James Crist Builders, Inc.

We hired James Crist for a major remodel that included adding a second floor to an older house. We found him and his team to be courteous, professional, and dedicated to producing a high quality house at a fair price. Jamie was honest with us about issues that arose, and worked with our architect, the city departments, and the subcontractors to resolve them as quickly as possible. Julie was fantastic at helping us choose design elements and finding the best possible pricing. We are thrilled with the work they did for us, and would highly recommend them.

I had the opportunity to meet James and his staff in 2005. James Crist is a very respected local General Contractor in Palo Alto. The quality of work and attention to detail James and his subcontractors bring to any project is amazing. He works very close to clients, architects and designers, and truly goes beyond expectations. He makes the construction process feel very smooth, even when challenges arise. For this reason and many others, I always recommend James Crist Builders to my clients.

James Crist at James Crist Builders was recommended to me and my husband by one of my colleagues, for whom James had constructed the most beautiful house I had ever seen. We asked James and his designer Julie to help us renovate our kitchen and master bathroom. In the kitchen they installed granite, new appliances and cabinets, new lighting and a desk area, and repainted the walls and cabinets. In our master bathroom they expanded our shower, installed marble with a travertine trim, painted, updated our lighting system, and installed new sinks and hardware. We couldn't be happier with the results. When I enter the master bathroom I feel that it is a prettier than a bathroom at the Ritz. The kitchen is elegant, warm and inviting, which was just what we hoped to achieve. Jamie is a delight to work with and a wonderful listener. He and his subcontractors were consummate professionals. Julie's advice on design was pragmatic, with an eye for getting good value for money, and she helped us create the look we wanted. She has an impeccable eye for design but also kept our tastes in mind. She is a calm adviser, yet her energy seems boundless. They kept us apprised of the timing and finished earlier than we anticipated. We can't recommend this duo heartily enough.

We hired JC Builders to construct our new 6000 sq ft home in Palo Alto. Jamie Crist had also built the home we bought new in 2003 and lived in until 2014. We asked him to tender for this project because: 1 We felt that the quality of the home we bought in 2003 was very high and the aftercare excellent. 2 We like the fact that Jamie has based his entire career and reputation on work in and around Palo Alto and is one of a handful of highly respected local general contractors. We had braced ourselves for a very stressful time (based on myriad anecdotes from friends and business colleagues), cost overruns, delays and frustrations. Looking back over the lifetime of the project (June 2013 to August 2014) we are thrilled with how smoothly it all went. Jamie and his incredibly competent and easy to work with colleague Julie lived and breathed the job. We navigated delays, change orders and defective supplies in a collaborative way and we moved in on time and within sight of our original budget. I have no hesitation in recommending JC Builders to you. Joe Macrae

James Crist Builders built us a home over a 15 month period, as expected for the scale of the project. We were very close to expected completion date and the team worked really hard at the end to get us into our home as quickly as possible. Everyone was professional, nearly all subs were polite and respectful. Project was kept clean throughout the process. Team even provided design assistance and comparative shopping. They have also been very responsive when things have had to be repaired or adjusted. Would highly recommend this builder.

James Crist was well regarded by the banker providing my construction loan. He had effective working relationships with the city's planning and other agencies. He has high standards and his subs perform to his standards. His estimates were solid and his staff worked with me to bring "allowances" items in under budget. His relations with neighbors were superb, especially important for a client who will be new to a neighborhood. The work involved demolition of an existing structure and the building of a new home. Despite rains, we came within a month of the original completion date; and we came in under budget. Crist continues to check with me regarding performance. Neighbors now planning work ask for his contact information. I'm happy to oblige.