Black Bear Builders, Inc.

I recently had the pleasure of working with Black Bear Builders, Inc., led by Justin (Sensitive Information Hidden), for a home remodel project in Los Gatos, California. In an industry where finding a trustworthy contractor can be challenging and horror stories abound, our experience with Black Bear Builders was refreshingly positive. The team efficiently added square footage, including an extra bedroom, and expanded the kitchen and family room areas. Justin and his team were not only professional and easy to work with, but also demonstrated a strong work ethic. Justin himself is honest and extremely hardworking. We had an outstanding experience with Justin and his team, and we wholeheartedly recommend Black Bear Builders for their quality work and commitment to excellence. There is no better builder out there.

Justin Warner, and his company Black Bear Builders is not just a great General Contractor, but to us, he is probably the best vendor of any kind, we've ever done business with. We engaged Justin for a significant remodel of our home in Los Gatos. The work involved the addition of an entirely new wing including a new bedroom, a new bath, a new laundry room, as well as full remodels of the existing kitchen and baths, and new, higher ceilings throughout. The work also included the buildout of a new covered patio area outside. From any perspective, the three biggest variables in any project of this kind are time, money, and quality of work. I will speak to each in turn. Justin estimated the job at seven months, and provided a full calendar showing interim milestones, for every facet of the project including inspections. The job was ahead of schedule the entire time, and probably would have completed early had it not been for certain building components, such as windows and cabinets which were timed to arrive in line with the original schedule. As it was, we moved back into our house one day short of exactly seven months. With all the moving parts of this job, which included removing and replacing most of the roof, it is nothing short of remarkable that the project was not delayed by a single day. Money. Justin's estimate was fair, logical, and competitive. More importantly, Justin's ability to provide persuasive background on how he arrived at each number was impressive and gave us enormous confidence. Confidence well deserved given that the project, excluding some additions we made, came in nearly to the penny of what he'd estimated. Part of the reason Justin is able to get to the finish line on time and on budget is because of the quality of his subs. Almost without exception his subs report Justin as being the best GC they work for. As a result, they show up when scheduled and they get their work done on time and at the price they quoted. The quality of all the work is beyond reproach. Not a single thing can be pointed to as anything other than exemplary. Our house is as beautiful as we ever imagined it could be. But -- as important as any of this is the manner in which Justin interacted with us. The great fear of any homeowner doing this type of work is and should be the responsiveness of their GC. Not only is Justin always responsive to needs, but he anticipates issues, and will reach out preemptively to assure everyone is on the same page. Justin is also a hell of a nice human, and someone we were happy to talk to and meet with every few days. There are only five stars to give here, but if there were more, we'd give as many as we could. We're happy to chat with anyone seeking a reference.

I've had the chance to work with Black Bear Builders on several projects over the last 12+ years and have had an excellent experience each time. Justin and his team are a pleasure to work with. Very knowledgeable and helpful through every aspect of the project. Excellent work and craftsmanship. Highly recommend!

Justin is a good communicator, extremely easy to work with. I did a total remodel, kitchen, master bedroom with addition. Landscaped the front yard and put in a new driveway with pavers. I highly recommend his work as he is true to his word.

Justin Warner and his team is the best team I’ve ever worked with. There’s nothing they can’t do, punctual, hardworking and just nice people. I’ve done several remodels at various homes and I’ve never met a construction team with a sense of urgency like Justin's. It’s impressive and rare. I’ll recommend him for sure!

Justin of Black Bear Builders was excellent! He had quality contractors, addressed issues quickly when they arose, had creative design/solution ideas and kept us informed through out the project. We have worked with many builders and Justin and Black Bear Builders is at the top.

We hired Justin with Black Bear Builders after interviewing several contractors. We ultimately went with him because his quote was competitive, fair, and his timeline was best. We also liked that he has his own employees to do most of the work. This really made him stand out from the other contractors that rely mostly on subcontractors. His crew are hardworking, professional, and friendly. Our neighbor even commented on how professional they were, letting her know when work would be happening on the weekends. We added onto our home and remodeled the majority of the existing house. Justin stayed on budget and was fair with add-ons we asked to do as the project progressed. He and his crew even corrected previous work done to the house. We were able to move back into our home ahead of schedule! We highly recommend Justin and his crew with Black Bear Builders.

I used Justin for a simple yet extensive house remodel. 1) Easily Justin's most important plus is his communication. He's a guy who obviously likes to get things done, so he answered quickly when I had questions. He also told me what to expect, saying things like, "The demolition is going to go quickly and you'll get excited, then the interior work will feel like it's taking forever. Don't worry, work is getting done." He's good at managing expectations. 2) Justin was on top of the schedule. The only delays I experienced on this project were issues out of Justin's hands, i.e. manufacture defects that had to be exchanged and my slow decision-making (and even then he nudged/harassed me to make up my mind, which is what I needed). 3) The quality and workmanship of Justin and his guys is very good. He abides by good design practices as well as common sense, and works on experienced subcontractors. During the project we had a flooding issue (a manufacture defect on the water heater filter), which required the removal of drywall Justin had just put up. The third-party cleanup guy said, "I can tell this house was built well." It was a bummer to have the water issue, but it was nice to get that verification from an outside source. PS: The problem was fixed in a reasonable amount of time with few disruptions. 4) I went over budget but only because I kept adding stuff as the project progressed. I found Justin's budget estimate to be fairly close to the final cost. He doesn't use cheap subcontractors and I got great quality because of it. Justin won't be the cheapest nor most expensive contractor you hire, but you'll get a guy who makes common-sense suggestions and great, long-lasting quality. You'll be kept in the communication loop throughout the project and you'll be happy with the finished product. I highly recommend using him.

I don't normally write reviews but felt the need to share such a wonderful experience. As painful as most remodels can be, Justin with Black Bear Builders were a pleasure to work with from start to finish. He and his team are incredibly professional, responsive to our needs, tidy on site and a true problem solver if and when issues arise. Unbelievably, Justin completed the project on budget and on time. Most importantly, he and his team have made themselves available for the inevitable ongoing punch list (even when it wasn't part of the original project). I highly recommend Black Bear Builders for your next project.

We hired Justin Warner and his wonderful crew at Black Bear Builders for an extensive remodel of our home in Willow Glen. We had seen several houses that he had built/remodeled in the neighborhood and were always impressed by both the quality of his work and what the owners had to say about the experience of working with him. We knew this particular project would be a challenging one going in, but I doubt even Justin was prepared for what was to come in this job. The original structure was a 1947 vintage ranch on top of which previous owners had haphazardly built an additional two stories in the subsequent years. Very early on in this crazy adventure, we learned that we could totally trust Justin to help guide us through each decision and unforeseen discovery with workable options that would keep us largely on schedule and on budget. To get this big a job done in a little over six months was truly remarkable. He was incredibly diligent, ever-present on site, and utterly transparent about our choices and costs at every step. With extensive experience in both new home construction and renovation, paired with his constant attention to design detail, we were also thrilled to have his help in navigating the myriad decisions we faced. From the type of garage door we should consider, to the gorgeous French oak floors he recommended, to even the smallest details associated with the extensive trim work throughout, Justin’s fingerprints are on every part of what is now a really gorgeous house and that is perfectly suited to our busy family. If you’re considering a wildly complicated remodel project, or even a not-so-complicated one, there is simply no one else I would trust to get it done right, done beautifully and with the transparency you’ll need.

We just completed a whole house remodel with Justin at Black Bear Builders,Inc. We were referred to this builder by a neighbor. We reached out to Justin and told him our ideas. He listened and drew up a budget for us to follow. We used his budget numbers and interviewed other contractors. After this process we choose Justin because his numbers were competitive and we felt a good connection with him. We started our job in September 2019 and completed the job in December 2019, two weeks ahead of schedule. He worked on our job everyday… usually six days a week. His employees were professional, skilled and knowledgeable. Our job stayed on budget and any extras that came up he was very fair with us. When the project ended we had our punch list items that Justin took care of immediately. We have very high standards and Justin met all our expectations.

Justin/Black Bear came highly recommended to us, as he had completed several home renovations in Hillsborough, where the home owners were thrilled (and we were impressed with the results). Justin and his team were on budget, on time, clean, organized and professional as they completed a complete rebuild of our 2500sq foot ranch home and a 500 sq foot addition. From the beginning, the permit process, the construction/building, the finish details, to the landscaping, Justin/Black Bear were wonderful business partners. Justin has a fantastic network of subcontracts and staff, as well as a tremendous amount of experience building luxury homes in the peninsula. We are extremely pleased with the results of our home (and the overall construction process). Would strongly recommend Justin to anyone considering building or remodeling a 7 figure home.