Cerami Builders - Testimonials

When a construction site is run really well, and when the Owners are well taken care of, a project stands a good chance of being an enjoyable and fun (and big!) event in life. Paul Cerami runs his business with these things in mind and consistently produces fantastic results while keeping the process lively and fun.

Paul is one of those contractors who has superb staff that have been with him a long time, which speaks volumes both about how much Paul cares about the product and how well he treats every-one around him. From an architect's point of view, Paul's communicative nature and his ready supply of constructive ideas is incredibly valuable.

It boils down to this: projects that Paul builds are better be cause he is the one building them. I've known Paul for years, in the architect / builder relationship, as a friend, and as a fellow musician; in each case Paul brings a joy and an allowing inclusiveness to the proceedings. Life is more fun when Paul is around.

-Gary Earl Parsons
Architect

If you are considering building or remodeling your home, Paul Cerami and Cerami Builders will do marvelous things to make your desires and visions into reality. This letter of reference touches on some of the positive aspects of our experience with Paul.

Broadly speaking, in our experience Paul and his team opened us to many possibilities we did not know existed when we began the process. They have added count-less touches of aesthetic beauty and functionality to bring our architect Gary Parson's vision for our home to its fullest expression.

In the selection of building materials Paul has a keen eye for quality and durability – two key elements of what is now fashionable to call "green building." Indeed Paul has been building durable, quality homes for over 20 years – homes built to last, the antithesis of the cheap, prefabricated, production-built homes that dot so many American subdivisions these days. Cerami Builders has been quite "green" all along even though they haven't hung out a shingle specifically advertising themselves this way.

And if you are specifically interested in green building (as we were), Paul and his crew are very informed regarding the growing array of products and methods available today. Green product offerings have exploded in recent years – a recent article in a building magazine pointed out that there are three times as many countertop choices than just five years ago – and Paul can help greatly in winnowing down the possibilities to a manageable level. Too, Paul and his crew are adept at reusing ma terials that may be "left over" from demolition of the existing structure – a key element of green / sustainable building practice.

In our experience hiring Paul as our contractor, we found we were really buying a broad and deep network of relationships. Having built homes in Berkeley for as long as he has, Paul is on intimate terms with the key subcontractors – the electrical, plumbing, concrete, roofing, painting, flooring and other trades – that owner and contractor are dependent on to perform. Like a symphony conductor Paul arranged the timing and interdependencies of the whole team with a grace and panache that turned what can often be a pitfall of building / remodeling into a relatively stress-free, even enjoyable process. The result was that Paul's time frames for our project were realistic and he delivered to his word.

Because of all these factors, our experience with Paul and Cerami Builders was everything we'd heard the building process could be: a wonderfully creative opportunity to shape the home of our dreams – including the particular nuances, styles and quirks that are personal to our family, and which make a house into a home. Many people we know who have gone through the building / remodeling process were not able to truly enjoy it (or worse, found it turned into a nightmare) because the greater focus had to be given to the worrisome aspects (time delays, poor quality work, unworkmanlike crews or subs, contract bids that were wildly exceeded, etc.) that resulted from doing business with people they did not know and were not able to fully trust.

In my professional experience, working in real estate and construction financing at Wells Fargo for over 20 years, the best way to ensure success is to do business with the right people. Specifically, that means people who have a track record of success in building similar projects; people of integrity who perform to the spirit and letter of their agreements; people of experience who are proactive dealing with the little problems before they have a chance to fester into bigger ones; and people who have all of the ability and resources needed to make the project happen. I can wholeheartedly recommend Paul Cerami because in the experience of s our remodeling project he fulfilled all these criteria.

I would be happy to discuss any aspect of our experience with Paul in more detail and can be reached at 415-396-6634 (work), 510-843-3120(home) or by email at zpaulb@wellsfargo.com.

-Paul Brumbaum
Owner
1346 Grizzly Peak Blvd.
Berkeley, CA 94708