This is my very first Yelp review, and I truly felt this business deserved an excellent one. All the positive reviews you see are absolutely accurate. Professionalism: The team at Your Carpenter Friend was professional, meticulous, and clean, and they did an excellent job repairing dry rot around our home. They were so good that we've already recommended them to a couple of friends, and I hope they get the opportunity to work with them as well. Licensed: Yes Pricing: Pricing was reasonable and on par with other vendors we considered. Recommendation: Yes--100% recommend them. We plan to hire them again next year for additional work in the spring/summer, and I'll be happy to update this review then. Skill: They are truly skilled carpenters (Brendan, Zach, and Sam), which feels rare these days. While I don't do woodworking myself, I can certainly recognize and appreciate quality craftsmanship. In several areas, Zach and Sam came up with creative solutions to ensure water would not sit on the wood. They also discovered additional dry rot during the project and always consulted with us and obtained approval before proceeding. They worked non-stop--even in the cold! Work: I initially contacted Brendan for a mix of handyman work along with exterior dry rot repairs. He was honest and upfront about what could realistically be done during the dry season, so we decided to focus solely on the dry rot repairs. As it turned out, Brendan is a former termite inspector--perfect for anyone needing dry rot repair. They worked at our home for 3 days. There was one small area that wasn't painted on one side; once we brought it to his attention, Brendan came back the very next day to fix it. Their goal is clearly to make the customer happy, within reason. BTW -- he also does decks. Thank you, Brendan & Team! read more

Your Carpenter Friend repaired an area of dry rot on a 2nd-story roof overhang at my house in November. My experience with Brendan and his crew was consistently positive. Brendan came out to assess the project and provided a fair and detailed estimate within two days. He answered my questions clearly and honestly, and didn't try to upsell me on other potential work that I didn't ask for. Once I accepted his estimate, he scheduled the job in a very timely manner. He and his guys completed the job on schedule and on budget, which sadly seems like a rarity these days. I greatly appreciate Brendan's communication style and professionalism, as well as the high quality of the work he performed. I am planning another home exterior project next spring and would not hesitate to use this company for the carpentry work. read more

I recently hired Your Carpenter Friend to replace an old window box and corbel beams, and I am absolutely thrilled with their work! From start to finish, their communication was fantastic--they provided clear details and an easy-to-understand quote. They were able to quote it online by looking at the picture I gave them, and the final cost is exactly what I got in the initial quote. Most other contractors require coming onsite to inspect. Being able get a quote online is very convenient as it means less coordination with my tenants. On the day of the project, they arrived right on time and were incredibly professional throughout the entire project. I love that they recreated the decorative redwood corbels to perfectly match the original shape. For the window box, they upgraded it using a pressure-treated frame with a PVC veneer so it will last much longer. They built in a ventilation mechanism below the window box to prevent water from pooling. Even though it's a detail I can't see, it gives me huge peace of mind knowing it was built right. Their attention to detail is truly next-level. read more

Your Carpenter Friend - Before and After - window box and corbels replacement - Handyman Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Brendan and his team did a fantastic job bringing my dilapidated deck back to life by replacing the decaying boards with Trex and addressing the shortcomings in the foundation. Not an easy job, as it's an odd shape was even more oddly constructed. Brendan was a great communicator and he and his team were not just skilled, they were reliable and really nice guys. Highly recommended. read more

Your Carpenter Friend - After - Handyman Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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Brendan and his team are fantastic. I was having an issue where the ply wood cosmetic ceiling on the front porch was starting to fall down. He came out, looked up under, and he saw that our original rustic wood was there (and in pretty good shape). He offered a couple of options (just putting the plywood back up or taking it all down and refinishing what was under there). In deciding to take it down and restore some of the charm to the home, he and his team had competitive pricing, were able to start right away, and most of all treated the property with respect. They were great to have working at the house, they worked quickly, and in the end I'm so happy with the result. I'll definitely be calling him if I have carpentry needs in the future. read more

Your Carpenter Friend - Restored porch ceiling - Handyman Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Quick service, a great job and done by pleasant and respectful folk. I would absolutely hire them again. They repaired some dry rot that our termite inspector recommended be fixed. When the inspector came back, he commented on how well the work was done, too! read more

We had a fantastic experience working with Brendan for a recent door installation. From start to finish, communication was clear and consistent, which made the whole process smooth and stress-free. He was incredibly patient, took the time to answer questions, and made sure everything was exactly how we wanted it. On top of that, the quality of the work was excellent. The door was installed perfectly, and the attention to detail really shows. He was professional, easy to work with, and clearly takes pride in his craft. I would absolutely recommend him to anyone looking for high-quality work and a great overall experience! read more

Brendan and his crew (Sam and Zach) just finished a 6 day extensive wood replacement project on my 2 story house which included using a scaffold. I had a significant amount of dry rot on trim, fascia and decorative window ledges. Brendan only repaired/replaced what was needed. The job included manufacturing special decorative pieces and a piece for a massive beam that needed to be repaired. He also replaced a side door into the garage. Everything was calked and primed ready for the painter. He kept me up to date on everything as it was being completed on a daily basis. He and his crew were meticulous in every aspect of the job. I highly recommend Your Carpenter Friend. read more

Your Carpenter Friend fixed my home's rotten subframe. They are professional and the communication was excellent.

Brendan and his team did an amazing job replacing my rear garage wall that was long overdue for a replacement. He was able to address all my concerns and made prompt suggestions along the way. They were also able to start quickly and finished rather quickly in about 1 day. The estimate price that was given was also fairly reasonable. I would definitely recommend this company to others. read more

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Brendan really is like a carpenter friend - a really good one. Super knowledgeable, detail-oriented, honest, and no sales pressure. I had some bad termite-damaged structural wood that became exposed during a remodeling project and he came and examined the situation in great detail even though I was unclear whether my GC wanted the job. He was okay with the uncertainty and gave me his time and insight anyway. Then he produced for me a very well-written and detailed statement of work at a very reasonable price. If you literally had a friend who was a carpenter, wouldn't you call him? I ended up hiring him for the job and it was beautifully and quickly done. read more

I had a great experience with Brendan and his crew. He repaired our basement door and installed a pre-ordered metal cellar door cover. Brendan was very responsive to my communications, answered all my questions, provided and honored his estimate. He and his workers arrived on time. They did a very professional job, and cleaned up after. I highly recommend Your Carpenter Friend! read more

We just had an excellent experience with Your Carpenter Friend. Brendan owns the company, and it's all in-house, no contracting out. Licensed, bonded, etc.... He came out quickly and was not rushed, even with all my questions. The estimate came later that day. He worked with me, with prompt communication, to find a date that worked and, the day of, took care of the job beautifully. The work involved replacing a mudsill that was totally rotted in some parts due to termites and moisture. They lifted the wall very slightly, took out the damaged wood, and placed a new mudsill. The work is really excellent and everything was left spotless. Thanks Brendan and we'll be in touch for future projects should they come up. read more

I couldn't be happier with the work this construction company has done on my home. Over the course of several projects--including siding, chimney and roof repairs, insulating and bracing interior walls, and exterior waterproofing--they've proven to be true professionals in every sense. Their prices were more than fair, especially given the high caliber of workmanship delivered. Every team member I interacted with was courteous, friendly, and respectful of my time and space. What truly sets them apart, though, is how much they care. They didn't just do the job--they took time to understand my concerns, walked me through the best options, and helped me make smart, informed choices to protect the long-term value of my home. This wasn't just about fixing up a house--it felt like working with partners who were as invested in my home as I am. Honest, empathetic, and highly skilled--I would recommend them to anyone looking for quality work and peace of mind. read more

We had some dry rot issues on our cantilevered joists that are around the house. The appointment was great. The crew was great. The work delivered was great. Definitely recommended!! read more

I reached out to Your Carpenter Friend to replace exterior carriage doors on our garage. The final product looks fantastic! They were able to match the style so well that you can't even tell they were added in, apart from no longer looking damaged. read more

Your Carpenter Friend - Final doors while the paint was drying - Handyman Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Brendan and Zach did a very good job removing old stuffand installing new premium rafter, fascia or soffit to match existing texture. They came in on time and finished job without delays. Nice friendly men. I highly recommend. read more

The level of professionalism from YCF is second to none! As you can see from the photos, Brendan and his team made the vision we had come alive through the work they did. Each day they brought a level of excellence by showing up on time, being flexible to changes, and thoroughly cleaning up the job site before heading home. Each week our church congregation can enjoy they fine work these guys did. Heritage Baptist Church of San Leandro thanks the entire team at YCF for a job well done! If you're looking for a carpenter, look no further and go with YCF. You won't be disappointed. read more

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I highly recommend Your Carpenter Friend for anyone looking for quality and reliable carpentry, as well as friendly service and good value. We have a 115-year-old Craftsman home with beautiful original wood details, so we were very nervous when we discovered some wood rot on a decorative ledge. We wanted to maintain the look of our home while also protecting against further wood rot. Fortunately, we worked with Brendan and his crew who came out, assessed the level of damage, came up with a plan, and executed it perfectly. The replacement work looks just like the original and we could not be happier. On top of it all, Brendan and his crew were communicative and friendly throughout the process. We will definitely be returning to Your Carpenter Friend the next time we have carpentry needs. read more

Great work by Brendan and his crew on a unconventional job. Completed on-time in one day as planned. Highly recommend for your carpentry needs. read more

We're first-time homeowners and discovered dry rot in our walls when trying to do a drywall patch; we called a number of places trying to figure out how to properly address the issue. Brendan came out promptly for an estimate and answered all of my questions about how these kinds of things work! He actually recommended we NOT contract him, and referred us instead to another company that he thought would be able to complete all of the work in-house (which included re-stuccoing) which has since been done. The information and referral were very helpful! read more

We hired Brendan to fix some dry rot and change a slider out to a window. Brendan and his crew did a great job. His prices are reasonable and his crew professional. Several of my neighbors recommended him to us. We couldn't be happier with the work. If you need carpentry work done around the house? Think Your Carpenter Friend. Thanks Brendan! read more

The crew at Your Carpenter Friend provided excellent service and craftsmanship in the complete tear down and rebuild of our deck and redwood stairs. The expertise and choice of materials was right on. Great job overall! read more

Your Carpenter Friend - New deck framing and siding along with waterproofing - Handyman Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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I highly recommend this company for your carpenter job. From the beginning to the end, the communication had been transparent, quick, responsive and pleasant. They are a great team of guys, very sincere, detailed, fair and knowledgeable. We had to replace the siding wall and we spoke to several different companies, and chose Your Carpenter Friend since they seemed to know what to do and the price was competitive. One company tried to add unnecessary work, one company could not answer my question. This company are none of that. Brendan is such a great guy to work with. His team has a pride of their job and the quality of their work shows that. Thank you very much for your great job!!! read more

Your Carpenter Friend - Handyman Near Me - Castro Valley, California

So.... My husband and I might be in arrested development. How do I know that? We needed someone to install our hand crafted secret bookshelf doors for our baseball card alcove. Yeah, that neediness just came out it my keyboard :) we were nervous because we knew the framing might need a little help and wanted to make sure the doors look perfect. Enter, Your Carpenter Friend. I want to rename this company to My Carpenter Friend! Brendan showed up to provide a quote and my husband loved Brendan's attention to detail. He also like that Brendan thought the job might be fun! Quote was solid, Brendan's knowledge was awesome and we set up our install for just a couple days later. Brendan and Josiah were punctual, professional and let me know what was going on each step of the way. We have a wonderful bookshelf door installed that took skill and artistry. Thank you to Your Carpenter Friend we have a great new furniture addition to our house! read more

Your Carpenter Friend - Perfectly installed bookshelf doors.... Betcha wanna see what's behind there! - Handyman Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Brendan and team were great overall and I'd definitely book them for another job in the future. He communicated timeline and adjustments, was transparent about pricing and paid lots of attention to detail read more

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Brendan and his team did an excellent job repairing the wood rot that plagued the exterior of my home. Brendan's communication was great and he provided me with a detailed list of all the work that needed to be done. He and his team were extremely professional and cleaned up the work area everyday. I look forward to using there services in the future. read more

We needed to fix some dry rotted posts supporting my porch. After discussing with Brendan, we decided to replace the posts and remove some stucco arches. Brendan listened to what we wanted. After doing the demo work, he was able to come up with a solution to open up in front of our picture window by upsizing the cross beam and removing two of five posts. The result was a more modernized look and an open view. We couldn't be happier with the guys from The Carpenter Friend. read more

We needed the exterior trim of our patio door and one of the windows replaced. Brendan came the very next day and gave us a reasonable quote. He scheduled us for the following week. The crew came and did an excellent job. read more

Highly recommend this company. I hired them to address a dry rot problem. They are very professional, punctual and clean up after the job. I dealt with Brendan and Sam. Both were transparent and thorough explaining what needed to be done. Finally, I found their estimate to be accurate, no upselling and reasonable rates. read more

Needed to replace my back door that was cracked and warped after years of exposure to rain and sun. Asked for a quote via Yelp and Brendan from Carpenter responded quickly. Set up an appointment for quote in few days; Brendan came in person ; looked at the door and provided his professional opinions on what types of door I should get, the material of the door and the out swung function that will improve more room inside the house. I also received quotes from other well-known window and door companies but they only recommended "the best" door and the price almost tripled. I hardly used this back door for access and Brendon explained that "if you have 7 ppl then you don't need a Ferrari but a minivan, there are great doors out there that are cheaper and well fit for your need". I decided to go with Carpenter friend. It took about a month to get the door; we exchanged emails back and forth and scheduled in 1 week for installation. 3 ppl came in including Brendan and took them just 1 day to finish. The door looks great and their workmanship was excellent. The whole process was smooth with excellent communication and Brendan is knowledgeable and helpful in selecting the door best fit for my needs. Thank you Your Carpenter Friend ! read more

TLDR - Your Carpenter Friend was competitive price wise, a clear expert in dry rot, extremely communicative, on-time, and easy to work with. While they weren't the cheapest quote, I think they were an awesome value. I will happily work with them again and recommend them to friends. The longer version is below. The lovely previous owners of our house covered areas of dry rot with shrubbery (included picture of one such spot). One we pulled away the shrubbery, we realized we had a problem on our hands. We received quotes from 3 different contractors and Your Carpenter Friend's was very competitive. Additionally, it was clear that they were experts in dry rot. I'm very glad I went with Brendan and team. They were extremely communicative throughout the 4 day process. They fixed a number of issues we didn't originally see - and many of them they took on without an additional up-charge. Brendan knew I was a bit skeptical that a number of areas needed replacement, so he took many pictures along the way to show how damaged the wood was underneath. Clearly, he was right based on his initial assessment. In the end, we replaced 4 rafters, trimmed a couple others back, replaced the trim on a door and the chimney, and replaced the siding in a number of areas. They did a great job painting everything and having it match the house. I was very concerned that there may be obvious patches from the repairs, but everything blends in beautifully. I couldn't recommend Brendan, Sam, and Your Carpenter Friend enough. They put my mind at ease early on and were very easy to work with. read more

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Brendan and his crew were a pleasure to work with. I had him come over to fix some severe dry rot damage in the crawlspace. Brendan is extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and gave me a very reasonable quote for the job. Other contractors were saying that the job required breaking open the exterior stucco, but Brendan was able to somehow do it all from within the crawlspace. The job was done well, and I ended up asking Brendan to help out on some other small carpentry jobs around the house as well. Overall, he is a contractor you can trust to do the job responsibly. read more

Had a great experience with these guys. So water was getting into our garage door jam, creating dry rot... and unfortunately termite damage. Brendan from Your Carpenter Friend was very responsive. We discussed the process, sent photos, and got an estimate via text. We got a formal quote and full estimate via email/Freshbooks. We went with these guys as they were responsive and, most importantly, specialize in framing and dry-rot. On the day-of, they were prompt and were generous with answering my many questions. They showed me the interesting bits of the termite damage. They also consulted me when there was an opportunity to improve the framing around the brick moulding but not change the exterior design. They also matched the trim color well. They did a great job of cleaning up and went as far as leaving extra paint for touch-up jobs. I would definitely recommend Your Carpenter Friend and will use them again for future jobs. read more

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Your Carpenter Friend did a great job! I needed some areas of water damaged siding, trim, and window frames replaced on my house. I had the siding temporarily covered with a heavy-duty glue-on patch until I could get the siding replaced. You will see the remnants of that in the before photos. Brendan was fair with his prices and he helped me save money by explaining which areas of siding needed replacing and which could just be sanded and painted. The paint color on my house wasn't easy to match but Brendan went to more than one store and paint department to try to get the best match he could. He and his team cleaned up the worksite very well at the end of each day and they were a pleasure to work with. I will definitely hire Brendan and his team again when I need carpentry work done. Thank you, Brendan! read more

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We had a really great experience with Your Carpenter Friend. They were thorough in dealing with our home's dry rot, had very reasonable prices, and were lovely to work with. Highly recommend! read more

Brendan and Sam worked on 2 projects. Replaced corbels (decorative wood beams) which had been damaged from termites and wood rot. 16 corbels were custom made and a metal cap was added to the top to prevent future damage. The second project was to repair the deck posts (again from wood rot) and the wood trims holding up the metal railings. The deck is now safe to use and restored to its original beauty. I am so pleased with Your Carpenter Friend. They showed up on schedule as promised. Their workmanship is excellent. They are professional and honest. I highly recommend them for carpentry work. read more

Your Carpenter Friend - Deck posts and wood trims holding metal railings replaced - Handyman Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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Wow I feel bad... I should have done this review sooner. I had a great experience with Your Carpenter Friend. The crew came to my building and did a repair and we even threw in a small change order on my job. They were courteous, professional, clean, quick and the pricing was very fair for what I needed done. I will definitely be keeping them in mind for any future carpentry work I need done at my building. Wholeheartedly would recommend them. read more

Great experience with Brendan he was extremely knowledgeable! Easy to speak with. I had some dry rot repairs done to my barge rafter and fascia boards replaced they did all the work and even painted for me so that was an added bonus , yay! I enjoyed their service they were prompt, efficient, low impact, cleaned everything, with no waste or debris laying around and quick. Done in a day! Thank you Brendan & your carpenter friend. we'll be happy to use them again for any projects. read more

Last month YCF was able to help me with so many areas of dry rot around the house. We had been waiting too long to get these areas fixed (partly due to the anxiety of calling around/finding quotes/vetting trustworthy people, etc.) The experience with YCF was incredible - communicative, calm, and thorough. Brendan and Sam were both very on time and very meticulous with their work. I had showed them all the areas of visible dry rot (garage, windows, upstairs, downstairs, etc.) and they went to work immediately and informed me when they had to take out more than just the surface fascia wood. This part I really appreciated - they were able to make the right judgement calls for me when they saw more areas needed to be fixed to get the right result. Just overall a superb team and company to work with - they will be my go-to for all things dry rot related! read more