Outstanding! Joe Niccum managed the remodel of our Los Altos home and did an excellent job at every…read morestage. Every aspect was finished to an exacting standard. Every subcontractor was reliable, trustworthy and professional. And the whole job was finished on time and budget! Joe is friendly and full of terrific design ideas. A total professional. I would happily recommend him to anyone.

Niccum Construction completely re-did our garage and attic, putting in insulation, dry wall,…read morewiring, lights and a ladder to the attic. They were on time and on budget, and had a great can-do attitude. If I have another big project or build a new house, I'll work with them.

Do not hire these people they do not pay their sub contractors. I am a Drywall subcontractor and…read morethey have been stringing me a long for almost 3 months. I am now in the process of leaning the homeowners house to get my money. They owe me over $9000.

Was also hired for a construction job in Sunnyvale back in Feb 2020 . We have not been paid yet…read more They don't answer emails, text or phone calls. Stay away from them. Jesse & Sherre are not honest people.

I posted a review here about Richard Smith and House Calls in the Summer of 2008, after we had to…read morefire him from a fence building job that he failed to complete in 6 weeks. He bilked us out of $1200, did really substandard work, lied about things, left his stuff all over the yard, and then after we fired him caught him sneaking down our driveway with a ladder. I don't know where that review disappeared to, but here it is again. Really, before you decide to hire this guy, check his references well, go see the work. I have plenty of pictures of the mess he made, if anyone is interested.

Ill equiped. Doesn't respond to messages. I think I irritated him by asking what kind of handyman…read moredoesn't have a ladder? Still, he should respond to emails even with a decline to further correspondence. Nothing personal buddy, this is business.

After having Mike do our unique staircase, we decided to have him do a new gate for us (which we've…read moreneeded since forever.) As the pics show, he did a fantastic job. This gate could withstand a battering ram straight out of Mordor. He added nice copper topping to seal out the water, and it gives it a great finish.

I spoke to this guy for about 30 minutes about finding and repairing failures on stucco homes and…read morewas extremely impressed with his commitment to quality and proper research and repair work. He is located in Oakland, CA. He is definitely a five star guy in the general construction field. Kirk Giordano

I'm writing this review to confirm what other reviewers have said--Greg helped us with the…read moreremodeling of our two bathrooms in the city. He knew the permitting and inspection process well, gave us an accurate time estimate, and completed the job to a high standard.

Trust is a common word but can be difficult thing to actually find. When it comes to a renovation,…read morethere is nothing more important than Trust - trust that the General Contractor you select has the skill to execute your vision, trust that they can deliver on time/on budget, and trust that they will always deal honestly and fairly with you through every phase of the project. After interviewing several firms, we placed our trust in Greg Maxwell to be the general contractor for the remodel of our 3 bedroom 2 bath house. It was a big job, and Greg and his subcontractors got the project completed ahead of schedule and within our budget. He collaborated well with us, and also with everyone else on the project: architect, construction engineer, roofer, and city inspectors. We are extremely pleased with the results of the remodel, and we cannot recommend him more highly. The scope of the main (upper) floor changes included 1) demo'ing the 4 small rooms down to the studs, removing a load bearing wall, and installing a new structural beam with foundational supports, 2) reclaiming an exterior light well to add interior square footage and adding a 2nd floor balcony, 3) rebuilding the space as an open floor plan with new kitchen, dining room, living room, bathroom, and office/study, and 4) raising the ceiling. The stairs between floors were rebuilt in a different configuration. Every room in the lower level - 2 bedrooms and a bathroom - was touched in some way, all for the better. This was thus a major project that Greg initially estimated at 6 to 7 months. Thanks to his team's skills and dedication, we were able to move back in after 5.5 months with almost all work done after 6.5 months. The only issue that cropped up after completion of the small(!) punch list was repainting a porch floor due to excessive moisture from the dryer vent. Early in the project, after opening up the roof and walls, we discovered that prior work under a former owner had not been done to code. What could have turned into a major disruption was smoothly handled: Greg accommodated a change order to fix, and still kept to the original schedule! Greg was always available to answer questions or hear feedback regarding the project. His frequent checkins and open communication style ensured that we always knew what was happening, and he clearly outlined what we needed to do on our end to keep the project on track. We also felt that he brought his years of experience to us by offering great counsel at every step of the way. We always trusted that we were in the best of hands. His billing was complete and clearly itemized. We had an amicable working relationship, and we're pleased that the good feeling still endures after the project completion.

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.

In summer 2019 I discovered I needed to complete a bathroom remodel in a short timeframe as I was…read moremoving out of my house and preparing it for rental. Floorboards were rotted out around the shower. Mike had the time for my project, and I am so thankful he was able to do the work for me. His prices are fair. He communicated clearly, completing the project on time. Each day he arrived on time and stayed on schedule. I was also impressed with how he noticed details that were necessary to the project and improved the result: adjusting the size of a vanity, adding a towel rod, designing a hallway arch to work with pipes. Mike was also considerate of my needs as I was moving out at the time-he facilitated deliveries, went beyond the call of duty with clean-up-awesome-and offered to be on-call as I was out of state for part of this project. The end result is beautiful, and I have retained Mike to also take care of my house as needed into the future. I recommend Mike 100%. Honest. Conscientious. High quality work. Punctual. Great communicator.

I have used Mike Cahalan several times over the years for jobs such as bathroom remodeling and 1…read moreearthquake retrofit. He is thorough and very reliable. Right now he is helping me out by fixing a bathroom with dry rot under the window.

chris came out to assess the issue and said that he could do the job and would follow up with an…read moreestimate. a week passed and no follow up... numerous calls to the contractor and no call back! on my last attempt he answered the phone and that's when i reminded him of the urgency of our project and asked him if he was too busy, perhaps he could refer a trusted colleague. he assured me that was not the case and stated he would send the paperwork via email. he called later to inform that he had the wrong email addy and would stick it in the mail.... over a month later and still no estimate. my husband wanted me to call chris one last time (apparently he really liked him, thought he was knowledgeable, seemed fair, etc) but i refused!!! i don't believe in 'chasing down' someone to give them MY business.

We used Chris to finish off a couple of pieces of an overall outdoor project where the original…read morecontractor didn't have time to finish the job. Chris built a custom/built in BBQ island with a ledgerstone facing and granite top, a custom bench and herb box and a redwood bench to attach to an existing redwood deck. Chris stepped in, put together a work schedule that planned for materials arriving in time to ensure continuous start to finish work on the job (which we were obviously sensitive to at this point). He answered questions promptly and efficiently so that materials could be ordered in a timely fashion. He applied a highly level of detail to the design and made great suggestions for durability, aesthetics and structure. His prices are reasonable and without surprises or catches. We could not have been more pleased with the work and are already putting together designs for an additional interior project that we want to work with him on. He is a pleasure to work with and he will give you a honest opinion and wants to deliver a high quality project.