Last updated on May 21st, 2024 at 06:15 am
In carrying out home improvement projects or building a new home, a skilled general contractor is necessary to make sure the job is done correctly and masterfully. It can be quite a challenge to find a contractor that exceeds industry standards, experienced in tackling a range of project challenges, and prepared to adapt to unexpected bumps along the construction process.
Our team has curated a list of the best general contractors in Larkspur, California. These companies were selected based on their accreditations, certifications, and professional affiliations. We also looked at the recognition each firm has received in the form of industry awards, client reviews, and features in the press. We have also laid out the range of services the firms offer, their specializations, and the length of time they have been in the industry.
Burns Builders
PO Box 150788, San Rafael, CA 94915
Burns Builders specializes in high-end residential construction and home remodeling serving San Francisco and Marin County. Its residential remodeling services include kitchen and bathroom remodeling, custom builds from the ground up, home remodeling, consulting, and everything in between.
Jonathan Burns, the owner, has developed a portfolio of exemplary homes along with his team of professionals in the fields of architecture, interior design, and engineering as well as sub-contractors across all trades. Burns carries out up-to-date building practices on its projects such as this modern contemporary custom home. It features wood ceiling planks, a stone fireplace, and aluminum alloy framed glass doors and windows that match the home’s neutral color palette. The kitchen cabinetry is painted blue to add a pop of color to the earthy open space.
Floyd Construction Inc.
714 C Street #207, San Rafael, CA 94901
Floyd Construction was founded by Joe Floyd in 1978 in Santa Barbara and relocated to Marin County in 1983. The construction company provides a range of building services from small remodels and repairs to high-end new homes throughout Marin and the greater Bay Area. Prominent among its residential projects is the Modern Touch new home, a remodeling project that taken down to the foundation. Floyd’s team started with upgrading the perimeter foundation before digging out a storage space under the house and going up from there. The roof structure was one of the main challenges: a series of steel beams and heavy lumber had to be craned from the small street to create the single plane shed roof supporting three custom-sized 13-foot-long skylights.
The company overcame three main challenges in building the Historic Remodel, highlighting its expertise in construction. It had to maintain a certain amount of the existing structure and windows for historical reasons. The house needed to be stabilized and supported while the team dug out a nine-foot-tall bottom floor where there had been unconditioned space previously. Finally, the attic space had to be transformed into a master suite where paneling covers every surface. In another project, the Modern Rustic Remodel, the company’s biggest challenge was sectioning off and protecting the house while keeping areas livable during construction. It also had to vault the interior ceilings within the existing roof structure to create room volume.
Fontana Construction Inc.
1945 E Francisco Blvd., Suite N, San Rafael CA 94901
Fontana Construction, Inc. specializes in custom home development, remodeling, renovations, and general construction. Based in central San Rafael, it has been building and transforming homes from the Peninsula to Sonoma County for more than three decades. It is accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and a member of the Marin Builders Association. Its team of accomplished estimators, project managers, superintendents, and carpenters—led by Stevan Fontana—brings a diverse set of skills and talent that is reflected in its portfolio of projects.
The Santa Rosa Residence was a new home constructed from the ground up that involved Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) concrete construction with natural elements and exposed wood beams to make the home feel part of the surrounding landscape. Large windows and bi-folding doors open the living space to bring the outside in. The company also completed a full remodel of a 2,500-square-foot apartment which required changes to the floorplan, new layouts of the kitchen and two bathrooms, new floors and surfaces throughout, and new fixtures everywhere. For the Telegraph Hill Residence, the company persisted through challenges presented by a 65-year-old building to transform the two-bedroom apartment into a modern jewel box, preserving only the chrome trash-chute cover from the original.
G Family Construction
615 B St. Unit 1B, San Rafael, CA 94901
G Family Construction is a full-service design and build firm offering services that encompass complete custom new builds and remodels for residential and light commercial “foundation-through-finish” build projects in Northern California. Second-generation builders, David Grabham and Jon Grabham lead the firm as it produces dynamic homes. This modern home remodel is a great example of its work. The BBB-certified firm updated the kitchen, living rooms, entranceway, four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and one-half bath to produce a modern, clean feel. The firm also added two fireplaces, replaced most windows, and rewired the electrical system. The firm also replaced the floors in the entire home.
As a member of the Marin Builders Association, G Family Construction ensures that its construction methods are up to the standards of the organization. Its collection of work is a testament to this. The firm completed a project in Ross where the team added a kitchen and dining room, hallway, bathroom, children’s bedrooms, and sitting room onto the existing home. In the backyard, a new pool house was built with Fleetwood doors that open up to the pool; the existing yard was landscaped with new bluestone tile and artificial grass.
Headlands Construction
1000 4th St., San Rafael, CA 94901
Headlands Construction is a Marin County-based family-owned general contracting company. It specializes in contemporary and modern design-build construction and whole home renovations. The company tailors each project to the specific needs of its clients. One of its clients, for instance, needed a kitchen and bathroom refresh on a limited budget for a 1,078-square-foot 1950s bungalow. The company’s team decided to open up the wall between the kitchen and dining room so that the house felt larger and less compartmentalized. In the kitchen, the walls were kept open with custom oak floating shelves and light white and grey tones. The team went with a contrasting black and white tile theme for the bathroom, staying consistent with the rest of the house’s gold and brass fixture finishes.
The company displayed great skill in turning this originally 1,617-square-foot cottage into a four-story, 4,473-square-foot home in Eureka Valley. It excavated down two floors and added a steel-enforced moment frame which provided the necessary structural support to give the home a wide-open floor plan, allowing the feeling of grand openness on each of the four levels. Floor-to-ceiling windows on the back walls of each level emphasize the home’s vibrance and views.
Kasten Builders
3419 Regatta Blvd., Richmond, CA, 94804
Established in 1972, Kasten Builders is a residential general contractor serving the counties of Marin, Sonoma, San Francisco, and Alameda. The firm is accredited by the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) and has received a Merit Award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA).
One of the company’s finest works is the FEMA House, which involved the demolition of an old 1,500-square-foot home and all-new construction of three detached structures: a garage and guest quarters, a living and bedroom wing, and a raised kitchen and dining space with views of the ocean. Apart from its excellent craftsmanship, the company is accustomed to working around obstacles that come with projects on complicated sites. For the new 6,000-square-foot Mill Valley Home, the company encountered several challenges due to site constraints and a complex foundation and site plan. The driveway had to be widened in order for concrete trucks to access the site. Exposed panelized formed concrete makes up the first level; the second floor has copper siding; the third is in integral color smooth stucco. The company finished another project on a steep site, consisting of a two-car garage and entry at street level, second floor guest quarters, a split third level for family kitchen and dining rooms, and fourth-floor bedrooms and master suite.
Kerr Construction, Inc.
15 Woodland Avenue, Suite F, San Rafael, CA 94901
With almost 40 years in business, Kerr Construction has developed a deep appreciation of the relationship between design, materials, and craftsmanship. The Build It Green Certified company has solidified an impressive list of repeat clients that have fueled the company’s success and accomplishments, many of which have been featured in leading industry publications.
Jeff and his team are professional and responsive throughout the construction process. Their attention to detail is exemplary, especially with aesthetics that demand fine woodworking. Their site superintendents are well trained, and promptly interact with the homeowners and coordinate with their team of subcontractors. Jeff Kerr’s proposed budgets are thorough and easy to understand. He includes every contingency and prepares clients for the unexpected. Kerr and his foremen consistently come up with creative solutions to address problems that arise. An example of which is a remodeling project they completed that involved having to remove walls to create a gathering space. Another project required the installation of roads and utilities, significant grading of the site, and intricate architectural designs which needed precise and accurate construction.
Norman Charles Construction
714 C Street, Suite 1A, San Rafael, CA 94901
For over 30 years, Norman Charles Construction has been dedicated to building some of the finest homes in Marin County and the San Francisco Bay Area. Norman instilled a passion for building in his son, Nathan, who grew up in the field. Nathan joined the company full-time after completing his undergraduate degree in 2009. The father-and-son team is involved in all aspects of operations from pre-construction consulting to managing projects through completion. Together, they take on new projects with their extensive knowledge of custom homes and green building methods.
An outstanding representative of the company’s long portfolio of home remodels is the Southern Marin Renovation. The home features contrasting wood finishes for the cabinets and flooring, as well as marble for the counters and accent walls.
Salamandra Associates
39 Aquinas Drive, San Rafael, CA 94901
Established in 1988, the company’s initial focus began with commercial projects for United Airlines, Cambridge Sound Works, and other East Bay companies. During the past 20 years, the business has concentrated on general contracting, new home residential construction, and development projects in Marin, with a special emphasis on waterfront development. Steve Salamandra, the Principal, has an extensive background in business and finance, as well as construction management and real estate. With accreditation from Build-It-Green and the Marin Builders Association, Steve and his team build contemporary and traditional homes. A great example is the Westshore Residence. The waterfront home’s pocket doors in all its main rooms open to panoramic views of Richardson Bay. A foyer connects the two main structural components of the house with one another and to the deck that extends into the bay. The Sleepy Hollow Home also applies the same concept of merging the outdoors with the indoors through well-defined transition spaces. The company constructed the house with exterior wood siding, exposed beams, and large black framed windows.
Singlepoint Design Build
200 Gate 5 Road, Suite 109, Sausalito, CA 94965
SinglePoint Design Build Inc. has grown into one of Marin County’s premier Home Builders as a member of the Marin Builders Association. Since 2010, the firm has specialized in full home remodels and ground-up builds. The firm’s founder, Brant Hill, worked for a large commercial general contractor as a project manager for six years; he was involved with building over $100,000,000 in construction projects.
The company self-performs the majority of the work on the projects it takes on. It designed and built a mid-century home using all in-house resources. It underpinned the foundation and added a full-height basement with a wine cellar. The team also added the pool and converted the potting shed to a pool house.
For a contemporary waterfront home, the team also did a full remodel of the existing space and added an upper floor master suite. It expanded the first-floor entertainment space by opening up the core of the home using a large steel ridge beam. The team built the butcher block staircase, the home’s defining design element.
Most recently, the company completed an addition and remodel of this existing home that included a greatly expanded kitchen, a dining room, and an office space. The firm added a spa to an existing pool and completely renovated the backyard.
