American Design & Build

They are ok if you have the time to project micro manage and provide feedback to ensure the job is done to your satisfaction. Company could improve on their project oversight and attention to details. I would actually give them 2.5 stars.

Our great experience with this company started with the visit from Andrew Gao to give us an estimate on our kitchen remodel. He was receptive, open-​minded about what we wanted and made further suggestions that dove-​tailed with our ideas (and our budget — not too glorious, just subtle and elegant). He showed himself to be a creative thinker and good problem solver.
His company performed a top quality execution of the design. He used artisan level tile workers and detail-​perfect granite installers and worked closely with the city to bring the house into conformity with all building codes.
We decided during construction to do our bathrooms and found the work done beautifully in those rooms, too. This was during the slow winter of 2009, so they were able to schedule work on the bathrooms immediately following the completion of the kitchen.
Whenever we were dissatisfied with how something turned out or if we felt that a minor flaw should be corrected to bring it to perfect, Andrew always had someone there to re-​do it. For example, we had the fireplace brick bench and ceiling-​high façade taken down and walled over. The first time through, the wall bowed a bit. They worked at it two more times until it came out to our satisfaction. The wall looks beautiful now.
Altogether, our whole-​house remodeling experience was exactly as it should have been — a cooperative effort among all of us with continuous good communication back and forth about what we wanted and what they could do for us. We feel that we got a good deal by working with ADB: not rock bottom prices but fair money for fair work.

The American Design and Build Team, led by Andrew Gao, did an exceptional job on our master bathroom. The entire 1980’s style bathroom was gutted and a Zen-​inspired bathroom was created.
We first met Andrew at the Pleasanton Home Show. When he came to our house for our first consultation, he was on time and brought his own shoe booties to wear to not scratch the floors or to bring any dirt inside. We discussed our bathroom vision and followed up with pictures of what we were trying to achieve. We had already drew a plan and with Andrew’s expertise and guidance, he assisted with telling us if it was realistic.
The craftsmen of The American Design and Build Team are experts in their fields. They showed up when they were supposed to and worked hard. Andrew was always available via cell and/​or email and would periodically stop by to see how things were going. Our onsite contact person was Kai. Kai’s technical skills are exceptional and we were very pleased with his woodworking. Another person did the tile and his skills were also exceptional. At the end of each day, they left the work area clean and neat.
With all projects, there are occasional issues (not the fault of American Design). Of the few issues we had, Andrew was always there to help us solve and correct.
American Design and Build can do your remodel project and you can also purchase supplies from them. We shopped for what we wanted and Andrew’s pricing of items were comparable. You may be able to find things slightly less expensive on the internet, but we preferred to purchase via Andrew for timing, delivery, and convenience reasons.
Our master bathroom was such a success, that we started another bathroom remodel and with no hesitation, we called Andrew and American Design and Build.
We will continue to call Andrew whenever we have a remodel project.

After reading so many construction horror stories, I was prepared to encounter some of it during our remodeling. Every project will have some surprises and ours is no exception. But it was resolved pretty painlessly.
We have chosen ADB for our bathroom remodeling after interviewing a dozen contractors and getting quotes from 4 of them. First of all, ADB was flexible from the start, the owner and project manager, was able to accommodate our schedule by coming out on the weekend. We checked out the license and we got very positive reviews from the references. Andrew is easy to work with and we feel comfortable with him. ADB is not the least expensive but it is reasonable.
The scope of work was spelled out in detail and I found this very useful to keep track of tasks to be done. In addition, ADB doesn’t’ nickel and dime you. Andrew also offered good suggestion and always gave you the pro and cons on product and design. It also used good quality product. The workmanship is great. The tile work is exceptional. The crews are pleasant to work with and they did a great job cleaning up every day. It was a big help since we lived there during the construction.
We went through the same process to get several quotes for the kitchen remodeling the next year and we ended up picking ADB again and we were not disappointed.
There is still room to improve. On site project management is a bit lacking. However, it was compensated by frequent communication with the owner in the form of emails and followed up by phone calls. We were kept abreast of the schedule and inspection was handled seamlessly.
We were overall happy with these (2) projects. They were completed on time and on budget. Issues encountered were resolved fairly quickly. ADB will definitely be one of the candidates for our next remodeling.

I’m going to need years of therapy to get over my trauma from dealing with this company and its owner, Andrew Gao.
We hired them for a bathroom remodel, and things went from bad to worse. Sloppy work, no quality control, inattention to details or just plain cutting corners was how they operated. When we pointed out problems with the work we got a lot of excuses and push-​back. Andrew Gao even went so far as to tell us to check with the manufacturer a few times about proper installation if we didn’t believe him, who then verified what we were telling him. He never wanted to come to the site to see how things were going, and even asked us to oversee things for him. He asked my boyfriend to research and provide installation instructions several times, which they then disregarded. It was really amazing.
As if this wasn’t bad enough, they stopped work several times without telling us what was going on or when we could expect it to resume. When I called to find out what was going on he was very arrogant and rude and told me I was being pushy and that he had a plan to finish. He just wouldn’t tell me what the plan was, and even yelled at me.
In the end we were so stressed out we finally asked them to leave and found someone else to finish the work. When we terminated the contract he added a bunch of bogus charges for work that had already been done and paid for, and then threatened to put a mechanics lien on our property if we didn’t pay up.
The only thing Andrew Gao cares about is getting you to sign the contract and then getting your payments, he’s very on top of that! If you’re looking for a contractor do yourself a favor and find someone else!