Canyon Design Build

We hired Canyon Design Build for a major residential renovation in the easy bay. Canyon presented itself as an experienced, high-end design-build firm, and our project involved a substantial construction budget. Canyon invoiced approximately $1.29 million, and we paid approximately $1.18 million. Unfortunately, despite the length and cost of the project, our experience after turnover has been very disappointing. We continued to have unresolved concerns involving cabinetry quality, remediation efforts, cleanup issues in the crawlspace/garage area, billing documentation, and lien releases for amounts paid. The cabinetry scope was a major part of the project. In our experience, the cabinetry had significant issues with finish quality, color consistency, alignment, interiors, and functionality. Canyon and its cabinet subcontractor acknowledged that there were problems, but the attempted remediation did not resolve our concerns. We are now working with an independent finisher, and based on estimates we received, the cost to address the cabinetry issues is expected to be substantial. We also incurred more than $10,000 in professional cleanup costs after rat contamination was discovered in the crawlspace/garage area. Canyon previously indicated in writing that these cleanup costs would be offset or reimbursed, but that has not yet occurred. In addition, we have ongoing concerns about billing documentation, change-order handling, supervision charges, payment accounting, and obtaining unconditional lien releases for amounts already paid. At this stage, I would not hire Canyon Design Build again. Based on my experience, I would advise other homeowners considering Canyon for a large-scale residential remodel to be careful: require detailed written change orders before work is performed, ask for clear documentation of supervision and management charges, insist on unconditional lien releases for payments made, independently inspect major scopes before move-in, and avoid making near-final payment until major issues are fully resolved.

TL;DR: Extremely high quality and conscientious work. Would (will) hire them again. We hired Canyon to do large renovation involving replacing exterior T-111 siding and rotten cantilevered deck joists. Replacing the deck joists involved tearing out the ceilings in the bedroom level of our house, so we also had them redo the interior of that floor, including much improved master suite. Our house is tall and complicated, so the exterior work required lots of scaffolding and, during the rainy season, extensive tarping of the exterior of the house. With permits, changes in scope due to discovered problems, and an active rainy season, the project took about a year so we had a lot of interaction with Canyon. We like everyone on the team and were completely comfortable with them in and out of the house. They kept the worksite clean (eliciting positive comments from our neighbors) and did their best to make the house livable during the whole process, with active rooms tarped off to keep dust localized. I particularly like how conscientious they were about workmanship and quality. We've had issues in the past with construction shortcuts leading to expensive problems, particularly with water ingress. Canyon gave us confidence that those concerns are behind us, describing and demonstrating the work to our complete satisfaction. I'm so much happier having an exterior capable of withstanding the elements for many years, and one that looks beautiful and fits in with the wooded environment. The interior finish work is also fantastic, and their taste is exceptional. They worked very well incorporating our desires in a coherent design. We adore living in the new interior. The project management was clear with costs, scheduling and progress tracked consistently. We had complete visibility into the process with meetings every two weeks and a web-portal showing current status. It was not inexpensive, but we knew up-front what the costs were and have been pleased with all our choices. At the end of the project we received a fairly substantial return of unspent working capital as actual costs were reconciled with predicted costs. Finally, we are very happy to have Canyon as an ongoing partner. After the work was complete, we had a surprisingly large leak from a 20 year old skylight (unrelated to their work). Unsure of what to do, we called Canyon; they had a roofer here in two hours, and one that they'd worked with and could vouch for. Will definitely work with Canyon Design Build on our next project!

We have worked extensively with the Canyon Design Build team for over a year and 100% trust leaving our home in their capable hands. Our Oakland hillside home with difficult access and parking challenges was built in the 80s, and we deferred some deep structural problems for too long. They were not daunted! They did exterior work, including new cement fiber siding(fire resistant with wood look), window and replacement, rebuilt 2 cantilevered balconies, new modern fencing around our rooftop driveway. Also a lot of beautifully designed interior work, we gutted the bedroom level, put in the most gorgeous and fun double shower ever, with heated floors, lighted mirrors and medicine cabinets, art niche, AC mini split hidden in the ceiling of the primary suite, hanging pendant lamps, upholstered headboard, and so much more! Honestly it feels like a high end hotel now. I loved the collaborative process with them. All the inspections went smoothly. They really stand behind their work, too, very responsive when we had a roof leak that was not related to anything they touched, but immediately had it fixed. These guys are the best and we can’t wait to work with them again! The whole team and their extensive network of local sub-specialists are amazingly talented, personable and respectful.

We worked with Canyon over several months to complete a big backyard project, including upper and lower decks, stairs, a gate/entry, some landscaping, lighting and electrical, and more. More details follow, but the bottom line is that the Canyon design and build teams did excellent and high-quality work, were very responsive and professional at all stages, and built us a backyard area that is beautiful and functional. We are very happy with our new decks and backyard! This was a challenging project with a sloping backyard and an existing structure that physically connected to a neighbor’s building. Having never done anything like this before, it was somewhat overwhelming at the beginning to figure out the right scope, determine what was and wasn’t feasible, and work through how to even start to think about a budget. Probably like anything in the Bay Area that is done well with skilled professionals and high-quality materials, the project seemed very expensive. I’ll admit that we had some sticker shock once we got to the point of receiving the construction budget (and it takes a fair amount of iteration and expense on the design side to get to a final construction budget before work even begins). Canyon gets 5 stars, however, because in the end we love the final result and have a whole new area outside that has transformed our living space and will bring us joy for many years to come! For a few additional thoughts, I would give Canyon credit in a number of areas: * once the contract was signed, they stuck to the pricing and had pretty minimal increases for change orders that they did a good job explaining and justifying - my biggest fear was that the cost would creep up and luckily that did not happen * their crews were always polite, respectful, professional, and personable * they did a great job managing and coordinating all the various subcontractors (and I really appreciate that we didn’t need to get involved overseeing much of anything for the subs) * they kept us updated frequently with updates, status, setbacks, timeline, etc. * billing was professional and on a regular cadence and I appreciated that there were no big surprises * they did an amazing job creatively navigating a tricky and unique situation with a neighbor that could have blocked our entire project * I appreciate that they navigated and solved for the inevitable surprises and challenges that arise once you start working on a 100-year-old house At the end of the day, Canyon isn’t the lowest budget option but the skill and professionalism of everyone on the team (with special thanks to Yuri and Brandi, who felt like real owners of the project and our partners in getting it done right) resulted in a well crafted and beautiful space that our family and friends will enjoy for many many years!

I would not recommend this company. I explained that I did not want to hire them unless they could come up with design within my budget. I paid them 7k and their design was 200k over budget. Waste of time and money

We hired CDB to renovate the kitchen and bathroom in our 1920s bungalow. I'm giving them 5 stars for two key reasons: 1. The work was completed on time and I was able to move back into my house on the schedule we laid out at the start. This was incredibly important to me, I told the team so, and they made it happen. 2. We are so happy with how everything turned out. Our spaces are massively improved, beautiful, and functional. If I could I would probably give them 4.5 stars because their pricing is on the high range and we did have a few snafus during construction -- all of which were resolved -- but overall I think the work they've done deserve the round up to 5.

In Dec 2022, we discovered that 5 of our 13 windows on the 2nd floor were leaking. Our roof style and dormer windows made it really hard to diagnose the problem. We interviewed 16 roofers and several contractors and it became obvious that this was quickly moving away from "who is the best person for our job" to "who will even TAKE our job". ENTER Canyon Design Build. Chris immediately understood the predicament we were in and knew that they were up for the challenge. This was not an easy job. A complete roof rebuild is not exactly what we would consider an "exciting project"... especially for us because most of the work is hidden behind the shingles; but we found ways to make the job more exciting by adding design elements to the windows (trim and crown) and the front door portico that didn't exist before. Our team was excellent - Yuri, Gary, Brandi, Abner endured our endless questions. Our finish carpenters and sub contractors were all amazing. Canyon was definitely the BEST company for our job..... we are DRY!!! Thank you for repairing our home and making it more beautiful; we would absolutely recommend Canyon Design Build for home projects.

We worked with Canyon on two projects (managed consecutively). First was demo'ing a falling down carriage house and turning it into a beautiful ADU. There were a number of challenges on the project, and Canyon worked with us to get the project done on budget and (mostly) on time. For the second project they added a second story to our home - creating a primary suite w/a sun room and a laundry room. Things I loved about working with Canyon: 1. Our on-site superintendent was amazing. Great at communicating, working with us on details, resolving open questions and just being an all around nice guy. We worked with him on both projects so he was on site at our place for close to 18 months. 2. Since we did a Design/Build contract, there were fewer surprises than other projects we've done with a separate Designer and Contractor. Overages were handled with Change Orders, which were very clear and easy to understand. 3. Canyon did a great job working with City/County permitting and inspectors. Our on-site supervisor was great about scheduling and meeting with inspectors so that we didn't have any work stoppages due to missed inspections. 4. The subs they hired were all top-notch. The work was done at a high-quality and on the couple occasions where there were problems, Canyon had the subs redo the work to our satisfaction. 5. Having a Designer who works with the team that is doing the building is a lot more streamlined than picking everything on your own. We'd have a conversation about our style and get half a dozen options (for things like fixtures, tile, etc) rather than sorting through the 1000's of options out there. The cons? It was expensive. Not necessarily more expensive than comparable work, but if you hire someone to do white glove work so that you don't have to worry about all the details all the time, you will pay a premium. For us, it was worth it. Now that we've been back in our house for about 4 months (we had to move out for the 9 months it took to add the second story), we are so happy with the work. We love our home and the work that Canyon did to make it perfectly fit our family.

It's easy to find capable design/build firms -- it's far more challenging to find firms that are enthusiastic and committed partners, that are patient and communicative at every step in the process, and that are comprised of genuinely good people. We were in very secure hands with Yuri on the design side and Jim on the construction side. Yes, it was expensive. Yes, it was lengthy. But Yuri and Jim busted their butts to give us an addition that perfectly addressed our needs, looks beautiful and is built rock solid. We were more than clients to them, and they were more than builders to us -- that's what made the project successful.

Canyon helped us design and develop a full renovation of our home. We had rough ideas of what we wanted but had never embarked on a project this large, so we wanted a team that could hold our hand through the whole project. That's exactly what we got and we would happily work with Canyon again. We'll continue to recommend them to friends and neighbors. From the initial onboarding, through the phases of design and into the construction project, Canyon was incredibly professional and unendingly accommodating. When it was clear we didn't know how to proceed on design question, we got great options and recommendations. We had to revisit certain ideas that were too expensive but we always found a way back on the happy path. There were multiple occasions where the team went far outside of their way to solve a problem for us or make us happy, even if it meant undoing work we'd already signed off on or adjusting timelines to suit our needs. The only downtime we had was waiting on the city to approve some of the building permits, but the moment those were approved, the work proceeded. Even after the project completed, Canyon has been helpful in helping us handle a few clean up projects. On cost: Remodeling a house in the Bay Area isn't a cheap endeavor, but we always had clarity on what to expect and early estimates on design costs, materials and labor tracked closely without any hidden surprises. We maintained constant visibility to the budget and always had our questions answered promptly. Thanks Gary! Thank you again to Yuri, Al, Abner and the rest of the team at Canyon! I miss our weekly project updates! Canyon's super power is their people.

We were interested in renovating our house, top to bottom, and chose to work with a design build firm because we believed that staying closely aware of construction costs during the design process would help us stretch our budget farther. Before choosing Canyon, we had a few interviews with architects who were up front about having to go back to the drawing board when contractor's estimates didn't match expectations. Unfortunately, the design process at Canyon felt quite divorced from construction realities. Early concept ideation from Canyon introduced elements that were way outside our budget. It was fun to dream, but we knew immediately these ideas weren't real. We pared down and did a preliminary budget on one of our ideas. It was 2X our desired construction budget! This was disappointing, but I think we were even more disappointed that Canyon's team didn't help us find a way forward. It was like it was a dead end, and they were waiting for us to figure out how to come up with more money. I wanted to work with a designer who had ideas ... what if we simplified this so we could make this other thing work? Instead, I was sending scrappy drawings to them. It felt like I was designing, and they were taking dictation. I wanted to work with an architect with ideas and opinions. If you're price sensitive at all, I'd be wary of using Canyon. The easiest ideas are often the most expensive, and if you don't want to put that money into your home, it'll be challenging to work through those trade-offs.

Canyon worked with us to design a beautiful and functional kitchen. Yuri and team came up with several good ideas for keeping the budget in check while also greatly enhancing the flow and layout of the kitchen. The process of iteration and feedback was smooth and enjoyable. Construction foreman Big Al built out our kitchen with good attention to detail and workmanship. Cannot recommend Canyon more highly.

We can't recommend Canyon Design Build enough. We asked them to remodel our master suite as well as another bathroom. They were clear about the process, making sure that we understood options, choices and timing along the way. We met with the build and design team in person on a weekly basis to get questions answered and make any decision needed. We lived in the house while the work was being done, and the team on the ground was neat, polite and respectful. In the end, we are thrilled with the design outcome, especially as we headed into the pandemic with more time spent at home. We're going to use them again for our next remodel!

Worked w/ Canyon and Yuri (as designer) for our upper floor remodel which included floors, windows, balcony doors, full kitchen gut reno and moving walls etc, as well as a powder room. We are very happy with the results! Design work felt spot on, and we liked the combination of some choice where it mattered, but also not getting pulled in to every little decision. Timeline was very long because was during the pandemic, supply chains etc, but they finally finished up! Also we felt like in particular the construction work the Canyon folks did on walls, installing windows, stairway bannisters etc was top notch. And they were very good about sticking relatively tight to the agreed upon budget.

We worked with Canyon Design Build to renovate our upstairs bathroom and laundry room. They're truly a full service firm and were easy to work with during all phases of the project (planning & budgeting, design, permit, build, punch list). The team developed a detailed budget for the three month renovation and we were thrilled that project was completed within budget and on-time. We were out of town during the build phase, but they kept us updated via regular zoom calls and coordination on major decisions was easy. We are really happy with the quality of the bathroom, it looks and feels amazing and captures the style we were going for. We hope to work with them when it's time to renovate the kitchen.

We did a full top-to-bottom house remodel with Canyon Design Build in 2018-2019 - everything from foundation rebuild to a near-complete down-to-the studs renovation. We wanted to keep the character of our Craftsman while giving ourselves a lot more space and flexibility. Canyon helped us take the house from a 2/1 to a 4/3 with a finished 2nd story (where there had previously been just an attic). Canyon's staff, from architects to foreman to contractors and subs were professional, high-quality, and thoughtful. They are highly skilled at their jobs. We loved working with Jim and Gary, our on-site foreman and supervisor, on a daily basis - they were honest and candid. Yuri did a beautiful design job. Most importantly for us, they effectively project-managed the whole effort, which was critical for our busy lifestyles. We had bi-weekly meetings and they were effective working through email and text as well. Our project finished on-time, which we were pleased about! One thing we would have loved was more "value engineering" - options that would might represent design compromises, but that would better fit our budget. Canyon promised the best and they delivered, but sometimes we needed the next level down from the best! We had to push for this, and when we did, their team responded. Thank you, Canyon!

Canyon did a rather large renovation of our house over the course of a year or so and we are really pleased with the outcome. We chose Canyon not only because of their good reputation but also because I felt that their before/after photos were the best looking design-wise. I genuinely believe they have some of the better designers compared to other design builds in the Bay Area. We are now enjoying living in our renovated house and it’s clear that the quality of work is very high. Throughout the process I always felt that I could trust that no matter what, the quality would be there, and it is. It wasn’t an easy thing to go through a big renovation, and it’s not cheap (no matter who you use) but I can only imagine the nightmare it could have been if we didn’t use a design build to keep everything as simple and streamlined as possible. Definitely would recommend them. Thank you Yuri and team!

In the end we got an amazing remodel, and now we live in a dream home. Canyon Design did a full 2-story remodel including moving the staircase into an open floorplan, remodeled kitchen, laundry room, bathroom and upstairs flooring. We are the 'Mediterranean Renovation': https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/mediterranean-renovation-pj-vj~5695747 Our designer, Yuri, in particular did a great job bringing our vision to life, balancing listening to us, educating us, encouraging us to stick to our original vision when we got cold feet, and resisting us when we had outright bad ideas. He has an attention to detail that left us confident in trusting to make sure we'd get a good outcome. The sub-contractors that Canyon works with have pride in their work. The painters, floors, and finish carpenters in particular, and that's where you really want quality to show. We debated giving 4 stars because the job took a long time. We were originally scoped at 5 months and ended at 9. We think at least one of those months was due to our own change orders, but there were also a lot of delays that could've been anticipated with better project management during the estimation phase. There was a period over christmas where nobody was in our house for 3 weeks, which seemed to come as a surprise, for example. However in the end, we think 5 stars primarily because of the really high quality standards. In a lot of cases the delays were caused by a commitment to quality: for example in the end, when pouring the concrete for the landing, they couldn't get the concrete to dry properly -- literally it was watching paint dry, at the end of the project when we were supposed to be done. Still, rather than leave a job poorly done in order to hit a timeline, they redid it multiple times until it was done to a high quality standard. It drove us crazy at the time but in the end we have a really high quality outcome. So ultimately we thought they made good decisions. This is a high-end design/build firm. It's not cheap but you get a great product. Thanks Yuri, Steve and the rest of the Canyon team!

Canyon Design Build's crew did a great job planning and coordinating all the work needed on our house when we moved here. The work itself was not massive, but the challenge of getting and coordinating all the permits and subs was incredible. The people on the team were professional and skillful and a joy to work with. We are most appreciative.

Canyon Design Build did a great job remodeling our bathrooms, laundry room and entry courtyard. They took a master bathroom that was from the 1990's, complete with a huge garden jacuzzi tub and turned it into a modern, elegant and beautifully relaxing space. We were extremely pleased with all of the rooms done, along with what is now a beautiful, inviting courtyard. The team was great to work with and very responsive throughout the project.

We worked with Yuri to add a sunroom, bathroom, small bedroom, and deck off the back of our home in Berkeley. We are very happy with the new space! The process was a long haul, but in the end we were very happy with the results. The best part of using Canyon is the full-service design-build model. We both work full time and this is our first home, so we really appreciated how they took care of everything from start to finish. We ran across lots structural issues with our 100-yr old home as work progressed, and they were very helpful with coming up with solutions and did excellent work with fixing them (our basement no longer floods!). They keep track of every detail for you-- from tile, paint, cabinet pulls-- to make sure you are on track to get the project finished. They even helped us find a landscaper to make sure the whole house and yard looks finished. The addition looks beautiful, and my only regret now is that now the existing house looks a bit shabby by comparison. If you have a big project and you don't have the capacity to manage everything yourself, I definitely recommend using Canyon.

The Canyon Design Build team made our "wish list" a reality. We started with an accumulation of ideas and concepts on paper that our designer helped shape into our home. The experienced project planner, project manager and supervisor kept a smooth timetable and ensured that our remodel was finished on-time. We truly enjoy our home and recommend this great team without hesitation.

From our first meeting with the team at Canyon Design Build, my wife and I have been consistently impressed with their professionalism in all aspects and phases of our whole house remodel. They are also just, really nice people to work with regardless of the job...... And ours is a rather big job. Our beloved 1974 ranch style house had almost all original elements. We are dramatically remodeling the kitchen and bathrooms, installing new hardwood floors throughout the entire house, converting a garage into a multipurpose room, transforming a laundry room into a butler's pantry and adding large windows and doors. Over the months of construction, we have felt nothing but positive about the process, schedule and communication with both Canyon and the sub contractors they work with. Most of the sub contractors have had decades long working relations with Canyon, so there are many highly skilled and trusted people doing the work. We planned and saved for this remodel for a long time. We are only going to do this once and can say without hesitation that we are so grateful to be working with Canyon Design Build because they are literally building our dream home.

The Canyon Design Build team was extremely professional and knowledgeable in designing and constructing our master bathroom, closet addition along with our backyard, sideboard and front yard renovation. We had space constraints and they identified numerous options at the various price points. They were responsive and open to all my special requests along the way (steam shower, fire pit, barn door, metal decorative screening) and our new space is beautiful and useful. They cheered me on and helped navigate the complex process of obtaining a planning variance from the City (because I choose to, they would have done it). They were amazingly patient, professional and supportive in dealings with my combative and obstructive neighbor. I highly recommend Canyon Design Build and their subcontracting team.

Canyon did a wonderful job designing and executing our large remodel in Alameda, CA (kitchen, sun room, 3 1/2 bathrooms, lighting, roofing). They work well as team and are very communicative, overall we are very happy and would use again. Our project was completed on time and within budget, we added some other items that took us over the edge, which was beyond their control. The sub contractors used were professional and on time, with the exception of a roofing company that I believe they will not be using again. The design team came up with interesting ideas and worked well to understand and incorporate our style and needs as a family.

Canyon Design Build came highly recommended to me by a close realtor friend and my initial interaction with the Design Development Director was easy, friendly and un-pressured. I immediately liked the idea of working with a single company for both design and construction. This was my first experience with a remodel and the whole process was seamless. Once I decided to move forward, I found their process simple and straightforward and everything was laid out in manageable chunks. The team of designers got to know my personal tastes, likes and dislikes, so that design decisions that may have been unclear in the beginning began to gel, thanks in large part to CDB's Design Director, Veronica, who has a calm manner and was able to focus on the project's core objectives and my design aesthetic. What was very helpful during the design phase was how the team gave me two tiers of design options (small and large) to choose from and backed each option up with a very detailed budget to explain the difference in costs. They also shared their overhead and profit margins with me so I was aware of any markups. At the start of construction, it was reassuring to know that the Foreman on site was already familiar with my project. His follow through, attention to detail and excellent customer service made the day-to-day construction process more enjoyable. Whenever a problem arose, he/the team solved it right away. They even set up a makeshift "kitchen" for us in the garage since we lived in the house during construction. After the project was completed, I discovered a few small issues; the team responded quickly and has fixed every one of them to my satisfaction. I get compliments on my new kitchen and bathrooms all the time now. Cooking in my dream kitchen brings a smile to my face every day. Canyon Design Build was a great company to work with I have recommended them to several friends since they finished the work on my home.

We had the pleasure of working with Canyon on a project that included our kitchen, master bathroom, and guest bathroom. We made it clear to Canyon that time was of the essence as we were not sure how long we would be living in California and wanted to enjoy our home to its fullest. While there are many stories of projects like these going both over budget and over projected time lines, our story is the exact opposite. The team at Canyon was highly professional and thoughtful about our goals. Two highlights were our designer Yuri Gonzales and foreman Eddy Martinez. Yuri clearly understood our aesthetic and provided great ideas and choices to allow us to make quick decisions while keeping us on budget. His work ethic and dedication to our project was simply second to none. A pleasure to work with him! Eddy was there each and every day to ensure the project stayed on target and that there were no details spared from a quality perspective. These two gentleman simply represent their company and their trade incredibly well. We would absolutely recommend them and choose to work with them again.

We hired CDB to design, permit and build a small barn on our property. They took the time to understand the look we wanted and to visit other barns in our area. They came up with the perfect design, and handled the entire project very professionally, with personal oversight and followup. Passerby's comment that the barn looks like it has always been there. I would highly recommend their services.

Impressive firm! We generally had a very good experience working w Canyon on a remodel of the back of our home, including a new kitchen and den. Our designer and foreman were terrific -very thoughtful and great communicators. The $135k project was completely on time and on budget -amazing. The resulting spaces are just great -functional and beautiful. Our friends and neighbors love coming over (actually we have quadrupled the amount of occasions at home) and now our family spends most of our time in this part of the house. I've taken up cooking and actually enjoy doing dishes. In the end, it was sooo much easier and faster to do design build. My partner and I both have demanding careers and our sons are active in sports so we just didn't have the time to be in a triangle w an architect and contractor. We compared that option and concluded that on a much larger project it maybe would have been a good route but on our project, it didn't.

I’ve been working with Canyon Design Build since 2010 to photograph the completion of their remodels, kitchens, baths and additions. When I arrive at the project site, it’s always clear that the homeowner is thrilled with the results and that they have a good relationship with the project manager. I look forward to including more Canyon Design Build projects in my portfolio.