I have been in construction for 30 years and have dealt with many subcontractors. I wanted to post…read morea glowing recommendation for Brandon Butler. He is a true professional. He promptly returned all of my phones calls, communication was a breeze, he came out right away to give me and estimate ON TIME, emailed me the same day with the estimate, and was in line $$ with other bids. I called 4 companies to bid my excavation project and he was the only one I would consider hiring.

Brandon and his crew were a God-send after a slew of horrific contractor interactions my husband…read moreand I had over the last few years. They worked on our property quite a few times - replacing irrigation systems, installing new pipes, and replaced a water pressure gauge. They've also worked inside our home, replacing drywall, and moving a gas and water line in our laundry room. Every time they've been out, they've been on time, worked non-stop, and left the yard and house clean and in order. Brandon is very responsive and answered any questions I had, while also offering suggestions as to what we need. Brandon isn't pushy, offers reasonable pricing, and follows up after work has been done. I highly recommend Butler engineering. You won't be disappointed!

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.

Spent two weeks working with this company only to be told that they were shutting down for the…read moremonth and couldn't facilitate my project. This is after checking references and receiving a contract. I have no idea if they are actually good at what they do, because I never got that far. If you need to remodel or rebuild - the last thing you need is additional stress or someone to waste your time. They did both. And their quote was easily $10K more than any other company I spoke to. So consider that as well. If I could give a zero, it would be warranted here. Don't bother responding to my review. Since you dropped my project only days before my demolition was scheduled, your feedback is worthless and I'm not interested in anything you have to say.

The overall work was excellent. My kitchen turned out to be better than I imagined. Raffy and team…read morewere the only ones to draw a mockup design of what our kitchen would look like and bring up issues that other contractors didn't bring up that would have been a surprise add on (like the rewiring of our kitchen) which is why we went with them. The price was also competitive and the estimate was very detailed. Raffy and his team work really hard. I didn't know what to expect during a kitchen remodel and let me tell you that not having a kitchen really sucks but the end result is worth it. It took about 5 weeks. There were a couple of hiccups (minor things) but Raffy and his team were quick to fix or make right. Overall, I would recommend. Amazing job!

We had our kitchen and floors redone with Mastercraft and they were great to work with. There are…read moreso many decisions to make and Janelle in their design team really helped us refine our choices. Charley was our project manager; he kept the project moving forward and was extremely responsive to texts and calls. They helped us change the cabinet layout a bit and it ends up being more functional while also having much more usable space. The flooring and baseboards turned out terrific, it really changes the look and feel of the space. We had picked out something that was not one of their usual suppliers, but that was no problem. They really work with you to get exactly what you want. All the workers were friendly, skilled and left our house clean at the end of the day. My thanks to everyone that worked on our project. Chuck finished the kitchen up and did fine work with our plumbing which required some intricate work to accommodate our layout. I highly recommend Mastercraft and would use them again for any future work.

Charley and crew were professional, kept to the schedule and were very responsive while working on…read moreour bar area with wine fridge remodel and new kitchen countertops/sink. Charley is clearly experienced and made helpful suggestions. We received the proposal quickly and were put on the schedule shortly after we made the decision to go with MasterCraft. Both the bar area and kitchen look fantastic. Super happy with the outcome!

Exercise caution when dealing with Greg. When you make a deposit or a payment it will not be…read morerefunded no matter what the exception is.

From the owner: New Home Builderread more

I can't recommend Dan and DMB Builders enough. In just 5 weeks, they completed a full remodel of my…read morekitchen and two bathrooms, including converting one tub into a walk-in shower. There were four dedicated crew members on site every single day, all of whom were friendly, professional, and reliable, consistently chipping away at a large scope of work. Dan, the owner and project manager, was on site most days to check progress, quality-check the work, and coordinate next steps. Communication was excellent, the workmanship was top-notch, and the results exceeded my expectations. I'm already planning future projects with Dan and DMB Builders, including a complete master bathroom remodel and upgrading the remaining indoor doors to a modern shaker style.

I discovered Dan & his team through a neighbor, where they'd worked quickly on several impressive…read moreprojects. I had them refresh two small-ish bathrooms--replacing the vanity, faucet, mirror and light fixture in the hall bath, and retiling a shower in the primary bath, adding a dramatic-looking niche. Dan is realistic, schedule-conscious and works to exceed expectations. (They finished ahead of schedule!) He's also willing to share his opinions, but in the end, he made sure they executed what I wanted versus what they'd normally do. The team was very skilled, polite and considerate. The only downside was that his online billing system was a bit weird, but it can be over-ridden to pay the correct progress payments. I will likely be working with them again when I find my next house.

I hired Rummy from IL Total Design for a major three-story remodel permit that included adding…read moresignificant square footage, and she exceeded expectations in every way! This was not a simple cosmetic project -- it was a complex build with structural changes, multiple levels, and a lot of moving parts in a coastal zone. Throughout the process, Rummy was incredibly resilient. Whenever challenges came up (and with a project this size, they always do), she stayed solution-oriented and kept the project moving forward without hesitation. She was also extremely responsive. Calls were returned, questions were answered quickly, and updates were consistent. I never had to chase her down ever! Communication was clear and direct, which makes a huge difference on a large remodel. What stands out most is her "get it done" mentality. She doesn't give up no matter what the city says -- takes ownership and executes. She handled everything with professionalism and confidence. If you're looking for an architect/design team that is dependable, responsive, resilient, and truly delivers results -- IL Total Design is the perfect choice!

I met Rummy Dechner, owner and lead architect with IL Total, via a design/build firm last year for…read morean ADU project. Eventually, I fired the firm (read my other review), but Rummy stayed with us to help us move forward. Without a city approved design we already sunk $25k into (most of which she probably didn't make) we depended on her almost daily for the first few months after the mess with not one but a second builders as well. We were going solo through the toughest part of the ADU process. I mean we really, really depended on her. Rummy drove this to the end for the permit to finally be granted to us. Through thick and thin she'd be there with updates and keeping us in the loop about forms, payments, and any changes she was forced to make, etc. The design itself is beautiful. She's not only talented but honest and dependable. Answers all questions. Rummy knows ADUs and the ins and outs of city permitting headaches and most of all she's loyal to her clients. I didn't know her firm also does builds as well. If only I met them at the beginning I could have saved myself a ton of time and heartache. Highly recommend! Look at her YouTube channel for all of the ADUs she has designed throughout San Diego. https://youtube.com/@iltotaldesign?si=Lh4BJ_pdmOK5OFG9

Although we decided not to proceed with our ADU project for personal reasons, working with the…read moreSnapADU team was a great experience. They were super comprehensive, thoughtful, responsive, and clearly very experienced with the process. It gave us a lot of confidence in their approach, and we wouldn't hesitate to point others their way if they're considering an ADU. The possibilities are endless, and we appreciated all of the hard work the team put in thus far.

Working with Snap ADU to build in my yard has worked out so great. I trust them ( despite having…read moretrust issues). I honestly feel lucky working with them. They did a great job on my ADU. I respect this company. Good job!