From Day 1, working with Dan and Craftsman Decks was truly a great experience. Dan is responsive, practical, and an expert when it comes to all things decks. Our second-story elevated deck needed a major repair. When we spoke to a few other companies, they all said that we needed a full rebuild. But not Dan. He assessed the work carefully, examined the drawings, and said he could do the repair. He was fair and transparent with the cost and clear about the scope of work. When the job began, Dan and his team, Ksen and Chris, were thoughtful and efficient with their approach. They made lots of progress quickly, and explained each step in detail. Dan really went above and beyond helping me navigate the inspection process. We wanted to make a few changes from the original drawings that required a revision. Dan worked with our architect, handled the inspectors, and helped get our deck approved and permitted. He was careful and detailed, communicated well throughout the whole process, and the work was top tier. I highly recommend Craftsman Decks. Elite work, trustworthy and reliable, fair and transparent, and will go the extra mile. Give them all the stars! read more

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Working with Dan and his team was the best experience our family has ever had with a contractor on a major project. We had a full deck replacement on a large wrap around deck that was near its end. Dan's pricing was honest, the work was clean, the crew was extremely friendly and the work product was perfect. I would emphatically recommend this team for your deck project. By the end of the job our kids did not want them to leave! I am particularly amazed at the fact that that the job although large and complicated came in exactly at the price that was estimated. That is rare these days. We are very happy with the end result. Dan and team were clear communicators and were very respectful of the space. read more

Dan and his team were amazing! We had him build a second story, 300 square foot Trex deck and he did a great job throughout the process. There were a few times during the job when unexpected issues came up, that were out of his control, and he was able to come up with creative and efficient solutions. He even went above and beyond numerous times including adding extra to finishing touches to the deck. Dan was very responsive and had great communication throughout the job. Would highly recommend him to anyone! read more

Craftsman Decks - Finished deck! - Fences & Gates Near Me - Berkeley, California

NorCal rebuilt and expanded our rear deck. It was quite a project because the deck is 20 ft off the ground in places. The scaffolding alone was a masterwork. Their craftsmanship was excellent and they were easy and pleasant to work with. Their price was competitive. We bid this job around and were very pleased with our choice of Norcal. read more

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I highly recommend NorCal Craftsman. They did a great job. The team was efficient and quick. It was easy to work with Dan to make changes to the contract. When the job was completed the site was clean and tidy. I definitely recommend NorCal Craftsman. read more

The experience with Dan has been excellent, from filling out the good website form (which other contractors did not have), through several estimates, to admiring the finished deck and privacy fence. He was patient and helpful with our trying to figure out exactly what we wanted. When he and his talented carpenter started, they worked in perfect harmony - as well as with our electrician and cement guy. Details of each day's work were made clear, and the project progressed quickly. Dan is an interesting, kind, soft-spoken person and we discussed many different subjects. All in all, the deck-building was a real joy for us. We've already had several friends admire it. Susan & Roy read more

Did a fantastic job on our deck. Very easy to work with. Very skilled. Very happy with the result.

Dan is one of the best contractors we've worked with. Super easy going, but on-time, great communication, and extremely conscientious of the details. He came on site multiple times before we signed the contract to talk through the design of our boardwalk and deck. The project was delivered on-time, on budget, and most importantly looks fantastic. Very high quality work. It has been difficult for us to get from start to finish on a house project and still feel good about the relationship with our contractors over the years. Especially near the end you can feel them ready to finish and move on to the next job. We felt very good about Dan and his team before we got started, and even more appreciative by the end of it. They had other projects to get to but they made sure every detail was nailed and that we were happy before they left. We will definitely be contacting NorCal Craftsman again for future decking needs. read more

Over the last 1.5 months, I've left several voicemails and filled out the online form questing a quote. I estimate my job will cost $20-60k, but never received a phone call or email. read more

DAN AND JAKE ARE THE BEST!!! We usually don't write reviews, but they definitely deserve one! We wanted to extend our deck to have a space for our girls to play on, but we were pretty indecisive on the color, material, and size to go with so we kept going back and forth on what we wanted. They were very understanding and knowledgeable on helping us make that decision. Our deck came out to be everything we wanted and much more. They are very meticulous with their work! Thank you Dan and Jake for not only making our deck look beautiful, but for going above and beyond for us!!! The girls are so excited with their new deck that they go on it every day to play! read more

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I had a tree fall on my outdoor stairway during recent storms and needed the stairs replaced asap. I received bids from a few contractors on Yelp with 5-star ratings. The prices can in similar to each other, but Dan's reviews and his responsiveness and customer-centric approach won me over. They did a great job replacing my stairs and railing, and I would definitely hire them again for future projects. read more

Different year, different project, different crew working with Dan (Francisco and his son), same impeccable outcome. This time I needed a fence rebuilt against an existing retaining wall and Dan and his team once again came through. This was not a traditional fence build. The challenge was to build a plumb fence mounted to a concrete retaining wall that is angled into the hillside. Not to mention that it was situated at the top of a steep hill. I reached out to Dan on the off chance that he would take on a smaller project like this and thankfully the timing worked out to squeeze this in. Once Dan agreed to do the project I had zero doubt that it would be done right. As usual his communication was spot on, the work was started on schedule and finished in a timely manner, pricing was very reasonable, the work site was left clean and tidy each day, and the final product speaks for itself. If you want peace of mind knowing that your project is done right to the highest standards, search no further. Dan is the man! read more

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Dan is the best. He came out to give me a quote and spent way more time than anyone else to look at my current deck, and talk me through it, step by step. He was extremely flexible with timing, as our original date wasn't going to workout due to some poor planning on my part (and my contractor) and Dan was really cool about it. When I was finally ready to move forward (yay!), Dan and his team came every day for three weeks and built us an incredible deck. Their dedication, skill, organization, and cleanliness was above and beyond my expectation. Late into the job I asked if he could replace some rotting pieces on another deck, and he was happy to oblige and was really generous with me only having to pay for material costs. He even added cement to my deteriorating (maybe just funky looking?) cement posts. Even after the job, he was still extremely responsive via text and continually answered my questions with kindness and expertise. It became apparent very early on that Dan cares about his clients, and has a really incredible work ethic. I'm really hoping that I'll be able to have him come back to work on my other decks, as I can't imagine working with anyone else. read more

Dan at NorCal Craftsman built a set of stairs out of trex. The finished project was excellent and exceeded my expectations. It was completed on schedule. He was friendly, professional and communicative. I highly recommend Dan at NorCal. read more

What everyone else has said is 100% accurate. It's hard to rate NorCal Craftsman without sounding hyperbolic, because they really are that great. Dan worked with us every step of the way, and helped us get the second story deck of our dreams. He worked thoughtfully and meticulously, but also very quickly. At the end of each day, everything that could be cleaned and tidied up, was. He is overall an honest, hard-working guy who felt like a friend by the end of the project. We can't recommend him more highly. We are thrilled with the final product, the attention to detail is obvious, and it was delivered on time and at estimated cost. Truly a Craftsman who takes pride in his work. Thanks Dan! read more

Craftsman Decks - Our pup enjoying the process. Will post completed pics soon - Fences & Gates Near Me - Berkeley, California

It was a pleasure from start to finish working with Dan and his crew. Communication was clear; estimates of time excellent and, most importantly, our new deck looks totally beautiful! Dan checks in on the work at least once a day and hires stellar workers to do the job. Every person was pleasant and considerate, on time, and did complete clean-up. We are long term home owners and have had many less than perfect repairs on our house, so an A+ rating comes from the voice of experience. And this was an A+ project! Ellen and Irv read more

I can't say enough great things about Dan and his crew. My wife had designed the deck we wanted, and when getting estimates some of the other companies completely missed quoting out the design elements we wanted. Dan had a very thorough quote and clearly had spent time reviewing our plans to ensure he was giving us an accurate quote. I saw Dan every day of the project, he was either dropping by to check on the work or out there working himself (he even brought over his chainsaw to take down a small tree that was in the way of the new deck so that I didn't have to hand-saw it down). He and his crew are clearly very dedicated to providing the highest quality craftsmanship, and that shows in every aspect of our deck. They even sanded every single board smooth to ensure no snags or splinters were present! He even got a nicer grade of lumber for the posts and railing than what he quoted me because when he was at the lumber yard he didn't like the look of the grade he had spec'ed out - you won't find many contractors making that kind of call to ensure the quality of the materials is top-notch. Any time he or the crew had a question or design decision they ran it by us to make sure it was what we wanted, and they were very receptive to our suggestions and revisions along the way. I really can't express enough how pleased we are with how the project came out. I would highly recommend Dan and NorCal Craftsman. read more

Craftsman Decks - Fences & Gates Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Dan was very easy to work with and delivered above and beyond any requests we had. The deck ended up turning out even better then we could have hoped! Great quality of materials and superb quality of craftsmanship. read more

Being a Real Estate Broker and business owner of over 17 years, I've dealt with a ton of contractors. To find Dan's company was like hitting the lottery. Day 1 - Pressure washing my 18+ years deck and installation of Posts for gate Alex pressured washed the heck out of that deck. It looks better than brand new wood. It seems to actually sparkle. My deck had privacy cloth panels around it that had been stapled around the deck all which had been in place for 18+ years. Needless to say, the staples were rusty and very difficult to remove. I removed the privacy cloth panel and the staples remained. I figured they would pressure wash the deck and call it a day or inform me to remove the staples. While checking out the deck since it so beautiful, I noticed not a staple in sight. They took every staple, to my surprise! Both Alex and Dan did an exceptional clean up as well! (This is very important as I board dogs. They were very concerned about securing the yard since the gate was removed so the concrete for the gate posts could dry. Very detailed oriented bunch both in work and clean up. I always hate having to spend a lot of time cleaning up after a contractor has left for the day. Not a problem this time! Day 2 - Trex stairs installation started, Stair railings added and Gate erected ( I love my gate.) It is very sturdy and made with care! It's not completely finished but it feels so good to open. It is so level that it basically stays shut even without the hardware installed. A neighbors who likes to piggy back on using my good contractors liked it as well. Upon my arrival home my neighbor was seeking a bid to have his large dry rot deck repaired. Re: Stair railing and a few Trex stairs - I don't know how the prior contractor got away with installing stairs without sufficient side railing. A kid or 4-legged kid could have fallen out from the top. No longer as Alex did a magnificent job installing side railing. He angle cut several boards that lined up with the existing ones just perfectly. One of my tenants said to me the other day, it's only day one. Well it's day 2 and I feel the same. Day 3 - Trex stairs, Gate completed and Deck Staining - Trex stairs are coming along swimmingly. They only thing left are the risers to be secured in place. All cut and ready! Deck staining began today and is mostly done and looking good. Dan brought a helper today and his main job was the staining. Gate is complete and hardware is on. This gate is SOLID. It closes like a Mercedes door and you will want to open and close it a few times, or is that just me! The hardware Dan picked is both classy and very practical. Should I want extra security the hardware can be slid forward and a pad lock used so it can't be operated from inside or out. I swear it's like Dan and I are the same person. He is working and picking items without any input from me as if I was doing the job myself. Another great work day it seems and nothing for me to clean up. Thankfully! Possible finish tomorrow but Dan is not one to cut corner so he will keep me posted. I'm in no rush. Day 4 Deck staining / sheets of plywood installation - Everyone arrives early and ready to work. Dan and Alex have a 3rd person helping again. I noticed this guy (who I think is a different guy than yesterday) was able to help Alex with things he was working on. Deck staining continued/finished, sheets of ply-wood installed to reinforce fence from jumping dogs completed per contract. I decided to add an additional 2-3 sheets so this job will run 1 more day for that work and final clean up. Deck staining and stairs looks amazing. I couldn't be happier. Dan was able to seek out a thicker than normal Trex which is very heavy which allows me to save money since the thinner ones requires a 3rd center support for all the stairs. No other contractor who provided a bid even mentioned there were different thickness options. Dan, out of the box thinker. Day 5 Sheets of plywood installation finished / clean up (small add on fence repair) Things are winding down and just a few sheets of plywood left to erect and some clean up. Oh wait, the homeowner (me) has one more "small" request. Three is a sliver size of fence that is in need of repair. No, problem Alex says, he will rip the wood and make the repair. These guys are great. Dan is a great person, owner & leader and Alex is a great and very skilled person. They both go way above and beyond in their work and without hesitation I recommend them for any construction job you might have. I will definitely be reaching out to them for future work. Conclusion: Great with time management, very competitive pricing for the above and beyond service, fastidious, great listener and a contractor who doesn't leave nails, empty packages or water bottles about your property. I think this is just a first in so many years that I can't stop praising his work. read more

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Dan and his crew just finished my deck today and all I can say is wow it came out beyond our expectations. It took 2 weeks to complete every night they cleaned the site and left everything nice and neat. Dan communicated every step of the process before doing the work and is very meticulous and detailed oriented. I would not hesitate to recommend him to anyone needing a deck built. read more

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Wow!! That wow describes both how beautiful our deck is and also how wonderful it was working with Dan. He is truly a pleasure to interact with - knowledgable, professional, hard working and nice! When he finished the deck we felt like we should create a new project to keep him around. :-) Re the deck, it is a 20x15' Ipe masterpiece. We personally experienced how hard Ipe can be to work with when we had another (much less talented) contractor build an Ipe deck at our last home. But Dan made it look easy. And also made sure every detail was what we wanted. Thank you NorCal Craftsman!! read more

I asked Dan to reconfigure an existing 10-year old redwood deck that was being impacted by a rapidly growing redwood tree. He and Francesco did a great job. - In two days they had framed the deck around the tree, reused the existing lumber and balusters where possible, and matched the detail of the existing deck. read more

Craftsman Decks - Deck framed around tree - Fences & Gates Near Me - Berkeley, California

Outstanding construction of a new deck and fencing. Dan listened to our preferences and then put together a prototype based on ideas that we saw on-line. He was continually open to changes as the project progressed. Curves added to corners of the decking. Board on board fence with oriental lattice on top. Dan is truly a craftsman, and his work reflected this, with exacting detail. His work area remained pristine. Reliable and easy to talk with. We are truly delighted with our new redwood deck and fencing. He is the best! Photo posted. Morris read more

Craftsman Decks - Deck and fencing - Fences & Gates Near Me - Berkeley, California

We are thrilled with the Azek deck that Dan and Alex built for us. Although it may have seemed like a small job, small differences in site elevation and the need to replace existing stairs to the house made it tricky. They took their time to get it right. Also, I showed them an inspiration picture of a fence on a New York City high rise deck and they adapted it for this site beautifully. Their quality and attention to detail are unsurpassed. And it was a pleasure to have them around. Highest recommendation. read more

Craftsman Decks - Our backyard deck in what was previously unusable space. July 2018 - Fences & Gates Near Me - Berkeley, California

Dan and his team did an AMAZING job for our deck. It changed our whole backyard and turned an unusable area into an awesome entertaining area. His team was always punctual and friendly. We did a couple last minute additions and he gave us a fair estimate for the changes and went above and beyond our expectations. We couldn't be happier with how the deck turned out, and would without hesitation recommend them to our friends/family. read more

Craftsman Decks - Before and After - Fences & Gates Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Why is there no option for 6 stars! I needed an approximately 120 ft fence built on a slope along my property line in the Berkeley Hills and I called at least 10 different contractors for estimates. I chose Dan because he seemed competent, gave me a fair estimate, and I got an all around good vibe from him. Boy did he deliver. Pros: Dan is a talented craftsman and was patient, flexible, thoughtful, thorough, professional, courteous, and is just an all around nice guy. He was very concerned about giving me exactly what I wanted and it's obvious that he takes pride in his work. I gave him a very complex and specific fence project and he knocked it out of the park. I am thrilled with the quality, creativity and execution of the project. Cons: I can't get any yard work done because all of my neighbors keep stopping to talk to me about my beautiful new fence. Hat's off to Dan (and his brother Yo) for knocking this one out of the **park! (**crowd cheering noise) -Tomas read more

Dan is just fabulous! Communicating with Dan is very easy. He is 100% accurate and does simply fantastic work! I worked with three contractors till I met Dan and wish we would have met earlier! It would have saved me from a lot of trouble. He does his work very thorough and does find creative solutions to put your ideas into practice! He thinks out of the box and gives ideas a shot! Outstanding work and simply delightful to engage with! We will continue working with Dan! As you all know, its hard to find someone you fully trust! read more

Dan just finished extensive work on our three redwood decks and we are very pleased. We found him honest, knowledgeable, prompt, and very professional. His estimate and invoices were very detailed and easy to understand and his bid was quite competitive. Dan made numerous suggestions that enhanced the design and managed the cost while improving the strength and quality. I look forward to working with him on future projects. read more

Dan is very industrious. He figured out how to modify the shower door that was scraping the bottom when closing without replacing it. And he worked hard to disassemble and replace a old toilet with rusted screws and bolts in a small area. read more

Dan is seriously the Man. You see handymen, contractors, workmen... but Dan is TRULY a craftsman. We saw his reviews and gave him a call, we talked, and then I sent him some ideas via email. Within 2 weeks we started on my new Modern Fence to go with my Eichler-esque house and to say it came out gorgeous is an understatement. Dan took the time to pick the best heartwood Redwood, inspected each piece, sanded them to make them match and assembled the fence with stainless screws and his usually precision attention to detail. Dan started as a handyman and ended up a friend and here's why. In 2016 when everything seems pretty slapdash and especially in Northern California where you get so much less for the money you spend... Dan truly is a craftsman at what he does. He cares about your project, he has pride in his work. Price-wise he was spot on with what I was quoted by the big fence companies, the ones who roll 10 non-english speakers onto your property and the guy who quoted you and owns the company is no where to be seen. Where there is no attention to detail, because the poor guys have 3 more jobs to do that day. Want careful work done on your project by a gentleman who knows what he's doing... call Dan.. you will not be sorry. read more

Dan has been working on replacing and upgrading the windows in my house, and the work he has completed is wonderful! His work is speedy and efficient, and he takes care to not only install each component with care, but does a thorough job in checking to make sure the job is accurately done, waste removal, and assisting with additional items that go outside the scope of installing a window. Two of my kitchen windows ended up having very small shelf length after the new windows were installed- so Dan went ahead and extended the width of shelving, and now I have great windows and useful shelf space! I've also used Dan for bathroom upgrades, painting interior and exterior walls, landscaping assistance, and will not hesitate in calling him for future remodeling projects. Thank you Dan! read more

Dan did a wonderful job installing new redwood stairs leading to our front door. His attention to detail was excellent. His design turned out beautifully, and he was open to our input along the way. He worked diligently and thoughtfully, and the results he achieved are something we will appreciate for years to come. He was punctual, cleaned up after himself, and got the project done in a timely manner. We already plan to have him work on a few other projects. read more

Craftsman Decks - Dan laid out the spindles carefully to make the redwood grain look artistic. - Fences & Gates Near Me - Berkeley, California

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My wife and I would give NorCal 10 stars if we could. Dan did the decks on our house and they are absolutely beautiful. Dan and his guys are honest, friendly, hard working and talented carpenters and builders. NorCal is simply the best! read more

Dan was a dream to work with. This custom fencing job was challenging as it involved building on a hillside. He is a very hard worker and had great ideas about design and listened to what I wanted. The finished projected ended up better than I imagined and I am so glad I chose Dan to work with. I will definitely consider him for other projects. See photos for more inspiration. read more

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Dan built my wooden gazebo in the backyard. He was very professional, thorough and made sure everything looked perfect. The whole experience was just amazing. We are very happy with the end product. Thank you Dan. read more

We hired Dan to do a small job - replacing 2 doors in our garage. He did a great job - was speedy, efficient, cleaned up and charged a fair price. Even tho he was speedy, he also took the time to make sure that everything was done correctly. Not everyone does that. We would definitely hire him in the future. Thanks Dan! read more