Michelle and Matthew Righetti
San Francisco, CA
“We have been working with Caruso Construction for nearly fifteen years. Caruso has handled multiple construction projects for us in the Pacific Heights and Presidio Heights. Caruso’s bids have always been accurate and its time estimates have been reasonable and realistic. Perhaps most important, Caruso has both dependable workers and terrific relationships with its subcontractors and City personnel. There are few elite contractors in San Francisco and Caruso Construction has a strong reputation of being among the best the city has to offer”.
Patricia M. – Home Owner/Client
San Francisco, CA
“Mike Caruso is honest, hard-working and just all-around excellent!
For the past 3 years, Mike and his team have worked patiently and skillfully on an intense hillside stabilization project and complete home re-build. His kind and calm demeanor belies his strong work ethic and demand for perfection. We had complete confidence in him and his team and couldn’t have been happier with the results.
We highly recommend Caruso Construction”!
Tony C. – Home Owner/Client
San Francisco, CA
“We worked with Caruso Construction on a full remodel of our home from June 2017-March 2018. We were very happy with the entire process of consultation and construction and we continue to be very happy with the quality and design of the final result.
The entire team was very easy to work with. Project management was efficient and made a daunting task quite painless. They worked seamlessly with our architect as well as the city. The chosen subcontractors turned out great in terms of both craftsmanship and price. We were never stuck with any rushed decisions and the job site was always well maintained and kept safe. Overall, we had a great experience working with Caruso and highly recommend them!
Maida L. – Home Owner/Client
San Francisco, CA
“I have renovated four homes with Caruso Construction, dating back to 2005. Mike and the team are consummate professionals and some of the nicest people I’ve ever worked with. Each project has been a true collaboration, featuring clear and timely communication, cost transparency, and exemplary craftsmanship. I always feel like I’m Mike’s only client, which is incredibly rare and special. I give Caruso Construction my highest recommendation”!
Paul V. – Home Owner/Client
San Francisco, CA
“We live in San Francisco in a Victorian built in 1901. We’ve been in the house since 1985 and over the years have done numerous remodels and repairs-expected in an old place!
For many years now, we’ve turned to Mike Caruso and his staff to guide us. Some jobs have gone exactly as expected, but on our last remodel of our kitchen, we found serious “issues” with our foundation that required it be replaced. Our kitchen redo turned into a rather massive (and expensive!) job. But we at no time doubted the information and advice from Caruso Construction. They took great care to let us know exactly what was going on and our options. They arranged things to enable us to remain in the house through the project and the end result was fantastic. They helped us work with a Seattle-based cabinet maker we chose and built a great gym that has helped us through the pandemic. We remain fans of Caruso and trust their work and their patience with us and our architect and designer. Really first rate!
Molly C. – Home Owner/Client
San Francisco, CA
With a big project, of the type that we have done several times with Caruso, one ends up more or less living with the key Caruso team members – in the house at 7:30 am, gone at 4:30 pm or so, day-in, day-out. Every member of the team through all our projects has been pleasant, courteous and really a pleasure to have around. Daily clean-up was great and the workers were all thoughtful about our pets. One of our cats came reliably to the weekly Monday morning project meeting.”
Chris A. – Home Owner/Client
San Francisco, CA
My architects and I chose Caruso Construction to completely renovate my home, and they did an excellent job in all respects: quality of the work, attention to detail, professional project management, first-rate sub-contractors, good working relationship with my architects, financial transparency, keeping me informed and responding to my questions, being respectful of my neighbors.
The final product was outstanding, and everything went much more smoothly than previous building projects I had experienced with other construction companies.
Missy Kirchner, Owner
San Francisco, CA
“Mike is a family tradition in our home”.
“All four of my children were raised in this wonderful old house built shortly after the San Francisco earthquake and fire. As they grew up, so, too, did our living requirements, a basic necessity that made me expand my role as a mother…and gave a whole new meaning to the term, ‘home maker’. I had to become the resident remodeler.
Which is how we started a family tradition with Mike.
It went like this…I’d get an idea maybe about converting part of the garage into a study room for the kids and I’d call Mike. He would come over, listen to my vision and tell me how ‘doable’ it was. Then we’d discuss the options on how to ‘do it’. That’s when he would be very clear with me and verbalize a realistic picture of my idea. I absolutely knew whether I wanted to proceed or not and what it would take if I did.
This has been going on for about 20 – 25 years through about seven satisfying projects. So now at dinner when I casually mention a new idea to the kids, their traditional come back is: ‘Oh, call Mike’.
Of course, I will.”
Margaret Rolston
Home Owner/Client
Marin County.
“Ah Mike. There’s no one else I’d want my home in the hands of. Mike is honest, thoughtful, and practical. He listens, and his decades of experience give not just solutions but also ideas. Mike took our San Francisco condo to the studs and made it our perfect first home.
We were so happy with the process and the result that we looked forward to the day we bought a single-family home and could remodel again with confidence. Sure enough Mike and his team were at the helm for the remodel of our Marin home a few years later.
From the subcontractors he works with to the finish carpenters on the Caruso team, his professionalism always delivers. Mike never forgets the client’s priorities, keeps the project a team effort, and never misses an opportunity to get in some good humor.
Thank you, Mike”!
Katherine Kodama, Owner
(with husband, Mick Ward)
San Francisco, CA
“Finally, I was out of doubts. Mike was the one.”
“I started the selection process with eight contractors. I explored on location almost 20 of their projects. I checked references thoroughly. Eliminating the first group was quite easy: one gentleman glanced at my plans and made an almost-instant bid (A for speed; F for attitude). Others pointed out details that they were proud of…but shouldn’t have been (Thank you for coming).
“Then it got harder and more subtle and intuitive. The remaining contenders were both in the budget ballpark. They both were technically sound. They both had substantial remodeling experience, particularly in vintage houses. I liked them both. So how to make a choice?
Well, I stopped analyzing what they’d already done yesterday and started thinking about the little things that had caught my attention during our preliminary discussions: one of them was particularly concerned about our comfort during the remodeling; one was excited about the technical challenge that our Japanese bath would offer his plumber; one answered our questions with what I considered positive body language. That “one” contractor was Mike.”
“And he proved me right!”
Carole and Paul Warner Owners,
San Francisco, CA
“Mike helped us rise out of the ashes.”
“A 4-alarm fire almost destroyed our 110-year old San Francisco Italianate. But we used that same fire to build a relationship with Mike that’s lasted over 20 years.
“It was Mike who rescued us from the avalanche of fire truck chasers that descend on arson victims while they’re just staring vacantly at the ashes of their life. It was Mike who suggested a second opinion on the insurance appraisal of damages (which paid off!). It was Mike who correctly supported our choice of the right salvage company to protect our belongings, etc. And all this before we’d selected his restoration bid out of six other competitors.
“Even after the contract was signed, he was conscious of our monetary and esthetic interests. For example: he was able to add a colonnade portico to our entrance and still stay within the budget; he personally designed a more ornate ceiling crown that added elegance to the rooms; he suggested beveled glass in the living room pocket door panels to bring more light into the interior; he meticulously installed the molding himself around the restored bookcase in the parlor to insure that the returns were eye sharp.
“We weren’t the only ones that thought Mike did an outstanding job. When the project was completed, the San Francisco Real Estate magazine featured our beautifully restored house on its front cover.”
Vince Keehan, Owner
Foxtail Hill Windows
“Would I be telling it if it weren’t the truth? Not likely.”
“Both of us, Mike and I, started our own companies after years of apprentice work learning our craft; me in Ireland, him in North Beach. Wood became my specialty; Mike wanted to be a General. So we’ve teamed ever since. Twenty years. Seems like only a day.
“You can tell a good man from what you hear behind his back. And in all this time, I’ve never heard a bad word from any of Mike’s foremen, project managers, carpenters, laborers, other subs …even when they’re joking around. There’s humor on the job, for sure, but respect, too. As it should be.
“My wish for Mike…may the road always rise up to greet you.”
Chris Goodwin, President
Plumbworks
“The bottom line? Mike’s a man of honor.”
“I know that to be true because after working with someone for over 20 years you pretty much get to know how that person thinks; what criteria he uses to make his everyday business decisions.
“And for Mike, it’s really simple: he has invested his life in his business, so Caruso Construction has become a reflection of himself, and of his family, and of his talent. That’s why Mike gets so personally involved with each project; his integrity is such that he won’t let his clients or his subcontractors down – he stands by his work 110 percent because he considers it his personal as well as his professional responsibility.
“To paraphrase a great line, ‘It’s not business, Sonny. It’s strictly personal’.”
Donovan Pisan, President (R)
Eric Knowles, Vice President (L) Paisano Electric
“What’s in a name? Everything!”
“Our company name says it all: Paisano means ’fellow countryman’ or ‘a friend so good, you’re part of the family’. That’s what we strive to be; that’s what Mike is to us.
“He’s a problem solver; he makes it possible for us to do our best work. He’s a role model of a great businessman. He’s a mentor; we always learn new ways to improve ‘Paisano’ when we work with ‘Caruso’.
“He’s a gentleman; we can talk anything out with the intention of finding resolution, and it’s always done calmly and considerately. He’s technically aware, so there’s substance in his approval of our electrical installation that makes us proud to put our name on it. He’s interested, as we are, in the long term, meaning no short cuts, do it right the first time; if you don’t, it’ll come back to bite you.
“And that’s not any way to treat a family member, is it?”