Nelson Contracting

This summer we worked with Jeff & his team to do a complete renovation on our kitchen, mudroom, dining room and hallway. It was a big project that included removing a wall and taking the space down to the studs. Jeff, his guys and the subcontractors were pleasant and focused on doing their jobs well.
We lived in the house with our 3 young children while all the work took place. He gave us lead time when certain noisy and/​or dirty jobs were coming up. This was very helpful when managing the logistics related to our kids.
Jeff stayed on budget and on time. There were minor snags that he resolved in collaboration with us (inside shelf of cabinet had to be adjusted to fit with rerouted ducting). He did a beautiful job installing the custom cabinets, quartzite countertops and Thermador appliances. We were thrilled to move back into our new space within 10 weeks!
Jeff remained responsive and accountable even after our job ended. There was a minor repair in the renovated space after the first big winter rain. Jeff came out to the house the same day to make sure it was fixed.
Overall we had a great experience. Jeff is professional, friendly and collaborative. I would highly recommend Nelson Contracting.

If I could give 6 stars, I would. Jeff just finished renovating a kitchen, dressing room and full bath in a Victorian house that had not been touched in over 40 years. He executed this project on schedule, (9 weeks) to the day. Every step was well thought out, extremely organised, and finished to a very high standard. Jeff recommended great suppliers to me for sourcing the things I needed, and brought in tradespeople whom he knows well and is used to working with. They were excellent. He recommended options that I had never thought of, but gave me the choice of doing them or not (no pressure at all!). Jeff is patient, flexible, good natured and wise. Process is half the struggle in this business, and he has it nailed. Results are the other half, and I could not be more happy with the finish. All of our inspections were done on time, no holdups. The cost, while not the cheapest of the estimates I received, was not high either, and more importantly, he held to them. The only extras I paid were for upgrades from my original plan, lighting, etc etc. This is my 10^th residential renovation, so I know contractors like this are rare. I hope to develop the basement of this Victorian house one day, and I would happily use Jeff to do this.

My wife and I used Jeff and his sub-​contractors to completely remodel our kitchen as well as the bar in the living room. We purchased kitchen cabinets from IKEA, and had their contractors submit a proposal which ended up being more than 2x what Jeff offered. Jeff’s sub-​contractors were all extremely knowledgeable, very professional, and highly efficient. One of the contractors supervised IKEA’s installation crew to make sure they did a good job, and i think that made them work extra hard.
In the end we ended up with a completely remodeled kitchen and bar, with a total cost near what some people pay for just the cabinets alone.
We are very satisfied with the overall quality of the work, communications along the way, velocity of the project and the final cost. Highly recommend Jeff for any remodeling projects large or small.

Jeff just finished remodeling our bathroom and I love, love, love it. Jeff was willing to discuss possibilities and details all along the way. He was responsive to all questions, inane or otherwise. His crew were responsible, cooperative and each did an excellent job in his domain. They seemed to be on the same page as to what was going on and if not, they soon would be as Jeff managed all details. I concur with the other reviewers — Jeff is a clear communicator and a pleasure to work with. I always felt Jeff was there and had all the bases covered. He made the job as painless as possible. Now I have a beautiful bathroom and hope Jeff will be available when I am ready for my next project.

We’re very happy with the work Jeff at Nelson Contracting has done for us. He remodeled our kitchen about 5 years ago, and this year he spent almost a month doing some highly detailed carpentry work on the front of our house. He and his crew installed Victoriana vintage-​looking trim to our 100 year old house. Sometime over the past century, a previous owner ripped off all of the original decorative trim; Jeff and his crew worked tirelessly installing a new decorative façade, making our house really look like a «new, old house». The work required some meticulous cuts, matching the unevenness as the house has settled unevenly over the years. On top of that, his estimate was competitive with the other bids we got. We’re thrilled with the outcome, and we look forward to working with Jeff again.

We had been through two really badly managed smaller projects and were looking for «the one» — a contractor who could finish our bathroom and kitchen remodels without excuses, poor workmanship and terrible communication. I called Jeff’s references and checked him out thoroughly and heard nothing but good things.
First of all, Jeff is just a really nice guy. We lived in our house during both of these projects and having someone you like and trust is key. He’s also smart and uses his brain to think through the key details and ask the right questions before the project, eliminating costly and annoying mistakes later. When there were problems (every complex project throws some curve balls…) he was always willing to work through them in a mature and responsible way. All these things just sound like common sense, normal behavior, but in our experience, they were not common among contractors.
We completely gutted our original bathroom, enlarged it and took a bedroom down to the studs and replaced all the electrical, plumbing, insulation, etc. Because our bathroom is small, we chose a wall mounted toilet which saves a huge amount of floor space. A couple other contractors we talked to looked at us like we were crazy and acted like it was something from Mars. Jeff just looked at the specs (yes, he actually read the manual) and said, «no problem, we can figure it out.» When there was a freak rainstorm in July and water was pouring in through the roof, one SOS call to Jeff and he left his HGTV Curb Appeal shoot and was here in record time from San Francisco to patch the hole. Our cabinet was delayed a bit, so the project ran over schedule and it took some prodding to get to the very finish work done once the kitchen was in full swing, but we are tremendously happy with the results.
The kitchen remodel required removing two structural walls, complete demo and rebuilding back with a completely new layout and contemporary open style. We scheduled demo during the two weeks we were on vacation in the summer and we got texts with photos during our Alaska cruise that were the next best thing to being there (without the dust). I had a particular idea in mind for an elevated bar counter on the island that had everyone but Jeff shaking their heads. Again, he said, «we’ll figure it out» and he did. Half way through, we realized it was better to add some work on the front of the house (new doors and windows) and Jeff helped us navigate this project add-​on which did add time and cost, but it’s really great to have it all done.
He had one main «helper» on our job, but for the most part, he did the key carpentry work himself — again, spending time first to think, ask questions and plan before diving in. One of my favorite parts of the whole remodel is our stair railing that I described and showed Jeff a couple of photos of something similar and he built (beautifully) exactly what I envisioned.
As mentioned by other posters, Jeff is great with communication via text and email. He has a good relationship with his subs and other than a bit of drywall contractor flakiness, they were all reliable and professional. We had problems with a hardwood flooring guy that Jeff had worked with before and after their 3^rd time out, we finally decided it was time to find a better option and Jeff backed us up in the negotiation to get a partial refund that paid for the work to be completed to our satisfaction.
Wouldn’t hesitate to use Jeff again and he’s welcome at our bar counter any time!

Having dealt with contractors in the past, I know they are what we think they are. But Jeff is much better than most. Out of the four we received estimates from, we immediately liked and trusted Jeff. We were totally remodeling my parents old San Francisco home. Jeff took care of everything. He and his subs found a gas leak and repaired that, they updated the electricity, as well as totally remodeling the kitchen and bathroom. Did the price go over his estimate? Yes it did, but part of it was due to the fact that things were worse than he thought they would be. He worked quickly and was finished in a timely manner. For the most part the work he and his people did was excellent, our one complaint was with his gate installer.
If we had another large job, we would definitely hire Jeff again. Jeff kept in touch with us, and since we live in Nevada and had to purchase most of the supplies here, he was always easy to get in touch with and glad to answer any question.

If you want to work with a reliable, highly competent, articulate, and friendly contractor, Jeff is the guy. For our kitchen and half bath remodel, he stayed on budget and on time. He’s on top of his sub-​contractors and all of them were friendly and reliable too.
As well, he was so easy to get a hold of because he is totally tech-​savvy and uses text and emails effectively over the course of the day. I had heard many horror stories about remodels and flaky contractors. Jeff is the opposite of all these horror stories.
I am a person with exacting standards and I could not recommend Jeff more. Use him if you can.

I needed a reliable, budget conscious GC for the home makeover show Curb Appeal on HGTV, and Jeff of Nelson Contracting was all that and more. Not only did Jeff meet our tight budget and time restrictions, he also brought a great attitude to the job every day.
It was an absolute pleasure to work with Jeff on a personal level, and he also has the skills to tackle any project. Couldn’t recommend anyone more!

One of the best thing about buying our kitchen cabinets from MTKC was their referral to Jeff Nelson of Nelson Contracting. Jeff was very dependable and easy to communicate with. Two of his subcontractors, a tile installer and an electrician, were also very patient and professional. All their work was exceptional and reasonable in costs. Even though I was rarely at the remodeling site, I could email or text Jeff and have my questions answered in a very timely fashion. We’re really happy with our kitchen remodel because of Jeff’s work.

We hired Jeff Nelson to do a kitchen remodel and several smaller projects for us on Potrero Hill in 2009. From his original estimating process through to the end, we could not have been more pleased. For starters, the first time we met he noticed an estimate on our table for a new wood roof deck and showed us a different system for about ¹⁄₃ the price, and much more durable.
His rate for work he and his crew do themselves was a bit higher than some of his competition, but we feel completely satisfied that we got our money’s worth, in his quality of work, speed, and excellent communication skills. He subcontracts for some items, such as paint and cabinet refacing, but his subs are carefully chosen and excellent as well. Moreover, Jeff ensures that their work is up to his standards or they do not get paid until problems are made right (we only had one small issue that he resolved quickly).
We would unhesitatingly work with him again in the future.

I’ve used Jeff for multiple projects at our home, including:
— kitchen remodel
— bathroom remodel
— crown molding
— backyard remodel
He does good quality work, and is a nice friendly person on top of that.
I won’t hesitate to use him for future projects.

I was introduced to Jeff through the custom cabinet company and the whole experience was great. We had Jeff build out a bar in our dining room with a bunch of prep work on the walls (removing molding, moving electrical outlets, etc) and then installing the cabinets. He was finished in one day! the whole process was super easy and the quality is exceptional

Our friends are amazed when we tell them how quickly Jeff and his contractors built our addition which included widening our home, modifying the kitchen, adding an internal staircase and other complex elements. As promised, everything was done on time, at the price quoted and with great quality. We couldn’t be more pleased.

We used Jeff for our kitchen remodel in San Mateo last summer. We were extremely pleased with his work.
Like all the other reviews– he was timely, on budget and excellent with communication. Sure, I could have gone with a cheaper contractor with less than stellar communication skills but I would have to have been there everyday and be my own contract manager– I didn’t have the time or the skill for that. With Jeff and his crew I did not have to worry.
I had been quoted a much higher price for our remodel a few years before so Jeff is certainly not the most expensive out there either. Value for your money.
With any construction project you often have to sacrifice one of the big three: cost, time or quality. There wasn’t much sacrifice on any.
I would hire him again.

I can attest to Jeff Nelson’s workmanship and honestly. He built a 2 Unit building for me and added a 3^rd floor to an existing marina style home (where he constructed new from studs out and new foundation. He is unique because he pays attention to all the details, and actually gets in and works himself without middle management (where in my experience details are lost in translation or just more expensive) When you are trying to decide who to use in this recession, Jeff will take care of you and you won’t regret his diligence. I’ve known Jeff for more than 8 years in San Francisco and you should definitely give him a shot.

Jeff and his team just completed a very large remodelling for us in Belmont. My 70’s palace with linoleum, low lying flourescent lights and brick fireplace is no more!
The kitchen and both bathrooms were gutted and another bathroom added. In addition, the ceilings were vaulted, all walls retextured to bring it up to current era. Now that all of our neighbours have seen the results, the jury is in. Fantastic! Having done 3 remodels in the past, this was by far the easiest and most painless one, largely due to Jeff’s attention to detail and commnication. Jeff and his team provided a detailed schedule and quote and true to his word, everthing was as quoted. Both my husband and I travel alot, and Jeff would text and send photos daily to keep us informed. I was provided a schedule of all design features I needed to choose and by when. In addition his recommendations for stone fabriction (Stoneman) and tile were excellent. I would very highly recommend Jeff and his team. He worked around our schedule and got us back into our house in just under 7 weeks!

Jeff was nice enough but he didn’t get back to me for long periods. He quoted me $ 100 for the job but then it became $ 200 the day he came to do the job.

I have used Jeff”s services on and off for almost 4 years now. I have found him to be professional, reliable and a very hard worker. We all know what the general stigma is around General Contractors i.e. unreliable, always over budget, never on time etc. Undeniably Jeff has none of those qualities, in fact he’s the polar opposite. I can’t recall a single instance when the project wasn’t completed, or when it went over budget or when Jeff just didn’t show up to work… All in all I am very satisfied with the services offered by Nelson Contracting and I will absolutely use him again.

I first met Jeff through a respectable architect, Joe B., about 2, 3 years ago and thought Jeff was a easy going, and easy to work with character.
I have then worked with Jeff on a few different remodels and I am most impressed by his ability to stay on top of the various subcontractors and always keeping an open communication with me. It should be noted that I am an interior designer by profession, and I demand progress updates from contractors I work with.
Often times, contractors get a negative association of being disorganized or unresponsive, at least to me, that’s how many have appeared to me. But with Jeff, that just has not been the case at all. I can always reach him either by phone or by email. If I leave him a voicemail, he always returns his miss calls either the same or next business day, even if he doesn’t have an answer for what I called for, he’d tell me he needs time to research. To me, that says a lot about his work ethic.
As mentioned, I did a few remodels with him. I will speak of two.
The first experience was a basic kitchen remodel in San Mateo — replace cabinets/​appliances and refresh the room w/​o moving any walls. We used KraftMaid cabinets, Caesarstone countertop, and tile floor. His crew did an electrical update. Everything was delivered on time and within budget. The workmanship was great and the client was happy to say the least.
The second experience was in San Francisco, and a bit more extensive. He expanded the kitchen by pushing out one of the exterior walls, making the kitchen larger, and added an additional bathroom. This time around, in addition to the cabinets, granite top, wood floor, and electrical, he did the windows and plumbing too. Again, the craftsmanship and responsiveness of his team was outstanding.
His prices is not the lowest, but I wouldn’t put him in the high category either, which is why I think Jeff offers a great value w/​his service. And others seem to be saying the same:
I would have no problem using Jeff in my own house at all.