I've worked with Tom on several projects involving kitchen remodels. As a designer, i often recommend contractors to provide demo/installation services and would not settle for anyone less than the best; as my reputation depends on it. Tom and Hammerhouse have been my go to for kitchens because of his dependability, honesty and quality of workmanship. He has the flexibility, know-how and skill to handle anything that comes up. He doesn't run from problems, he tackles them head-on until everyone is happy. Don't look any further. Call these guys right away. read more

Thom Buchanan-Hammerhouse was referred to us via Ecohaus where we purchased our bamboo flooring and eco-toilet/sink. We were very impressed with Thom's professionalism and experience from the onset. We also took comfort in knowing that he had years of experience working on turn of the century homes here in San Francisco. Adding in his being a green contractor only solidified our decision to move forward with Hammerhouse. We had some fairly aggressive timelines and a hard completion date we needed to meet--job absolutely needed to be wrapped up on the Wednesday prior to the weekend we were getting married. Thom and his crew worked with us to make smart decisions quickly to keep the project moving without any delays. As a result, fixtures and materials that we ordered arrived ahead of schedule. The collaborative working relationship we had with Thom also enabled us to include a stretch goal we had to completely renovate our water closet in addition to the main bath. So, not only did Thom complete the project on time and on budget, he also was able to include the additional work we wanted to have done and still work with us to meet the hard completion date we had established. In regards to the work, Hammerhouse's attention to detail and the craftsmanship were top notch. The work had some challenges as per our desire to restore the bath and water closet so they matched the period yet infuse some current styling along with keeping the materials green where possible. Again, Thom and team were exceptional in helping us to successfully achieve this goal. We have some new projects spinning up both with our condo and the 3 unit building we live within. Without a doubt, Thom will be the first on our list to call. High fives all around for Thom and the Hammerhouse crew! read more

Wow! Tom and his team are superior! Not only is he a really nice guy, but he is a knowledgeable, trustworthy, dedicated contractor. Contradiction in terms? No way! We have used other contractors in the city - some good, some mediocre. But, Tom is now the one we recommend to anyone who asks. Our project: added a full master, high-end bathroom to our 1914 Edwardian home. Was a walk in closet, now a fabulous bathroom with dual sinks, dual shower heads, heated floors. ooolala. Love it! It is gorgeous and he made the whole process easy. Tom and his team kept the house pretty clean, put in all new plumbing from the street line to the 3 floor master, dealt with the city and all. Even made sure our dog and cat were safe at all times. We did work off of architect plans that were approved by the city. Our reco: always do a remodel with approved plans. Saves on time, cost and changes. Our background: this is not our first remodel. We used another contractor on a different place to redo the electrical, remodel a kitchen and remodel a bath. We are not novices and learned from experience on how to pick a contractor and get a job done right. read more

We had a very good experience working with Hammerhouse Construction. Thom is conscientious and attentive to detail and so is his crew. We are really pleased with how our (extensive) home remodel turned out and would definitely work with Hammerhouse again! read more

Hammerhouse helped my Mom with a leak in her wall and then replaced the water damaged wall. They were courteous to my Mom and kept the dust to a surprising minimum. the room looks great and My Mom is very happy with the work they did. Thanks Hammerhouse! read more

I highly recommend Tom and Hammerhouse Construction. My fiancee, her sister and I bought a 2-unit building in Bernal Heights, and we needed electrical, plumbing, and construction work done after our inspection from the city, in order to convert the building into condominiums. Tom, along with his team, gave us the best estimate on the work, and got all of the work done well, and on time. They brought our plumbing up to code, installed a new electrical meter and rerouted our electrical as we needed, and installed steel support beams in our garage which came out great (and also makes us all feel better in case there's an earthquake). Tom had a great attitude throughout the whole process, and when the work on our garage came in under budget, he told us about that and charged us significantly less than we'd already been prepared to pay. Bottom line: Tom is honest, did great work for us, and did it at a price that was more than fair. If you're looking for a contractor in the area, definitely give him a call. read more

I've had the pleasure of working with Tom Buchanan and HammerHouse Construction on several projects over a period of about 3 years. As an Architect with a practice here in San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area, I have had the opportunity to refer Tom to my clients. Tom's been a pleasure to work with and the projects he's done have been a great success. All my clients, and myself as an Architect, have been very pleased with his work and his professional attitude. He's very conscientious and does fine quality work. As a Building Contractor, he really displays a team spirit with the Client, and the Architect. Another salient feature of Tom's, I always seem to end up on the same page with him ( both literally and figuratively! ) translation: He's a Building Contractor who takes the time and the effort to read the Architect's Drawings! I highly recommend HammerHouse Construction. read more

I had heard good things about Thom Buchanan & team. He showed up to my house to pick up and review our plans and never returned our calls (and we called back several times). Very disappointing. A phone call back to say not interested or too busy at the moment would have left a better impression. read more

Hammerhouse Construction was recommended to us by the shop we ordered our kitchen cabinets from. Thom was easy to work with and quick with communication. It was clear from the first meeting that he has lots of experience and was able to point out all the things that would be needed to bring our old kitchen up to code. His subcontractors were all very pleasant, considerate and thorough. We are very pleased with how the kitchen remodel turned out. Thanks Hammerhouse crew! read more

Thom and his crew were excellent. Not only were they very competent in all aspects of our kitchen remodel but they were also very respectful of the fact that we were still living in our house during the project. They kept the jobsite clean and tidy and sectioned off the rest of the house so no dust escaped. Thom was good about communication with us and his workers were very considerate and friendly. Most importantly they did great work and we are very satisfied with the finished product. I would love to have them do another project for us! Thanks Thom! read more

Our experience was not very good. Tom estimated our job to take 20 days. He finished 9 months later. He really needs an architect's blueprints which we did not have for our rather small project. He had to redo a number of things which were just poor craftsmanship. The frustrating part was when he went ahead and did things when we specifically told him not to. He did redo some of the problems we pointed out, but not without some coercing on our part. I had to finish a number of things that he said he would not correct, however. Tom's work came highly recommended. Unfortunately, our experience was very bad. Update from Tom's comments. I really do not intend to debate this issue over Yelp. Tom finished his work in April 2010. I have emails to confirm this. However, the flashing work he did under a deck that was to be waterproofed leaked. I told him that in an April 15, 2010 email. He stated that he was done and that he would only fix the leak on a time and materials basis. So we paid him to be done with him. I fixed the leak by removing the gutter, patching the flashing, and re-installing the gutter. This rainy season, the flashing is leaking in several different places. There is a long piece of wood, about 14 feet long by 16 inches wide by 3/4 inch thick that is under the deck header. It broke it half, I'm guessing during installation. Tom installed the two broken pieces and patched it the best he could, but the leaks continue to show exactly where the crack is. I warned Tom of that probability in my April 15 email. The broken pieces of wood never should have been installed in the first place. Less than a year after installation, I have a lot of re-work to do to fix the original work. read more

Hammerhouse Construction recently did a complete remodel of my kitchen. The kitchen was ripped out all the way down to the studs, a frightening proposition in an Edwardian! I couldn't be happier with the results. The work is high quality and professional, and the kitchen is beautiful. Thom and his employees are extremely professional, very good at what they do, and take great pains to keep the worksite (and your home) clean. The cost was more than reasonable. I will definitely use their services again. read more

We highly recommend Hammerhouse Construction. Over a year ago our three-floor deck had to be replaced from the ground up. Thomas Buchanan and his crew did a superb job completing this project in a timely manner despite some hefty challenges - steep hillside, the city's planning department, mother nature, third-party supplier and inspectors. Thom managed to keep it all together and produce what I think is a showpiece in the Glen Park area of San Francisco. Our deck can be seen from the street. If you'd like to see his craftsmanship, contact Thom who will contact us and we'll make arrangements for you to see it up close. read more

This past month I hired Thom Buchanan of Hammerhouse Construction both to replace the pillars in the front of my Edwardian house in San Francisco, and to repair a structurally significant wall in my bathroom, which had sustained damage from water leakage and had resulted in the rotting of a load bearing wall. Not only did Thom and his crew do excellent work in replacing the pillars and rebuilding the wall, but also Thom kept me fully abreast of his progress as he was winding his way through the city's somewhat cumbersome permitting and inspection processes. To anyone who is seeking high quality construction work for a first rate professional, I would highly recommend they call Thom Buchanan of Hammerhouse Construction. His work is top of the line, in my opinion. read more

We hired Thom to remodel a tiny kitchen in our 1916 home. We were looking for a contractor who would appreciate the historic character of our house. Thom and Hammerhouse Construction lived up to our expectations. The workmanship was excellent with great attention to details. Communication was good, even when Thom couldn't be on site himself he kept in contact. We would highly recommend them, read more

Tom worked on two small projects for us which he took seriously. He is personable, professional, fast, and his rates were very reasonable. I would recommend him to anyone. If we ever have a big project in the future, he will be the first person I call. read more

I have a huge picture window that gives my home a view of the Mission. Problem is, since I moved in it has leaked. Many have gone before Thom trying to seal it, patch it, diagnose the problem. I hired Thom and was so pleased. He did it the right way. It was a tricky job, involving working from the roof of a neighbor's building (which took charm to work out). He took the entire side of the building off to correctly diagnose the problem and resided the entire side of the building, installing flashing around the window and sealing everything securely. For the first time in 12 years, I can enjoy the view, listen to the rain fall and pound on the glass, and know we won't get wet (or worse, worry that damage is being done to the building). Thom's crew too were great to have around. Thom was easy to get a hold of and returned calls promptly. My only problem now is trying to save the money I need so he can do all the other projects around the house! read more

If you are looking for a contractor who does quality work, is committed to your job, communicative, and trustworthy then give Thom Buchanan a call. He and his company, Hammerhouse Construction, were referred to us by our architect, Andrew Morrall. They are an awesome and smooth-running team and turned our outdated kitchen/entertainment area and 2 bathrooms of our newly purchased home into a 1st class interior. We are more then pleased with the outcome and love our new living areas. Thom and his crew did what was needed to be done in a professional and efficient way. They were able to shift gears effortlessly when our rather straightforward remodel grew into a more complex one with many unforeseen and added features such as raising the ceilings to their original 11ft height. We recommend Hammerhouse Construction with confidence and will contact Thom again without hesitation when we have another construction project. read more

Thom Buchanan and the Hammer House crew were a godsend. After several disappointing contacts with other contractors, a kitchen cabinet provider recommended Thom. It was my good fortune that Thom had a short gap in his schedule and I was able to step right into it. I never had a moment's regret. He was professional in all ways. His experience and generally clear communication style saved me both time and money. We had glitches -- of course, this is San Francisco -- but he was above board and clear about costs throughout. Someone from his crew was here EVERY day working (no pulling off the job for something bigger). This was a HUGE remodel and it went relatively painlessly. He was even available for the final ditsy little finish up pieces (a door pull here, a short baseboard there, etc). I also enjoyed his crew. When asked, they made educated suggestions based on their experience, which I really appreciated. I am more than pleased with the final product. I recommend Hammer House to anyone considering serious work in their home. read more