I am pleased to write this review for Diego Bofill and Bofill Construction. Upon the recommendation…read moreof my retired contractor (and longtime friend), I hired Diego for a major home remodel, including kitchen and bath. I was not disappointed! Diego's background in architecture helped me personalize a creative design that would meet my desired outcome. Diego and his team, as well as the subcontractors, worked tirelessly to complete the project and were always considerate and respectful. I can't thank them enough for working with me throughout the project to achieve the transformation of my house!

We had 3 projects at our home in Mill Valley and Bofill Construction did a fantastic job with all…read more3. Diego Bofill may be the most "on time" contractor we have ever worked with. We completely redid our laundry room and needed to replace built in cabinets in our TV room and built a large outdoor shed. His subcontractors (plumber, cabinet maker, countertop fabricator and painters) all showed up exactly as planned and got the jobs done so efficiently. All workmanship was excellent and we liked his painters so much, we had them repaint our kitchen too. We would absolutely use Diego again for any remodeling projects.

This review is long overdue. Michael and his team, including Max and Alberto and the rest of the…read morecrew, were wonderful and easy to work with. We first hired Artifex for our home renovation which included new kitchen, two new baths, new windows and sliders, refinishing existing hardwood floors, insulation throughout, new electrical, and interior and exterior paint. We even removed a wall and installed new support beams. The work was completed in 4 months and that included a pandemic related delay. The entire team is highly skilled and professional. They offer smart suggestions and good alternatives. And I can't say enough about the quality of their finish work - tile and carpentry. We hired Artifex again for our deck and railing replacement project and experienced the same level of professionalism. We would definitely hire them again for any future projects....That is, if they can fit us in :-)

We hired Mike and his team to completely gut and redo our kitchen, master bath, and master bedroom…read more In addition, we asked for a face lift on the guest bath and new hardwoods throughout the house. There literally wasn't a room in the house that we didn't touch. We originally got 4 quotes on the job and Mike's quote was in the middle range but it was the most complete quote, and he also spent a lot of time even before we signed the contract answering our questions and walking us through each line item. For two people who had never gone through a major renovation before this was incredibly helpful. He originally told us it would take 3 - 4 months to complete the job and everyone who we talked to, who had been through a renovation, told us to expect at least double that. True to his word, Mike and his team completed the work in under 4 months and this was after we were delayed by two weeks when they had to fix shotty work that had been done before we moved in. In addition Mike was very conscious of our budget. He helped us pick cost efficient products and often helped us located less expensive alternatives when he knew of a good option. On the other hand, he and his team are very committed to high quality work and would also let us know if it was worth it to spend the extra money on certain items. If there were places where we could save money by doing the work ourselves, Mike worked with us to let us do that which was a huge plus for us. Throughout the process Mike and his head carpenter Luiz were responsive and did a great job of keeping the whole team on task. In addition, either Mike or Luis were on-site monitoring the work almost every day. This is not a company where you never see the general contractor. I also have to say they were both incredibly responsive to our calls and emails. We are both extremely detail oriented people and Mike took the time to answer all of our questions and he responded in a timely manner. The final product couldn't have turned out better. We have had people tell us that our house looks like it came out of a magazine. And, they are right...it turned out amazingly well, on-time, and within budget!! I would recommend Mike, Luiz, and the rest of the team to anyone.

I am taking the time to write this because there are a few things you need to know before you hire…read moreTappan Builders to remodel your house. These are things we wish we had known before we hired them. First, the bid. Don't believe it. Tappan low balled his bid, leaving out dozens of items that came up later as "suggested" change orders. Our project had 21 change orders! Some of these were due to real changes in scope. But too many were items that could have and should have been part of the original bid. Some change order examples (these are increases from the amount in the bid): -Electrical: Change order for $6600 -Windows: We did add about 30% more new windows, but the price went up by 90%, from $18,000 to $34,000 -Interior Painting: $12,800 -Flooring: $11,500 -Heating Ducts: $1500 -Bathroom Vanities: $4000 -Wood Trims: $3900 -Door Hardware: $2300 Secondly, read the contract slowly and carefully, and consider having a lawyer read it. Here's what we learned the hard way: We decided to have the exterior painted by a wonderful company, Contreras Painting, who has painted many homes in our neighborhood. Their bid was about the same as the bid from Tappan's painter, but we knew the quality of Contreras' prep work and painting was extraordinary. What we discovered about the contract was that when we got our allowance credited back, it did not include the 22% that Tappan tacks on to all sub-contracted work or materials that he buys. That is, he kept over $1200 in profit and fees on work that was not even performed by his crew or subs. When asked about this, he referred us to the paragraph in the contract that allows him to do this. Buyer beware. Third issue: Several times we were told that plumbing or electrical items we wanted were not available. These were toilets, faucets, fixtures, etc., that we had spent time researching and deciding upon. His answer: pick something else. When we did a bit of Goggling online, they all turned out to be fully available. We had to prove to him that he was wrong, and in some cases, purchase the items ourselves. Then, when we bought them ourselves, he informed us that neither he nor his subcontractor would warranty them. Fourth issue: Tappan suggested a very expensive, but supposedly quieter, fan for the bathroom (Fantech). When the bathroom reached the stage where it was useable, we discovered that the fan was no quieter than any cheap generic model. After complaining that this fan was not living up to its reputation, Tappan suggested that we "put some screws" into the duct work. After reading the installation instructions online for myself, I discovered that he had virtually ignored the manufacturer's recommendations: that is, the material for the duct work and the ducting length were both wrong. It took almost a dozen emails before Tappan finally had his crew take a look. Indeed they were able to fix it, and they didn't charge extra for this, but the aggravation it caused was simply unnecessary. Fifth issue: His electrical contractor tries to cut corners. When asked specifically to install Lutron switches and plates, he substituted Leviton, in a mix-and-match manner, and the colors did not match. This was eventually corrected, but it took time, energy, and a bunch of emails before it was done. Sixth issue: Schedule. From the start, we asked for some sort of schedule for this project. It was clear that this was not going to be done in the three months of his original estimate. But we were never able to pin him down about the overall timing, nor could we even get a rolling estimate of upcoming decisions and dates. We would get comments like "decide on the tile by next Tuesday" when they were nowhere near ready to move ahead on tile work for weeks thereafter. On about a week's notice, we even worked out a place to stay so that the floors could be finished. When the day came, that very day, we were told that the plan had changed, and we would have to work out our accommodations for a later date. Seventh issue: Double charging. In at least three instances, invoices had to be revised by Tappan as a result of overcharges by his billing department. One of these was for over $800, and the others were smaller. But be vigilant. You need to check their work. Eighth and last issue: He loves to look around your house and diss other work you have had done by others. He, of course, insists that you correct everything with his contractors. With his 22% tacked on to all work by sub-contractors, you would be far better off to get your own bids. His "oversight" of other professionals is simply not worth it. When it was needed, say with the electrical work described above, it was not done. Having said all of the above, Tappan Builders does do high quality work. Our crew was competent and friendly. If you can get past everything described above, you may still want to hire them. Good Luck!

I recently had Steve Tappan do another job for us. He turned roughly 400 square feet of unusable…read moredirt space underneath our home into a 200 square foot storage area, 100 square foot utility area, and 100 square foot laundry room. This job was fully permitted, done within budget, and completed ahead of schedule. Throughout the process my wife and I were worried about dust and debris as we were still living in our home. Steve and his crew took precautions to safeguard our home and possessions and little to no dust made it into our home.

Friends, we just wrapped up a 6 month project with AAA. The pictures are what really does this…read morework justice, but I can say that AAA far exceeded expectations. We did a kitchen/living room remodel which included removing two walls and adding a 16' new sliding door and a new deck. Toward the end of the project we expanded scope to include a new roof and new siding and exterior painting. They seamlessly provided this extra work. We lived in the house during the construction and worked from home while the crew transformed our home. Andrey got us going and Art and Alex were our main contacts during the project. I enjoyed working with Alex. He has the best "no problem" approach and when we hit a design issue with our deck, he had a great idea of how to rework the stairs and we went with that approach. They also recommended a great architect, window company and other items. Every inspection passed. They responded quickly to my concerns. I will definitely have them come back and do our bathrooms. Thanks Andrey, Art and Alex for making my dream remodel come true!

AAA is a great company that will always help with complex repair issues…read more Thanks a lot

Alfredo and his crew from AM Green Construction just completed a large job at my rental property…read more(painting, floor refinish, roof repair, plumbing, etc.). I wasn't prepared for such a big expense but Alfredo's rates were reasonable, and he and his team worked quickly so that I could get a new tenant in faster to help with cash flow. He was communicative and readily available when I needed to reach him. I would recommend AM Green Construction to anyone who needs high quality, quick and reliable work done.

We hired AM Green Construction to paint the interior of about half of our small home. Our house is…read moreover 100 years old and there was a lot of cracked plaster that had to be repaired before they could start painting. In fact I think the prep was more than half the work they did, and they did a fantastic job. We were home the entire time they were working and I'm sure having us there made it a bit more difficult, but they were very courteous and cleaned up after themselves daily and took care to cover the floors and all the furniture in the main room where they were working (living/dining). Seeing how much work they had to do and the beautiful final product made us so glad we didn't try to do it ourselves. I also have a built-in cabinet in the dining area that I had misguidedly painted dark red 15 years ago. They sanded, primed and repainted it white as part of the job and it looks SO much better.

I've only had good experiences with Jetton Construction. From their office staff, to the crew in…read morethe field as well as the owner - this team is professional and top notch. I highly recommend working with them.

We had the pleasure of working with Jetton Construction in 2007 when we added a garage/den/full…read morebathroom addition to our craftsman home in North Berkeley. I cannot say enough how completely professional and lovely every single employee was during the entire process. They were meticulous and helpful in every step of the way. No corners were cut and they solved unforeseen architectural decisions easily because of their years of experience. I have seen other remodels and additions, and I have to say, I have not seen finer work. When we tell people who see our house for the first time that they are looking at an addition they are shocked - the materials are consistent with the rest of the house that was built in 1912. We are in the early stages of planning a full bathroom remodel and of course we are hiring Jetton to do the work. We know the end result will be fabulous and the process of working with Bill and Co. will be enjoyable. I wish there were more than five stars to give......

I was referred to Luis by a coworker and he was fantastic!…read more In the past 5 years, I've probably worked with a dozen contractors in the Bay Area, from GC, drywall, electricians, plumbers, tile, HVAC, and landscape (after having completed a down to the studs renovation in 2021). I would consider Luis in the top 10% of people I have ever worked with. Luis was easy to communicate with, showed up on time, clearly outlined the scope of work, and delivered exactly what was asked for and more, at a fair price! My water heater was EOL and developed a leak which damaged the plywood housing supporting it. Luis cut out the damaged part, cleaned all the mess out, reinforced the subfloor joists, and replaced it with new plywood. All of this in time so that the plumber could install a new water heater the same day. While he was here, I also asked him to make some small adjustments to my cabinets. One of my cabinet doors had broken off and I ordered new hinges but struggled to get it back on level. Luis made sure that 3 cabinet doors which were a little off-level were adjusted and tightened to open and close perfectly. He even noticed my front door had the same issue and proactively fixed that too. He did such a great job that my fiance wants to hire him to do a fence for us. 5/5 stars!

Wow, so many reasons to recommend Luis and his wonderful crew. 1. Lovely and kind workers with…read moreamazing integrity (i.e., take pride in the excellence of their work, stand by their work no matter what issues arise, go the extra mile every time). 2. Beautiful craftmanship (shoutouts to Rene's gorgeous tile work, Juan's perfect paint job). 3. Clear and thorough communication and coordination of the work by Luis. 4. Reliability - always arrive when they say they will. 5. Knowledgeable about all aspects of construction. Lastly, Luis was just great at listening to us, providing helpful ideas along the way, but understanding our vision for the bathroom remodel. And he is the most calm and mellow soul, perfect for the, at times, stressful work he does. Thank you Luis!

We worked with Baywood for an extensive down-to-the-studs whole house remodel of our 125 year old…read morehome and couldn't be more pleased with the process and outcome. Robert and his team are kind, communicative, creative but grounded, accountable and just an overall delight to work with. The quality of their work definitely shined through after completion and since we've been living in the house for a couple of years. I can't recommend Robert and the rest of the Baywood team enough.

Baywood has been a contractor for me for 40 years. I first met Robet Malone, the owner of Baywood,…read moreafter purchasing my first house in Berkeley where they performed extensive renovations. 5 years later, I hired him and his team to construct a small office building and help remodel an existing office building on the same lot. And 15 years later, my wife and I purchased another home in Berkeley where we enlisted Baywood to convert a garage into a stunning guest room. Baywood is not inexpensive, but I found that they perform their operations with care, integrity and uncanny expertise.