Berkeley Craftsmen

My family and I were thrilled with Berkeley Craftsmen. From start to finish, the project was professionally managed. Decision-​making was painless, and they were responsive and friendly at every turn. Our project manager, Ceara, and site manager, Trenton, were an outstanding team and we were always confident that the project was in good hands. This was a substantial remodel that left us with a new second story and completely remodeled first story. Because of the size of the project, there were multiple challenging issues with structural, plumbing, and neighbors. They took them all in stride and we barely had to pay attention. Meetings were easy and the end result is phenomenal. Right on budget and schedule as well. I would highly recommend them for any project.

This was the second time completing a major remodel. First time, I couldn’t wait to push the contractor out the door and I still roll my eyes when I think of him. Second time around was like night and day. Mark and Michael Butler and their lead Jose were just wonderful. I can’t say enough good things about them. Their attention to detail was amazing. They were very transparent, I knew exactly what was happening and when. And most amazingly, even though remodeling is stressful, I felt comforted knowing that I was in good hands because they dealt with City of Berkeley, the subcontractors, and I didn’t have to stay up at night wondering if they were cutting corners. If I ever have to go through another remodel, I won’t hesitate to contact them.

If your project is for less than $ 100,000 don’t bother with these folks. Spoke to Michael about a kitchen remodel (estimated cost by other contractors $ 60,000). He wouldn’t even look at project because it was too small. He indicated that they typically do projects in teh $ 100,000 to $ 1,000,000 range. So, if you are a modest homeowner these are not the folks for you.

Berkeley Craftsmen led the remodel and addition at our home in North Berkeley, and we could not be happier, both with the results and the process. They came in right on budget and on time, with no surprises, and they have stood by their work. The entire team is honest, hardworking, communicative, and friendly — just a great group of folks. People you are happy to have as part of your community.
In the beginning, Mike Butler took the time to carefully explain his estimate to us. Our budget was constrained (whose isn’t?) and we were pushing it as far as it could go. Mike helped us optimize our plan so we could get the most for our money. This was our first remodel, and we were quite nervous, but his clear communication, honesty, and earnest demeanor won us over. Mark Butler (Mike’s brother) was our project manager and team lead, and he and foreman Trenton did an outstanding job of executing the project. At the outset, they gave us a Gantt chart, letting us know what steps would take place when, and when we would need to have owner-​supplied materials like tile and fixtures on site. They adhered to this timeline, and even managed to get us moved in a few days early! (Interestingly, of all the bids, their timeline was the shortest, and they still managed to stick to it.) We had regular weekly meetings, and they sent out minutes and action items after each one. Mark answered all my calls and was excellent about being pro-​active with issues that needed our attention. Trenton even SMS-​d pictures of the bathroom tile layout so I could okay it before it was finalized! The final quality of their work is just outstanding. Our friends and neighbors have been through our house and commented on the craftsmanship: the lines, the attention to symmetry and detail.
Construction projects are stressful: there are so many decisions to make, schedules to adhere to, and finances to scrounge up. We wanted an experienced contractor we could trust, who would be a true partner in our project. Berkeley Craftsmen fits this bill and more. It is clear they care about their work, and they want us to be happy in our new home. We couldn’t have asked for more. If you need a general contractor, you cannot go wrong with Berkeley Craftsmen.

If we could give more stars to Berkeley Craftsmen we would! Earlier this year Berkeley Craftsmen handled our kitchen remodel and we could not be happier with the process or the end result. Michael and Mark Butler, the brothers who run the company, are both very knowledgeable, super friendly, very responsive, and excellent communicators. Mark made sure the project moved forward in a timely way with high quality work at all stages, and although our remodel was not a large project, he was very generous with his time and attention. Their point person on the job, Jose, was incredibly conscientious and detail oriented, we felt he cared about the work as much as if it was his own home, and when the project was finished we missed his company. All of the subcontractors (plumber, electrician, flooring, etc.) were well chosen, hard working, and did quality jobs.
We had heard good things about Berkeley Craftsmen before our remodel and seen some of their work in Berkeley so we were interested in them from early on. Our only concern was that they might be beyond our budget because of the obvious quality of their work. We got three bids on the kitchen and were very pleased to find that Berkeley Craftsmen was right in the mix with the others. Knowing what we do now, we would definitely say they are worth a premium over other contractors if their bid lies within an acceptable range. And in terms of cost, once the process began, Mark worked with us to keep our project within the budget and helped us to be cost-​effective in all areas. Any increases were completely our decision.
This was our first major work on our house and having heard a lot of horror stories about unreliable contractors we were a bit nervous. However, the experience with Berkeley Craftsmen was a pleasure from start to finish and has us looking forward to future remodeling projects. Although a few months have passed now since the remodel was completed, we look at our kitchen practically every day, say «The kitchen looks amazing,» and thank our lucky stars we found Berkeley Craftsmen! Based on our kitchen remodel with Berkeley Craftsmen we will definitely talk with them about any other remodeling projects we consider and we highly recommend them to anyone searching for a quality contractor.

I want to highly recommend Berkeley Craftsmen. When we remodeled our kitchen, we had a nightmare of a contractor so we knew we had to be extremely thorough when hiring for our large remodel. We interviewed several contractors and had quite high standards. We were redoing two bathrooms and adding a master suite/​laundry room over our existing craftsman home — all while living here with two kids and a dog. We found Berkeley Craftsmen because they had just built an addition to our neighbors home and at the end of the project, she said she would highly recommend them — and I can say the same thing. We did our remodel over the course of a year (we did «two phases» so we could live through it all). I would hire them all over again.
First, their bid was lower than all others and costs always stayed true to the bid. Because they are a larger company, whenever there was a change order, I would get it in writing almost immediately so I never had any surprise costs. Everything was always brought to me and I was given many choices about how to go about things. They were great at helping me save money. They would tell me about great places for product selection or when I could hire out my own subs and cut overhead.
I found communication to be incredibly easy — this was our main criteria in hiring a contractor. Because things come up on both ends all the time, I needed people I felt I would have great communication with. Both owners (Mark and Mike Butler — brothers) were always available to me as well as their admin staff and all their workers. Everyone that is employed by BC is professional and friendly and I have since hired people individually to do other small work for me.
Schedule — they are great at staying on time with everything. Because they do hire subcontractors, they have to make sure everything runs smoothly to keep costs down. I could tell you every day what was going on (framing, tiling, electrical work, etc) because they kept a tight schedule. And believe it or not, they were done early on both phases of our work. Both Butler brothers have kids and have remodeled their own homes — so they get it. Schedule is important!
Finally, a lot of folks worry about subcontractors. I must say, I love their plumber and tiler and would highly recommend them too. I feel that where BC excels is on their management of staff and subs. By using subs, they get the job done faster by people who specialize in that area (framing, dry wall, etc). There was one sub I was not fond of during phase one. I casually mentioned it — and they had a range of subs to interview and replace those guys before phase two!
Problems? any that I encountered were always fixed. And a year later, I still call them for little odds and ends that I notice and they always come and fix it. This is important because there are always things you won’t notice for a while — if you still like your contractors at the end of a job, you are set!

When our house burned, B.C. helped us rebuild a much nicer place on a very reasonable budget and time frame. They did an awesome, professional job. Even though we probably did not have the cash reserves of a lot of their clients, they always gave us top service. I would recommend them to my own parents… if they lived here and needed a contractor.

We found Michael Butler of Berkeley Craftsmen through, of all things, a school PTA auction. He is a talented and ethical person. We asked him to work on a number of small projects in the house and he was extra thorough and extremely conscientious. He answered all of our questions, always cleaned up, and did excellent work. We felt he was looking out for us by identifying ways we could save money. He typically does major renovation-​include green design, and we plan on consulting with him for major work in the near future.