David Mulligan is as good as it gets when it comes to a general contractor in the Marin area. If he…read morehas availability to do your project you must hire him. PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This was my first remodeling project and I chose David and Builders of Marin after interviewing ~4 different contractors. The project was a to-the-studs renovation and expansion of a ~1,500sqft, 2 bed, 2 bath ranch home into a ~3,500sqft 4 bed, 4.5 bath contemporary home. Complicating the build was (1) that the house was on a steeply sloped, small lot, (2) needed an entirely new foundation, and (3) was on a narrow street with no parking. WORKING WITH DAVID AND BOM: Working with David on this project was a pleasure. I hear friends describe their interactions with contractors and consider myself very lucky that I was able to work with David and his team on my project. If I ever do any remodel I will only do it if I can get David to do the work, and if I ever buy another house I will get David to visit the property with me. In fact, I would probably hire David first and then shop around for an architect. David is highly responsive, detail oriented, and does what he says he will do every time. From a work-style perspective, David is the ultimate high-integrity professional -- which is difficult to find in the construction industry at times. HOW DAVID AND BOM ARE BETTER THAN OTHER CONTRACTORS: David and BOM are better than other contractors based on three very important qualities: estimate accuracy, follow-through and execution, and crew / construction quality. ESTIMATE ACCURACY: One of the most difficult things about a high-end residential construction project is getting anyone to tell you how much anything costs. David will do the work to come up with an accurate quote, and will give you a reasonable, sober estimate as to how much different scope changes will change the budget. He brought our project in on-time (incredibly rare) and on budget (when adjusted for us changing the project scope and adding ~700sqft midway through). He does not over-promise or under quote (as many GCs do), and also doesn't mark-up everything by 30% (as many GCs do). Furthermore, if he finds cost savings midway through the project he will help you realize those. FOLLOW-THROUGH: As mentioned above David is accurate at estimating project costs and timelines. He is able to BE accurate because he has the crews and sub-contractor relationships to get the work done on time. Unlike many GCs who over-extend themselves during good construction markets, David has a number of quality crews with incredible site foremen (Kim was ours -- the best!) and is able to realistically budget their time to avoid delays. Furthermore, David believes in doing what he says he will do and will make the construction personnel be there to get the work done. CREW / CONSTRUCTION QUALITY: David believes in retaining the best people and has been working with many members of his crews for 20+ years. Many of his master carpenters started out as unskilled labor with him decades ago, and he has taught and mentored them up himself. What this has allowed David to build is a team obsessed with construction quality that knows how to do things the right way, and can get things done quickly. Furthermore, he has a deep bench of talent that he can put to work on projects to get them done on time, the right way. The commitment to finish quality from David and his whole crew is maniacal, and they are able to pull-off flawless contemporary designs that require high build quality. I would like to call out Kim, Omar, Jesus and the whole BOM team who worked on my house -- they are all incredible craftsmen and wonderful people to be around. For all of these reasons and many more, I wholeheartedly recommend David and Builders of Marin for your next project. I would also recommend you get on his docket early -- he gets booked up fast!

We decided to buy an old house on a large piece of land where we could build our forever home. We…read moreknew the house was old, but we did not realize how bad it was. Little did we know at the time, what a massive undertaking this project would be. After talking to several contractors and on the recommendation of our Architect, we selected Builders of Marin to build our home. We picked David because there was something honest about him. What you see is what you get. Having experienced other contractors in the past, that is a huge positive to us and not something we normally encountered. The original plan was to expand onto the existing house but we realized that everything was rotten after decades of neglect by the previous owner and ended up tearing everything down back to dirt and started over. This turned out to be bigger than we ever planned or budgeted for. Along the way, David was able to guide us though all of it. He stepped in and problem solved a range of issues, including many interior design issues that was not even his responsibility. From the mundane of relocating an outlet, to the life changing "holy sh*t, we are having twins", David we need an extra bedroom, David and his experienced crew, handled it all to made our dream on paper become a reality.

Lots of missteps building my workshop. Lots of substandard workmanship. Cost was 30% over what was…read morepromised and poor management.

Aaaah, yes our "experience" with Design Build Specialists, Inc…read more.. What started as a great double bathroom project, deteriorated into a relative nightmare. This company is slick, with a great showroom, and all the bells and whistles. But, from subcontractors that didn't show up, to materials not ordered on a timely basis, to in-fighting among their staff, this very expensive $80K bathroom remodel circled the drain when it went a month beyond their timeline! We even had to bring to their attention that they had hooked up the two toilets to the HOT WATER LINE. To add insult to injury, due to their accounting error, we ended up paying in full before the project was even near completion. After reading these other reviews, I have to wonder just who completed these other projects??? If we could, we'd love to post the pictures we have of the water from the remodel upstairs flooding our home office below... ooops, they forgot to make sure the waterline had been turned off. Do your homework, and in this economy, get several bids!

Our 40 year old bathroom needed remodeling. We are so incredibly happy we found VMG for the…read morerenovation! They did an incredible job with all aspects of the project. The plumbing, electrical, drywall, painting, and everything in between proved flawless. Both father and son are extremely knowledgeable, clearly full of years of experience. They gently guided us to make decisions that led to absolutely Beautiful Results! Bathroom remodels can be complicated and expensive, but neither was the case for us.VMG made it so enjoyable and within budget. No doubt, VMG is a "Top Shelf" Renovation Expert. We are now asking them for a Kitchen Renovation!.. Okay so today 4/5/2023- VMG completed a kitchen range hood and tile backsplash job! They are incredible, all their employees from the Master Tiler Armando to Manny the meticulous carpenter did yet another beautiful job!! I will never consider another contractor without first getting an estimate from VMG! Thank you Victor and Victor and Manny and Armando and all the rest of you! Joe Ayala

These guys were great. I have managed construction projects for 30 years and Victor at VGM and his…read morecrew were some of the best I have worked with. No change orders, a bid that spelled everything out, and a timeline that was well managed. I will be using VGM again for any renovation projects we may have.

Amazing quality and commitment to doing the right thing. Construction is not easy but these folks…read moreare there for you. It is a pure joy to partner with each of them.

We LOVE our newly remodeled home that Tomrose's expert team worked so diligently to create for us…read more John Casey was a delight to work with as he had wonderful suggestions, positivity & greatly helped us get our needs met. Jesse Borgnis was a fantastic project supervisor for us! His incredible attention to detail, cheerful personality, and his ongoing expertise exceeded our greatest expectations! Jose & Luis were so efficient & talented in performing all their tasks. Zack was outstanding in his attention to detail! All the subcontractors; Grima Tile, Electricians & Plumbers were remarkably helpful, efficient & terrific, too. We highly recommend your company! Many neighbors are showing up just to take a peak inside! It really is a 5* showplace! Thank you so much! Jacky & Neal Grace

We cannot recommend Jessy highly enough. He and his team did an incredible job on our remodel in…read moreSan Rafael and exceeded expectations at every step. Jessy is an extremely fast communicator and will show up at the drop of a hat whenever something comes up. His attention to detail is outstanding, and the quality of the work is top-notch -- all at a very reasonable cost. He works unbelievably hard (including weekends and holidays) and, together with his team, completed two full bathrooms, a full kitchen remodel, a load-bearing wall removal, new floors, painting, and finishes in just 3.5 months. The pace and execution were remarkable. His team was just as impressive -- great, respectful, highly skilled, and flexible throughout the entire process. They were a pleasure to have in our home. We were on a tight timeline because we were expecting a baby, and Jessy went above and beyond to make sure everything was finished in time. That level of care meant a lot to us. We would absolutely work with Jessy again and recommend him without hesitation.

Jessy and his crew did an incredible job with our master bathroom remodel. This was a…read moredown-to-studs complete redo. Incredibly, the team completed the job within a couple of weeks! That includes skylight installation, new toilet installation, recessed and power vanity mirror, hard-wired towel heater, construction of a bench any pony wall, tiling, new fixtures and second showerhead control and installation, and a pocket door. Hope you enjoy the transformation as much as we did!

The project to rebuild our deck took 6 months from beginning to end and ended up costing 50% more…read morethan the initial budget proposal. When this started, I thought it could get done in under 2 months. We had to expand the scope of the project so that was some of the additional cost, but man oh man - it went from $100K to $150K for a deck. In other parts of the country, that's enough to buy an entire home. It was not easy to get a hold of the contractor and I would have to text multiple times over multiple days to get a response. It got done and the deck looks good so I'm thankful for that. Sharing this here so that folks come into projects with eyes wide open to the fact that things take way longer and costs, which are already astronomical, are likely to be even higher when all is said and done.

WBI replaced the failing retaining wall keep the road out of the kitchen of our tiny, 30% sloped…read morehillside lot right above Fairfax, 60' of up to a 8' soldier pile and lagging wall, with 16' in the ground. They did a phenomenal job! The crew was experienced, proficient and friendly ( ask for Walter!), the management was clear and communicative about small ( and necessary) change orders, and were more than happy to work with me to help minimize costs ( I did the railing at the top of the wall myself to save money). the geotechnical engineer they use is very knowledgeable and reasonably priced. They addressed one small cosmetic issue that only revealed itself after they were gone, no questions asked. I can't say enough good things about the work that was done for the project. thank you!

Brian and his team went above and beyond for a concrete job. They were professional, showed up in…read moretime, great communication, and helpful throughout the whole process. I would definitely recommend him to anyone.

If you're considering a concrete patio - I can't recommend this company highly enough. They are…read morethe "go to" concrete company in Nor Cal for good reason. Brian does exceptional work and is highly experienced and knowledgeable, super detail oriented, reliable, honest and offers fair / competitive prices. As seen in the picture, he demo'd our old and very outdated patio, and gave us a new, fantastic-looking stamped concrete deck, together with drains (including a really cool "slot drain"). Couldn't be happier with the work, and I've already received many compliments.

Jeff is the most reliable, reasonable, professional contractor I have ever worked with. We came…read moreacross him after buying an incredible home that he built in Mill Valley and then hired him for a remodel on a second home in Sausalito. We found his work to be extremely high quality, he finished on time and was also on budget. His team was not only a pleasure to work with but they left the work site impeccable every day. Thank you, Jeff!

When I was faced with an extensive repair from water damage, I didn't know where to turn. I found…read moreJeff Matthew in the Diamond Certified Directory for Marin County. I got two additional quotes and decided to go with JD Matthew Construction since I felt good about Jeff from the first meeting. It was the right decision. They did a fabulous job on every part of the repair. His crew was very skilled and hard working and it was a pleasure to have them in my home. I highly recommend them.