McKenzie Finishes

Howard Mckenzie and his crew did a great job on repainting at our condo complex. Very professional, he was very good to work with and provide constant communication to the HOA about the progress. He provided thorough, detailed quotes, helped identify potential issues and provided sound recommendations. I recommend him and his crew if you ever need your house painted.

Just concluded having our 100 year-​old house painted, outside and inside, and our deck stained. We could not be happier. As they say in the painting business, «prep is everything.» and, man, did they do great preparation before beginning the painting. Howard McKenzie and his crew are absolutely top of the line. Besides A+++ competency and attention to detail, Howard is totally reliable. He answers every call to him promptly. He shows up when he says he’ll show up. If he’s going to be late, he’ll call and not leave you hanging. He explains things extremely well, making sure you understand everything before concluding a consultation. His workers are extremely respectful and, with Howard’s and or the client’s prompting, will go above and beyond the call of duty. Again, all were very respectful. Again, we love the finished product. Regardless of cost (without being stupid, of course), we would hire McKenzie Finishes in a proverbial heartbeat. As we all know, good «chemistry» with a contractor is hard to come by. At every turn, the chemistry with Howard was absolutely superb. It’s now time to relax and enjoy the view.

Howard and his crew are true professionals. We hired their team to do a IPE project at our property and there’s no doubt they went above and beyond. Howard was great, clearly communicating every detail about the project and always answering his phone. His crew was also great… everyone spoke and understood English which can be rare if you’ve ever had painting work done in the Bay.
Our HOA was a bit needy, with questions/​concerns popping up right and left and Howard took it all in stride and did whatever he could to ensure we were happy with the job. After this experience, I’m regretting not hiring his team to do our painting earlier in the year.
We will definitely be having Howard come back for all future staining/​painting projects.

Howard was recommended by a neighbor, when we needed help after the rain storm of 2011. We had leaks from the patio into the living room bedroom and entry way. As a precaution, we decided to get 4 estimates to enable us make the right decision.
McKenzie finishes was not the least expensive bid, but mind you that the least expensive bid was from a handy man. Howard was instrumental in communicating with the insurance company to help them understand the true nature of the leak damage.
The work was finished well ahead of schedule. The employee were outstanding, and out of the way.
If you are looking for cheap, unreliable workmanship then I suggest you look elsewhere. For work that is outstanding, you have come to the right place. In short, McKenzie Finishes is the place to do business with.

Howard approached me at our coffee shop and we decided to paint my house. He wrote up a contract and emailed it over. What a detailed piece of gorgeousness that was! Seriously– things I never could have thought of were there.
His team really takes time to clean up the site every day so you dont have a big «I’m under construction» feeling for the whole time.
Howard checked in regularly– I signed my contract and we were off to the races. I chose my own colors and we added some great black highlights with an amazing result. The neighbors are constantly complementing me on a beautiful job well done!
There were a few areas where the lines weren’t even (expected on a hand painted trim job like this) and the areas were corrected by the team in a really timely manner.
I recommend McKenzie Finishes to anyone wantong to get painting done!

Howard and his crew just recently finished a fairly extensive facelift of the upstairs of our townhouse (2 bedrooms and a dormer room/​study). The work entailed applying a new «finish» to all walls & ceilings, crown moulding, new baseboards and painting. We even «added on» the painting of our stairwell and Howard was more than happy to make time to do this for us even though it wasn’t in the original plan. Throughout the process, Howard and his crew were very accommodating and operated in a most efficient and professional manner. We greatly appreciated that they did their best to clean up after themselves at the end of each day and they kept their work area inside the house and the area in our backyard where all of their equipment/​supplies were stationed in a neat and orderly manner. Another plus for us was that the job was completed in the time frame Howard had originally projected. We would highly recommend using McKenzie Finishes to anyone who needs general contracting/​painting work done and can’t wait to work with him again for our bathroom remodels!

I’ve lived in my house for 17 years and finally got around to getting it painted. I usually always get 3 quotes for any work I have done, and McKenzie Finishes was one of the painting companies I contacted. Howard gave me the most thorough explanation and bid for the job. He recommended full priming plus 2 topcoats. Another company wanted to do full priming and one coat, while the second company said they thought spot priming with one coat was sufficient. I know a bit about painting and know that the prep work and priming are very important. I decided to go with Howard’s bid was glad I did.
The west and south side of my house were in pretty bad shape. I have shingles that were peeling paint and Julio scraped all the paint down to the bare wood! That takes a lot of time and energy. They also did a repair job for me on the fascia. His crew was nice, very neat and respectful of your property. Howard always checked in to see how the job was going either by stopping by or calling. He’s always very good about returning calls which can be an issue with contractors. I couldn’t be happier with the appearance of my house! Howard & I consulted about color choices and he was very helpful in making recommendations. I’ve gotten compliments from friends, neighbors, and strangers walking past my house on how great it looks.
At the end of the job, I told Howard I wanted them to stain my second story deck and he and the crew were accommodating. Because Howard also has a general contractor’s license I am also having him do some cement work for me. I would definitely recommend him to others.

I used McKenzie Finishes to paint my Victorian in San Francisco. The results were amazing!!! I owned an 1884 stick Victorian with lots of detail. It sat on a steep hill and was a difficult job. We chose 5 colors (including gold leaf). There was a lot of prep work to do.
Howie and his crew did and excellent job. Of course, things turned up during the process that were never included in the original bid, but in every case, the agreements were conducted fairly and with minimal interruption. The results speak for themselves!!!
I highly recommend this company to anyone seeking superior work and a fair price!

Based on a friend’s referral, I contacted McKenzie Finishes for a pressure wash for my home, windows and stucco wall. Howard provided a quote for a really reasonable price. Howard’s guy, Julio, was very thorough and quickly performed the job — even removing a wasp’s nest! During the process, Julio noticed some areas which needed to be sealed, Howard immediately contacted me, discussed the issue, and gave me an estimate right there on the site to complete that job as well. As a result of their great work on the first day, I asked about having a bathroom painted and Howard and Julio were very accommodating — completing all the work in two days! At the end of job, Howard personally walked me through both jobs, personally, to make sure everything was up to my satisfaction. I could not have been more pleased and I would definitely use them in the future!

These guys painted my house in SF and did an outstanding job. Howard is a true professional who knows painting inside out. His crews work fast and clean; plus they are really nice guys. I recommended them to my neighbor who also used them with equally stellar results. Rates are extremely competitive and they use only highest quality supplies, the exact same supplies as another bidder whose quote was twice as much. I will use again…
UPDATE, 2013: Last week my roofing contractor asked if my house had just been painted. Can you imagine that, after the many years of San Francisco salt, sun, and wind abuse.