We found Fred Franke through our architects, after we had a poor experience with the contractor we had originally planned to work with. Our architects, who are very discerning, both said that if they ever need a contractor for their own homes, this is who they would choose. We are so grateful for this recommendation.
We did a massive remodel, down to studs, on our 1939 historic home. I cannot imagine having gone through this with our original contractor, or really anyone else. Fred gave us an accurate and honest estimate of costs and timeline, he made sure to keep us updated throughout the process, and welcomed all of our questions. Whenever we thought there might be a problem or something was overlooked, he was always way ahead of us, aware of it and with answers. He is extremely knowledgeable, able to provide solutions to the inevitable problems that arise when working on an old home.
His team of guys are very skilled and helpful, and he subcontracts with the best, so the quality of the finished work is excellent. I do not recommend using a contractor who does all the work themselves. You want someone who works with other true experts in their respective fields. Fred has been doing this a long time in San Diego and has relationships with the best. He is also skilled at working with the city and getting permits and things through. And he really went above and beyond for us to coordinate with the other folks we hired to complete the project (pool company, landscape company, and even Tesla for installing home batteries and car chargers).
Beyond all the work, he became a friend through the process. He is honest, funny, and kind. He would always take time to chat with our neighbors and our families. We are looking forward to having him and his family over for dinner in our new home.
We have now been in the house for a year and he just checked in with us a couple weeks ago to make sure there were no issues that had arisen. This review is honestly hard to write because it is hard to put into words how grateful we were to have worked with him. We have recommended him to friends and colleagues for their work and do so without reservation. If you are looking for a contractor, I hope for your sake that you get to work with Fred.