Testimonials From CALCBS Clients

We chose Craig Lawson to make our home more energy efficient. He immediately put all the pieces together, answered all of our questions and walked us through every detail. He managed the Sonoma County Energy Independence Program application and approval process professionally and efficiently so much that we didn’t even have to go to the SCEIP office. In addition to taking care of our energy efficiency items, he also helped us with other problems we had at our home (drainage issues, dry rot, deck and siding replacement). We were so happy with his work that after our remediation and energy efficiency phases were complete, we used Craig for a comprehensive kitchen remodel. Their quality and attention to detail resulted in a finished product that has us falling in love with our home all over again. Their professionalism, excellent supervision and commitment to our relatively unyielding timeline and budget are valued and support the high standards they embrace. We are so happy and satisfied with Craig Lawson that we have and will continue to highly recommend him to anyone.

Brian & Joni Schmidt

We were convinced to use CAL Custom Building Services as our Energy Upgrade Contractor because Craig had data to support his Energy Upgrade recommendations. His proposal was a detailed “cafeteria list” with costs of each individual item clearly specified. Throughout the process, Craig communicated regularly and navigated the various regulations and rebate apllications for us, a much-appreciated bonus. We were impressed with the care of the crew; the house was cleaner after the job than before!
— Jerry and Micky Sarquis

“I have nothing but the highest praise for the work Craig Lawson’s crew performed on our home. Craig utilizes products of the finest subcontractors and were meticulous in paying attention to detail. His advice was crucial in achieving a beautiful new kitchen, along with all the other improvements to the house”. “When Craig’s employees said they would be at our house on a certain day and at a certain time, they were there, on time, and often stayed late in order to complete a particular phase of the job. When I changed my mind a couple of times, or was doubtful or vacillated about something, they simply took it all in stride until the details were successfully worked out. One of the most striking approaches of all was the care and consideration they showed for the rest of the home while working in a certain area, and they always took their shoes off before entering. That all really impressed me”. “I have no doubts at all about recommending Craig Lawson for any remodel or new home construction. His firm stresses integrity of workmanship from the top down, and is mindful of the trend towards energy conservation and a greener approach to home construction”.
— Joyce and Tom Kelly

“We chose Craig Lawson to make our home more comfortable and energy efficient. His assessment was detailed and understandable. He answered all of our questions and guided us through every step of the way. When we decided on using the Sonoma County Energy Independence Program, Craig handled the application and approval process with great knowledge and efficiency.” Craig’s professionalism and attention to detail support the high standards he embraces. The work was done on time and very much to our satisfaction. We truly enjoy the enhanced comfort level of our home due to the improvements he recommended. We are so happy and satisfied with Craig Lawson that we have and will continue to highly recommend him to anyone.
— Marie & John Theilade

“Craig Lawson is very thorough; and pays close attention to details. For us, we like the feedback we get. Craig goes the extra mile on the structural part, where he stands out is he doesn’t want to cut any corners”
— Kelly Johnson, Johnson, DeBois & Forrest Engineering

Craig and CALCBS did a great job for us. Their preparation, organization, and attention to detail throughout the process was impressive, and the result has been very good. Our home is more livable and energy efficient. One thing that was important to us was follow-up after the work was completed. Craig has always been very available and very responsive – even after the job was over – - and we’re grateful for the good work.
— Max Beach, Santa Rosa

“In 2011 we used CAL Custom Building Services, Inc. (CALCBS) to improve the energy efficiency of our home as well as remodel our kitchen and master bathroom.” We were completely satisfied with all phases of the job. From the up-front planning and cost estimates through management of the project everything was done professionally. My wife and I made many changes during the project and CALCBS went out of their way to come up with solutions that worked and were cost effective. They also managed their subcontractor’s work effectively representing our interests first and foremost. As a bonus our financial decision to proceed with the work was based in part upon their estimate of rebates we could qualify for from PG&E and to my delight we exceeded that amount by 25%. Finally the care and concern they showed for our home during construction was wonderful. Work areas were sealed off to prevent dust from getting into the rest of the house and everyone, including subcontractors, removed their shoes or wore booties. My wife and I would highly recommend CALCBS to anyone considering remodeling their home or improving energy efficiency.
— Greg & Pat Hrones

We started out doing an Energy Upgrade to our house acting as our own contractor. We discovered it was way more complex then we imagined. So when we went to do the next phase we called Craig at CAL Custom Building Services to assess and complete our Energy Upgrade needs. The value CALCBS brought, included, but was not limited to: ? Coordination from beginning to end of the project with consistent follow-up to our questions. ? A Licensed, Insured, General Contractor with professional training and Certification in Home Performance. ? A highly trained, professional, courteous staff, that treated our home with the utmost respect. ? A team of Licensed, Insured subcontractors, that performed their specialty works on our home, with the same diligence and respect. ? A detailed Energy Assessment, which included a work-scope of items based on test data that were fairly priced. ? Reduced energy bills. ? A stress free process. ? Delivered vs. promised results, in other words, they exceed our expectations on comfort. We greatly appreciate Craig and his staff’s friendly, professional service and highly recommend CALCBS for anyone considering Energy Upgrade work on their home. Rod and Donna Stevenson
— Rod and Donna Stevenson, Santa Rosa

“My husband and I were desirous of reducing our carbon footprint with a goal to reduce it to as close to zero as possible. We retained Craig Lawson to manage a home energy upgrade that replaced our aging furnace, installed new duct work, sealed up the drafts, and blew in a new layer of attic insulation, among other things.” We are both very satisfied with the quality of work and the project management of the job was excellent. Both of us knew what was going to happen and when, the work was done when promised, if not before, and our house was treated with respect and care during the entire process. All of the above made a big job go smoothly with minimal impact on us. Tim & I are delighted with the performance and are amazed how much more comfortable our home is now and our energy bills have dropped as well! Our overall experience with Craig Lawson was so good, we have even offered to hold an Open House at our home to allow our friends and neighbors to meet Craig and his staff, and have a general discussion about their services.
— Tanya Narath & Timothy Stewart

“My wife and I recently contracted with Craig Lawson for an energy audit and subsequent energy efficiency retrofit of our 20 year old home. His evaluation was efficient, detailed and understandable. He reviewed the results with us and offered us options on how we wanted to deal with the inefficiencies that turned up, including financing options.” We were very impressed with how well his crew performed their work, and how respectful they were of our home and property. When the crew left each night, you could not tell we were undergoing a construction project. The work was done on time and very much to our satisfaction. We are very pleased with the way our house feels, and look forward to being cooler this summer and warmer when the cold weather returns.
— Rich & Gale Thayer

“I liked the fact that Craig had built many, many, different types of homes in different locations; Craig was very helpful and gave me valuable advice on what he had learned; the quality of the home he built is astounding.”
— Ajaib and Sue Bhadare

We utilized CALCBS for an energy upgrade for our home constructed in 1981. As everyone knows, doing work on your home is invasive, at best. We have nothing but praise for the courtesy, competence, and accuracy of Craig and his crew. Attention to detail, informing us of the schedule of work, and cleanliness while in and around our home were top notch. We would recommend anyone considering an energy upgrade to look at CALCBS and the SCEIP program prior to making a decision to go elsewhere. I have been a contractor for many years and CALCBS is as good as it gets.
— John Bly and Linda Nolet, Santa Rosa

“My husband and I recently purchased a home that was built in 1980 in its original condition and needed quite a bit of updating. We hired CALCBS as our contractor, designer, and consultant for both the remodel and energy upgrade work. Craig worked within our budget to virtually create a new home that exceeded our expectations and all of our wants and needs. Prior to performing the energy upgrade our home was either freezing cold or boiling hot and our PG&E bills were a scary reflection of that. We were honestly a bit skeptical of just how big of a difference the home energy upgrade work could really do; and we are happy to say that our home is a perfectly even temperature throughout and we do not have to play a game of thermostat wars any longer! CALCBS performed clean, timely, and extremely thorough service to bring our vision of a new updated and comfortable home to life.”
— Tiffany and Scott Bagala

Craig Lawson and CALCBS were recommended to us to perform an energy audit on our 50 year old home. He presented a detailed energy efficiency report and a competitive energy efficiency upgrade for our home. He met with us several times to review the results and offered us options on how we wanted to deal with multiple energy inefficiencies. In addition, CALCBS also provided a competitive bid for our kitchen and living room remodel, and walked us through the permitting process, as well as suggested changes to our construction drawings to ease the process. The foreman, Mike Fitzgerald, was prompt daily and communicated with us as to the progress of the work, and what they would be doing that day and in the near future. Mike also provided valuable input for minor changes that improved the overall function of the renovation. It was very clear that CALCBS has good working relationships with their subcontractors and Mike kept them on schedule. CALCBS and the subcontractors all kept a neat working environment and cleaned up at the end of the day. The energy upgrade and remodel were very successful, and we were able to qualify for the highest level rebate from Energy Upgrade California. In fact, just a few days ago, but months after completion of the work, Craig contacted us with information regarding an additional showcase and rebate program newly offered by Marin County. Overall, we have been pleased with CALCBS and the project result. Thank you CALCBS! Amy & Tim Gilleran
— Amy and Tim Gileran, Santa Rosa

“It was our desire to update and improve the performance and comfort of our 21 year old home. Following research of companies that had the capability and reputation to conduct a full-home performance energy assessment and improvements, we selected Craig Lawson.” Craig and his team’s assessment was comprehensive, identifying numerous long-term and substantial problems in the original construction of our home, including insulation, ducting, heating, plumbing and other related items. Equally important, Craig’s team did an outstanding job improving the comfort and performance of our home, and are deserving of our highest recommendation to other homeowners.
— Hedley & Shannon Lawson

I went to CALCBS seeking to save money on my PG&E bill and also looking for them to make my home more comfortable for myself and my family. I am very pleased with the results. They installed a heating system half the size of our former one, that delivers more uniform comfortable heat,created more space, and will be a great return on our investment by reducing our heating bills. The state of the art environmental control system they installed, replacing our old thermostat, has changed the way we used to manage the different seasons. As a technology expert myself, I was very impressed with how CALCBS utilized building science and computer modeling to fulfill our needs making our home more comfortable, healthy and safe for our family. We highly recommend CALCBS for anyone seeking Energy Improvements to their home.
— Vinny and Stefanie Bagala

My Montgomery Village area home, built in 1952, was in need of several improvements. Original to the house were the windows, roof, wall furnace and other (lacking) components. CAL Custom Building Services performed diagnostic testing to determine the condition of my homes systems, and what course of action was best moving towards my goal of improved comfort, energy efficiency and reduced carbon footprint. Their analysis yielded a detailed list of recommendations which we implemented. They included: • Installing a new Energy Star rated cool metal roof • Installing a combined Hydronic air handler heating system which utilized the hot water from my fairly new water heater as the heating source • Installing new low “e” argon gas windows • Installing new attic insulation (after air sealing the attic) • Installing a bath fan in the master bathroom with a time delayed off switch. • Installing a kitchen hood • Re-grading my crawl space, repairing my sump pump and installing a moisture barrier. • Insulating the floor CALCBS created a schedule prior to starting any work, and they completed the job per that schedule. They respected my home, with their crews and vendors never entering without wearing booties, placing down tarps, and always making sure they cleaned up behind themselves daily. I would highly recommend using CALCBS for Energy Upgrade or Renovation work.
— Paul Harris

CALCBS did a fantastic job on my house remodel and energy upgrade and it has made all the difference in the enjoyment of my home. For the first time ever, I have a beautiful and functional kitchen and a warm and cozy home and I am spending half of what I typically spend on heating. I used to walk around in multiple layers of clothing to stay warm. For this cold December, the house has been warm and I have not needed to wear a sweater. The amazing part is that my PG&E gas bill for December was only $21.69, compared to $79.62 last year. The whole team at CALCBS was great to work with from start to finish. I especially liked that CALCBS uses all local companies. I would recommend Craig, Mike and the team anytime!
— Jenny Bard

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