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    Dufficy Fine Carpentry And Design

    4.8 (74 reviews)
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    Maureen P.

    My husband and I were looking for someone to build a custom wall unit for us and we found John on Yelp. We contacted John and he got back to us right away and made arrangements to come by and look at the space and see what we were looking to do. We gave him an idea of what we had in mind but also told him we were also open to suggestions. John was amazing to work with. He is an artist and a true craftsman. He pays attention to the smallest details and is a perfectionist. The best thing we ever did was to listen to John's suggestions because he has a great eye and a wonderful imagination for what's possible. We were so pleased by the wall unit that we asked John to make a dining table for us. Both the wall unit and dining table turned out far better than we imagined. We get positive comments from everyone who sees them. John's prices are very reasonable considering the amazing quality of his work. He's reliable and trustworthy. We felt totally comfortable with him working at our place while we were gone (though we liked being there when he was working because he's a fun person to be around.) If you're looking for an amazing craftsman, a great collaborator and just an all around good guy, John is your man. He obviously takes pride in his work and makes everything as though he were making it for himself.

    One of the two matching bookcases.

    John Dufficy is a furniture artist--a "wood whisperer" who can craft wood in ways that defy explanation while honoring the beauty and integrity of the wood. I wanted two square bookcases for my living room. I met with John at his studio, and he immediately sketched the bookcase I had in my head. The collaboration was a joy from start to finish, with John's suggestions along the way vastly improving the end result. And it was fun: John is a delightful person with a lovely Irish accent and a wonderful sense of humor. What sets John apart are his skills as a craftsman and his soul as an artist. My project was two bookcases, and everything from the wood chosen to the smallest details were perfection. The bookcases are quilted maple with wenge insets. The photos don't do them justice. Note the detail, for example, of the wide-grain wenge for the wider insert and a fine-grain wenge for the narrow insert. Note, too, that even the feet for the bookcase are little works of art. And the doors open with just a touch, so no hardware to break up the lines of the beautiful insets. I cannot say enough good things about working with John. I'd recommend him without reservation to anyone looking for a work of art masquerading as furniture. As you can see on his blog, he does a variety of woodworking projects--each one showing the perfect craftsmanship, artistic perspective, and attention to detail that are hallmarks of his work.

    Since we bought our place I've wanted a window seat in from of the curved window bay in our dining room, and John brought that vision to life with amazing skill. Based on a very rough sketch I made, her created a seamless window bench with built ins on the side and storage underneath. He has great attention to detail and extraordinary craftsmanship, and made everything look perfect. This seemed like a really challenging job to me since we had gobs of Victorian molding to work around - molding running down from the windows, crazy chair molding, etc, and the whole back of the seat had to be curved. Also, none of the molding is perfectly square since it's all old. John was really careful to cut everything exactly for a smooth fit around some really intricate molding. It looks great (and will look even better once I find a custom cushion!)

    Fantastic chair built by John, with a great deal of attention paid to details!
    Eric Y.

    Simply put, John is a fantastic woodworker and craftsman and I wouldn't hesitate recommending him to my friends for their furniture projects. Here is why. For a school design project, I needed a chair with very intricate joint details (see images) to be made under a very tight timeline. Many woodworkers I have contacted either said that the joint details were impossible to fabricate or that there was not enough time. Not for John! Once he saw my chair design (as a 3D model), he was more than excited to take up the challenge. Based on only the 3D model and with no further assistance from me, John was able to fabricate the chair exactly how I envisioned, preserving all the complex joint details while meeting the tight deadline. I was honestly amazed at how he could get all the proportions / details right and I am still very happy with how the chair turned out. So if you have a challenging woodworking project, send John a note. You won't be disappointed, :).

    Exterior Door - Before John
    Mick H.

    This the second time I have used John's services and he has exceeded my expectations again. John replaced both front doors to our home and both times the job was a challenge due to the age and former maintenance (or lack thereof) of the property. Both times he went above and beyond to get the job professionally completed with minimal extra costs. I am so glad I found John (through Angies' List) as he has brought new trust and satisfaction to having someone work on our home. Thanks John!

    Old fence before John
    Thomas F.

    John replaced our picket fence and built two custom gates for the entrance to our house. For the picket sections, John spent many hours helping us decide on the most cost-effective design that would look nice on our hill. He then built the fence with his typical eye for design, which made a big difference because the height, angle, and spacing of the pickets all had to be different on different sections. He was able to make all the variations fade away so no one notices. But John's real art came through in the gates, especially the main double-gate with a scalloped top. We sent him pictures of gates we liked and he came up with a beautiful design for us. John then built the gate with the level of craft and carpentry normally reserved for furniture, and you can really tell when you get up close and walk through. We've had far more compliments on our gate than we ever would have expected. We found John to be reasonably priced...not cheap but a bargain for the level of design and carpentry he delivers.

    Jess P.

    It was time. Time to get furniture that didn't come out of a box, and we are so happy that we decided on entrusting John with the task! With minimal guidance from us, he constructed a beautiful walnut home office desk to fit an unusual corner. He really put care into the creation of the gorgeous piece. It has the most beautiful set of drawers I have ever seen! John came over for an estimate and to measure out the space, and was always very responsive to email and willing to work with our schedules. The project took a little longer than we expected, but it was worth the wait. Would recommend him for any custom furniture or wood-working project.

    100% walnut shelves

    We couldn't be happier with how these shelves turned out. Solid work by John. He completed project on time and super fast. Good price on quality work.

    Window seat after paint and a custom cushion to match our couch via Funky Furniture.
    Daniel E.

    We've wanted to get a window seat made for as long as we've had the house. Had a few people bid ridonkulous prices, rejected using a premade as we've got a toddler and didn't want little limbs or toys stuck in crevices. Asked around and got John's contact from multiple people we trusted. He did a great job. I made a terrible drawing of sort of what I thought we wanted and he made exactly what was in my head. He's skilled, he'll think of what you didn't think to ask and he's a good person who feels good to have in your house.

    Custom window seat with record storage.

    John made us stunning built ins that exceeded our high expectations. They accommodate our books, media, and a desk. He also built a beautiful window seat which he designed to hold our records. The wood and the workmanship aren't done justice by the photos. John went above and beyond on the installation and we couldn't be happier.

    You will not find a finer craftsman in San Francisco to collaboratively design and create a one-of-a-kind piece that you will cherish all your days. Like some of the other reviewers, we were looking for a specific piece of furniture, but couldn't find anything we liked despite a long and hard search. So thanks to other Yelpers we found John and went up to his studio in San Francisco. The works-in-progress we saw were elegant in their construction and graceful in their form. Even the parts of the furniture you do NOT see were gorgeous. We started our collaboration on a beautiful desk that would fit a space perfectly. We sketched out an idea and John added his ideas and expertise to it. John was an excellent communicator - we exchanged 1 or 2 emails to agree on the wood, and confirm the exact form. Rather than construct the desk from one piece of wood, John proposed joining many different woods together in a radiating pattern, with an exposed edge. This took a great deal of skill and artistry to custom cut each piece, determine the optimal placement of each piece and envision the finished piece before it was done. I'm sure this process exceeded the amount of effort that John anticipated the task would take. But as an artist, John did what would please his artistic soul - and ours. Even the cutout where computer wires will go was artistically carved and consistent with the overall design. He worked on our desk with enthusiasm - with true craftsmanship - and somehow infused it with, dare I say, with love? Because that's how I feel when I sit down at this desk. Then...John kindly agreed to personally install our desk. He traveled down the peninsula on a rainy day. He meticulously measured and installed it. Oh my! I was over the moon with happiness. This is a piece of furniture we will admire -- and use -- every day -- with joy. Did I mention in addition to being a great artist that John has a wicked sense of humor, a lilting Irish accent, and a gentle geniality that is quite pleasant.

    The gorgeous wall unit John built for us.
    Kristina S.

    We worked with John to build a wall unit with open shelves and storage with sliding doors. He is a true craftsman and absolutely wonderful in helping us realize our design concept. I really appreciate the fact that he took his time in creating the most beautiful piece of furniture and even provided some guidance on proper portions and designs. John was very professional and great to work with. The final product is truly a work of art and I am happy to support a local artisan.

    Table made in March 2009 - the materials

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    Ask the Community - Dufficy Fine Carpentry And Design

    Review Highlights - Dufficy Fine Carpentry And Design

    John Dufficy is an absolute craftsman of the sort that is not easy to find these days.

    Mentioned in 9 reviews

    Read more highlights

    You might also consider

    SF Custom Woodworks

    SF Custom Woodworks

    4.6
    (11 reviews)

    My wife and I have had great experiences with two other woodworkers in San Francisco, but they were…read moreunavailable for this project, so we hired SF Custom Woodworks to: 1. build a windowbox which would also function as a headboard for a bed, with built-in drawers and hinged openings for storage, made of ash veneer on plywood 2. cut a large slab desk which previously filled that window into two smaller desk slabs, to be installed elsewhere Our main contact was Alex, who was great to work with: rapidly responsive at all hours, friendly, accommodating. We were quoted $7,850. Remarkably, the windowbox was built and installed in less than a week. Unfortunately, the attention to detail in execution was poor: * the seams between the four main pieces aren't properly aligned, producing unsightly and rough-feeling edges * many of the edges were cut in a way which badly chipped the veneer * one of the hinged openings is badly misaligned, resting several mm above the surface * a drawer face was delivered with a stray drill hole * one of the main front faces was delivered with a large gouge * one of the drawers was designed to hold a CPAP machine; Alex carefully measured it, but delivered a drawer which didn't fit it * the drawer faces were attached with finishing nails rather than hidden joinery; the nail holes were then covered with poorly matching filler * the desk slabs were returned to us with gouges in the main surface, a 2" divot taken out of an edge face, and unfinished sides Alex told us that the misalignments are because our floor isn't level--which is fine, but the other two woodworkers we've worked with carefully shimmed their bases into place on-site so that everything would be level. Alex told us that finishing nails were necessary to attach the drawer faces, but another woodworker who built ash veneer cabinets for us produced beautiful results with hidden joinery. We sent Alex a list of 13 issues with photos; Alex gamely told us that he'd send one of his woodworkers to fix all but one issue. After a month delay with several reschedulings on both sides, the woodworker came. He fixed the two issues with the desk slabs, but in the process he also partially removed its surface finish, without comment and without offering to refinish it. He said he didn't know how to fix the other issues, and we were left with unfinished desks we still couldn't install. At this point, Alex stopped responding to messages. I gave up and refinished the desk slabs myself, which took about five hours. We planned to put a cushion on half the windowbox and leave the other half exposed, to enjoy the wood tone, but because the execution quality on the windowbox was poor, we decided to cover the whole thing with cushions instead. They meant well, I think, and they really did try. They did deliver roughly the windowbox we wanted, though with a low level of craftsmanship. I think they just don't have the skills/experience needed to execute this project well, and we didn't realize that before hiring them.

    We had two projects: 1. Replacement of table legs (to a midcentury modern teak table) that were…read morelost by the moving company during a recent move, and 2. Replacement of six worn dining chair seat cushions and making the chairs more stable and safe. Alex and his crew did a great job with both, using solid teak legs for the table and dissembling and reglueing the dining chairs and fixing the seat cushions. The mohair chair backs were in good shape, and glued to the frame, so we wanted to keep them, though the seats had no cushion left and needed replacement. Alex closely matched the mohair backs- as he said, "a little different style but you'll like it!" We do! The cost was very reasonable and both projects were done in less than a week, with pickup and delivery. It was a pleasure working with him: great communicator, knowledgeable, and honest. Highly recommend.

    The Meticulous Handyman

    The Meticulous Handyman

    4.9
    (115 reviews)

    Thank you to the entire contractor team for helping us rebuild the front fascia of our house as…read morewell as the roof. From start to finish, they were attentive, detail-oriented, and took great pride in their work. A special shoutout to Marcos, who was fantastic throughout the project. He patiently answered all of our questions, demonstrated exceptional carpentry skills, and even helped repair several structural areas that we discovered had rotted over time. His craftsmanship and dedication to doing the job right were truly impressive. The quality of work exceeded our expectations, and it's clear that this team takes pride in delivering excellent results. We highly recommend them to anyone looking for skilled professionals who care about both quality and customer satisfaction.

    This business is a joke. Extremely unresponsive and unprofessional. Should rename to sloppy or…read morecareless handyman. I reached out to them via their Instagram and texted them per the instructions on the website. They don't answer the phone. Correspondence via texts was painfully slow with 2-3 days taking to respond to one text at a time and to make a decision on whether they wanted to take a straightforward bathroom remodel job. To make things even worse, they asked if I was working with a designer as one of their requirements. So Fancy. Due to their unresponsiveness, when pressed to get back to me if they want to take a project, they said they are not interested. So much for providing unmatched customer service. A contractor's responsiveness is a direct reflection of their organizational skills and how they will manage your project. Poor communication early on is a leading indicator that milestones will be missed, crews will not show up, and the job will drag on. Stay away from these guys.

    Gregory Gregory Wood Work

    Gregory Gregory Wood Work

    4.9
    (21 reviews)

    I was referred to Gregory by an electrician (Sean Malynn) after getting very expensive estimates…read morefor "built ins" beside my fireplace. My home is an upper unit of a 2 unit, 115 year old building in the Castro. You can see from the photos below that Gregory did a beautiful professional job on my project, working with the architect/designer who had suggested the built-ins, and responding to my particular requests. Fitting new cabinetry into an old wooden building required a lot of customization during installation, and Gregory was definitely up to the task - as mentioned by other reviewers he is easy to work with, creative, flexible, with an "incredible eye." He did all the installation and finishing himself (with a helper). To be fair, it took Gregory longer than he had estimated to make and install the cabinetry, but it was definitely worth the wait and he was very responsive and obliging throughout the process. The quality and value were top notch; the cost was about 50-60% that of the estimates I received from online cabinetry firms I contacted. Definitely a 5 star experience - thank you Gregory!

    Gregory built two window benches for us and as you can see from the photos, they are functional,…read morewell-crafted, durable, and GORGEOUS. He is so incredibly easy to work with, creative, flexible, and has an incredible eye. He got a feel for our taste and made the benches fit aesthetically in our space seamlessly. It was not an easy thing to install either with the angles of the apartment. We could could tell it required a lot of skill and patience. We cannot imagine our space without them now. The bookcases on each side of the center chest piece was his idea too and it was such a clever use of space and it looks great. Truly, we cannot recommend him enough for his skill, taste, and he's really just the nicest guy. If we could get ten stars we would!! And his partner is awesome. They are the greatest team.

    Dufficy Fine Carpentry And Design - contractors - Updated July 2026

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