Pride & Joy Home Improvements

Jeffrey Swafford (owner of pride and joy) takes pride in his work, is a no pressure, easy-​going guy, who delivers what he promises for a price better than most. My older parents bought a townhouse in Oakland that needed a big fix. He was patient, and kind with my elderly father who sometimes forgot what they had agreed upon. But more than his personal kindness, he was professional. The remodel looks amazing! They have a new kitchen, bathroom, floors, paint and fireplace. It looks AMAZING. My parents can’t say enough good things about Jeffrey. Neither can I. I’ve already referred him already to several friends and would use him again in a heartbeat. And to be clear — we obtained other bids, including big box stores. He still beat them all, and is a good person too. A winning combination.

We were going to re-​paint the 60’s kitchen in our Berkeley Hills craftsman home when Home Depot offered a free estimate on cabinet re-​facing and we ended up choosing re-​facing by Pride & Joy (Jeffrey Swafford) instead. Jeff’s price was totally competitive and he himself is a delight (no pressure, relaxed, listens). He uses two-​part (epoxy) paint AND he can routinely color match (in our case, two different Benjamin Moore colors, matched perfectly). He even epoxy-​painted the wooden knobs we wanted, to match the Shaker-​door cabinets, lowers yellow and uppers grey. Jeff and his assistant Constantine finished the job two weeks ago and we are very well pleased with the result; very precise, very professional, fine attention to detail. Plus: Jeff started the job the day he said he would, finished in four days as promised, cleaned up at night so we could use the kitchen and adapted without any fuss to a change order that we requested. Highly recommended.

After getting a quote from a big box store, we wanted to get a second one from a local business and we’re glad we did! Jeffrey took the time to talk about the options after hearing about what we were looking for, was very personable and friendly, and it was great talking to the person who was actually going to be doing the work so there was no communication issues, or a salesman promising everything he could to close whether the work could be done or not.
Come time of the job, he and Constantine were great about sectioning everything off and cleaning as they went. We still had to do a bit after it was done, but nowhere near the amount we were expecting from kitchen construction. And once all that was done he even came back to tighten up a couple of little things a couple of weeks later after work one night.
I’d give more than 5 stars if I could, we’re so happy we called Jeffrey and won’t hesitate to recommend his company to anyone who needs to get some work done in their kitchen.
Thanks again!!!

We just had our kitchen cabinets [doors and drawers] replaced by Pride and Joy. Jeffrey and his crew were available in short order and did a masterful, professional job for us. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the highest quality craftsmanship.

I used Pride and Joy to reface our kitchen cabinets which were not touched since 1926. I used them because Jeffrey was the most straightforward in his presentation of what they would do and the choices I could make. He also provided a cost analysis of the various projects. They came back to do the job on the day appointed and finished the job the very next morning. My kitchen looks terrific. And to top it off. Jeffrey and Constantine actually do the work themselves. Five stars for sure!

Pride and Joy just finished a kitchen remodel for us. They refaced the existing cabinets and added a bunch of new cabinets. Jeffrey and team did a great job. He was great to work with, and did quality work. The kitchen looks brand new.

The name says it all – I never realized a kitchen «face lift» could make me feel so much pride and joy in my home. I absolutely love my new counters and cabinets.
Jeffrey Swafford really knows his stuff. He’s professional and courteous; he offers advice and suggestions without being overbearing or obtrusive. Jeff explained all the logistics so we knew exactly what to expect from start to finish. And he’s basically a good guy – he didn’t try to sell us on replacing things we were already happy with. My husband did a «stop gap» remodel a few years back, so I was pleased when Jeffrey recommended keeping and refacing the existing island my husband had installed. He covered two ugly support beams with beautiful maple laminate, added shelving and cabinet doors for extra display and storage space, and made sure the finished product blended in beautifully with the rest of the kitchen. We also have two odd-​shaped cabinets under a staircase, which he expertly rebuilt.
This is the first time we have ever hired a home improvement contractor. To say I was gun-​shy would be an understatement. As a real estate attorney of 28 years, I have heard all the horror stories – contractors botching jobs, showing up late (or not at all) or taking customers’ money and then skipping town. Jeffrey showed up when he said he would and did a stunning job for a fantastic price. He is a true craftsman who takes pride in his work and pays attention to the little details, even going the extra mile to «tweak» a few things to make sure we were completely satisfied with the end result.
Both my husband and I work at home during the day, so I was worried about the disruption of taking on this long-​overdue kitchen project and having workers traipsing about the house. Jeff made the process as painless as possible, setting things up so we could use our kitchen while waiting for the granite counters to be cut and delivered. He and his assistant were respectful and well-​mannered – actually a pleasure to have around. I can’t sing his praises enough and will highly recommend him to my friends.

5 Stars aren’t enough to adequately represent Jeffrey Swafford and his business. I am writing this review and the project is only half completed. My husband and I are not novices to home improvement and remodeling; in fact, we have remodeled 4 houses and we know how to evaluate the folks who we hire to do the things we can’t do for ourselves (and we can do an awful lot for ourselves). It took us 2 months to finally happen upon Jeffrey /​Pride & Joy, after getting 3 other quotes from folks who then didn’t even get back to us. The lack of communication alone by the other contractors disqualified them from working with us. I actually hesitated to contact Jeffrey because when I read his reviews on Home Advisor, I figured he would be out of our budget. But I called him anyway. He called me back within 24 hours and made an appointment for about 4 days later to come by and do the consult. He showed up when he said he would and, unlike any of the others we had interviewed, he stood right there in our kitchen and calculated the bid. When he turned the paper around and showed it to me, I was stunned. It was $ 4,000 lower than the lowest bid we had already gotten — THIS from THE cabinet refacing specialist that the fancy families in Lafayette and Walnut Creek all raved about on Home Advisor! It seemed too good to be true and I told him so. He admitted that he is not always the lowest bid. We hired him on the spot; Jeffrey clearly knew his stuff. He has been doing this work since he was a teenager. It is his calling, and he has worked for the most well-​known cabinet outfits out there. He then remained in the kitchen that first time and performed his first drawings (by hand) of our kitchen. He gave us a start date right then and there (which was about 3 months out, but that was fine by us), we signed the contract with all of our fussy little requests included in there, and the hard part was over. Jeffrey also came up with design ideas for improvements to our current cabinet configuration that none of the other consultants had suggested. After that we picked our paint, we picked our pulls and knobs, he showed up about a week before the project start-​date with a mock-​up door, and then he showed up on the start date before 9 am to start work. As I said, the job is half done and it is jaw-​dropping gorgeous. Honestly (and I told him this), he should charge more. I don’t think he is making money on this job, and he certainly deserves to. Boy is he a hard worker (who sweats the details. My husband is a German engineer and he scrutinizes details of fit, finish and functionality), and also just a tremendous human being. You simply will to find a better person to reface your cabinets.

We just had pre-​existing kitchen cabinets re-​faced. Beautiful craftsmanship. Very responsive — kept us posted on the process. Finished each day by cleaning up thoroughly and well in time for us to use the kitchen for the evening. Very trustworthy. Very reasonable quote — did not go over estimate. Time about as expected. May have been done a day sooner but he custom made corner drawers that take some time (well worth it). A contractor friend of ours who knows what he’s looking at was impressed — said it’s difficult to do this kind of work on site. Definitely recommend. I’ll try to post a pic if I can figure out how.

We asked Jeffrey to do a facelift to our kitchen and he did a great job. We are very pleased with the finished work and the way he rearranged everything with the result that it is now not just nice to look at, but also very functional. I do recommend him to anyone who wants a real professionally done job.

Anyone else have trouble getting ahold of them? Everyone has given such great reviews on work, pricing, etc I was super excited to ask them to come quote us (and start working) — but after a week of calling and sending a note on the website — NOTHING :(. I had 1 other contractor come give us a quote, along with Home Depot, but I really was looking forward to one from these guys.

I have been saving my money for years to replace my cabinets. I researched many companies to find the best one that would meet my financial needs and my personal taste. After weeks of researching, I chose Pride and Joy Home Improvements. I cannot say enough, how happy I am with Jeffery and his team of Installers. Although, my kitchen is small, Jeffery spent the time needed to select an individual and customized color that I desired. Additionally, he helped me design the kitchen of my dreams in a timely manner. If you are in search of a great experience at a fair price, use Pride and Joy Home Improvements. You will not regret it!

We can’t say enough but our positive experience redoing our kitchen with Jeffrey at Pride & Joy. The name says it all. He and his able assistant Constantine are meticulous in their work, and the results were beyond expectations. Best thing is, Jeffrey works hard and gets the job done on time and true to the original budget. No surprises. You may find a less expensive alternative, but I’d be amazed if you can find a more competent, creative, and hard-​working kitchen remodeler.

Wow, what a great experience having our kitchen refaced by Pride and Joy. Not only is our new kitchen absolutely gorgeous, but working with Jeffrey has been a wonderful experience. For starters, he shows up on time: for the initial visit, contract signing, and work days. He is very knowledgeable and creative, and came up with several suggestions that were very helpful. He even talked us OUT of replacing the island counter top because he thought he could successfully sand its butcher block surface. He was right: it came out great. Of course, had he not advised us to do this, he could have sold and installed a nice, pricy granite or stone top. But he opted to save us some money AND restore a beautiful piece of wood. We also appreciated that he is a very good communicator and very patient with customers (US!) who were having trouble making up their minds about which woods and stains to select. The real bottom line, though, is his impeccable workmanship. It’s truly amazing… everything was executed perfectly. You just can’t ask for better craftsmanship. He also didn’t nickel and dime us about minor requests we made along the way, and even cleaned up thoroughly after each work day. We interviewed several companies before we selected P&J, and are absolutely convinced we made a great decision.

We are so happy with our kitchen remodel. People are amazed at the transformation from the before and after. We are told it could be in Sunset Magazine. Jeffrey was a pleasure to work with, as I work out of my home I was able to see the day to day changes. He stayed on budget and takes pride in his work. The kitchen puts a smile on my face every time I go into the room.

A five figure job and a five star rating. So I ask (Jeff) what about this do you like the best and his response is ‘I like to make people happy’. Corny but absolutely truthful! His effort (full 5 figure kitchen remodel) was on time, on budget and the work of an Artisan. Jeff was not only responsible for the cabinets (refaced), electrical, sheet-​rock & stucco, but also coordinated & supervised the floor tile, counter top and plumbing. Take a look for yourself!