Jackson Design & Remodeling

Make sure you dress to impress, because if their guy who initially looks at your job thinks you are poor, he won’t even talk to you. I should have worn a suit I guess for our meeting instead of a sweater and jeans. Another business got my 110K, while he walked off without even talking to me. AND he wanted $ 500 just to stay and keep talking. The company I used will get $ 1000 for design, but not before they wrote an estimate and generated some amazing ideas that doubled the job I had initially intended. Don’t use them, talk to the other companies out there. There were 4 others who came to my house, all were better, and a second one almost got my business for a second job. Rude man, I think his name was Jim that came to my house.
It should also be noteworthy that until today I had never made a Unilocal review.

*sigh* I hate to need to do this because it takes up my time, and I don’t feel good about needing to display negativity. (Some may have read other harsh reviews and are chuckling to themselves because it may seem that negativity comes easily to me, and it does, but that doesn’t mean I *like* being the way I am.) Luckily, I type fast. And Todd, when you read this, I know you will feel compelled to reply to this publicly and my friendly advice is: don’t do it. Nothing makes a review stick to the public view faster than an owner reply. It is like flypaper, the more you tangle with it, the stickier a mess it becomes.
Look, Todd Jackson is the hardest working man in remodel in San Diego. His business is booming relative to the other big remodel folks, in spite of the Great Recession (that supposedly passed a few years ago.) He will come to your house and smile broadly and cordially follow up by phone personally. He will set your mind at ease that all things planning and construction will be handled with gnat’s-ass detail and professionalism. He will be quick to answer and frank-​seeming and open-​seeming about price and timeline. All to the good.
With a retainer check, he will even send a nice guy to spend almost a full day lasering off your home for as-​built drawings… that you cannot have for any price. Hmmmm. Explanation from Todd: We can’t let you have those, we might be liable if somebody else builds off that information and the house collapses or worse. OK, maybe there is some liability in a layman homeowner having that, but it seems to me that anybody who would rely on another’s drawings and then made mistakes in construction based on that faulty reliance is liable themselves. A more plausible explanation of reasons for denying homeowners the as-​built plans is as a stick (sans carrot) to get folks to come along and buy… once invested in the process. Standard used car sales persuasion. The other 2 Bigs (you will have to research to find them) were explicit in their non-​refund policy; at least Jackson flexed and *agreed* to refund the «design retainer» amount when he missed his budget goal by about 25%. We thought that was reasonable, but still a hassle and time wasted. We have a combined several decades of post-​graduate education and plenty of business experience in this house and we despise Jedi mind-​tricks, or, I should say, we hate when people feel they can easily pull them over on us.

We hired JDR to do a major renovation on our home in Rancho Santa Fe (we basically swapped the location of our kitchen and two bedrooms and completely re-​did all three rooms). Our experience with JDR was excellent.
First, Jon, the architect, had a number of design ideas that we’d never thought of (and never would have on our own). He ended up creating a plan that far exceeded what we thought possible for the space. Tatiana, our interior designer took the time to understand our taste and then worked very hard to get great selections that met our tastes and stayed inside the budget. Again, she had ideas that we would have never thought of on our own, and which really enhanced the overall project.
Joe, our project manager, was extremely nice, professional and responsible. He did whatever it took to make us happy. JDR hired great subcontractors and throughout the project, things were always well organized and very orderly and neat. Other than our change orders, they stayed within budget and always communicated when our changes created incremental expense.
This is the third major ($ 150,000 +) renovation we’ve complete on three different homes in two states. JDR was by far the best contractor/​designer we’ve used. The efficiency of having an «all in one» designer and contractor should not be minimized. It really was a flawless project given all the complexity.
All our friends cannot believe the quality of the renovation and the way it completely transformed the house. We are very satisfied customers. I guess the single biggest compliment that I can give is to note that we’ve just invited JDR back to help us re-​design our outdoor living space!

I picked Jackson Design & Remodeling because it had such good ideas about my kitchen remodel. Then it had the wherewithal to deliver, from design team to project management to skilled craftsmen and tradespeople. I got the contemporary look I wanted in a beautiful kitchen. Friends and neighbors agree with me – JDR did a fantastic job.

Having purchased a house with a 30-​year old kitchen, we knew we had to do a full kitchen remodel before moving in. There was also an opportunity to do a full 30-​year «service «on the entire house (3000 square feet, 5 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms which we wanted to make 4.5) but since we work too hard already, the prospect was a bit scary. We had heard too many friends telling us how their remodelling projects had gone on for double the time, double the money, ending up with them surrendering on small annoying finishing touches because they just wanted their life back…
We met with Todd Jackson at one of JDR seminars. We felt that if there was one company we could trust to make this full house remodel happen while accommodating with our busy lives, it would be JDR thanks to its fully integrated approach.
In a major project, you prepare yourself for things going wrong but nothing did.
Twice, I was a little unsure about how my Master Bathroom and Laundry would turn out. I shared my concerns and was grateful for how quick Don Thomas (Project Manager) and Jen Pinto (Interior Designer) came up with suggestions that fully eased my small concerns. Looking back, these two small hiccups were all down to me not visualizing the entire finished project and panicking a bit along the way. Nonetheless they both listened and made suggestions that all turned out to add to the finish result: Don and Jen are huge assets to JDR and I wouldn’t want to work with anybody else.
We could write pages on the exceptional quality of the work, the professionalism of every man and woman who worked on our project, from Stina Nielsen, Brent Stevens to wonderful and cheerful Al and all the framers, painters, tilers and electricians. All of them made the experience actually enjoyable because they all take pride in their work and it shows!
We are people who won’t settle for average in anything we do and we know what we want and don’t want. The planning and entire execution of our remodel was flawless and the attention to details from all at JDR was outstanding.
If you are not yet convinced that you need to work with JDR, let me try again :
1/​They finished the project 3 weeks EARLY.
2/​Down to every little paint patch up detail, buzzing LED bulbs and missing screw. Things we could not even have seen were pointed out, added on the punch list and SOLVED quickly. Everything got done !
3/​The house looks spectacular !!
If /​When I need another remodelling project done, I won’t work with anybody but JDR with Don Thomas and Jen Pinto.
I am so thankful to JDR for delivering my dream house. Thank you !

They won’t even work with you to provide options or show you what the $ 60k budget would look like for a kitchen remodel. They will talk to you at first and the owner (Todd) will make an effort to meet you at your house, but the momment he found out how much my budget was, I never heard back from him. My impression went downhil from there. I ended up hiring another remodeling company who did an awesome job in my kitchen within my budget and on schedule. If anybody is interested who the remodeling company I hired, follow my other Unilocal reviews.

We just completed a major remodel and expansion of our home with JDR and we couldn’t be happier.
It’s interesting how some people can call not accepting jobs that come in below minimum budget poor customer service or a scam. That’s not JDR. Our experience with them was not the horror stories of cut rate contractors that do more damage than good on your home or disappear with the check.
JDR is a highly professional, award winning company that does absolute top notch work by the best of the best in every trade — from the owner, Todd, to the design team (Pam) to our project manager (Joe) and all of the craftsmen that came into our early 1960’s era home and transformed it into an amazingly modern open, bright, warm and inviting home that is the envy of our friends and family.
We chose JDR because they operate with a high level of integrity and communication — both internal and with the client. We always knew what was coming up the following week and were able to plan accordingly.
We love our home and would never have hired anyone that promised to do the scope of our remodel and expansion work for a cut rate price. Thanks, JDR — we will refer you to anyone serious about remodeling their home the RIGHT way!

wouldn’t even look at a remodel under $ 50k. scammers. i’d stay away.

We are extremely happy with the addition and remodeling project Jackson Design and Remodeling did for our North Park home. We added a master bedroom and bath, converted our former master bedroom into two children’s rooms, did a full kitchen remodel, and added a large deck overlooking our canyon. Throughout the entire project, JDR offered professional services and advice. They were honest, unlike another company that low balled their initial bid, only to inflate it when questioned about it. JDR gave an honest bid from the start, guided us throughout the process, and followed through with all of their obligations. Throughout the process, JDR staff were professional and friendly. Todd Jackson takes pride in his company, and ensures that his customers are treated right. You don’t find this degree of professionalism very often.

Our first interaction with Jackson Design and Remodeling was a comprehensive presentation expertly staffed to address our questions. Todd Jackson visited our home and he evaluated our vision patiently and shared his insights during the consultation. Though he agreed that our project wasn’t a fit for his company at this time, he helped us transition to a most satisfactory venue rather than leave us adrift. My wife and I have built careers based on interpersonal skills and found this experience highly satisfying.
Ken and Caroline Carr

Jackson did an extension for us in the fall of 2013 and it turned out great. They showed great attention to details and customer support. We will use them again in future projects.

we are repeat customers, having remodeled two homes with JDR in the past 6 years. If you are looking for a builder/​remodeler with integrity look no further, Todd Jackson and his company are it. Our designer Sol and her assistant Vanessa did the most amazing job as well as our project manager Don, who was not only super experienced but also very responsive at any time during the process. Even now, one year after we moved into our home, Don is only a phone call away. Todd has been in this business for a long time and his success speaks for itself. We will recommend JDR to anybody, anytime. Two complete home remodels perfectly done!

We have now done 2 projects with JDR, one large (entire condo), one small (powder room, laundry room, French doors to outside), one where we lived in during the project and one where we lived miles away. Both times we found that the JDR staff really listened to our needs and wants, did everything the right way (the condo board said,“this is the way the application and process should always be done”), held to their timelines and costs, and were extremely attentive to any issues that came up. We have done a number of remodels over the years, and these were far and away the most pleasant, least disruptive, even FUN! We are both physicians and have pretty high expectations of the work… can’t say enough good things about Jackson Design and Remodeling.

Having done a remodel previously, we were not looking forward to another. JDR took out all the headaches we experienced before. Their professionalism, creativeness and management of the project from beginning to end with minimal interference by us was a great experience and one we hope to do again with them.

We have just completed our third remodel with Jackson Design. Absolutely everything from design to completion is done to perfection. Access, response, resolution and reevaluation of issues are nearly instantaneous. Site specific details were managed well and everything was done on schedule.
We are no rookies when it comes to construction and remodeling, having been involved for over 35 years in various projects. The Jackson crew are the best in San Diego. Rarely mentioned in reviews is value for dollar. JDR provides the best value for dollar spent of any company I have ever used. Their quality, and fastidious attention to detail are unmatched.
We are very pleased with the result, recommend them frequently, and will use them on future projects.
They deserve 10 stars!
Mark B

We hired Jackson design to add a room to our house as well as redo our front entryway. They did an excellent job and finished the job in record time which was very important to us. They kept our house clean and easily to live in while the construction was in progress.
I would 100% recommend Jackson design and remodeling to any of my friends. We would also hire them again in the future for more improvements.

My husband and I recently remodeled our home using Jackson Design & Remodeling and had a fantastic experience. The end result was beautiful.
Todd Jackson, the owner and our designer Pam were a pleasure to work with.
The integrity of the owner is without question. The entire JDR Construction Team does quality work.
We cannot say enough good things about our experience with Jackson Design and Remodeling.
Maria

I’ve never written a review before, however I do feel the service and attention I received from Jackson Design & Remodeling is worthy of my mention. From the start of my project to completion… they were hands on and helped me with every little detail. I especially appreciated the assistance of the design team.

This review is about 2 months old; however, I felt it was necessary to write one! We had the opportunity to meet with Todd Jackson himself to talk about some ideas my husband and I had for remodeling our home. Todd was attentive and extremely kind in spending about an hour with us in our home as we shared our visions and asked questions. Unfortunately, we will not be remodeling this home as it doesn’t ‘pencil out’ to make financial sense — but should we sell and move to a new home that requires any remodeling we will contact Todd for the job!