BWH Builder Inc

It did not go well. Bo Hong, the owner of BWH Builder, emailed me and we had a phone converssation about the work I wanted. He said that he would get back in touch with me after a planned out-of-town trip. Our last contact was on 12/29/13, and I never heard from him again, despite repeated emails to him. He either doesn't need additional work (even extensive work like mine which should be very profitable to him) or he is just unprofessional and doesn't keep his word when he says he will contact people. I recommend avoiding this company.

Bo Hong and his crew are extremely professional, honest, and courteous. The contractors showed up on time everyday, and finished my bathroom ahead of schedule. Everything from the plumbing to the tile work is beautiful. Bo is very punctual, responsive, and was always available to answer questions (including those of a neighbor) and trouble shoot. He provided excellent oversight and coordination for the project. The experience was completely stress-free for me, and the crew did a great job of cleaning the well sealed work area daily. The rest of my home remained immaculate. I highly recommend, look forward to working with BWH builders in the future. The contract price does not reflect costs assumed by me for fixtures, tile, etc.

The complete remodel of a residential master bathroom was our first job with BWH Builder. Bo Hong and his crew at BWH Builder did an excellent job in all respects. The work involved gutting the master bathroom and doing a complete make-over from floor to ceiling. BWH worked with us to obtain a building permit from our city. We had most of the materials on hand long before before construction was scheduled to commence. As to the materials we needed but did not have, Bo advised us what we needed and where to go for it. He even picked up some of the products himself. One concern we had is that his crew only speak Chinese and we do not. However, Bo is fluent in English as well as Chinese and he was there at the start and finish of every work day to facilitate communication. The remodel of the bathroom commenced at the end of August 2013 and was completed about 14 work days later. The crew always arrived on schedule and departed on schedule, except that if extra time was needed at the end of the work day for a particular task, the workers would stay on, generally another 30 minutes. We did have to make some last minute decisions but that seems inevitable in a remodel project. For instance, during the tear-out stage we decided against using linoleum floor tiles and instead went with 1'x2' ceramic tiles and we had to scramble to find the right ones. Throughout the project Bo provided useful feedback about features of the project. For example, Bo's advice about the direction in which to run the floor tiles was well thought out. The project involved the somewhat complicated task of installing a tub with a recirculating heated water feature and thus a motor. Bo's crew did a great job with the configuration and installation. Electrical wiring and plumbing was all done with great care. Bo worked smoothly with the city inspectors each time the inspectors came over for a progress check. The bathroom was completed on schedule and to code. Bo honors his word in all respects, including the agreement regarding costs. In fact, a few of the bathroom remodel tasks came in below the quote and BWH charged us for the actual, lower costs rather than insisting on the quoted costs. Few indeed are the contractors who have such integrity. The second project BWH did for us was to repair our kitchen floor. The ceramic tiles had suddenly buckled. The situation was so pronounced that it was difficult to walk over part of the kitchen floor without feeling disoriented. We homeowners could not be sure of the cause but suspected a possible water leak. Bo correctly identified the cause of the problem. The amateurs who had installed the floor prior to our purchase of the house 14 years ago had failed to properly apply sealer and mastic on the cement slab underneath the floor tiles. Because of the emergency nature of the situation -- one of us has trouble walking on uneven surfaces -- and because of the mutual respect we had built with Bo, he had his crew come over and repair the damage at their first opportunity. The crew carefully removed the affected floor area, tile by tile. That was a challenging job because ceramic floor tiles can easily break. Only two of the tiles broke and, fortunately for us, the previous owners had several left-over tiles that they left at the house for us. Bo's crew then painstakingly cleaned and sanded the under-surface of the tiles and also the surface of the slab foundation. Bo personally went to a supply store to obtain the correct adhesive. Then he had his workers apply the mastic, put the tiles back in place, and put new grout in. The entire job took only half a day. As usual, the quality of the work was great and the costs were very reasonable. The third and most recent project performed for us by BWH Builder was the extension of an exterior redwood fence by 11 linear feet. This project was so modest in scope that, initially, we did not want to bother Bo with it. The project, in the eyes of fence specialists, was indeed so small that fence specialists turned up their collective noses or demanded a large minimum fee. Bo Hong, however, was very accommodating, even though this was doubtless a very small project for him. He did the job for about $700, materials and labor. The job was done in two half-days. Once again, as expected, the quality was excellent. We are looking forward to working with BWH Builder in the future. We unhesitatingly recommend BWH Builder, Bo Hong and his crew to Angie's List customers.

Bo recommended we repair the shingles that were failing due to sun exposure and then to and quot;sealand quot; them with a water sealant. Bo also suggested how we might be able to fix another problem that involved water between two buildings. He gave us a very reasonable bid and the job got schedules. His crew did the job - looks great and cleaned up nicely. Bo is a very good communicator. He makes sure you are up to date and well informed on the progress of your project.

Bo is excellent. He is meticulous, professional, and always keeps the customer's happiness in mind. He manages his team well. They even came to work overtime on the weekends to get the project completed very close to the promise date, despite the setbacks in the project due to the house being old with lurking problems. A last minute addition to the project was to knock out a wall between the dining room and living room. He didn't balk and gave me a reasonable price and a structural engineer to create the right plan for how to redistribute the load. Bo worked with the city office to approve all the plans. Bo always kept costs for the customers in mind. He is practical and fair. He's also a friendly person and very responsive. His team does good work, although I wouldn't say they are craftsmen. As a customer, I needed to question a few details and push back on some of the finishing work in order to get the quality I wanted. But I felt Bo was always on my side. We got what we wanted. It's been over a year, and things are holding up well. I still love the new kitchen and bathroom.

I needed to remodel an old San Francisco house built in the 1940s. I had a vague idea about what I wanted and contacted several contractors. Bo, the founder of BWH Builder, got back to me within a day via email. While other contractors demanded I get my own designs, Bo offered to do a design for me as well as give me a detailed estimate. Looking at a few estimate, I choose BWH Builder for my project. Bo gave me an estimated starting date and met with my family several times to choose material, fixtures and appliances. When construction began, Bo checked in on my project at least twice a day; his foreman, Mr. Guan, supervised the day-to-day work. Since BWH has so many resources available - workmen and subcontractors, both the kitchen and bathroom were being worked on simultaneously, saving a lot of time. Bo was very responsible to me as a client, explaining each step of the process. BWH also fixed several things around the house that needed fixing (it's an old house) without adding extra charges. I'm very happy with the results. Even for work that I thought was acceptable, Bo ordered extra time to get things done with the best quality. I've actually already dropped BWH Builder's name to two family friends, but wanted to give them credit here. You can be confident that your project will be executed successfully with BWH Builder.

1. The work crew showed up on time and were very efficient at preparing to do the work. 2. They were careful in respecting our wishes on detailing certain areas. 3. Mr. Hong listened attentively to our questions and answered them very professionally. 4. The refinishing process took 3 days for the number of coats of finish that we wanted. 5. They were very clean and polite.

I was very happy and impressed with Bo's work and the meticulousness and conscientiousness of his team. For a fairly small project, his team put the same amount of effort and craftsmanship they would on a much-bigger paying job. The workers always showed up on time, took great care to keep the pathways to the bathroom clean and cleaned up afterwards. We had a newborn, and their work never disturbed the baby. They were very meticulous with the tile work, listened well to our somewhat esoteric demands for a bathroom niche. They always gave us great warning and and quot;heads-upand quot; for when we could and could not use the bathroom (it's the only one we have). The only wrinkle was in communication about consulting which materials to use - we found it was a little difficult to communicate over emails, but Bo was always good on the phone and in person. I would definitely use Bo and his team again.

Remodel went quite well. On-time and on-budget. Purchase much of material on own with help from contractor. Contactor did layout and design of kitchen which turned out as very good use of space. Looks more spacious than previously. Contractor suggested recess ceiling which looks very nice. Overall did a very good job. As with all contactors, helps to be present and provide feedback and punch lists.

We used Angieslist, and got 3 quotes from 3 of the recommended contractors on the site. Price wise all were within a few K of each other. We really appreciate all the input on this site. We went with Bo, mainly because how he took the time to review and discuss with us in details in a manner we could understand what he would do, what to expect, and things he may be concerned with, but not sure, until you open up. We worked with us, as we were fine tuning what we wanted. Did not mind coming out twice to rework and adjust things. We were dealing with water damage issues and Bo and his team addressed the problem for us. New roof, outside exterior panels/walls, inside walls, completely remodeled bathroom (tile work), new deck (tile) on second floor, replaced two sliding doors, laid down a wood floor, and updated some electrical, too. There was plenty to do. This unit is a rental, and Bo work very well with us, working with the tenants to minimize as much inconvenience as possible given the trick and planning to work in a manner that did not completely disrupt everything for the entire portion of the project. The Project took about 3 weeks. When issues arouse, as one can expect when opening up waters with water damage, Bo was efficient in analyzing the situation and providing us options that took into account cost, but more importantly doing it right. The work was substantial, and they work efficiently and effectively. We were very pleased with the outcome. Working in the City, with neighbors and property lines so close, is not for everyone, and Bo stands out. The neighbors were impressed with his work and how he handled dealing/working with them. They told us they are planning to use him too as a result of the work.

Very pleased with Bo's work, and it was at a very competitive price (one other contractor was double Bo's rate). In about 5 workdays, Bo's team was able to remove existing windows, expand the opening, install a marvin-brand french door, and build a staircase and landing from the door to our backyard. Bo was able to anticipate the issues we'd face in converting my architect's drawings into reality (in hindsight, I think I would have been better off cutting out the architect, as Bo will do drawings too). My project may have been small, but Bo was responsive to my questions, knew his stuff, and got it done quick. As luck would have it, we ended up with a very and quot;unfavorableand quot; city inspector. The inspector decided, at final, that the plans were insufficient and asked for multiple minor changes. While it slowed the process down, Bo was able to work out a reasonable plan to satisfy the inspector, tweak a few bits of the work, and get past final. In the end, I'm very pleased with the quality of work Bo provided and thrilled with the speed/cost at which he completed the project.

Bo and his team replaced our entire back staircase. This was phase two of the project. Again, Bo provided excellent work for a fair price. His schedule was flexible and he was always available by phone whenever I had questions. The work was finished quickly and cleanly and the staircase looks great and meets all of the safety standards. Most importantly, Bo acted as our interface for the SF Building Dept inspector. You hear nightmare stories about people's interactions with the SF DBI, but Bo is extremely knowledgable about all of the confusing and convoluted building codes and regulations. The inspector just took a quick look and realized that everything was done very professionally and up to code. Bo is a professional contractor you can trust to do large jobs that will have no issues with passing SF building inspections.

after nearly a couple years of trying to get someone to build a deck reasonably . . . we finally found Bo . . . My dilemma was trying to keep costs down by not hiring to many separate people for each and quot;stageand quot; of the job... Bo took the entire project, start to finsh, and took care of it all.... He came over, we went over the ideas and possibilities..., he then came to me with the drawings, we fiddled a bit and then we went with it . . . He took the drawings to the city, got the permits and started the job... after so many quotes and meeting with architectural designers and all these people with their own costs and fees, i was relieved to find someone to do it all . . . no more planning dept for me etc, no meeting with inspectors . .. i just went about my days and watched the progress.... all i had to do was pick out the right stain . . . if there is a one-stop builder, it's Bo... the work was all done beautifully and we couldn't be happier... the house is a million times better now. . . next stop? re-model the downstairs rec room . . . . time to call Bo.

Bo Hong, general contractor, replaced a partial fence and rebuilt my stairs and deck in Dec. 2012. I was very pleased with the work that I hired him to replace the two windows in front of my house. About six weeks before the date of installation, Mr. Hong came and took the measurements of my window and said he will call when they arrive to the supplier. A couple of weeks later, I received the call with an approximate date for installation. Mr. Hong called me four days in advance with the scheduled date. The very first step Mr. Hong's workers took was laying down carpet protection and making sure the furniture in both rooms were also protected. Upon removing the old windows, it was discovered they had not been installed correctly. Because of this, additional preparation work had to be done before installing the new windows. Mr. Hong fully explained the work his employees would be doing to correct the problem. In addition to the windows, interior and exterior window trim was also replaced. Exterior molding below the windows was added so when it rains, the water would roll away from the window sills. My house is Mediterranean style that has three columns with wood bases. Over 20 year ago, the wood bases were replaced with plywood which were showing signs of dry rot. Mr. Hong replaced them with redwood. Where necessary, patch work was done on the exterior and interior walls with a coat of paint. Because of the additional work, it took three days to complete. Mr. Hong's employees worked diligently and were very considerate to me. The windows are beautiful and I've noticed that the noise from outside is quieter. Two of my neighbors were impressed with the work being done and requested Mr. Hong's business card.

We have a good experience with Bo and his team. Their punctuality is impeccable. They showed up on time before 8:30 a.m. every morning, waited in their cars until 8:30 before coming in. They did insulation, drywall, painting and hardwood floor with beautiful result. The important thing to me is that they are willing to go the extra mile to make their customers happy. Good communication throughout the project. I would use them again.

BWH builders was great. Bo made many suggestions but was never pushy and understood the quirks of our 100+ year old house -- most other contractors were far more reluctant to take on such challenges. They were able to complete the work on time and on budget.

The project is approximately last 2 month and a half, since we need to wait lights, appliance and other stuff. The remodeling last more than what we are expecting, but that happened, so be prepared. BWH is very helpful, the general contract Bo helped us a lot, since we cannot be there all the time, but we feel good to leave the project to him, very clean work, and the house is a lot better than before.

Bo Hong was my third contractor that I interviewed from Angie's List. It did not take me too long to realize that he was the right contractor for my project. Besides teaching construction classes at City College, he is also a building inspector. He is extremely knowledgeable about SF building codes. Within a few days, Bo sent me the proposal which I had accept. At our first meeting, he did inform me that he had four projects ahead of mine. A couple of weeks after that meeting, Bo called and gave me a starting date and a projection of seven days to complete the project. Prior to the date, he met with me to sign the proposal and was willing to make some minor changes. The workers arrived every day at 8:30am, lunched 12-1pm and left at 5pm. Upon arrival every day, the workers brought in all the equipment and materials so my garage doors could remain close. Bo would come at least twice a day to check on the project and at times to help his crew. When a portion of my stairs was removed, the workers discovered dry rot on a supporting post and notified Bo right away. He arrived shortly and put my concerns to rest with explaining how he will fix the problem. The workers replaced the supporting post the next morning. At the end of every day, I would meet with Bo and he went over what the workers did that day. He would give me a full explanation and answered my questions where I fully understood the work. There is so much reinforcement with my stairs and landing, I have never felt more safe going up and down. Bo and I have already discussed another project that I want for him to be in charge of in my house. He is someone I feel trust with and I know he can get the job done in a professional way. I highly recommend him.

Bo and his team are PROFESSIONALS! In addition to being master builders, Bo teaches construction at City College and does inspections for the city. Needless to say, he's well-connected with subcontractors and wants to do the job the right way. They did a fantastic job, were here on-time every day and did exactly what we asked. Inspections went smoothly as well. A number of times they gave us great advice on way's to improve on our ideas, both aesthetically and functionally. I came to really trust and value their advice. We threw them quite a few change orders, which they took in stride and often threw in for free. I can't say enough good things about this company! My only regret is not finding and hiring them earlier. I hired a different contractor for a previous remodel and I see now that Bo would have met or exceeded the quality of that work, and would have saved me a LOT of money. Hire them now! You will not be disappointed.

We had such a great experience working with Bo on our bathroom remodel (see review submitted 10/29/11), we didn't consider anyone else for this project. We gave him a heads up a couple of months before we wanted to start the project, he came over to discuss the project, cost, and timing. He came over closer to the start to go over additional details and provided suggestions of suppliers to go to check out cabinets, etc. As with the bathroom project, we gave him a final list of materials, colors, fixtures, etc.that we wanted and he went out and looked for lower cost alternatives if available. He always had good suggestions and we went with many of them (for example, adding a soffit above the peninsula). We didn't pass one of the first electrical inspections, the inspector had a completely different interpretation of a code and failed an item that had passed several inspections last year when the bathroom was remodeled. Thanks to Bo's diligence, the project delay was minimal: he went to SF City Hall to inquire about the proper interpretation of the code and was able to schedule another, more experienced inspector to come back to the house and inspect. We passed that inspection and then the final electrical inspection with no problems. His workers showed up on time every day they were scheduled, worked extremely hard, and cleaned up at the end of the day. The entire project took only 3 weeks and we're delighted with the results.

Found Bo Hong (AKA BWH Builder Inc.) through Angie's List. We got several quotes for the work and Bo's was one of the lowest. He understood immediately what we needed when he took a look at the job. He has clearly been in the business for a long time and knows what he is doing. He has a very good understanding of SF city building code, which can be extremely confusing. The finished job exceeded my expectations and it was completed on time and on budget. Feel confident in hiring Bo as your contractor. He is honest, fair, punctual, and responsive - a true professional.

What a relief and genuine pleasure it was to work with Bo Hong and his company. We have an older home that i considered extremely difficult to repair-- near the coast (half moon bay area), on the side of a hill, with three levels of decking. We needed portions of the decking (including parts of the decking foundation) repaired and replaced as well as the repair/replacement of all of all our plumbing fixtures (3 full bathrooms and the kitchen faucet) to account for corrosion due to age. I was concerned that the work would be more difficult than a and quot;remodeland quot; contractor could accomplish due to the structural decking issues, but too varied and too and quot;smalland quot; a project to be of interest to a home building type contractor. Still, we had some serious problems, and I was hoping to find one company that would handle the variety of projects we needed accomplished. Having had very bad luck in the past with building contractors, and fearful of a repeat that our past mistakes had cost us, i signed up for Angie's list to contact three home building contractors, including Mr. Hong's BWH Builder. One contractor did not work on the coastside, one contractor did not call back, and only BWH Construction was responsive. Based on Angie's list reviews of BWH, i also saw that Mr. Hong was on the faculty of the College of San Francisco, and was impressed by his background and bio: http://www.ccsf.edu/Departments/Construction_Technology_Department/faculty.html Mr. Hong came personally to meet me at our home to review the work that needed to be done. He told me that he needed to do a more extensive review of the decking problems, and returned for another free consultation for several hours. Based on his assessments, Mr. Hong's team completed the decking and plumbing work within a week !! and at an outstanding price. We supplied some of the upfront materials (fixtures), and paid for additional material costs as they arose (they provided the receipts from home depot, etc...and charged us the exact material costs). To say I am impressed is an understatement. The level of honesty and professionalism and fine work accomplished has left me feeling like I want to remodel perfectly good items in our home! Mr. Hong was extremely knowledgeable (...thus he is a professor of construction) and thorough, and recommended many ways we could save money (replacing only critical load posts and boards on the deck vs. total replacement of larger portions I thought we needed). I have no doubt that we could have easily spent many multiples of what this job ultimately cost us by going to single specialty contractors, or ...anyone else, for that matter. The work was thorough and clean- the plumbing work required removal of some parts of walls behind the showers, which they re-patched and re-textured and repainted to match the original wall pattern. Mr. Hong's staff even took the extra effort to throw away some of our old excess materials from another repair project that had been laying around under our home. If i could give BWH Builder 10 and quot;Aand quot; ratings I would. I don't often write reviews, and am usually pretty picky. However, I thought this company was exceptional, and would like to highly recommend it to other Angie's list users.

We were impressed with Bo and his crew from start to finish. It was clear during the estimate visit that Bo was knowledgeable of San Francisco building codes and he even suggested a few ideas when told what we wanted to do with the bathroom. Bo's estimate, which was competitive but not the lowest, was thorough, detailed, and delivered to us on time. We had found a supplier for the particular white beveled subway tile we wanted; Bo found a local supplier of a very similar tile which we approved and saved us about $800. He also found and purchased the shower fixtures and other items we'd selected at less than retail. Bo kept us informed each day of the work plan for the next several days and the crews arrived each day when we were told they would. We really appreciated Bo's opinions and insights. His crew worked diligently, produced work of high quality, were courteous and respectful, and cleaned up each day (as much as could be expected given the work being done). We passed all inspections with no issues. The project went only a few days beyond his estimated two weeks, the delays were mostly due to inspectors' schedules. We are planning to remodel our kitchen in 2012 and will very likely hire Bo for that project.

We highly recommend and unequivocally endorse BO Hong as a general contractor for residential remodeling. We needed our loft remodeled on all three floors, reconfiguring and repurposing space for efficiency. We knew from remodeling horror stories that in the end, it would cost 50% more than the original estimate, it would be at least 6 weeks late and the punch list would be long than the initial job. We experienced NONE of these issues with Bo. He brought the job in on time and on budget even though we asked for more work along the way and he had to make adjustments to the project. His crew was fully staffed every day, at the house every morning ready to work, very polite (our condo neighbors even commented on how polite the crew was!) and hard workers. BO did a great job of solving problems, offering up design ideas and keeping us on track and well informed throughout the process. The end result is dramatically better than anything we expected because of BO's great ideas and problem solving. If you have any residential remodeling job, you will be well served to interview BO face to face in the space. He has a vast amount of practical knowledge and experience and you will be surprised by his design sense. We would hire him again and we feel very lucky that we found him for this job - the experience and the end result is exceptional. Just to show you our confidence, I am posting this review prior to BO finishing some final touches because I am that confident that he will treat us right.

We remodeled the entire kitchen - cabinets, countertops, ceiling, flooring, electrical, lighting. He had very friendly and honest workers whom he supervised himself. They demolished the old kitchen in 1.5 days and rebuilt the entire kitchen in about 8-9 days. Overall, we are very happy and highly recommend him.