to profit so much on our asset without Mike Mrakovcich's help. He was able to take our ideas and translate them into the tangible. He discussed all the items that went into producing the remodeled house, making sure we both understood why each choice was made and that we were happy with the choices. He patiently went through every change order and spelled out all the charges being made. When we selected the materials and fixtures for the house, he pointed out the pro and cons to each item so we could make informed selections. He made sure that all permits and inspections were made in a timely manner as possible. He and his crew went out of their way to accommodate to our requests and to respect our property. To some, his pricing may see high but "you get what you pay for"...it's worth remembering that you are guaranteed genuine materials, fair labor and solid workmanship. We look forward to working with Mike on future projects.

You can do no better than Mike Mrakovcich when you are seeking a contractor. Whether it is a…read moreremodel or new build, Mike's over 30 years of experience brings to you expertise in all facets of the job. In addition, you get his team of expert technicians and network of the finest craftsmen in the industry. Just as important, Mike stays on the job until it is done, always honors appointments, and his team is punctual and leaves your home clean and tidy at the end of the day. On a personal note, this was the first time my wife and I had done any remodeling and it was way outside of our comfort zone. Mike literally held our hand through the entire process, personally taking us to the best places for the many required purchases, educating us on the products, and advising us on the design. We could not have done this without him and are ecstatic with our resulting new kitchen. We recommend Mike Mrakovcich without reservation.