I contacted Elvin to do an estimate for me for completing my garage a few months back. We needed to…read moreinstall new electrical, insulation, frame a new ceiling and drywall. We were finally able to schedule the project and get his guys out to help us finish it. The work went well, for the most part. There were a couple hiccups along the way that did get smoothed out, which I appreciate. The garage is done now and looks great (we decided we're doing the painting ourselves). The only reason I'm giving 4 stars instead of 5 is due to the timing of the project and communication. The project was supposed to only take 4-5 days to complete, but ended up taking 7, which unfortunately cut into plans we had made after he had said the project would be finished. I'd much rather be told it'll take longer than it actually will. In regards to communication, a couple of his workers need to communicate a bit better with the property owners. We had left for the remainder of the weekend when we realized his drywall subcontractor had left, only to realize he left to get materials (never told us) and returned to the house to finish after we had already gone. We only found out after the fact when Elvin called us to ask if we were coming back to the house that evening. We scheduled him to come back the next afternoon, but his worker ended up being a no-show, only to find out his worker DID show up, but never made contact with us to let us know he had arrived. With all that said... I'd still recommend him for your home project needs! JB

Awful service and poor quality. They do not communicate and are not professional. I would not…read morerecommend them for hire. Be careful getting ripped off. Everyone check their terrible record with the state https://www.cslb.ca.gov/OnlineServices/CheckLicenseII/LicenseDetail.aspx?LicNum=1061918 State says that their license is... "License is under suspension for the following reasons: License is suspended for failure to resolve an outstanding final liability from the Franchise Tax Board, Department of Industrial Relations, Employment Development Department, or Contractors State License Board. License is under Contractors Bond Suspension. A contractor's bond may have been received by the Board but not yet processed. Once the bond is processed the suspension will be lifted retroactively to the effective date of the bond. Ask the contractor for proof of a contractor's bond and contact the bonding company to verify bond status. License suspended for failure to comply with a bond payout." They are working with a suspended license.

"Not Much" Finesse Builder. Warranty on materials was probably voided due to installation…read moreworkmanship.

I had a horrible experience with Jarek and Jim. Not only did they misrepresent their work history,…read morethey also told us a series of lies throughout the project. First, he used his father's customers as his references. He does not have employees in his business; instead he uses tradespeople who come ins and out. For example, he told us he had painters on payroll, the carpenter did the painting. He did not oversee the contractors whom he hired; when their work was subpar, I had to speak with the contractor (e.g. flooring installers) to demand that they live up to contracted services. A 3-month delay in the project he attributed to the city's permitting process. When I contacted the city directly, it turns out the delay was a couple weeks. He hadn't submitted the proper paperwork and they were waiting on him. All the work was done by 2 contractors, not the 'staff' of painters, electricians, and carpenters he claimed were on his payroll, but were hired for the project. He is basically charging a 30% markup to find contractors for you, but not managing their work. We did not let him finish the job to avoid more subpar work. His team incorrectly installed some of the trim, which cost me $$$ to have redone.

I had worked with Expert Design Builders back in 2018 for a small project. The work was well done,…read morewell managed and Zach always communicated well with us. When we decided to proceed with a bigger project: a fence, automatic gate and deck we had no doubt EDB's team would do the work well, and they did ! For the Fence/Gate, We really did not know what we wanted. Zach was able to provide us various options and examples of other jobs he did in the area which we were able to check out. For the deck, we had a good idea of the size and shape, but he was able to provide us some advices for a whole bunch of details which we had not thought about (stairs shape, wood choice, lighting etc ...). He warned us in advance about potential additional work that might be needed (retaining wall) so that we would not run into a surprise in the middle of the project. After signing the contract, work started on time. His team members were always considerate with us and our neighbors (since we were working from home, they would warn us in advance when they would make loud noise etc ...) Throughout the course of the work, Zach would communicate with us providing progress, status and what would come up next. He would also make himself available for questions we would have. The result was beyond our expectations. The result and design of both the fence and deck is great.

These guys did a great job rebuilding our deck. Prices were fair and progress moved fast so that we…read morecould enjoy our new trex deck with cable rails this summer!

Rick and his team did an excellent job remodeling our kitchen and cabinets throughout the house. I…read morecan't recommend him enough.

This review is based on my experience working with Mattei Construction Services during the initial…read moreplanning and quoting phase of our kitchen and bathroom remodel. Richard Mattei comes across as highly experienced and knowledgeable artisan. He was very easy to work with and does things methodically and with great attention to detail. The pictures posted on yelp (at the time of this review) are definitely outdated - his team have done some amazing work over the past few years. His prices are also better than many other contractors in the East Bay.

We had a great experience working with KC Custom Builders on our project. From the very beginning,…read morecommunication was phenomenal. Nathan and his team were consistently responsive across phone, text, and email, and we always felt like we knew what was happening and what to expect next. That level of communication alone set them apart from many other contractors we considered. One of the standout aspects of the process was their use of Buildertrend. Having a centralized place for updates, schedules, selections, and messaging made the entire remodel feel organized and transparent. It eliminated a lot of the typical uncertainty that comes with construction projects and gave us confidence that nothing was slipping through the cracks. Given the complexity of our project and the inevitable unknowns that come with remodeling, we felt the schedule was managed very well. When adjustments were needed, they were clearly communicated, along with the reasoning behind them. That transparency made a big difference and helped us stay aligned throughout the process. The team was also very mindful of keeping our home clean and protected during construction. They took consistent care to minimize disruption, which made day-to-day life much easier while the work was ongoing. In terms of quality, there was a clear attention to detail at every stage, and especially in the finished work. You can tell they take pride in what they do, and the final result feels well-crafted, thoughtful, and built to last. We spoke with several contractors before moving forward, and while there were other solid options, none matched the level of transparency, organization, and ease of working that we experienced with Nathan and his team. They were straightforward, professional, and genuinely focused on delivering a good outcome. We have already recommended KC Custom Builders to friends and neighbors and will continue to do so. If you're looking for a team that communicates clearly, manages the process well, and delivers high-quality results, they are an excellent choice.

HOMEOWNERS BE AWARE! DO NOT PAY FOR THE ITEMIZED BID!!…read more We hired Nathan Casey to do an itemzied bid for our home remodel project. He charges people $3,000 to give a detailed bid for projects. Our experience led us to the conclusion that Nathan was more interested in charging us for an estimate and that he ultimately had little intention of taking the job (unless we bit on his extremely and surprising "final bid"). We'll explain why. First he gives you a ballpark number. At the time we already had all of our architect and structural drawings that he reviewed. And he had come to the house a couple of times. His delivered an estimate that ranged from $500K - $800K, without any details about what drove that range. Knowing what we know now, that should have been the first red flag. Someone with his background and experience should never had given that large of a range as all plans were done, and most of the major materials were chosen. Yet, we hired him to do an itemized specific estiamate, for $3000, so that we could seriously consider him for the project. After agreeing to pay the fee and hiring him, he missed deadline after deadline of providing us a final bid we could consider - which jeopardized our ability to commit to the contractor we ultimately selected while we waited. He told us that his estimate would take 4-6 weeks and we didn't have a final number until over 8 weeks. He kept forgetting specific information that was given to him, like what materials were being used where. He also kept misunderstanding the structural drawings and insisting that the information needed validating (which it did not, we are using the same structural now for the job and they are correct). Also, as an interesting corroborating side note: his final bid never involved his stated intention to inspect our attic and crawlspace/foundation to ensure accuracy. Is that evidence that his "final" bid wasn't in good faith, accurate, or best practice... given the substantial work to our foundation and roof in this project? As we communicated to him in person, the fact that he gave us an "original range" in writing of $500k-$800k for our project (which included full architectural, engineering, electrical, and most all design plans)... but he still required $3000 for an "accurate bid"... only to then deliver a final bid at $830k without any project scope change... was revealing. When we asked him point blank: "under what circumstances was this project ever possible to be $500k"... he provided no answer. Interestingly enough, after many delays and us pinging him on delivering his final estimate over the 8 weeks we engaged, when it came to collecting his $3000 bid fee Nathan then frequently emailed and texted us, and was very focused and communicative around collecting.

We hired Stephen Swan to remodel our much beloved 1911 Craftsman home in Rockridge. When we bought…read morethe house in 2001, it was for the beautiful craftsmanship of the home, and all the beautiful woodwork. Our friend called it a "jewelbox" and we agreed! So, as you can imagine, we had a touch of fear and some very high expectations for our remodel in 2007/8. We worked with a great architect on the vision, and Stephen really brought it all to life for us. From the earliest stages, Stephen built our confidence by being on time for meetings, communicating effectively in person, via phone, via email, etc., and by laying out a project plan that clearly showed our mutual accountability to making the project a success. As you know, there are thousands of decisions in a remodel project. Stephen laid them out simply and made sure we had plenty of time to work though the more challenging decisions for the kitchen and bathrooms, while coaching us through some of the easier decisions that could be made quickly like doors, doorknobs, etc. He has an exceptional crew, and his subcontractors are all individuals/teams that he's worked with multiple times, so everyone knew what to expect. They're all very proud to work with him. Stephen ran a very clean site. We rented a house just a few blocks away, so we were over often, picking up the mail or checking in to see how things were coming along. Stephen was also very thoughtful of our neighbors, inviting their feedback on noise levels, sweeping the sidewalks with magnets to make sure no stray nails, etc. Stephen delivered our project on time and on budget. He's an exceptional communicator and an overall fun person to be around. People often ask when we're gardening in front who helped us with our home remodel, and we always give Stephen Swan our highest recommendation.

How lucky we were to have Stephen for our big kitchen project last year! We reconfigured the main…read morefloor of our home and built a new kitchen from scratch. Our kitchen is beautiful and well planned and the process was very smooth. Stephen worked closely with us, our designers and various sub contractors to finish our new kitchen within the timeline and budget. He has both an eye for the big picture and details and was instrumental in the planning stages. He had lots of helpful advice from layout and permitting through to tile and handle selection. He was in constant communication with us and made us feel like our project was his #1 priority.

Robert and his team were amazing, top-notch very friendly and professional, answered all my…read morequestions and exceeded my expectations. I had an amazing experience with V & G Builders I highly recommend them to anyone looking.

I highly recommend V & G Builders for their professional installation of our new windows. From…read morestart to finish, Robert and his team were professional, knowledgeable, and courteous. They paid close attention to detail, completed the installation efficiently, and made sure everything was done properly. The quality of their workmanship was excellent, and our new windows look beautiful and have made a noticeable difference in our home. We are pleased with the results and would gladly recommend V & G Builders to anyone looking for reliable, high-quality window installation.

My wife and I know Klaus Kubler Construction for over 10 years and he did a numerous projects for…read moreus. He has done in our house one bathroom and one powder-room which were completely remodeled including plumbing, electricity and tiling. We always have shown our friends with pride the fine, well designed bathrooms Klaus Kubler and his team have created. He and his co-workers have done an outstanding job by any reasonable measures. Klaus Kubler has a fantastic eye for details, design and accuracy. He is extremely trust-worthy when it goes to quality of work; for him there is no margin of error acceptable; the work needs to be done 100% correct. KK and his team were always on time, easy to work with and stayed in the budget. The quality of work was unmatched, you cannot do it better. Beyond the above, KK has installed a light sensitiv out door lightening throughout our premise. He also replaced a new furnace and water heater. He is specifically trust-worthy with plumbing and electricity. We would not trust anybody else doing this in our house. In other words, KK Construction is the first to go company for us in case we have a remodeling job to do. Klaus Kubler specifically is a lovely human being to work with and is highly reliable in all categories you would want to apply for a constructor. Needless to say, we would not hesitate to build a new house with him and his team if need was given. KK Construction is a highly recommendable construction company who is the finest choice you can make. We wish Klaus Kubler the best success with his company and will continue hire him for any new projects in the future.

I decided to take the time to write a review to spare someone else the distress I have experienced…read moreworking with Klaus. I hired him to build a studio in our garage. I asked him to get a permit with the city from the start; that's why I went with a licensed contractor. I wanted to protect the thousands of dollars investment we were making. I found it strange that he talked me out of it. He said it wasn't necessary (of course it is!) and that it was a big hassle. He then said it would be easy to later on get a permit if I wanted. He would give me all the pictures and I could easily file later. None of this was true. It has now been 5 years and he never sent me the pictures and refuses to get a permit despite hundreds of texts asking him to. He kept making false promises that he was taking care of it while the months dragged on and nothing got done. I tried to hire other contractors to get the permit and they said they would need to tear everything out and start over. We are stuck with a 50k investment that doesn't increase the value of my house and will be a problem to sell. I have all the texts stored and I am researching legal actions. Spare yourself and go with a different contractor. If you have had a similar experience and want to join me in a lawsuit, please reach out.