"Woohoo!! My dream bathtub/shower combo is no longer a dream -- it's a reality! And I have none other than Shay and Cairn Construction to thank. I could not be a happier woman. :)

I've wanted a bathtub for 3 years now. In this time, I had several estimates from different contractors. At first, I thought that since Shay and the Cairn company was so well put together (and since they insisted in doing it the "right" way), it would be obscenely expensive. However, after bringing in a few "shadier" contractors (read: no license), it turns out the price estimates were actually pretty damn close.

You know that "twice as expensive, twice as long" saying, when it comes to construction? Not here!! It actually came in slightly lower than I anticipated and the time frame fit exactly what was promised.

Furthermore, I'm not that girly interior decorator type; it's not my specialty. So I really depended on Shay to take the initiative and pick the products he knew where good quality, affordable, and classic looking at the same time. With little to no direction, he pulled off a damn beautiful bathtub.

The best part? The water temperature actually gets hot AND the water pressure is amazing. Yeay for me!!

Oh, and he is great at being responsive, but isn't at all pushy. None of this disappearing act stuff or trying to pressure me into something I don't want to do.

Oooh ooh, and he's fantastic for referrals! I found my electrician through him. Do yourself a favor and call him!

"Cairn just completed our attic remodel / conversion - the top flat of a 1906 Victorian. The project added 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms under a brand new set of dormers, as well as two balconies with views with giant sliding LaCantina glass walls. George at 2V Design was our architect.

I totally concur with Vlado H. at Yelp - Shay, Noel, Trevor, Mack and Felix were an amazing crew to work with - we are extremely satisfied with the end product and the entire process all along - and our neighbors had nothing but good to say about them during the 4-month job.

Noel ran the job, and kept the crew and all the subs on a tight schedule - never was there one idle day - significant progress was made every single week. They were extremely accommodating with all of our requests, and real pleasure to work with.

I wholeheartedly recommend Cairn!

"This review is long overdue. Who better to build-out the Yelp HQ offices than Cairn. Shay, Noel, Trevor and Mack were tasked with taking office space that had not been touched in 30 years and making it spectacular. No small feat, upon initial inspection even I was skeptical.

Cairn specializes in all forms of residential construction. As a favor they took on our project of revitalizing 30,000 square feet of commercial space in San Francisco . Little did they know they would deal with some pretty finicky clients. We came in under budget and right on schedule, no small task with our very condensed and aggressive timeline.

Cairn was a pleasure to work with, they were flexible and always with a can-do attitude. Most of us have heard of experienced horror stories relating to construction projects, this was the complete opposite experience. I could not more strongly recommend Cairn.

"Our experience with Cairn Construction was absolutely first-rate. We did a full house renovation, on time and within budget. Everyone, from Shay to Noel to the person responsible for the smallest detail, was a pleasure to work with. No concern of ours was considered trivial and no surprises were insurmountable. They know their stuff and are open to suggestions. We cannot emphasize enough what fine professionals they are. We were actually sad to see the project end!"
Pacific Heights Homeowner
“Working with you was a pleasure. No matter what we asked for, you were never frustrated with us. Thank you for making the project easy on us an our neighbors. We cannot wait to work with you again. Shay and Noel, thank you for making us feel like we were part of the Team. Mac, thanks for going the extra mile. Trevor, thanks for respecting our neighbors. Paul, thanks for getting us onto a solid start with a good foundation. Eddie, thanks for the hundreds of outlets and illuminating our dream."
Rockwood Court Homeowner
"In San Francisco, where customers must compete to get good contractors, Cairn stands out as extremely professional and superbly competent from job bidding through to completion and permit sign-offs. Cairn understands the customer and communicates all details in a clear and honest fashion. For the ground-level addition to our 1914 Craftsman house, there were many challenging sub-projects and Cairn handled a difficult schedule and was up-front about all “developments.” Their sub-contractors are also first rate and were extremely flexible with us, helping to ease the transition back into our house, even after the job was complete. Finally, not only did the entire Cairn organization respect our needs, but they worked very cooperatively and effectively with our architect, who in our case was also the project manager."
Noe Valley Homeowners
“We wanted you to know that it was a pleasure to work with Cairn on our Project. I can’t think of very many people who would have stuck with such a complicated Project, but you did – and I am grateful that we had you by our side for the entire time. We both feel incredibly fortunate to have had Cairn as our contractor. We know that it wasn’t an easy Project, and we really appreciate your commitment, your good nature, and your undying efforts to make everything work out. It is an incredible house and we hope you are proud of a very hard job well done. I hope that you and everyone involved in the Project accepts this letter as a sincere thank you for your dedication, perseverance and hard work."
Castro Street Homeowner
"Adamson Molina Design, Inc. has been working in collaboration with Cairn Construction for the past five years on a variety of scale projects. Adamson Molina recommends Cairn Construction because of their ability to estimate a project at the schematic level and follow through the construction in alignment with their original estimate. Shay Lyons is extremely professional and his associates are equally competent. In all, the Cairn team makes the task of construction enjoyable."
AMD - Architect/Design
"As a Kitchen and Bath Designer I have occasion to work with a lot of different contractors. But I enjoy working with Cairn Construction whenever possible. They do excellent work with a high degree of professionalism while keeping the project fun and stress free. I always recommend Cairn Construction to all of my clients."
Susan Templer - Templer Interiors
"When you start a major remodel in the close quarters of San Francisco, your neighbor's can't help but be nervous about what it means for them: noise, dust, trash, and parking problems. Some contractors couldn't care less but not Cairn. They managed to build a garage, a foundation, a deck, and a fire escape, gut and rebuild 7,000 square feet, and keep a tidy job site all the while. We've even had unsolicited compliments from our neighbors on how polite, friendly, and helpful the Cairn crew has been! It is great to know we'll be moving back in with our new neighbors and friends."
Pacific Heights Homeowners
"Great work and great people. It is always a pleasure to work with Cairn Construction."
Craig Steely - Architect
"Working with Cairn Construction has been a delightful experience from start to finish. Cairn brings to the project the unique combination of European workmanship with energy of America. We had virtually no cost over runs on the renovation job on a house built in the late 1800s. In fact, we were so impressed with the Cairn team we had them pick the architect. How many clients can say that about their contractor."
Mill Valley Homeowner
"In my six years of working in San Francisco, Cairn Construction proves to be one of the best construction businesses around. They are friendly, intelligent and are very skilled in their trade. Always diligent and professional about their jobs, they provide the kind of quality construction services not often found in the Bay Area. Fine craftsmanship and punctual service in a friendly manner is why Cairn Construction is always one of my first recommendations for a general contractor."
A+O, Architecture & Objects
“We have been very happy with Cairn Construction. They have done a number of jobs for us, including rebuilding a deck, residing the house with cedar shingles, installing new front steps, and most recently building a 2-car garage. The craftsmanship is outstanding. They are friendly, reliable, and highly knowledgeable. The work is done on time, and they are excessively neat, leaving the site immaculate at the end of each work day. They stand by their work (we recently asked them to repair a front step that had rotted, and they replaced it free-of-charge -- six years after the original work). We will continue to use them and hope that they don't become too popular."
Noe Valley Homeowner
“Cairn was genuinely concerned about our wishes during every aspect of the construction. We never felt that they pushed back on any of our requests or changes. They are truly customer focused and very pleasant to deal with. It is very difficult findig a construction company to work with, we have used Cairn on two projects, one small and one large. We highly recommend Cairn and as we think about new projects we can honestly say never let anyone else work on our home.”
Forest Hill Homeowner
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