We had a formidable request for Berkeley Craftsman (BC), to demolish a very old, dilapidated…read morestructure in Kensington and replace it with an entirely new home; and to do it all when we were living 3000 miles away in New York. To top it off, along came COVID adding to the challenge. But BC brothers and co-owners, Michael and Mark Butler, came through with flying colors. They are masters of their art and I couldn't recommend them more highly. We started working with Michael Butler developing an estimate after our wonderful architect , Cathy Roha, drew up plans taking into account all the restrictions dictated by county, oddity of the very irregular lot, and neighbors' sensitivities. We went through several iterations with BC and Cathy in response to surprises discovered underground on the property during the long permitting process, as well as to keep the cost within our budget. They listened and came up with suggestions for changes. It was a team effort all the way through the project with Mark, Travis Cutright, the project manager who is truly wonderful, the plumber, tiler, electrician, and other great subs. This may be a first, but as much as anyone enjoys having construction going on next door to them, the neighbors were totally impressed with BC, who went overboard to respond immediately to their concerns. The entire BC crew take great pride in their work and they regularly sent us photos along with lots of suggestions as we struggled to make decisions from across a country racked with COVID. Showrooms weren't open making choices difficult, but we had lots of help from Mark and Cathy. No one got infected working on the house, a tribute to their following strict protocol. Even with the shutdown in 2020 and accommodation to the distancing rules following re-opening, the project came in on budget and had PG&E not delayed turning off the gas / and delayed again turning it on, it would have been exactly on schedule. Pretty impressive! The house looks beautiful, is beautifully built, and we love living here. One year later, Mark still responds to minor problems we discover. We couldn't have been in better hands for this daunting project and are grateful we had the opportunity to have BC build our new home.

We hired Berkeley Craftsmen for a major remodel of a 1932 house, and they exceeded our expectations…read morein every possible dimension. It is exceedingly rare to find all the qualities you want in a general contractor--top to bottom throughout an organization--but Berkeley Craftsmen delivered them all: exceptional competence and skill, absolute reliability and trustworthiness, meticulous attention to detail, and a genuinely delightful team to work with. They should really be called Berkeley Perfectionists--in the best sense of the term. We would walk through the house, and someone would suggest moving something "one inch," and every time they were right. It's hard to believe, but they cared about our house just as much as we did. The entire team worked incredibly hard and steadily over the course of ten months. Even when we expanded the project scope--sometimes at their insistence, because they were committed to doing things properly--they stuck to the schedule and finished on the promised date. Literally no one could believe it, but we moved in on the day we had agreed to at the start. We cannot speak highly enough of the integrity, craftsmanship, and quality of Berkeley Craftsmen's work. And just as important, we were lucky to enjoy the camaraderie and collaboration that came with working alongside this remarkable team.

We recently completed a home addition with Outline GCI, led by Luis Perez, and we couldn't be…read morehappier with the experience or the results. Our project included a new primary bedroom and bathroom, an expanded dining room, and a large wooden deck. The quality of the work is outstanding and the modern finishes throughout the addition truly elevated our home. Luis set up a clear structure for updates, and communication was always straightforward and easy. Any questions we had were met with helpful, down-to-earth answers, which made the whole process feel manageable. One of the biggest strengths of Outline GCI is their crew. Every person who worked on our home was incredibly professional, respectful, and considerate. Because we lived and worked from home during construction, this mattered a great deal. The team kept the site clean and safe each day and went out of their way to ensure our kids always had a safe place to play in the backyard. They also let us know in advance if anything noisy was coming up or if utilities needed to be temporarily shut off. That level of care made a huge difference. The project stayed on timeline and on budget, and any small hiccups that came up were handled collaboratively and calmly. It genuinely felt like we had partners throughout the build, not just contractors. We would hire Outline GCI again without hesitation and have already recommended them to several friends and neighbors. If you're considering a home addition or remodel, Luis and his team are an excellent choice.

Having always done our own construction and remodeling we were hesitant in using any contractor…read more Then we found Outline General Contractors Inc for a deck/stair rebuild and kitchen remodel. Luis and his team did not disappoint. Both our projects were handled professionally from quoting to completion. Luis listened to our ideas and kept us on a realistic track if our ideas were too far afield. He genuinely loves what he does, and it shows through his enthusiasm. Luis and his team treated our home as their own. They were an awesome team of professionals. We experienced all his team's skills - electrical, plumbing, carpentry, drywall and painting. If you are looking for a fair and honest group of professionals, look to Outline General Contractors Inc for your next project. I know we will be calling Luis for our next project.

We used HDR Remodeling to redo one of our bathrooms, as well as do a conversion of the downstairs…read morefloor of our house. While there were a few delays in the construction schedule, they were very professional in handling everything and the work was high quality. We're very happy with the result!

We signed with HDR, then had to fire them due to significant mistakes on their part…read more Their initial bid had some items (like windows) which were low, but not outrageously so, and we asked them to verify their numbers were correct. Which they confirmed was accurate. 5 weeks in, they came back to us and said they misquoted the project and the price was going to go up by ~40%. We also learned they were aware of this issue within a week of signing, but took another 4 weeks to tell us. They gave us a variety of reasons as to why, but they came down to them making mistakes and significantly misquoted, which they acknowledged. They told us some changes were structural and required significantly more work, which was false. We checked with the structural engineer they suggested hiring, who confirmed what HDR said was structural, was not. On top of all of that, they told us they were spending significant time talking to the structural engineer, who confirmed to us HDR did not do that. Overall I was unimpressed with them, given they managed to mess up fairly basic parts of being a contractor.

We are very happy we used Tinka Construction to remodel our small bathroom and update our kitchen…read more George and his crew are super friendly, clean, and creative at solving transitions between spaces. His team is resourceful and they did not generate excessive work to add cost. For our kitchen / laundry facelift, we updated the flooring, backsplash, lighting, and reconfigured our laundry area. George's crew helped to side vent the dryer which the big box store was unable to do. George gave valuable input on our bathroom design to optimize the small space. He had suggestions for an in-wall toilet, a corner sink, window ledge niche, and talked us out of a doorless shower (thank you!). He knows small spaces very well and was able to place the fixtures in their best locations. George would give us a heads up on our requests that were going to cost more than ~1k. He had some subcontractors come in to help with varying degrees of quality and cleanliness. We are glad he managed the plumbing contractor who had to come back 3 times. His paint jobs varied quite a bit in consistency depending on who was painting. The best part of working with George was that we were expecting our first child, and he worked very hard to complete the project before her due date. To our surprise and delight he totally finished it before she arrived!

George helped us with a complete remodel for our home in Berkeley. He and his crew (Oni, Enrique,…read moreMarvin, Wuillian) are extremely smart, honest, professional and creative. His pricing is also reasonable and transparent. We started with an awkward layout (even no room for fridge in the kitchen!) and ended with a tastefully transformed home: open, modern and feels much more spacious than before. George is patient, transparent, detail oriented (with a special eye for safety!) and always a clever problem solver on behalf of his clients. What he did for our project was too much to list, but I'm attaching a few photos where the end results can speak for itself! Contractors like George is hard to come by and highly sought after in the current environment, we would recommend him to any one who values craftsmanship and quality!

When we decided to remodel our tiny San Francisco bathroom into a walk-in curbless shower, we met…read morewith five highly rated contractors. Only one stood out from the rest. ProModeling earned our business through their strong reputation and high ratings -- but what truly won us over was the trust we built through personal, intelligent interactions with their team: project manager Alexandra Asaftei, designer Andrea Estalayo, and construction foreman Christian Mendoza. Anyone who has worked with contractors knows the anxiety of wondering whether things will be done right and on time. From our very first conversations, that anxiety was gone. Alexandra was friendly, organized, and thorough in explaining their entire process. Andrea used visualization technology to help us explore different textures, colors, and finishes, making it easy to imagine what our small space could become. Once we felt confident in the design, we gave the green light -- and the project moved forward without a hitch. From demolition to completion, the team was skilled, efficient, and professional. Christian went above and beyond to ensure everything met our satisfaction, and his attention to detail helped the project sail smoothly through the permitting process. Every aspect of the remodel -- electrical, plumbing, waterproofing, and tiling -- was handled expertly and on schedule. We couldn't be happier with the result or the experience.

Promodeling updated our 1940's old-school tiled bathroom which involved replacing tiled walls and…read morestall shower with cultured marble, texturing and painting the walls and ceiling, retiling the floor, refinishing the tub, and installing a new vanity, medicine cabinet, shower door, trim kits, and fan. Alexandra, the Project Manager, was easy to work with. She communicated clearly, returned calls and texts promptly, took time to answer my questions, and was very personable. Brian, the crew leader, was also easy to work with and was patient and thoughtful in explaining things I asked about. He and the crew were friendly, respectful, and cleaned up well each day. Everyone was very attentive to making sure the job was done the way I wanted it, and when I asked for some wall texturing and painting touch-ups, they were taken care of quickly. I felt good about Promodeling's price. The estimated cost was nearly the same as the final cost. I did authorize a change order to replace an old plumbing part, which was a relatively small cost. I had one bid from another company that was considerably lower, but the estimate was much less detailed and I don't think they anticipated the full scope of the work. Another company's bid was much higher, and the company had their preferred vendors and products, which I felt might limit my input into the materials. I am happy I chose Promodeling. I gave Promodeling a 4, rather than a 5, since I did need to ask for touch-ups the crew hadn't noticed. Also, the trim painting (window frame, and door and frame) was just OK and not as smooth as I might have done myself. I'm sure I could have asked them to redo it, but chose not to. I admit to being a picky painter! If I have another project, I will definitely contact Promodeling again, and I certainly recommend them to others.

I contacted John Ferguson after trying, unsuccessfully, to get a response from several contractors,…read morefor a relatively small job (by contractor standards). The communication between John, his foreman Raoul, and everyone else I worked with on the team was a breath of fresh air. They are very clear and very interested in the customers concerns, and full of helpful suggestions. I was sent a model of the project to review beforehand as well as a detailed breakdown of the work and costs. We discovered extensive dry rot that was not in the original scope of the project, but which was remediated within the given schedule. All the individuals who did the work were top notch craftsmen and pleasant to work with. Whereas previously the back yard was a dark depressing place, I now have a lovely aesthetic space in which I want to spend time. Thank you John, Raoul, and team.

In 2016, we used John Fergusson and More Than A Carpenter to complete a significant addition to our…read morehome in El Cerrito, expanding our house from a 1 bathroom, 2 bedroom home to 2 bathrooms and 3 bedrooms, and doubling the square footage. As you can imagine, this was a large project, and we as homeowners were nervous about budget, schedule, and quality. We had also heard horror stories about contractors going way over their budgets and schedules, and struggling with quality. It was therefore amazing to see what great work John has done. He brought the project in on time, budget, and quality, but more than that, he put his whole heart into the project. John is a unique individual who not only gets the work done, but is constantly looking for ways to improve the experience. Throughout the project, John was not only receptive to our ideas, but deeply thoughtful about new ideas. A number of the improvements he made have really been life changing for us -- an additional butcher block counter top that functions as an extension of our kitchen for example. Finally, I would say that John does his design not just off a drawing or a checklist of features, but really seeks to see what you're trying to achieve, what you like about your current home, and how you want it to feel when everything's finished. That's rare in a contractor. I am therefore pleased to recommend John and More than a Carpenter without reservation. Our work with him has been a joy from start to finish!

It is so rare to find a contractor who is willing to take on a range of tasks from small to large…read moreand do excellent work on every task. Harvey Varga took on a whole list of things that we needed done--from building a 150-foot fence, building a sidewalk and concrete pad, rebuilding kitchen cabinets to install a dishwasher, putting in a new vent fan, fixing an improperly installed dryer vent, etc. He was very responsive to our initial request for work and had a crew with a couple of days. Each task was given detailed attention and done with perfection. His crews were efficient, competent, thoughtful, and quiet. They were respectful of us, our property, our neighbors, and our dogs, and cleaned up at the end of each day. It was a pleasure to work with Harvey Varga and his crews. We give him and them our highest recommendation particularly for someone who has a mix of small and large jobs. Tom & Virginia

Harvey and his team did an excellent job stabilizing and repairing our outdoor stairs. The stairs…read morewere in really poor shape and felt like they were ready to fall down, so we needed the work done immediately. Harvey was extremely responsive and his crew started quickly. He communicated clearly about what was possible and was honest when the stairs turned out to be in worse condition than first assessed. The team replaced the unsalvageable parts and stabilized the rest, and the workmanship on the parts they replaced looks solid. All-in-all there was only so much they could do given the stairs were built incorrectly and were in very bad condition, but they pulled through and got everything into a safe, workable state. Harvey was also a really nice guy to talk with. Professional, personable, and easy to work with. He kept us informed when the timeline shifted, worked efficiently, and left the area tidy when they finished.

We could not be happier with the deck that Christopher and his team built for us. Christopher was…read morevery helpful during the design process, working on multiple options for us until we landed on a design that worked best. We also changed our minds about the deck railing towards the end of the build and he very graciously figured out a custom solution that works perfectly. They also built custom stairs to match the deck for the lower level of the house as a last minute addition. His team was extremely professional, conscientious, and went above and beyond with making sure the site was clean and orderly (especially since we have a toddler running around). We noticed a lot of details in which they could have cut corners or done the 'easy' thing, but instead they put in extra effort to make sure it looked as beautiful and finished as possible. Overall we could not recommend working with Christopher and his team more.

My bf and I are so pleased with how our deck turned out. Christopher was professional and his crew…read morewas excellent. They finished before the expected final date. The precision and detail (even though it wasn't too complicated) were exceptional and the work is beautiful. We love the mahogany over the redwood. We didn't have to worry about getting the permit or dealing with the City inspector and everything went very smooth. His knowledge was extensive when changes had to made and we trusted his judgement. We would definitely hire/refer him to our friends and family.