Tree of Life Stairs

I recently purchased a home and needed to redo the staircase. I had a couple of quotes and John was who we decided to go with, and we couldnt have been more happy with our choice. He did an amazing job and was great to work with. I highly recommend him!

I received a couple of messages from John, he said he felt sorry that he missed my calls and willing to make the effort to work for me. But I already had the work done by others. Overall, I update my rating to 4 stars because of John finally got back to me and tried to help.
Thank you John!

John was absolutely great to work with from start to finish. He recently completed a new stair railing for us, and it came out perfect. As a new homeowner, I was looking to cut down costs by doing some of the work myself (laying new engineered hardwood on top of the steps), and John was not only willing to work with me on this, but also gave me tips and advice on the best way to complete that part of the job. He made great design suggestions, and was completely reliable the whole way through. After meeting him on the first day to go over the final design, I was able to leave a key for him under the doormat and let him finish up the job on his own without feeling like I needed somebody home to keep an eye on him. He is completely trustworthy and I would definitely recommend him to anybody looking to get some stair work done.

John recently completed a stair remodel and wainscoting project at our house. He was on site about four weeks to get the job done. His work is impeccable. He pays attention to detail and he has remarkable vision for the look of the finished product. He always consulted me when reached a decision point, often making suggestions that improved the product, even though some of these required him to do additional work. He takes great pride in his work, a real master craftsman.
While it is always disruptive to have remodel work, it was a pleasure to work with John.

Wow! From beginning to end, we were impressed with John’s work and work ethics. When I say work, I really should be saying Art. John isn’t just a stair installer, he has vision and is creative. We wanted something a little modern but not overwhelming and he understood when he created our hand rail. He had many examples of what was possible, but he focused in on what we were thinking of and delivered more than we expected.
We were in a bit of time crunch as well and John worked with us on it. He was VERY quick with the work and left no mess at all. He was pleasant to talk to and you could see he loves his job, so the end result was spectacular to say the least. We would definitely recommend him.

I worked with 20+ contractor to extensively remodel my house. John, by far was the most punctual, reliable and responsive one. He showed up when he said he would, complete the job when he said he would and did a fantastic job. He did our stairs hand rails, balusters and wainscoting and the results were great. I highly recommend John and Tree of Life Stairs.

New home construction post PG&E explosion in San Bruno for my mother in law. Wife wanted a curved stairway and this was a must in the design. During construction the contractors had no idea how they would do the handrail since the curve was very tight and had several pitch changes. They asked 2 different stair specialists and they quotes came back ridiculously high. Mr Handrail himself said he would not even do the job. I took it upon myself to find someone and found John via Unilocal.When I met John I knew right off that he would be the guy. I do some woodworking myself and knew what to look for in a finish carpenter. John did an amazing job and I asked him to do the stair treads fro us and balcony wall cap as well. I so very pleased with his work and would not hesitate to recommend him for any stair or wood working job. Icing on the cake was his price came in well under any of the other guys we interviewed.

John did an amazing job on our stairs! He just finished the job yesterday, and I couldn’t be happier with the results.
Before the work started, we had lined up about a 7 or 8 bids. From those, only half actually showed up to the appointment. John was by far the most responsive and the easiest to communicate with. Although the other contractors we talked to seemed capable… I wasn’t 100% confident they understood what I wanted in our stairs. They spoke in «contractor terms» which went way over my head, or just nodded and said «yup, that’s fine.»
The biggest thing I stressed during our appointment was that I wanted to make sure this didn’t look like an «afterthought» to the house. I wanted it to look like it belonged there. John was able to take one look at the rest of our house and come up with an idea of what we wanted. He had an iPad with him, pulled up a bunch example photos… and they were perfect! Being able to visualize the project made me much more confidant that I wasn’t about to waste my money on something I didn’t like.
John went over several options with us to help suit our budget, and when we found one that we were comfortable with, we happily signed. He was able to start right away and was very conscious of our time frame. (I only had about 2.5 weeks to get this project complete before a big party!)
One thing I really liked was how NEAT he worked. I have an 11 month old son who gets into everything, so it was nice to come home to a house where tools were put neatly away, dust was swept up, and there were no exposed nails sitting around for my son to eat. He even had another person come to do a deep clean of our house and get rid of any dust that floated into our other rooms!
I’m a happy camper! We’re now thinking of having John come back to spruce up our 1970’s fireplace mantle.

My husband already wrote a review, but I’ll add a few things. While John specializes in stairs and wood detailing like wainscoting, he can do it all. I loved that I didn’t have to give him too much direction as to what I wanted. He used the existing details of our home to pick a type and finish that ties in beautifully. He’s my brother, so I’m quite comfortable with him obviously, but he’s both approachable and professional, so I can’t imagine anyone feeling uncomfortable working with him. And lastly he truly is a master at his trade, its facinating listening to him talk to a perspective client on the phone or see his finished work, he really can make anything you want… out of wood at least!

Full disclosure: John is my brother in law. Feel free to take the review below with a heaping of salt. Objectively though, I’d rate his work the same even if it was the first time I’d met him.
John did the wainscoting in the nursery for our first child. Although I’d seen some of his previous work and knew it was fantastic, I wasn’t sure how this job would turn out. I can be pretty particular about things, and wasn’t sure if the styling would come out how I wanted. That he is family added an extra dimension, as I’d have to be «happy» with his work even if it sucked. It most assuredly didn’t «suck», and he far exceeded my expectations.
The wainscoting makes the room «pop» and it is instantly something visitors key on as they enter the room. It adds a classic and cozy feel to the room for our first daughter. The craftsmanship is amazing; there isn’t any sloppiness to his work. You can tell he really takes pride in what he does.
Although there was a fair amount of wood to be cut, nothing ever escaped the room. I never saw dirt or wood dust anywhere else in the house. When he was done, the room was spotless.
Let’s face it, some people you don’t really want around your most valuable possessions even if they do great work. Obviously I’m a bit biased since John is my wife’s brother, but I’d have no problem with John working on my parent’s house or have a moment’s hesitation recommending him to a friend.

John does quality work for a fair price. He just finished our spiral stair case with Brazilian cherry and it looks perfect! Now he is working on our main staircase because the spiral looks so amazing!

John turned our ugly tract home stairs into beautiful oak!
He worked with us to choose the perfect components. His work is beyond excellent. He is professional, meticulous, and his work is done on time and with a great sense of humor.
I HIGHLY recommend John and Tree of Life Stairs!

John Flagg with Tree of Life Stairs has done work in my home. I am pleased to say that his craftmanship is impeccable! The work is beautiful, flawless, and solid. Honestly, my favorite thing in my home was crafted by Tree of Life. Moreover, the owner has a great character and integrity, always doing what he said he would, when he said he would. I highly recommend Tree of Life Stairs!