CSCI Construction

One word for CSCI Construction: AWESOME.
Can I use 6 stars??? In a world of sneaky up-​charges, non-​responsive contractors, ooops-that’s-not-included-in-my-bid, and «the dog ate my homework» type excuses for delays… we are/​were over-​the-​moon happy that CSCI was available (and willing) to do our project.
We were a stone’s throw away from a complete rebuild (we’re talking gutting of the entire interior and exterior, but keeping the fireplace and foundation). Like most remodels we’ve been encountered, there was a pretty strict budget. We interviewed 7 different firms ranging from design/​build firms to pure subcontractors and narrowed it down to 4 — and yes, CSCI was on that short list. Mostly because he was not a pure sub-​contractor that just managed the project… but he actually had employees that got their hands dirty.
We told every firm that bid on our job that we had a strict budget (even though we knew deep-​down that we were likely go over a bit). Steve was the only one that showed us where we could save in cost during the budgeting process. Removing XXX from your plan and going with perhaps a YYYY. For those of you that have not embarked on the journey of a SUPER-​REMODEL/​BUILD, this is a MUST. The other firms would suggest things like… «you can always break the job up into phases», or «I’ve never done a rebuild of this magnitude for less than xxx». Of course those statements may have been true, but with Steve, it really felt like he wanted to be sensitive with our budget while the others gave us a sense that there were other jobs that they were weighing opportunity cost on (and one thing we did not want was for there to be a firm juggling resources across 5 – 10 different jobs… because then we would be fighting for attention).
But before we could give CSCI the nod, we had to do more homework on them. Could they actually do what we wanted him to do? We scheduled to walk through 3 – 4 sites as we wanted to make sure that he could handle the scope of our job… we walked through a 2,500 sq. ft rebuild in Palo Alto and planned on walking through the others until we saw the 8,000 sq. ft. beauty in Atherton (built from the ground up no less). I figured if he could do something at that scale, then our home should be a walk in the park. Before we even had a chance to tell Steve we were going to go with his firm, we had a pipe burst that leaked for 3 – 4 days and caused flooding in the neighbors yard (and oh yeah, a hefty fine from the water department to boot) and Steve came out and fixed it. When I asked him how much it cost, he said «Nothing». He said just felt bad that we had this happen to us. I think that was the kicker for us. So we chose CSCI… and it only gets better from there.
Steve was there for every important meeting with what we called our «planning committee» so that he could get a gauge on both cost and feasibility. During those meetings, he would give a couple of suggestions here and there when the professionals got hung up (the architects, interior designers, structural engineers, etc.), but it was great that he let them work their magic. And out of respect to those professionals, he would text me later after meetings to ask if we were sure if we really wanted XXX or YYY and would suggest cheaper alternatives or give his opinion on whether that looked good. So we always had a budget watcher on our side as the professionals could continue to get creative without the hindrance of cost management.
Updates Updates Updates… We told Steve early on that we wanted to monitor the progress of the entire project since we weren’t living in the house yet but would be making frequent visits. Of course he had no problem with that. He even created a detailed Google Calendar and shared it with us so that we could refer back. And believe it or not, he came in UNDER schedule… that’s right… ahead of schedule. Cabinets, countertops, plumbing, flooring, electrical… all of that was managed by him. He even worked with a couple of the subs that we had worked with on our own.
I believe that a lot of his success can be attributed to the fact that he has most of the big stuff on his OWN payroll (which gives him a ton more control over work schedules)… and anything he doesn’t have in-​house, he subbed out. And I also believe that’s why he was price-​competitive. Oh yeah… and there was someone at the house 6 days a week! Yes… 6 days a week! No down time (which is probably how we was able to be ahead of schedule).
Steve also has been back multiple times for tiny little things that would normally be an up-​charge. Oops, I scratched the wall moving my new seating in or Darnit, the movers just put a hole in the wall moving the office furniture in. He came right back and patched up things that weren’t even his fault… free of charge. Why? Because he wanted us to have the perfect finished product. Photos to follow… stay tuned! Our house looks AMAZING!

Can’t say enough good things about this company! I was always kept in the loop as to the progress of the project and had the best experience I have ever had with a construction company. Would HIGHLY recommend. A+

CSCI construction was the best decision we’ve ever made.
We recently bought a single house and were looking for the constructor that we can rely on because we don’t have any experience with house renovation before. Steve and his crews are expert and all their work on our house are amazing. They even redo the work after I change my mind about closet layout for our extended walk-​in closet and Steve even offered us first to replace with wider crown molding after finished work. Steve and their crews work precisely and finish work on time as scheduled. Just perfect team to work with. I highly recommend CSCI to anyone and I’m already going to recommend him to our closer friends who are looking for constructor.
Everyone compliments our new house when they visit. I love our house so much! Big thanks to Steve and his team!

We had the most wonderful experience with CSCI construction! We needed a construction contractor that would do good quality work, quickly and at a reasonable price. Well Steve and Wei did all of the above and ten times more! We wanted to remodel both of our bathroom vanities and our kitchen. We picked out the materials and they did everything else. Wei maxed out our small 40 year old kitchen in space and functionality, adding modern features without us even asking. His eye for detail is amazing! He would point out things before we would notice and then go ahead and modify immediately. He found two leaks at our bath-​tub and promptly fixed them (this included opening and closing up a wall too…). He kept asking us if there is anything we are not completely satisfied with and he would correct things we would mention very quickly. The whole project was completed within less than 3 weeks from the moment we contacted Steve till its finish. Our home now has a great high end look at a very reasonable price!
Too bad Unilocal only has 5 stars as they are totally worth 10!