Testimonials

Larkspur: Full Exterior Rebuild

Working with the Larkspur Building Company has been an absolute pleasure. Allen is a true professional, dedicated to his craft. Throughout my project, his thoughtful approach ensured that every aspect of the project was carefully considered and discussed, resulting in a final product that exceeded my expectations.

This project was a major undertaking which involved rebuilding the entire exterior of my house to repair extensive water damage: re-framing walls, replacing all of the windows, doors and siding, and updating interior finishes of the 36-year-old, two-story house. Allen earned my confidence early on by listening to what was important to me and acting accordingly. While the house was in rough shape, the surrounding mature gardens, lovely brick terrace and interior hardwood floors were not. Allen heard my concerns and made sure to thoroughly protect it all. Everything survived in great shape, which given the scope of the project and the number of people involved is truly remarkable.

I greatly valued Allen’s commitment to clear and regular communication. Throughout the project, Allen and his team were always very responsive to my seemingly endless questions and concerns. And, while he honored my desire to be directly involved in every aspect of the project, he knew when and how to assure me that I could step back as he had my best interests in mind.

His attention to detail and quality work truly sets him apart. He is knowledgeable about design, doesn’t cut corners and is an expert at what he does. Notwithstanding the curveballs that come with every project, I especially appreciated Allen’s ability to stay on budget without compromising quality.

Allen’s team was professional, respectful and hardworking. They take pride in their work and it showed in the attention they gave to every detail no matter how small. They arrived on time and the entire job site was always clean at the end of the day.

I highly recommend the Larkspur Building Company. I’d hire them again and will continue to recommend them to our friends and neighbors.

Daphne G.

Larkspur, CA

Mill Valley: Whole-House Renovation and Addition

As an architectural designer in the restaurant & hospitality space, I had been dreaming of finding that diamond in the rough, the discarded gem of a house, to transform into our family home. Finding the property was just the beginning. The 1958 rustic, mid-century modern was in terrible condition, sagging, rotting and suffering from years of neglect. Having a vision, and having completed 30+ major projects, I knew exactly what I needed in a builder and how strong my relationship with Allen and his skilled and devoted team would need to be.

Larkspur Building Co. delivered in every way. From the first day to the last day, the Larkspur Building Co. was dedicated to this project. Allen and his team embraced the precise design ideals, the perfect imperfections, and patiently restored the existing structure—all while expanding the size of the home to fit our family and support a modern lifestyle.

As the project’s designer/architect and owner, I knew I was putting the Larkspur Building Co. in very challenging and potentially tenuous situations while navigating design considerations, budget and schedule. Allen brought his unwavering authenticity, patience, honesty, and open-mindedness to every meeting. He always put me, the client, and the house first.

Larkspur Building Co. strictly adhered to industry best practices, demanded an incredibly clean and safe workplace, never took a short-cut, maintained great relationships with the local building officials and formed meaningful and respectful relationships with our neighbors.

Lastly, Larkspur Building Co. is best in class. They are easily one of the best homebuilders in Marin. Allen is highly educated, a lifelong learner and an all-around brilliant person. He is tireless and is a perfectionist. The members of his team are all incredibly hardworking and trustworthy craftsmen. They are all inspired and driven to do the best work possible . . . every day.

If I could do it all over, I would not change a thing.

Tim Dixon
Mill Valley, CA

Sausalito: Structural Renovation and Addition

In its 7th year, we discovered that our otherwise wonderful house in Sausalito had a waterproofing problem. One leaky window led to the discovery that we needed to replace a 2-story wall the full length of the house, and rebuild the front entrance and its drainage.

We needed a special kind of builder because we didn’t start out knowing the scope of the problem, we had to document the problems for a claim against the original builder’s insurance, and we wanted to keep living in the house, if possible, while all this was happening. We chose Allen and his team at Larkspur Building Company, over other well-qualified builders, because we felt that they would be a better match for our situation.

And we were right- they turned out to be great partners in the year-long process that followed. They showed up every morning with a smile, and we worked things out together. We found and fixed the problems, and improved the house in several ways- making the main deck much nicer, adding a new side deck and stairs that made the property ‘live better’ with access to the street below, and upgrading materials in some cases.

We’ve now lived more years with these improvements than without, and had zero issues since. We recommend Allen and his team highly- they are professional, responsible, and a pleasure to work with.

Colleen & Hunter Hancock

Sausalito, CA

Tiburon: Whole-House Renovation

We have had the good fortune of working with the Larkspur Building Company on two homes and several home projects over the last decade. We have redesigned and rebuilt entire floor plans, renovated kitchens and constructed new outdoor decks, as well as a number of other projects – all with the Larkspur Building Company. We can say without reservation that their work has always been performed to the absolute highest standards.

The company prepares for every project with thorough and thoughtful planning and is available throughout the process to answer questions or address any concerns. The various crews (carpenters, sub-contractors, etc.) from the Larkspur Building Company have been extremely knowledgeable and hard-working. I 100% recommend the Larkspur Building Company to anyone looking for a high quality, honest, and reliable general contractor.

D. Lee

Tiburon, CA

Larkspur: Kitchen Remodel

My husband and I hired Larkspur Building Company to completely remodel our kitchen. I must say that the quality of construction was and continues to be over the top. It turned out perfectly. Their attention to detail was excellent. The billings were fair, they were on time and we were very impressed with their reliability. We would highly recommend Larkspur Building Company.

Thank you,

Tina McArthur

Larkspur, CA