Stel Builders, Inc.

Stel Builders went above and beyond with every aspect of our kitchen and primary bath renovation! We are first time homeowners and first time renovators and were nervous to start our project, but Stel provided excellent guidance throughout the entire process. From our first sit down with Jason to go over plans, to Cheryl helping us pick out our design elements, and Cory overseeing the project, we always felt like Stel was on top of everything and very organized. Any question we had, they had already thought out an answer. We found out we were expecting our first child just days before starting demolition; Stel was fantastic moving the project along faster for us and we moved back into our house two months ahead of schedule. Most importantly, the people at Stel are wonderful and kind, and every contractor that they brought into our home treated our home with care and respect. We cannot recommend Stel highly enough.

We did a major remodel of our home in Encinitas. Several other families in our neighborhood also used Stel and all of the homes turned out incredible. Each house has differing designs and features, so the team definitely listens to the client's needs and works hard to execute your vision. Jason did an amazing job designing our dream home and the entire team impressed us along the way. The team is very thoughtful and creative and did some incredible things with our very challenging lot. I truly appreciate the hard work and highly recommend them!

We recently worked with Stel on a major second story addition project for our home. The entire Stel team was wonderful from start to finish and exceeded our expectations! Jason and Gary were wonderful in walking us through the initial design process and presented us with several options before we made a final decision. Our project manager, Cory Reiten, was truly amazing and did a great job keeping things on track and making sure everything ran smoothly. We are so happy with the finished product and would highly recommend Stel for any remodel/design-build needs!

We hired Stel to add a second story to our home in La Jolla and do a complete remodel of the existing space. During the design phase of the project we worked with Jason. Jason was amazing! He created our dream home from a bunch of drawings and ideas in just a few easy meetings. He listening and really worked with us on designing a truly custom home. Cory took over for the construction phase and it was so much fun to work with him. Stel tore down our house to the studs and rebuilt a new one in 8 months!! The experience working with the whole Stel team was fantastic. Everyone there is so nice, professional and highly skilled. We love our house and there is literally nothing I would change about anything! Stel is a great company to work with!!

We hired Stel to do a remodel and three room addition for our home in Carmel Valley. Although the process of remodeling/building is difficult, Stel attempts to make every step of the process as painless as possible for the homeowner. We can't say enough positive things about our project manager - Cory Reiten. He helped us navigate each step of the process and was always there for us whenever their was an issue. Stel stands behind the quality of their work and we are happy with our decision to use them for our project.

About a year ago we embarked on a major remodel of our kitchen, family room, master bathroom and general layout of the house. Stel Builders has an excellent team that is super creative, always there with ideas and suggestions and an understanding of the ever-changing building market. Our foreman, Cory Reiten was outstanding, he was there every step of the way managing every sub, quite often pitching in and adding a helping hand, and encouraging us during Covid when everything was delayed and we wanted to just keep moving forward. He set the pace, kept us sane, and was always on top of managing the remodel. I can't say enough about his expertise. Thanks to Jason Dorfman for being able to turn a very outdated kitchen, dining room and family room into a modern version of a Tuscan home. He definitely had to think outside the box and the finished result was well worth all of the creative meetings it took to get there . Erin Gorman, was an excellent creative designer. She was invaluable for us to use for a selection of materials, colors, and appliances, lighting, as well as answering 100 other design questions we had throughout the process. She never hesitated to meet me at flooring, stone, appliance or lighting stores etc. The team at Stel Builders cares about your project, is always available for questions, and best of all listens to your fears and excitement as you go through the process. through all the twists and turns that every remodel encounters, in the end l, we couldn't be happier with how our remodel turned out. We highly recommend their services.

I found Stel Builders on a home improvement website one night. I sent them a message at 7 pm on a Tuesday, and Gary Romano called me right away. We met with Gary a few days later, and he was honest and very thorough, and knowledgeable. We signed our contract with him on his first visit. Working with STEL was easy & low stress. Everything they said they were going to do, they did. Our home remodel was completed in five months, just as promised. Our 1980's home is now modern and exactly what we wanted. Cory Reiten, the project manager, was here every morning without fail. He kept the crew on schedule and always communicated any issues immediately. Erin Gorman, the designer, is an excellent resource for design concepts and ideas. I will continue to promote and always speak highly of STEL builders to anyone who asks about our remodel.

Stel was great start to finish especially project manager Cory Reighton. We had there when I needed him and extremely timely and reasonable. The design team was great and really understood our vision. They were able to do a complete remodel (3/2 to a 4/4) in 8 months which is astonishing.

When I bought my home 20 years ago in Allied Gardens, I had dreams of what this 1950’s bungalow could be. Over the years I would meet with contractors, get ideas, but nothing would feel right. Last year I learned about Stel Builders, and decided to meet with them to see what they could do for my aging home. Finally, I met the right contractor and team. It was evident from the start that this project was going to work out, and I would be happy with the outcome. Jason gave me the most amazing design that I love! The project manager, Cory was wonderful in every way, making sure that there were no delays and that every need we had was taken care of. I highly recommend this team for any project, they are truly knowledgeable, well qualified, and genuinely kind, which is difficult to find in today's world.

I can't say how thankful I am for the Stel team saving the day and making our remodel goal a reality. We spent the start of 2019 looking for the right shop to do our project. After various discussions we had almost given up until Jason from Stel proposed a fantastic change that met our goals of adding 2 bedrooms and 1 bath. Not only was the project going to expand our space, but it was going to correct an issue we had with our roof. The proposal was for an upstairs addition, we were going up and taking space from our patio for a staircase the design actually made our patio more useful as its now a "California covered" patio with ceiling fans and recessed lighting with sliding doors and really makes our living room flow right out into the space. Not only did Stel propose a great design, but the overall project came in at the low end of the estimate (Jason was the most honest and accurate about project costs). Every single person that worked on my place was extremely respectful, professional, and thorough. I was assigned a project manager named Cory who was absolutely amazing and was available at all times. We had some rain during the project and he personally would rush over with plastic and would start ahead of the rest of his team. The whole experience from design, approval, permits, demo, build, and any changes were extremely well managed and simple - and it finished a month ahead of estimated schedule! I could continue gushing about how great an experience it was but I’ll keep it short. If you want to go with a no hassle hire and then be wowed, I would highly recommend Stel Builders.

We hired Stel for a major remodel of our home in PB. Our family has lived in this house since it was new in the early 1950s so, while we wanted to do a number of updates, we also wanted to maintain some of the character and feel of the original house. Seth and his team quickly and completely understood our requirements, and provided us a design that absolutely blew us away without blowing our budget. Working with the design team was awesome, despite the overwhelming nature of having to pick from an endless range of options. The build process was easier than we thought it would be considering the large project we were about to undertake (full kitchen remodel, addition of a partial second story to include a master suite and laundry room, 2 bathroom remodels, and new paint and flooring throughout the rest of home). Brian, our project manager, was communicative, clear, and on-time. The trades were responsible, respectful, and hard-working. The only significant impacts to the budget and the schedule were ones they warned us could happen (e.g., asbestos and lead abatement), or ones we caused (e.g., picking expensive things). Despite the fact that so many subcontractors and vendors were involved, it never felt like we were working with more than one company - Stel managed all of the communication, payments, and scheduling for everything within their scope. What's more, while Stel was handling many projects besides ours, we never felt like we were waiting on anyone or anything – instead they made us feel like their top priority. We could not have possibly been happier with our remodel experience with Stel and recommend them without hesitation.

Stel Builders gave us a much needed update for our kitchen. They guided us through the complete process of design and build. They replaced outdated fluorescent lights with can lighting and Sola-tubes. They replaced our existing cabinetry, guiding us with suggestions to improve the layout of our kitchen and incorporating a walk-in pantry into the design. We had our flooring replaced with hardwood to match the existing floor in the adjacent dining room. They helped us enlarge our island without losing valuable space for maneuvering around the kitchen. They gave us many suggestions for improvements that had not occurred to us. In addition to the pantry, they installed under cabinet lighting, a servomechanism trash receptacle and made clever use of space for storage. This company was a pleasure to do business with! Their work crews were professional, respectful of our time and needs, and courteous to deal with. We were quite pleased with the outcome of our remodel and continue to remark to each other (9 months+ later) about how delighted we are with one aspect or another of the work that was done. We would highly recommend Stel Builders to anyone interested in a remodel!

Stel Builders added a master bedroom/bath suite to our property for my mother. From the very beginning, Seth and his team were very professional, knowledgeable, and prepared about the project we were seeking. Even prior to our first phone call, Seth conducted some research about our house and was able to give proper insight about what our project was going to entail. He even went further by recommending many different options that my family didn't consider regarding the accessibility options for my disabled mother. In order to cut costs, we decided to leave the addition unfinished. If funding were available, we would have definitely had Stel Builders complete the entire project. Regardless, they finished their portion on time, within budget, and specifications. However, as with any large project, with many different subcontractors, there were a couple of hiccups with the subs that were almost unavoidable. Not worth mentioning, but the hiccups were resolved in a timely manner with no impact to the final project. I would recommend Stel Builders based on their preparedness, professionalism, knowledge, and quality of work. The fact that Seth Larson, and Brian Wood were former team members of Lars Construction doesn't hurt either, as I'm sure they were able to hone their skills from one of the largest construction companies in San Diego and carry it over to their smaller operations.

Met SETH LARSEN at San Diego Home Show. His display and customer contact were very professional, sincere, he was willing to discuss our thoughts, not just what he was "selling." Seth came to our property, reviewed it, gave us ideas we had not thought of, offerings from the "most" to the "least." His proposals were timely, as he said they would be and were reasonably priced. We were very impressed with Seth's demeanor and ideas, "our kind of guy." We would definitely bring him on for our project for a different house. We need a very base application for this project but will keep STEL Builders info for another time.

I feel we got lucky when we found Stel Builders to do our remodel/ addition. I can say with much relief that Stel Builders reshaped our home into one we are very happy to live in. Stel Builders is a team that cared about our family and at every turn wanted us to be happy with the results. Seth, the architect and owner, listened to the problems and needs we had to overcome then designed a plan for our home and patiently explained it to us. We were included in the design process and felt we had some control over the outcome. Brian, the senior project manager, made sure it all got done right. He let us know what was happening every week so we could manage our lives around it. When things happened that you can’t plan for like rain in San Diego during the framing of our addition, Brian was there for us. Every tradesman that came to our house was hardworking and knowledgeable. When all was done and we shook hands I was only sad about missing them. My husband, of course, was not that sappy. He was very happy to have a quite house, well, as quite as it can be with 3 girls.

I know Seth of Stel Builders professionally from networking and know him to be a high caliber networking partner, a true professional, and an all-around nice person to talk to. When my husband and I decide to re-do our kitchen, Seth will be my first call. I always refer him to my family and friends when they have questions about redesigning their homes.

I refer Seth to all of the small businesses that I work with. Every single one has had nothing but great things to say about his professionalism and punctuality. I love referring people that love what they do and it is clear Seth has a passion for helping people's dreams become a reality. Keep up the great work Seth! -Conner

We just completed our home repair projects with Stel Builders, Inc. and would like to share our experience with those of you going through the process of choosing a company. Our home improvement list was a combination of the building trades. Seth & Brian of Stel Builders, coordinated each of the stages. They have all the contacts for each type of work and coordinate the whole job under one roof. This saves the homeowner all the research and time of interviewing each contractor separately. It also gives you one place to ask questions or voice any concerns. In turn Stel will deal with the contractor to resolve any problem. Stel will probably not be the cheapest but in the long run I know we saved money and time, not to mention frustration, by placing it in the hands of a company that stood behind the work and workers. All the folks that did work on our home were top notch and respectful of both our property and our personal space. I have heard many horror stories about remodels and home repairs but in all honesty I have to say this has been a pleasurable experience start to finish. We would highly recommend Stel Builders. I'd call them "The company with the old fashion notion that the customer still comes first." Sincerely, Jim and Grace Parsons, Encinitas, CA.

We had a wonderful experience with Stel Builders. Seth had wonderful design ideas. Stel Builders remodeled our kitchen and dining room. We couldn't be happier with the results. The project was completed ahead of schedule and was done professionally. We would highly recommend Stel Builders!

From the moment we first met Seth, we were impressed with his courtesies and professionalism. He listened carefully to our ideas, improved upon them, and most importantly delivered a final product that exceeded our expectations. Along the way he kept us informed regularly, and solved the challenges that came up from time to time. Best of all, the work performed created a beautiful result !

Seth with Stel has always met all of our expectations. We are now working on our 2nd project with them. They have an incredible level of creativity that has been so much fun to work with over the years. Our last project was an addition to accommodate our aging parents on a single level of the home and turned out great, our current project is a remodel that we hope to achieve the same level of quality and design creativity with a smaller budget than before. Seth and the team has always been able to find solutions for our design and budget constraints. They have a fabulous sense of how to design around existing conditions so you really feel like that new part of the house was always there. They really do listen to you and take into account how a family really lives. A+

Seth Larson was amazing to work with!!!! Seth is very talented and very professional. We briefly described to Seth what we were looking for as far as the master bathroom and master bedroom. Seth came back with a design that was beyond our dreams. He gave me the perfect closet, bedroom and my absolutely favorite of them all....my master bathroom. He gave me the spa-like master bathroom that I absolutely love! Even after a year and a half of being in our newly remodeled home, I still can't believe that this "spa" is my very own bathroom!!! Thank you, Seth!