We have known Cameron Habel for over 7 years, during which time he has done a series of projects for us in two separate houses – a garage to home-office conversion in 2000, structural repairs to our 1930's Mediterranean home in the Oakland Hills in 2001, and in 2002 the design and building of a utility room in the center of our new home in Orinda. In June of 2006 he completed a large scale remodel of our kitchen, entry, living room/dining room and family room.

Through each project our appreciation of Cameron has grown. He is different in virtually every way from other building professionals with whom we have dealt. For example, his attention to detail, appreciation for aesthetics, unsurpassed workmanship and design ability place him in a class of his own. Unlike most contractors, Cameron Habel Construction takes on only one large project at a time. The days of disappearing contractors and lengthy delays are gone when one uses Cameron Habel Construction.

Cameron has exceptional organizational skills – he knows how long each project will take and lays out a firm time-line, which he adheres to with remarkable reliability. If anything, he tends to run ahead of schedule!! He is always present when subcontractors are there to perform work. And their work, from adding photovoltaic panels to laying a concrete floor and transforming a marble fireplace, is held to the same standard of excellence as his own. Cameron’s cost estimates are incredibly accurate – he does not run over on projections, and is always conscious of the client’s price-point comfort level.

Although not formally trained as an architect, we have always relied on Cameron to develop all of our remodeling plans, including the most recent project which involved many architectural changes to the existing floor plan from the removal of walls, to the dropping of a ceiling, the creation of a lighted soffit and other details. We are delighted with the results, which have thoroughly transformed not only the appearance of our home, but the way in which we utilize the space.

Cameron is also a certified green builder, and his commitment to the environment and sustainable building practices is commendable. Cameron suggested the idea of donating our old kitchen cabinets to Habitat for Humanity, along with our appliances, fixtures, doors, roofing materials and other odds and ends. When the demolition of our kitchen began in January 2006, we were surprised to watch the care which was taken to remove and preserve each cabinet. Cameron arranged for the pick-up of these items – on which there was not only a tax write-off, but a sense of contributing to conservation efforts. No doubt it would have been much quicker (and louder) to take a giant sledge-hammer and pummel each existing cabinet to splinters, before tossing it into a large dumpster destined for landfill. But this is not what Cameron is about.

Which brings us to a sense of the person, something of great importance when one is living in a remodel zone as we did for over five months. Cameron and his employees were always friendly, conscientious, thoughtful, honest, professional, timely, patient and truly a joy to have around. Our young children were quite curious about what was happening and many accommodations were made with them in mind, from allowing them to climb on the scaffolding (supervised of course), to entertaining their building-related questions, to rearranging the type of work performed when they were ill. Far from the intrusive presence that most contractors cast, Cameron Habel Construction blended into our family unit, to the point that in truth, we sort of miss them!!

In conclusion, we recommend Cameron Habel Construction with much enthusiasm. Cameron is a master craftsman, who does seamless work that is completed on time and within budget – one couldn’t ask for more.

--Neil and Bekki Gilbert

see the work :: return to endorsements