Overall: Jake and his crew redid our entire house! It's my pleasure to recommend him for home renovations. The guys were prompt, friendly, perfectionistic, knowledgeable, resourceful, and reliable. They did our bathrooms; new copper plumbing; new electrical panel and complete rewire; furnace & A/C; new paint; new doors; insulated the garage; installed cabinets, racks, hooks, shelving, sinks, and hinges; installed a new dishwasher; caulked everywhere that needed it; new floors; tons of new lights, outlets, smoke detectors, and fans; replaced termite-damaged wood; refurbished the attic; raised closet rods for comfort; made our closet doors "sit right" on their track; brought everything up to code; built a roof for the patio; helped us pick out what was needed when we don't know a thing about plumbing and needed to buy fixtures; answered tons of our questions; dealt with outside vendors and subs and the City so we didn't have to; kept everything on schedule; obtained proper permits; gave advice when asked for and lots of smiles, and always knew what to do because they've done this before!
Value: Value: Jake not only charged reasonable rates, he saved us lots of money on so many things that we got tremendous value. We will use him again for additional properties because we got a lot for the money. He never pushed nor shoved for us to overextend ourselves or go for upgrades we didn't want nor need. On the contrary, he suggested cheaper ways of doing things whenever possible.
Service: Service: These are guys you could set your watch by. The service couldn't be better. I can name a few examples but there are way more than this. Jacob went to five stores to find the perfect kickplate for our front door, not because we asked him to, but because that's the kind of person he is. A true pro. Of course it's gorgeous, but the thoughtfulness will be remembered long after the material itself wears out (which will probably take a few lifetimes). Jake even called from his tropical vacation to check in if we needed anything, even though we were in very capable hands. He's even stopped by during some weekends to check in, when he didn't have to, to make sure we were happy and everything was going smoothly. He also looked out for us to make sure we didn't get taken advantage of by outside vendors. Ken, the electrician, spent a full hour flush-mounting our entry chandelier perfectly. When the picture shelves we bought didn't line up properly because our walls have bowed with age, Jacob and Al put in the time to alter them so they would fit just right. The whole electrical team spent numerous hours in the stifling heat of our attic to install everything we wanted, despite the rigors of blown-in insulation. At no time did they ever make us feel that we were asking too much, or that we didn't deserve everything we wanted and more.
Quality: Quality: The quality is staggering. I can honestly say I've never been in a home as nice as mine. We owe all that to Sunnyvale Construction Co. Can a house look this gorgeous when it's 45 years old? Yes, because we're living it every day. I've owned many houses, and none of the construction has come close to this quality. From cheap spec houses that had corners cut by builders, to old houses that look like they'll crumble if you blow on them. This one tops all. Before, we were always trying to cover up our obsolete bathrooms, uselessly try to clean surfaces that had outlived their useful lives, living without enough electrical power to sustain our personal and business lives comfortably, and put off projects that we knew needed to be done but we didn't trust the quality offered by contractors. Thank goodness we met Jake because now the quality is ours to enjoy!
Pros : Pros: Friendly; efficient; talented carpenters; plumbers; electricians; painters; installers of just about everything; knowledge of building codes and what's allowed; familiarity with the Sunnyvale marketplace if that's your town; flexibility of materials used depending on your interests (or lack thereof); kindness towards people, plants, and animals; motivated to do an awesome job; willingness to make adjustments if something isn't working out; experience to deal with "freak-out" moments homeowners predictably have at certain stages in a project; patience to explain things that non-builders don't understand; fairly flexible payment schedule; sharp intuition; across-the-crew -- not only the general contractor -- concern regarding satisfaction of homeowners; interest in returning for additional business.
Cons : Cons: They only do one big project at a time. If you drag your feet, they might already be committed to the next client and you have to stand in line. It is a pro if you can grab them during availability and have them all to yourself. So don't drag!
Price Range : N/A
Recommended : Yes
Review Date : 07/21/2009
