I reached out to Russ since the company that did our cabinets closed. I needed some kitchen cabinet doors repaired and a trim panel made for above my refrigerator. Russ came to the house, measured, gave me an estimate. He is professional, friendly and reasonably priced. I would definitely use Meadowlark Woodworks again and I'll be referring them to my friends and neighbors. read more

Meadowlark Woodworks - Under sink cabinet doors - Cabinetry Near Me - Concord, California

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I just wanted to extend a huge thank you to Russ Monroe of Meadowlark Woodworks (Concord) for the wonderfully skilled project he completed for us. In short, after a kitchen remodel, we had a few very durable pantry drawers left over from the previous kitchen cabinetry. The drawers were almost ideally sized for a toolbox I needed so I reached out to Russ to see if he had the interest and time to transform the leftover drawers into a durable toolbox for handtools, wrenches, etc. He came to the house and took careful measurements and we discussed the idea further. A few days after he delivered what was a perfect result. It perfectly fit the intended space for it and was superbly constructed. If it was art, it would be a masterpiece! Russ is friendly, very easy to work with, very fair with pricing and truly a skilled craftsman. I am trying to think of other projects we can use his woodwork expertise on. We cannot thank Russ enough and highly recommend him for your woodwork needs. read more

When we needed a custom wood base for a large statue, I called Meadowlark woodworks. I received a timely reply from the business owner Russ Monroe. He came out to our home to inspect the project, take measurements & show me wood stain color samples. One week later, he returned to our home to install the new wood base. He exactly met our expectations & we can confidently recommend Meadowlark Woodworks to anyone looking for a skilled tradesmen to help them with a custom woodworking project. read more

Meadowlark Woodworks - Cabinetry Near Me - Concord, California

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Russ is very impressive and great to work with! We have an unconventional space in our living room that we wanted to make a closet for. Russ helped us with ideas and worked with us on designs. We wanted a tall closet with slats door, but unsure the exact designs / colors etc. He made several versions of the samples (as you will see in the before pic where I laid them out side by side) to help us picture it better. On the day of the install, there were several surprise discoveries behind our old cabinet (outlet, fireplace gas key), he took extra time to make additional carveouts to make sure things are done perfectly. The final results were immaculate, Russ'e workmanship, attention to details and joy & pride in his work is evident from the final results. No doubt we would ask for his help in any future woodwork we need. read more

Meadowlark Woodworks - Before (slat panel samples & the cabinet sample on the floor) - Cabinetry Near Me - Concord, California

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I needed a pull-out trash drawer created in an empty space I had in the middle of my kitchen island, due to an old trash compactor we removed. Russ was able to match the door style perfectly, and created a great pull-out trash drawer. I purposefully asked for it to be unfinished because I was going to paint it later myself, and now that it's all done, it looks like it's always been there. It took a couple of weeks from measurements to install, but Russ communicated the process clearly, was responsive, had fair pricing, and was overall wonderful to work with. I'd definitely contact Meadowlark again for any future woodwork needs! read more

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i am so happy to have found Russ on Yelp. I had an old trash compactor i wanted replaced with a pull out trash bin. Russ was great from the start...very responsive and knowledgeable. He was able to match the existing cabinetry and trim perfectly. He is honest and reliable. I am beyond thrilled with the quality of his work and professionalism. I highly recommend Meadowlark Woodworks. Thanks Russ!!! read more

Meadowlark Woodworks - Cabinetry Near Me - Concord, California

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I hired Russ to create a bay window bench for me. From the start, he was responsive and transparent. I can tell he prides himself in the quality of his craftsmanship and attention to detail. I'm pleased with the outcome and I would definitely hire him again in the future if another project arises. Thanks Russ! read more

Meadowlark Woodworks - Cabinetry Near Me - Concord, California

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Meant to write this a while ago. Found Russ here on Yelp for our small job cabinet project. He used the existing door from a cabinet faced trash compactor and built us a custom insert to hide recycling and food scraps bins. Made me a hero with my eco activist teenager. As he wrapped up the job Russ also helped me a hang a heavy duty pull up bar in my garage. Greatly appreciated it Russ thanks again! read more

Meadowlark Woodworks - Cabinetry Near Me - Concord, California

I have built houses, cabinets, and theatrical sets. I have worked auto, boat and RV upholstery. I have enjoyed being an R&D technician for composites (carbon fiber) manufacturing-which included knee milling and CNC machining. Needless to say, I am not unfamiliar with the challenges of working with customers, engineers and designers who offer little info on complicated parts and designs. Communication and imagination are the key aspects of success when bidding jobs. So... We had a custom bathroom vanity to build for our bathroom remodel (refresh). We needed a vanity with storage and a seating bench that turned the west corner of our space. We called Russ. After talking, emailing, and texting with him, sending him a Sh--ton of information (pics, a letter detailing style and plan view for design, he declined the job without even seeing the space in person. He blamed us (the customer) for this choice. The customer is NEVER wrong, just misunderstood and (not being the expert) may need guidance. On the phone, although he was full of information, real communication was interrupted and Russ seemed more interested in hearing himself talk than anything else. He was dismissive, which is an interesting choice considering that he never even saw the space. I am glad he chose not to waste our time further. In retrospection, I now believe that the project may have been "over his head". Beware of any contractor that is this aloof. Russ may have done some good work for other people, but I can't in good conscience recommend even calling him- based on my experience. Warmest Regards, read more

My husband and I recently installed a gas stove in our kitchen which meant we had to raise the cabinet above the stove to meet code clearance. My husband was able to cut down the cabinet and raise the microwave but we were at a loss of how to shorten the cabinet doors. I took the cabinet doors to another local cabinet maker, they held on to them for a week just to call me and say the job wasn't worth their time. Fair enough but what do I do now? I can't afford all new doors that match! I called Russ and explained my dilemma over the phone. He was really nice and told me to drop the doors by and he would take a look at them. I did and we discussed briefly what I thought might work. I was pleasantly surprised when he called the next day saying the doors were done!! It was exactly what I wanted. Quick, easy, affordable fix! I would recommend this business to anyone. read more

Meadowlark Woodworks - Before and after Russ shortened my cabinet doors to fit the new smaller cabinet. - Cabinetry Near Me - Concord, California

One of the drawers to the vanity in the master bathroom needed to be repaired as the stile on the left side had broken off. Based on great reviews on Yelp, I left a text message with a few photos of the damaged drawer. The next morning I received a detailed response from Russell describing what the repair of the drawer entailed and the estimated cost to repair it. Russell stopped by the house the following morning to take the drawer back to his shop. Within a few days he called to tell me that the repair was completed and he would drop it off later that morning. I couldn't believe what a beautiful repair job he had done, as there is no indication that the drawer had been damaged (he also cleaned up some scratches with stain that matched the finish!) The bill for the repair was very reasonable. Russell was very professional and friendly and I would highly recommend him for any cabinetry work! read more

Meadowlark Woodworks - Repaired drawer - Cabinetry Near Me - Concord, California

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Yes, I second the previous review. Russell did a great job on our built-in cabinets as well. We're so pleased with the results. We had 2 empty niches in our family room and could not stand the empty space. Now it looks beautiful! He matched the crown moulding that we had in our kitchen cabinets perfectly. I highly recommend Russell to anyone out there who needs beautiful cabinets with high quality. read more

Meadowlark Woodworks - Left side cabinet - Cabinetry Near Me - Concord, California

I contacted Russell Monroe based on the two previous reviews. We had a teak bed from Bai come apart and had no idea who to call. Looked on yelp and thought I would give this a shot. Russell came out right away. He took metal parts away and had them fixed and reassembled them into our wood bed. He did a great job, He was a really nice guy and was reasonably priced. I highly recommend him. read more

I spoke with him several months ago about built-ins for my family room. I emailed him extensive pics of the space, as well as some of ideas that appeal to me, as he'd requested. He never responded, so I called again. He said he was all booked up at the moment. I said fine -- call me when your schedule opens up. Again, no response. I sent another email several weeks later. Still no response. He may be a fine cabinet maker, but he has much to learn in the areas of communication & time management. read more

Highly recommended! We bought a different size oven and needed to build a new oven floor and drawer underneath it. While at it, we wanted to replace the old compactor with a pull out garbage drawer. Russ was a perfect professional: on time every time, communicated well, kind, and of course most importantly the work was top notch. The new cabinets look exactly like our old ones. Glad we found Russ. read more

We worked with Russ after a recommendation from a friend, hiring him to design, build, and install some built-in shelves, cabinets, and window bench in our living room. Russ was great to work with from step one. He came in and spent time with us discussing the space and how we could best use it, listened to what our needs were, and gave us excellent suggestions based on his experiences. The project was completed within his initially estimated timeline. We were really impressed with the attention to detail, especially on installation when he spent a lot of time making sure the built-ins fit seamlessly into the somewhat irregular space (sloping floor, window and walls at different angles, etc.). We were so happy with the final results that we asked Russ to build a custom desk (which also game out great) and hope to work with Russ on any future projects! read more

I was referred to Russ who built a kitchen nook for us. He is first rate and I would highly recommend. We had a tight time frame which he met and he did a high quality job. Our 10 year old granddaughter is delighted with the new nook. Thanks Russ. derek norris read more

Russel is honest, punctual, reliable, professional, does great quality work at reasonable prices and has great work ethic. We contracted Russell to build cherry cabinets that would match existing cabinets in our small kitchen remodel. We were surprised by the seamless results and the quality of the work. Our house is old and the celing had an irregularity. Russel navigated that diffiult problem beautifully. We hired him because of the reviews and because he gave us the best quote. We could not be any more pleased. read more

This is my first review! :) I contacted Russell Monroe @ Meadowlark Woodworks because I needed a custom cabinet built for a nook next to our fireplace. I got 3 estimates and his was a lower estimate (the third place didn't return my call). Incidentally, I got Russell's name/phone from the owner of Saake Fine Furnishings in Pleasanton. First of all, let me just say that Russell is a great guy. I can't imagine anyone not liking him. My son was 18 months old at the time, usually standoffish with strangers, but was all over Russell. He was so calm and good-natured. He was very professional in his speaking manner and asked lots of questions to make sure he got an idea of what I was looking for. I am pretty picky about furniture and tend towards modern/mid-century. I had something very specific in mind and literally, what he delivered was what I had pictured in my head. It is gorgeous, walnut with a maple interior that almost glows. Just beautiful. I will recommend him to anyone who needs a custom built-in. He works with many different styles and types of wood. His portfolio was filled with some impressive pieces he had built for previous customers. Most in a more traditional (Ethan Allan/Macy's) style than mine. Anyways, Russell is a wonderful cabinet-maker and you won't be disappointed! read more

Russ has just completed crafting and installing a really beautiful large built-in cabinet for our living room. The wood is gorgeous and the detailing is exquisite. Russ' workmanship is impeccable; he spent ALL day installing the cabinet, making sure that it blended smoothly into the wall, that all the molding and trim were exactly right, and just generally being really meticulous about the look. On top of it all, Russ is a pleasure to deal with, friendly, open to discussion on the project, full of good suggestions, and very businesslike about the project itself. I would use him again in a heartbeat and highly recommend him for your woodworking needs. read more

Russell worked wonders in my kitchen! He replaced some beautiful but totally dysfunctional built-in drawers, and matched the existing style, wood grain and shade perfectly. My drawers work like a dream, and I am so grateful every time I can easily slide them open and closed. In addition, he was responsive, personable, honest and kind. read more

I met Russell when I worked for a local contractor referral service (now out of business). The first job he did for me was in 1999 and was a window seat, roll-top desk and china cabinet. We got 3 bids and chose Russell because he was so thorough in our initial meeting. I had done some sketches and had photos to give him an idea of what I was envisioning, but what I got from Russell was so much better than I could ever have imagined! In addition to being a top-notch cabinet maker, he has a terrific sense of design and balance so he's able to add details that really make his pieces stand out. In 2001 we remodeled our kitchen and knew we wanted him to do the job. Again, his suggestions were invaluable in giving us a very functional kitchen. The cabinets have held up so well and still look beautiful. He came back about a year ago when we added under cabinet lights and put in a trim piece -- you'd never know it wasn't part of the original cabinet! Last week, he installed two new bathroom cabinets (a more modern design this time) and once again I am thrilled! One is a painted cabinet and the other is a very rich mahogany - both are just gorgeous. The other reviewers are right about his personality -- just a overall nice guy, very easy going, absolutely trustworthy with your keys/valuables and very concerned that you're happy with his work. I'm almost out of rooms, but I'd hire him again without any hesitation and without bothering with other estimates. He's as good as they get! read more

Russell was very professional, responsive and did a wonderful job. We would not hesitate to use him again

We hired Russ based on the good yelp reviews. It took us AGES to get our heads around what we wanted and he offered loads of advice and was patient with us. We had a pretty basic cabinet install with some tricky extra bits (i.e. we wanted a place where we could anchor our fireplace grate to keep the littles safe but we didn't want to put holes in our cabinets that you would see during the warmer months of the year). Russ designed our cabinets and included a super handy removable piece that we can reattach when the grate isn't up. It's GORGEOUS. It took him about 10 hours just to install the painted cabinets because he literally cut them to fit our rather wonky walls. I was impressed with every part of our design and install process (and we're picky people). Russ isn't the cheapest but his work is super professional. I'm writing this now as I deal with trim work from another guy who took shortcuts and did sloppy work and I'm so irritated and thinking that I just assumed everyone would be a perfectionist like Russ is.... read more