Keith Construction

Chris was the biggest asset to our home renovation. He was a level head and a kind heart every time we needed it. We chose him not just because of the quality of his work and the reasonableness of his bid, but also because of his quality as a partner in our work. He was absolutely the right choice!

I’ve used Keith Construction twice… and both times they exceeded my expectations. Chris was recommended by my former landlords, so I was fairly confident they would do a good job. The first job was tearing down my original 1922 free-​standing small garage in my bungalow home and replacing it with a fantastic, functional garage/​workspace. Chris drew up the plans, got the permit… did everything under budget and on time.
The second project a few years later was a major kitchen remodel (combining two small rooms and an unfunctionable pantry into a gorgeous, well-​lit, custom kitchen). Chris worked with me to provide me with various options, understanding what was MOST important to me and what I could skip on. I had elderly pets at the time and Chris and crew were EXTREMELY careful and considerate when working on the house to keep my pets safe and calm. Chris is NOT the most inexpensive contractor out there, but in my experience, he is the MOST HONEST, TRUSTWORTHY, and RELIABLE. If he gives you a timeline and a quote, he will honor that (or improve on it). The project that he manages won’t drag on, nor cost more than quoted (that has happened to me with other contractors on smaller projects that Chris did not do for me). I’ve recommended Keith Construction to gore friends who have used him, with outstanding results.

I have been extremely pleased with Keith Construction’s renovation of my 1914 Berkeley home. Chris Keith managed the project with grace and skill, listened to what I wanted, gave sound advice, was responsive and a delight to work with. His team of workers were wonderful. They clearly take great pride in the craft of what they are doing, from carpentry, to tiling, to painting. They are a group of guys who you can feel great about having around the house – courteous, warm, hardworking, trustworthy. They always completed projects within the timeline and budget that Chris projected. On top of the beautiful renovation job they did, they built a tree house in my front yard that is stunning, so visually striking that it draws attention from passers-​by regularly. This is the team you want working you!

Over the past few years we have used Keith Construction for four major projects at our home. The first was a major demolition and remodel of the master bath and adjacent rooms. The second was decking around half of our house which was a complicated project as more than half was cantilevered over a significant slope on the bay side of our house. The third was a supported deck on another part of the house with an outside stairway. The most recent involved earthquake proofing of a carport and installation of new supports and bracing. All projects have been accurately bid and professionally completed. Equally important, Chris Keith is a gentleman and a true pleasure to work with.

Chris did a fantastic job on our basement remodel, finished in June 2012. His bid was competitive, though not the lowest, but we went with him based on recommendations and a general feeling of integrity and competence. It was a good choice. Right from the start, he saved us money with his intelligent choice of subcontractors. For example the initial bid for radiant heat came in at 18K. Chris shopped around, and was able to reduce that to 10K, a substantial and unexpected savings.
Working with Chris was pleasant and straightforward. His team was diligent and considerate, and they did everything they could to minimize disruptions, which are pretty inevitable when there are jackhammers in your basement. Chris was on site daily, replied promptly to all emails, answered questions thoroughly, and laid out options in a concise way.
The quality of the work is excellent from floor to ceiling. In particular, the finish carpentry is really lovely; we get lots of comments on it.
Chris finished on time, and within 5% of the initial budget. That’s especially reasonable considering most of those over-​runs were elective on our part. I’m struggling to find something negative to say in order to lend credibility to this review. About the worst I can come up with is that Chris is kind of a stickler for following building codes. But how bad is that, really?