James and his crew are absolutely awesome, and I highly recommend them. I've seen their work firsthand on a complex, ground-up build, and the level of craftsmanship they deliver is top-tier. They are consistently friendly, reliable, and incredibly knowledgeable about their trade. Most recently, I hired James to build a fence between my house and my neighbor's property. He really took the time to listen to what I wanted, came up with a great design, and he and his team knocked the entire project out in just two days. If you want a contractor in San Diego who pairs exceptional craftsmanship with fantastic communication and reliability, look no further than Gallenberger Construction. read more

After doing our research on construction companies, we were looking forward to connecting with James and his team. We reached out to the company on 7/1/26 and again on 7/3/26, notifying them of our project and requesting that they contact us. They did not respond to either correspondence (as of 7/15/26). It would have been appreciated if the company had reached out to us (even if it was just to follow up to let us know they were too busy or not interested in the work) instead of leaving us hanging. read more

James is a wealth of knowledge who I cannot recommend enough to anyone looking for an honest, reliable contractor who does excellent work at a great value. read more

James and crew are phenomenal at all aspects of the entire construction and rehabilitation process from conception, to planning/design, to bringing the project to life and fruition! James brought to life our first home 5 years ago and the value has more than doubled. We got so many compliments that we chose James to breathe life into our 4000 sq ft second home that was a total fire loss. He stuck with us through all the ups and downs of insurance and if weren't for his fierce loyalty to the project and us, we would have lost the home to the process. There's no way I can recommend Gallenberger Construction enough for any job. James is a true visionary and he won't break the bank! Outstanding value! Would never choose anyone else. read more

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James Gallenberger and his team of highly skilled professionals did an excellent job restoring the outside facia, trim, flashing, and rafters tails on our 1910 Craftsman two story home. James took special care in selecting the materials and performed custom milling to match the original 116 year old design and fitment. They worked quickly with careful attention to detail resulting in an outstanding restoration of our historic home. Highly recommend Gallenberger Construction and will be using them on future projects. read more

They did a fantastic job remodeling both our bathrooms. We have small children and couldn't go without a working bathroom, so they worked with us to stagger our remodels to make sure all the work and inspections were staggered so we always had one working bathroom through the remodel. James frequently inspected the work personally to make sure everything was done right. read more

We struggled for months to get our ADU project started without anything on paper much less anything actually on the ground. I finally found James by a Google internet search, what a happy day it was ! He has walked us through the inital process unlike anyone else. Our project is still in the early stages, but things are progressing as expected at this point. He has successfully connected us with competent expreinced professionals to get our project off the ground and headed in the right direction ! We look forward to utilizing his expert construction skills in the near future to round out ADU build. read more

Gallenberger Construction A Partnership - Desired Design - General Contractors Near Me - El Cajon, California

Had a small job replacing a couple load bearing posts holding up the roof in the front of the house. I was uneasy getting a handyman to do the work given the potential for major damage to the house if it went wrong so wanted a general contractor to take care of this. James to the rescue. Price was extremely fair for the work done and happy with finished job. Very good attention to detail - looks great and structurally sound now. Thanks again James! read more

James and crew did an extensive stair repair job at our 25+ unit apartment complex. I got connected to his company through Home Advisor. I'm always told by fellow Property Managers to use Home Advisor to find contractors as you can be sure that they have been thoroughly screened (for up-to-date licensing, insurance etc., but always do your own check also at: https://www2.cslb.ca.gov/onlineservices/CheckLicenseII/checklicense.aspx). I shopped the job, and experienced a range of bids from: outright refusals to bid the job, up to a ridiculous bid from my termite vendor for $300,000!!! (That bid gave me a bit of a laugh, and is just another way that a company will tell you that the scope of the job is more than their company can handle.) Of the serious contractors in the running, James had the best price, and the best attitude. He explained his pricing to me, and, as someone who knows many people in the trades, he didn't need to justify anything, I could immediately tell his rates were extremely fair and reasonable. They may very well be the best rates in town! The next closest bid was $10,000 over James' bid, and we all knew there was going to be hidden wood damage that would up the total price. In the end, the job total using James was around $4,000 less than the price offered by the next closest bidder (and that bid would have also gone up from its starting value due to the hidden wood damage). We got great service, and a great deal. James is very communicative and stays in touch with you every step of the way. Plus, several of my tenants complimented James' crew for their kindness, and attentiveness (e.g. carrying some bags up an off-limits staircase because it was the shortest route to the tenant's apartment, so only the tenants themselves had to go the long way.) I hired James immediately for a second job at an apartment at another property to replace two sliding glass doors with a window and through-wall AC, and a backdoor and through-wall AC, respectively. James also replaced both bedroom ceilings, and textured the rooms. And he threw in a few small additional wall patches for free. Once again we got great pricing for the amount of work done. I can't stress enough how much James is the definition of a decent guy. In addition, James' stucco guy Marcello is fantastic, like a true artist. Using Marcello is pricier than using a random guy to slap a patch on a wall, but if it's your personal residence or you have any standards at all, then use James to get your exterior stucco or interior drywall repaired. It will blend right in! I've had several bad experiences with general contractors, to the point where I avoid hiring them at all costs, and that is not due to their prices. They are often pushy and rigid so it feels like they aren't even listening to your needs. They are the licensed, trained and experienced experts, so if there is a good reason they can't do what you want, that is fine, but it never feels good to be treated like you are stupid or that your ideas and/or needs aren't even being considered before being rejected. I didn't have any of those feelings when working with James, and he also happened to be the best price. That's a win-win scenario! After reading this review, it goes without saying that James will absolutely be our go-to contractor for any general contracting services we have in the future-- And we already know of more! read more

James Gallenberger is fantastic. I manage 27 HOA communities in San Diego, and I have been recommending him for bids at all my properties. So far, we have only had the pleasure of him working at 2 of the properties, both for stair reconstruction and some wood/termite damage; but both scenarios went smoothly and the end results were beautiful. He does great work, has some very refined integrity to his craft, and will go the extra mile (often times at no extra charge to the client) to ensure a job well done. All of the above make my job immensely easier as a property manager and keep my clients happy. Will continue to recommend him to anyone for any project, as my experience with him and his company has been nothing but positive thus far. read more

James and his crew were incredible to work with. He showed up on time and gave a gray competitive quote to do a job that would've been less than easy exciting for a lot of contractors. We had an old tracks deck that was falling apart and even though we inherited these problems he was gracious enough to jump right in and bring it back to life. He worked with us every step of the way, it was great feedback, and communicated very well that allowed us to understand the scope of the project and to understand his intent for the outcome. He joked about having a perfectionist attitude, and I think that's what customers want from somebody who's used to just throwing bids and hoping somebody would hire them for the work. I look forward to having him back for further home renovation projects and updates! read more

James definitely lived up to the other reviews you'll see about him! My parents' house has a huge custom door that started to pull a little after 30 years. James adjusted the hinges and had the door working good as new- he could have recommended replacement of the whole entryway, but instead started with the simplest (least expensive) approach first, and it worked. James is kind, courteous and honest. We will use him for all our future home maintenance and repairs. read more

We had Gallenberger Construction do extensive repair to the decorative rafter tails around the roof of our historic two-story Craftsman home in Mission Hills. The rafter tails were riddled with visible dry rot and termite damage. James and his crew did an outstanding job of replacing the damaged rafter tails with new perfectly matched hardwood pieces and repairing the salvageable ones. The house is now restored to its former glory! He also took care of a few other items on our to-do list at no extra charge. I would recommend Gallenberger Construction to anyone seeking to repair and restore their home and would not hesitate to hire them again. read more

We had termite damage and dry rot in the front of our house. James Gallenberger and his team did the repairs. They were professional, experienced and affordable. I will definitely use them again for other projects! read more

James and his crew are honest, reliable and professional. They did a great job on my huge multiple pergola replacement project with amazing attention to detail. Quality of the work was excellent. You can trust James like family. He cares for your house as his own. I would definitely recommend him to anyone without hesitation. read more

I have been using Gallenberger Construction for the past year at my rental properties and I have been so impressed with its owner James Gallenberger that I am using them to remodel my new home. James met with me this morning and I was beyond impressed with his creativity and attention to detail while still keeping the budget in mind. I have recommended Gallenberger Construction to all of my friends, family, and clients and will continue to do so....they are the best! read more

James and his crew are, in short, awesome. I had a couple of different companies give me some estimates for a 3 bedroom house I bought and after they came, I never heard from them again or they just didn't want to help me. Some were just flat out rude. I'm a young, single female, so I needed an honest guy who would do the job and not nickle and dime me. James was the right and best man for the job. His workmanship is superior and his attitude amazing. He took the time to shoot ideas back and forth with what would work and what wouldn't. Showed me a bunch of pictures he had taken with his phone on other jobs so I could get visual ideas of what he was talking about, explained how and why things I wanted would or would not work, and did a million other little things for me that I couldn't do myself (like mounting my TVs and putting in a ceiling fan). His prices are beyond reasonable and he is super friendly, easy to get in touch with and will literally work harder than any other person out there. He was also really good with making sure none of the work he did would cause harm to my dogs. If he came to the house when I wasn't home to work, he gave my dogs attention, put them outside and made sure they were safe before getting to work. He's just a great guy with a great talent. I'd highly recommend him to my family and friends without hesitation. read more