Updating the review…read more Why? Treeium folks helped in making a change on my countertop after I asked for a cut as the design was blocking my kitchen path. They did it without any costs and I appreciate that! I will still be very specific about my requirements and conditions with them next time and probably could get a bigger discount, but I am happy with there follow up in this case and how they did it professionally. I would recommend them!

[Original review was at 3.5 stars rounded down to 3 stars. However, I received some VERY unpleasant…read morecommunication from the "branch manager", Eran Chan, subsequent to my review post. He demanded that I provide my identifying information, ignored my request for privacy based on the review, and made accusations that I used a fake contractor. It was irksome enough to remove an additional star. Remainder of review remains in tact.] As first time homeowners, we discovered that the market for construction/ remodel help is difficult to find in San Diego. It's hard to filter out the reliable reviews from those who are associated to the business owners. This is heavily prevalent on Yelp and exceptionally so for service providers: it's important to notice how many of those 5 star reviewers have (1) no yelp activity, (2) no yelp friends, and (3) created the yelp account close in time to the date the review was placed. You should be cautious of the veracity of these reviews. With Treeium, you'll find a that there are some valid reviews and some questionable. I lend mine as one backed by evidence. To date I am the only Yelp Elite reviewer. I'd be happy to pass along my complete sentiments privately. I selected Treeium from -- you guessed it-- yelp. My husband, who's the more calm and friendly individual between us two, was the one to receive the initial marketing pitch from the company (we'll leave identification of individuals private). Overall, I would say they do a great pitch. The representative that they send is friendly, knowledgeable, and conveys a strong level of confidence in how the project will go, etc. The individual came back a second time to talk to me with my husband.. and even I was thoroughly convinced by the pitch. Once you sign the paper, that's where the rollercoaster ride starts. The first guys that came in were kind enough to lay down carpet covers to avoid stomping around in our Asian household (read: NO SHOES INSIDE) and on our brand new carpet. Subsequent contractors were less respectful and didn't bring shoe covers. We had to lay down our own carpet covers. Thankfully I wasn't present for most of the process because I'm sure I would have raised hell through each phase. They were relatively timely on the breakdown and removal. There were strong initial attempts to protect our property and minimize the construction mess. But once the actual work started, it seemed like there was just problem after problem. There were many pros and cons.. pros are evident by the final bathroom being done (finally).. My biggest qualms however were: (1) PRICE: we had to pay for a lot of additional things after the quote that just kept getting tacked on the original quote. It was frustrating to find out that certain tiles or things that we wanted were unavailable or could not be incorporated. We had to settle on several aspects. There is a payment plan option to make it more palatable. In retrospect, I think the project was on the higher end of what we could have found elsewhere. (2) FAILURE TO MEET TIMELINE: this is the MOST irksome part. We were told 4-6 weeks.. it took almost three months. With the various contractors that are required in any one job, I understand that the more parties there are.. the more likely there will be scheduling problems. But the timeline was edging on unreasonable. (3) AVERAGE COSMETIC JOB: I have never heard a contractor tell me your wall is crooked, therefore, there will be a gap between tile and wall in order have a straight tile surface. It's a minor aspect but gap bothers me every day like an itch in a spot you can't reach. Also, the white tiles that were chosen were shaved at the corners, leaving ugly brown rounded corners amidst the white tiles. Another itch. Also, we opted to keep the bathtub. They cracked the bathtub with removing the old parts around the tub. Rather than fix the tub, we were told we could pay more for someone to fix the cracked porcelain or go buy our own fix it kit. After all the extra costs, we opted for the fix it kit.. which i think is ridiculous. Oh but by the time we got around to it, the tub started to rust in the places where they damaged it. When you step back and look at the overall reno, it does look better than what we had. We're generally happy with the final product (my husband more than I)... and it is definitely an improvement. We did refer Treeium to another group of friends who did an even bigger project, but they had the exact same complaints we did so I feel that our comments are valid and verified. Prior to the unpleasant communications received from Eran Chan, I would have been happy to share that Treeium is *capable* of doing a good job and that we might return. With his harassment, I don't foresee our return or further referral.

Working with the Andersons was a breeze. They were accommodating and patient with our requests…read more They worked with us on a design before we even committed to going with them. They were half the price of the big companies and the result is just as gorgeous - and actually happened twice as fast. It is only two of them working for the most part, bringing in subcontractors when needed. All were reliable and did a nice job. Mark is extremely conscientious in his work. Work was finished on time. Really good experience working with them.

After meeting over a handful of design & remodeling groups, Anderson Design and Remodeling (ADR)…read morewas the best fit to do the remodel. My husband and I had a layout in mind, they understood our needs of organization/function, worked with our wants and were cognizant of the budget/timeline. *Remodel: Entry, Kitchen, Downstairs entertainment/guest room, bathroom and closet *Timeline: Planning Phase: Aug-Sept 2017, Construction: End of Oct. -Weekend before Christmas 2017 Cathy is very knowledgeable with design and is talented in seeing the whole picture before the project is done. She will explain the "why" with design elements if something may or may not work and she is very honest, which I really appreciated. Mark and Doug are very skilled and have great craftsmanship. They were able to create a panel to match the exact cabinet doors (which are very detailed) instead of using the plain panel to go above our refrigerators. As others have mentioned, they tidy up at the end of the day when done and ensure that if you need to use areas during the reno, that it is accessible. Cathy, Mark and Doug are also very mindful and great around kids and pets. My kiddo enjoyed seeing them before heading off to daycare. The team takes pride in their work and it shows. We are beyond happy and grateful with the end results and will be using them for the other half of the house when we are ready to do the bedrooms and bathrooms. I would definitely recommend Anderson Design & Remodeling.

From a design stand point, I found them unimaginative. And their business process/business ethics…read morenot transparent. After 1/2 hr initial meeting for full home redesign and ADU addition, Stewart Mayer insisted on walking off with printed drawings. Within days, in good faith I sent him electronic version to help him with design. Even though the other architects did not ask for drawings to take home in order to come up with some prelim costs. He came back with 2 scribbled ideas I shared with him from another architect. When asked if I could talk to some references, his response - "our policy with these requests is to facilitate those calls with the understanding from the potential client that they are prepared to retain our firm contingent upon a favorable conversation. Hopefully that is the case for you, and if so we'd be happy to put you in touch with one of our current clients who has been through design and permitting phases and is now under construction". Shocked someone would ask for that commitment after finding him on yelp. An experienced architect who has no previous references happy to share experience of his work? An architect who thinks asking for references if not a norm in the process? The process of vetting out architects could take months. He was insistent on needing my plans for redesign discussion purposes but he scribbled 2 ideas from another architect. Watch out this guy had no good ideas while taking plans to generate ideas. Violating copy right law is a federal offense. thank you Yelp for having a platform to share experiences

Esther YELP…read more SM-designbuild was referred to me by a friend that had great success working with Stew and his company on their home remodel. As a single woman I was a bit nervous about renovating my condo as I'd heard so many scary stories about how things can go wrong with contractors, but my experience with SM-designbuild was great. The design phase was fun and painless; they listened closely to my needs and came up with great ideas I hadn't even considered. They priced the project early on in the design phase and I was relieved to find that the initial estimate was very close to the final cost. The quality of their work was excellent and I'm happy to report that they finished the job ahead of schedule! You can't go wrong with SM-designbuild. I would use them again in a heart beat and would refer them to all my friends.

We had to re construct our kitchen after unfortunately pipe leak. We were extremely glad my…read morecoworker recommended Amden Homes for the work! We contacted several contractors before deciding to work with Amden. Matan and Dean were quick to respond to questions and were very understanding to our needs. Their team were quick to get started and they did great job and were always open to our needs and scheduling. I would definitely recommend them for home improvement/remodeling/construction project! ​

We recently completed a master bathroom remodel with Amden Homes and are very happy with the…read moreresults. The quality of workmanship is truly 5-star -- the finished bathroom is beautiful, and the attention to detail really shows. Their team was also very good with communication throughout the entire process, which we really appreciated. There were a couple of material clarifications along the way. During bidding, we discussed solid wood cabinets and copper piping. When selections were finalized, cabinet options were more limited than we initially expected, and the contract allowed for "PEX or copper." Once we brought up our preference for copper, they were responsive and made the change. Overall, we're very pleased with the outcome and the professionalism of the team. Just be sure to clearly confirm material specifications in the contract from the start.

Amazing work. Jason designed and installed our custom stair railing, replaced our carpet with tile…read morein two rooms, built a closet under our stairs, built custom cabinets in our tv/entertainment niche and closed off our open loft to make it a private home office. Can't find a better person with this much skill and work ethic. Highly recommend.

We hired Palatine Building to do an extension of our house and the service provided by Jason, the…read moreowner has been outstanding. We were very impressed with his planning and work. Jason is very honest and professional. He always tried to find the best solution at a reasonable price. We strongly recommend him for any construction projects!

I'm super thrilled with the cabinets that Jake and his team designed for me! Meeting the team was…read moredelightful, and I was very impressed with their attention to detail throughout the project. The end result was beautiful, and I can't recommend their services enough for it. Def will be doing business with them again.

Great work, very affordable. That came in a timely manner due to city inspections pending. Great…read morecustomer services and respectful workers.

We have used Casey for everything we have done to our house in 7 years. Big and small jobs - he is…read moreEXCELLENT. I have also recommended him whenever anyone needs a contractor and he has never disappointed. He is smart, timely, a great communicator, honest, conscientious, and just a great person too. I cannot recommend him more enthusiastically. Specific examples- years ago I wanted a Mr Steam installed when we redid our master bath. His ingenuity impressed me as he installed the complicated electronics and made everything look beautiful. When I converted a carport to a Gym during COVID - his resourcefulness to find materials in stock made the project happen when I wanted it. Honestly, I could cite examples for hours. Trust me. Casey is the BEST.

We can't speak highly enough of Casey, Matt and team. They are honest, fast and do excellent work -…read morethese three things are not often found in a single company. We used Casey and Matt to remodel some of our home and have had them back for additional projects and have recommended them to neighbors and friends who have also been pleased with their work. At this point these guys are family and we highly recommend!

We were becoming totally frustrated in our search for an architect and a general contractor to…read moreguide an extensive remodel of our home. What we needed and seemingly could not find was an honest estimate of costs, an architect who could help us design our project and drive the permit process, and a contractor to build the project. Finally we happened upon STEL Builders. Cory, a walking advertisement for why you need to contract with STEL, jumped on our project and quickly gave us a realistic idea of costs. He introduced us to Frank, who is an awesome person and STEL's in-house architect. Frank gave us three options of drawings to choose from. Each option met our basic requirements and also outlined possible upgrades. Based on our budget, we committed to a plan. Within two months we had permits and construction began. We were assigned a dedicated project manager with whom we met weekly to assess progress in demo and ultimately new construction. Even before demo began, we met our design angel in Ivette. She guided us through selection of fixtures, cabinetry, tile, wall coverings, flooring; all the aspects of a remodel that keeps novices like us up at night. Her calm demeanor combined with her creative ideas made this an amazingly pleasurable experience! Ivette led us to our dream design outcome, and all within the budget we worked out with savant Cory in the beginning. STEL has great relationships with all the best subcontractors & receives priority on their projects, keeping the downtime in construction to a minimum. Midway through construction, our project manager left STEL. They hired a super pro replacement in Roberto. His many years of experience enabled us to stay on track for completion and enhanced the quality of the final product. Roberto is already a tremendous asset to STEL! And all along, even as he continued to take on new projects, Cory stayed in touch and treated us as if we were his only client. No question or inquiry we had was too small or insignificant for him to address nearly as quickly as it was expressed. We moved back into our home after six months and felt like every dream we had dreamt for our forever home had come true. The outcome has exceeded our very high expectations. In Cory's introduction, he touted STEL as a small, family oriented and local Design & Build Company. He was right about that. However, we think he understated how committed to these values Seth Larson and STEL Builders really are. They get it! For people like us, this is the largest and last big expenditure we'll ever make. They treated us with respect, congeniality, honesty and integrity. Our lives and our home from now on are forever enhanced from having met and worked with Cory, Frank, Ivette and Roberto. Thank you Seth Larson for the team you've built. Thank you STEL Builders, our new extended family!

After carefully rsearching the best design-build firms, we picked Stel Builders because they are a…read morelocal, right-sized, family-owned company who could personalize a design just for us. Jason and Frank patiently created the perfect building plans, and Brian expertly managed the project. We are very pleased with our newly remodeled home.