We've been working with Alex for close to 10 years and in that time he's done jobs ranging from handyman type all the way up to a remodel of 2/3 of our house. We first met him when he came out to bid on a project in our garage, and he offered to look at a different issue (an odd electrical panel issue) that I'd mentioned was bothering me. Fixed my problem right on the spot, and I've not sourced a different contractor since! Alex is smart, creative and works very hard to solve any problem that we throw at him or that he encounters as part of a job. Basically Alex leaves everything he touches in better shape than he found it. He and his crew are conscientious and clean up at the end of every day and have always been a real pleasure to work with - they are even great with our two rather intense dogs. Alex very capably handles all phases of a project, from the initial discussion of the work, to bidding out the job, collaborating on design, and riding herd on subcontractors. He's on time and always delivers on what he says he'll do. I unreservedly recommend him for any construction or remodel project you might have - you won't be disappointed. And as an added bonus, Alex's wife Michele does landscaping - and she's wonderful too. She's very knowledgeable and has done some really nice work on our landscape to keep it in great shape following a complete re-landscaping we did (thru a different company) 5 years ago. She created a gorgeous succulent box and mounted it outside our master bedroom window and it makes me happy every morning when I look outside and see it. We have already lined up Alex to finish the remodel of the rest of the house (including the kitchen and patio) at the end of this year and have Michele on deck to refurbish and upgrade our landscaping next year. Alex and Michele make a terrific team to pretty much cover all your remodel and landscaping needs - you'll experience truly fine work from beginning to end, at a moderate price, and you'll enjoy working with them throughout. read more

I was in need of a good general contractor for a series of home improvement projects, and after an exhaustive search including yelp reviews, web sites, and personal recommendations, I reached out to a handful of candidates about an initial job designing and installing some French doors for my home office. From that point forward, Alex at Brown Dog Renovations differentiated himself with his responsiveness, professionalism, and genuine concern for doing the job right. His bid for the project was competitive--not the lowest, but not the highest. I ultimately selected him based mostly on "gut feel" in the hopes that he could be our go-to guy as we continue to make our way through our home improvement wish list. Side note: I took on this task somewhat independently, and my lovely wife therefore took great pleasure in reminding me that I was to blame for any contracting disasters that may occur. No pressure, right? Some of the highlights from my experience with Brown Dog Renovations include: -Alex proactively updated me while the doors were being manufactured (and subsequently stained in his garage). Estimated timelines were met, and Alex was communicative and easy to reach throughout the process. -On the first day of installation, it became apparent that the job was considerably more challenging and labor intensive than Alex had originally anticipated (due primarily to deficiencies with the pre-existing construction). Alex could have thrown up his hands and/or taken the easiest approach to finishing the job under the circumstances. Instead, he figured out a way to do it right, invested countless hours of extra time and labor, and completed the project as if it were his own home. -The work area was cleaned up every day and I was never left with a mess in my house while the work was being done. -There were moments during the project when I was very nervous about how the finished product would turn out. Alex never made me feel like I was nit-picking or being unreasonable. He listened to my concerns, assured me that it would be great when it was finished, and came through with an end result that I am very happy with. Alex clearly takes pride in his work and does business with integrity. Based on this experience, I would not hesitate to recommend Brown Dog Renovations. read more

Brown Dog Renovations did a beautiful remodel on our master bath. Alex Szlener, was very easy and accommodating to work with. His team showed up on time every day, and were very respectful of our home. Every evening before they left, the construction area was cleared and left very orderly. We had a few changes to our original request, and Alex met all of our needs without hesitation. He has a great attitude, works hard, and takes a lot of pride in his work and his team. We are very pleased with our experience, and would recommend Brown Dog Renovations to our friends. read more

Working with Alex of Brown Dog Renovations was a breath of fresh air! I found Alex's profile on Yelp after another contractor "flaked" on the project. I reviewed Alex's gallery of work and was impressed, so I gave him a call. From our first phone conversation about the custom project for our nonprofit foundation, I found Alex to be professional, reliable, true to his word, and ultimately a gifted craftsman. We set up a meeting a few days out from our telephone chat and I knew instantly I wouldn't be disappointed! I work for a local nonprofit and our building has a unique look and feel - industrial/warehouse/yet very energetic for a mixed usage space - gym/office/events. We needed a custom AV station and Alex delivered. I provided him our "wish list" of items we needed and wanted. He incorporated our "wish list" into a very cool and professional looking piece - it is like a work of art! My team has not stopped raving about how great the finished AV station looks! It looks like it was designed with our building in mind. Alex delivered on time, on budget, and kept me posted of any changes. He exceeded my expectations!! I would recommend Alex if you are looking for a professional, dependable, honest and gifted craftsman! If you'd like to speak to me directly or have any questions about the level of service and the type of project BDR completed for us, I'm happy to speak with you. You can email me or message me through Yelp. Thank you! read more

I would not hesitate to recommend Alex and his team for any job! I met Alex when house hunting in Olivenhain and as soon as I moved in engaged him to help with a major overhaul of my electrics (Electric box dating from pre-code 1970s!), a remodel of the master bathroom and some modifications to the shower room. Just recently he has removed a wall creating a pony wall between my office and the stairwell to open the area up for light. I can only echo others in that Alex has more integrity than almost any other contractor with whom I have worked! I also appreciate his attention to and eye for detail and his honesty about what and what will not work. He is competitive in pricing (not the cheapest but you pay peanuts you generally get monkeys) and always keeps to his bid except when modifications are made and regarding any additional costs he is up front and transparent! His organisation and clean up is perfection itself - at the end of every day he is always careful to ensure that his client (me) is happy! If you want an honest contractor working to a fair price for a perfect job, then Alex at Brown Dog Renovations is your man!! read more

Alex was great to work with initially. He has a warm and kind personality and has lots of great ideas. However as the start date neared he began raising the price on the bid and eventually decided to withdraw entirely when we questioned it. I was disappointed to say the least and would not reccommend his services to any of my friends. read more

Brown Dog Renovations bid the job, was hired for the job, and completed the job entirely to my satisfaction. Alex was an excellent communicator. He kept me informed every step of the way. He built a bathroom from floor to ceiling: installing flooring, plumbing, electrical, lights, fixtures, toilet, tiled vanity/shower, mirror, doors, etc. I now have a beautiful guest bathroom in my home ready for Thanksgiving guests. Also, the price was reasonable and affordable. I am happy to be a reference for Brown Dog Renovations, as I am a satisfied customer. Thank you, Alex. read more

We just had Brown Dog Renovations complete our kitchen, laundry area, and half bath remodel. Alex Szlener and his team did an outstanding job. It was a pleasure to work with such a talented and professional contractor. He was easy to work with, kept us informed of what was going on, answered all our questions, and addressed our concerns. During the remodel process, materials were cleaned up and area power vaccumed everyday. All tools and materials were put in a safe area. Alex is very skilled in many areas, working with plumbing, electrical, tile work, and painting. We appreciate his selection of good quality products used in the remodel. The job was completed within the original timeframe he quoted. We are very pleased with his remodel and we will definitely hire him for future projects in our home! read more

This our third time working with Brown Dog Renovations and we continue to be pleased with their work. We recently had a remodel that ended up being far more complicated than anticipated, but Alex and his team rose to the challenge. Alex does quality work at a fair price. We would recommend Brown Dog Renovations for any of your remodeling needs. read more

Brown Dog Renovations - General Contractors Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Working with Brown Dog Renovations has been a positive experience. From the very first moment I have found Alex to be a perfectionist and a man of his word. He has always been on time and kept me informed of every step of the way. I hired Alex to completely demolish an 840 sq/foot condo (okay, not completely -- I did keep the toilet!). He revamped the 1970 style kitchen, tearing down a wall to make it a more open area, and relocating the refrigerator plumbing to a different wall. He also replaced the tub in the bathroom with a beautifully tiled shower with clear glass doors. Alex also put in a new exterior door, replaced all the inner doors, and even repaired the work from some other contractors that he felt had done a poor job. As work progressed, Alex would make suggestions on my design idea. I quickly learned that he has great ideas. If he didn't like the way something came out, he wouldn't hesitate to take it out and redo it until it was perfect. The job site was completely cleaned at the end of each day. I cannot emphasize enough how much I appreciate the quality work that Alex does. Oh, and I found his prices to be very reasonable as well. read more

I normally do all construction projects myself, and in three house flips have rarely used any sub contractors, much less a general contractor. Before selecting Alex for a complex job involving turning an old wood burning fire place into a modern, see through natural gas fireplace, I did my due diligence and contacted 5 contractors to provide quotes. Of the 5, one never showed up,one never got back to me with a quote, and one only provided a quote two weeks later after I pestered him. This is an unfortunately common experience with a lot of contractors....but not Alex. Not only did Alex show up quickly and exactly when he said he would, but he provided a very fast, and very reasonable quote as well. He had the lowest bid and even worked with me to lower his price to meet my budget by allowing me to lay the tile on my own. Most contractors would laugh at the idea of narrowing the scope of a project to save the homeowner money. In addition to this, Alex showed up when he said he would each day and worked long hours to make sure the project got done quickly. His work is top notch, and I had no problem leaving him to work in my house while I was gone. Even my dog likes him. He is easy to work with, and communicates everything in detail so there are no surprises. Next time I need to contract out a job, I wont have to deal with getting bids from a bunch of contractors who might not even show up, because I will only be calling Alex. read more

Brown Dog did a great job building my entertainment center. it looks great and the quality of build is excellent. Brown Dog comunicated very well throughout the process (from initial contact, design and build) and I am very happy with the end result. I got a few quotes beore choosing Brown Dog and Alex' prices were very competitive. read more

I would definitely recommend Alex of Brown Dog Renovations. He remodeled our laundry room. Everything you want/need in a contractor he provided...not only is he a hard worker (we were amazed at what he did by himself!), he is a man of many skills - electrical, plumbing, tiling, etc. He's diligent, showed up on time, cleaned up after he was done each day, and easily comprises with and accommodates changes which are bound to happen. I'm really happy with the results and gladly give him 5 stars! Julie read more

Sloppy work, no perfectionism like the other lucky reviewer got!

We bought a new home that was lacking an entertainment unit, instead there was a large niche for a TV stand. After three years of looking at it we decided to make the investment and have one built. We contacted BDR and I was impressed from the beginning with Alex's friendly and professional demeanor. He came to see the house to take measurements, I then showed him pictures of what we were looking for. He sent me a mock up of the design, purchased the specific paint I requested at Restoration Hardware (without complaint) and began installation a few weeks later. Alex and Jerry built an incredible piece of furniture over the weekend at our house, they were professional and thorough throughout the process. At certain points Alex would ask my opinion on the piece, but his ideas surpassed my own. Honestly, he is a true craftsman. We have had so many compliments on the piece since they have finished it. I would highly recommend Alex and Jerry for any project. We have others around our house that we would like to do in the future and I will be calling them again without hesitation. read more

Brown Dog Renovations (BDR) is a great choice for your home improvement project. We went through a couple of 110 degree days last summer without AC and decided to be better prepared for any hot weather that hits from now on. Central air, at $6K+, was too expensive for our duplex that we plan to rent out in the near future. We decided on through-the-wall AC units and started the search for a contractor to install them. After 3 contractors either over bid, or flaked out at the last minute, we found Alex and BDR. He was a professional from start to finish. He put in a competitive bid and gave a reasonable start time, especially considering he already had 2 other projects that he was working on. He did a great job on the install and was very conscientious about cleaning up during and after the project was complete. After he left, we put a little touch up paint around the downstairs unit and we were good to go - we did not even have to vacuum! We have plans to hire him again for future projects. read more