Distinct Builders, Inc

Our experience with Distinct builders has not been like the other reviewers. I normally read the reviews to get an idea, and am always reluctant to participate, but this time I feel compelled to write. I have delayed writing this for a long time because I even still owe Bobby money, because he has yet to finish my home 100%
We did a small addition, less than 500 sq ft and some interior remodeling. The project was supposed to take 3 months, we are currently in the 17^th month. We started at the end of July 2014 and its currently December 2015. Whilst Bobby’s nature is cordial and he did pick up the phone and try to organize things, he hasn’t been able to actually do what he said he would do. Perhaps before the current boom Bobby could manage his workload, he did come recommended to us, but he has taken too much on and as a result we are still waiting on him to actually finish the job. In the initial stages, I even recommended him, because he is knowledgeable and I did think he was good guy.
The sub contractors that Bobby uses are not employed by him, therefore you are squeezed in when they can fit you. You get pushed out, you wait, he says they are coming they don’t! I believe that If he hasn’t paid them they are not willing to work. The sub contractors are also hit or miss. Sub contractors used on our job, demolition, concrete foundations, framing, dry wall, HVAC, insulation, plumbing, electrician, tiling, painters, stucco, roofers, flooring, and carpentry (hanging new doors).
Here’s what I expected to happen:
Drawings with details given to contractor to bid, proposal given by contractor to homeowner and agreed to, work started in accordance with design, mistakes made by contractor or sub-​contractor not responsibility of owner, change in design by homeowner responsibility of homeowner, contractor to provide details of change in writing or other accepted way of communication between homeowner and contractor, (eg email, verbally), if not agreed to in advance by both parties, delay in project, delay in project due to change in design homeowners responsibility, delay in project due to mistakes made by contractor not homeowners responsibility. Stages of work to be performed as per proposal and design. Payment upon completion.
Contractors responsibilities: A general contractor is responsible for providing all of the material, labor, equipment (such as engineering vehicles and tools) and services necessary for the construction of the project. The general contractor hires specialized subcontractors to perform all or portions of the construction work.
If you are looking to hire a contractor, I would not recommend Distinct Builders if you want your project to be done on time.

I worked for Bobby in early 2014 for about 6 months and can say he is devoted to doing good work and making the customer happy. I have worked construction my whole life and so often see contractor’s who are so cheap and all around despicable and Bobby really blows those guys away. Take it from someone who actually worked for him!
–KJ

We hired Bobby for a total house remodel. There were hiccups along the way, but Bobby stayed calm and always said there is a solution to everything. He responded to texts/​email during construction time very quickly. He stayed true to his estimate (as long as we did not change anything of course). Any remodel is going to have hiccups, so the process was not perfect, but I think it was as good as it could get. We were out of the house for about 6.5 months, which is incredibly quick for a complete house remodel. There were a few things completed after we moved in. We would definitely hire Bobby again.

After interviewing 7 contractors we hired Bobby and Distinct Builders because the bid was competitive, the timeline for completing the work was FAST, and we just genuinely liked Bobby. He was knowledgable, professional, flexible, and got sh*t done. He guided me through all the million decisions that we had to make and referred me to great vendors. The work was finished earlier than originally quoted and on budget. Most of all, Bobby went to bat for us in a situation where a subcontractor didn’t perform up to par and found a replacement without hesitation.
I would recommend Distinct Builders to anyone considering a remodel. You’ll end up on time and on budget with a beautifully done home.

We hired Bobby for a complete cosmetic remodel of our home including the kitchen, flooring, electrical, and bathrooms. I won’t deny that I cursed Bobby’s name probably a million times during the process but in the end, Bobby got the job done and on budget. He is transparent with pricing, a good guy, and has great sub-​contractors.
A few cons to point out:
— our remodel took longer than expected but still reasonable for such a large project
— we went with the cheapest materials and were particular with specific vendors that Bobby had not worked with so we had to mediate some of the processes in getting the materials delivered and installed; if you go with Bobby’s recommended suppliers (which we considered more middle of the road to higher end) then he has a better working relationship with them
— we are super, super anal people so we probably could have benefited from scheduling a weekly standing meeting with Bobby so think about doing that if you plan on a big remodel with any contractor
There’s still more remodeling phases to be done on our home so we’ll be giving Bobby a call in the future. If you end up choosing Distinct Builders and want to go the cheapest material route, feel free to ping me for tips on how to work with some not so easy suppliers.

We hired Bobby after a diligent search and bid process. He was recommended to us by a neighbor, who had recommended him to other neighbors! And now Bobby has won more business on our recommendations. :)
He is a master scheduler. Believe him when he says he can build for the timeline and budget he quotes. He is easy to work with and amenable to changes in the contract.
We did a whole house remodel and small addition in MV in 3 months! It was a very positive experience and for our first remodel project, we feel lucky to have had Booby lead the way. We used a combination of his subs and ones we brought in. There was a time when I didn’t like the work of a sub, and Bobby was quick to make things good. And he has been pretty reasonable following up with the odds and ends that always need done after the job is over. I haven’t felt he, ‘…got his money and left us hanging…’ as other people have sometimes experienced with their GC.
I highly recommend Bobby Gilson, Distinct Builders.

My husband and I hired Bobby, in May, to remodel our entire home. We are just weeks away from moving back in and I can honestly say that he has made this entire process as stress free and fun as possible.
We interviewed many builders and received many bids on our job. Bobby’s pricing was excellent and he said he could finish the job in a much quicker time frame than any one else. That was a huge plus for us since we had to move out of our home and into a rental.
Bobby is extremely easy to work with and very customer service oriented. He is very organized and an excellent communicator. He always picks up the phone when we call (which is a lot) and always gives us his complete attention when we have questions or concerns.
Bobby has been great about recommending places to shop for finishes and has even helped negotiate better pricing for us.
The subs that Bobby has brought in have also been outstanding. They all clearly have a long working relationship with him and you can feel the mutual respect.
I highly recommend Distinct Builders to any one who is considering a remodel project!!! We feel incredibly grateful to have found Bobby. He has built us a beautiful home which I cannot wait to move into and live in for a VERY long time!

We hired Distinct Builders /​Bobby Gilson to remodel our house. We added two rooms and a bathroom and made a few changes in other areas of the house. Bobby was very professional from the start, very honest. His price was one of the best among all the bids we had and he was doing it in the shortest time.
Bobby took care of everything for us. He was dealing with the city of San Jose, picking up the permit, waiting for the inspections.
His subcontractors are also professional and trustworthy, they are quick to come and are used to work with Bobby which makes things easier. Bobby is really managing the work checking the quality of the result, dealing with issues and explaining what needs to be done. We are very detailed oriented and we are very happy with the result we got.
Bobby is always available on the phone to talk and he really cares about our satisfaction.
I gave Bobby’s number to my friends and would recommend him to anyone that needs to have some remodeling done.

Bobby Gilson is a great general contractor. Our house turned out great! Bobby and Distinct Builders get an A+. Distinct Builders was recommended by our structural engineer and we included Distinct Builders in our bidding. The Distinct Builders bid came in considerably less than 5 of the other contractors who bid our remodel. One of them was just too low to be believable. Distinct Builders also bid our remodel in about one half of the time that the other contractors needed for the job. Since there was such a difference in Bobby’s bid, we were sceptical on the numbers. We asked for a list of references form Bobby. We called everyone on the list and all of the references told us the same story: on time and on budget. We gave Bobby the job and we are very glad about our decision. Our house was finished on time and on budget. Bobby was always available to talk and took the the time to understand our needs. Bobby is extremely conscientious and is totally focused on your satisfaction. Bobby has a very solid list of subcontractors and we loved working with them as they completed their portions of the job. Bobby is a master scheduler and, although he had multiple crews at our house at the same time, they never got in each others’ way. If you do not include Distinct Builders in you bidding, you are missing out.