ROBERT GROWER - Construction is a challenge, especially in San Francisco. Tiziano of Leonardo Construction was one of several builders recommended to us by our architect. We hired Tiziano for a major remodel and expansion of our home due to his seeming ability to see the bigger picture and anticipate many of the hurdles that a large scale remodel and expansion in San Francisco can entail. At the end of the day we were very happy with our decision. Tiziano was patient, professional, communicative, and timely. He completed a six-month construction project and had us back in our home within three weeks of the original timeline. This was impressive given the number of variables in construction. He also made us feel as though we were his number one priority until we were settled back in our home. Tiziano takes great pride in his work, and it was very important to him that we were satisfied with each element of the design and build. He met with us weekly (and more frequently when requested) to walk through the site and answer all of our questions. Honesty and clear communication also critical with a contractor, and we felt Tiziano was both clear and truthful with us throughout the process. Where a few miscommunications happened, Tiziano proposed effective and smart solutions to keep the project moving forward and within our budget. Tiziano’s team was also very courteous, and professional. He does an excellent job of monitoring and supervising his employees and subcontractors. Overall, about as good of an experience as one can hope for when their home is torn apart and put back together.
CHRISTIN DROGIN - This is hands down the best contractor I have ever worked with. Tiziano listens to your ideas and concerns, was always on time, and COMMUNICATED with us (which has been a problem with contractors in the past). We plan to do a major remodel in the next couple of years, and we are so happy we don't have to interview contractors again, because we know Tiziano is a great one!
ELAINE PARDINI - After comparing several remodel projects by different San Francisco contractors, and noticing the superior workmanship of those by Leonardo Construction, I decided to contact this company for an initial meeting. My property is a 3-bedroom Victorian built in 1906 in the Castro district. After the initial meeting with the contractor, Tiziano Straccia, I did not even bother to contact any other builder. His professionalism and knowledge was apparent from the very start - it was clear he had much experience in these types of renovations. His ideas and vision for the flat were exactly in line with mine, and he understood my budget for the project, knowing how and where to focus my funds. Because I was renovating it as a rental, I needed advice on the degree of the improvements and the most appealing, timeless and durable fixtures, finishes, materials and appliances. At his recommendation, I also hired Ashley Roi Jenkins as the designer for the project. Her creativity and knowledge was extremely helpful in all the desicion-making with regard to style and functionality - very professional. One of the many strengths of Leonardo Construction/Tiziano Straccia is the feeling of inclusion in every aspect of the renovation and excellent and frequent communication. Our communication was almost always via email, and any questions or worries I had were promptly addressed. The entire project progressed so smoothly - I had every confidence that he would handle the problems of remodeling such an old building and would know how to best address them. Even though I do not live in the area, I was always aware of the status of the project, and via drop box, I could see the progress step by step. Other strengths that come to mind are his honesty, pride in his work, and attention to detail. I cannot adequately describe the amazing transformation! When finished, and I saw the completed renovation for the first time since that initial meeting, I was completely in awe! It is beautiful and surpasses every dream and expectation - it is simply perfect! I give my highest and heartfelt praise to Leonardo Construction.
GREG LUBUSHKIN - We acquired a home that had been in our family since the early 1950s. Not much had been done to it during that time and we wanted to expand the footprint, build out the garage level and modernize throughout. The three contractors we interviewed were thorough in preparing their bids, but Tiziano Straccia, owner of Leonardo Construction, approached the proposal process with a business orientation, explaining not just what was behind the costs, but how they would be managed and how we would be kept informed of the project’s process throughout. As this would be a longer-term relationship (construction timeline was 12 to 14 months), it was important to us that we were comfortable at both a personal and professional level with our contractor. While the three bids were within a narrow range, the decision to engage Leonardo Construction was an easy one. This was a major renovation, clearing all upstairs interior walls back to the perimeter studs. The slab in the downstairs garage was removed and replaced, supporting the upstairs with new steel support beams. The back of the house, up and down, was extended to the maximum allowed by code. Demo began as scheduled, but unfortunately coincided with the initial Covid-19 lockdowns. Tiziano’s relationships with the city building department facilitated work continuing on our project despite construction site shutdowns elsewhere. Covid protocols were strictly followed through all phases of the project. The Leonardo team and all subcontractors were talented professionals enabling Tiziano to deliver on all promises made in the proposal process. Throughout the work, the Leonardo team coordinated seamlessly with city inspectors and our architect and engineering firms, keeping the project on track. Tiziano kept us informed of progress through telephone discussions and pictures. He was always accessible, promptly responding to telephone calls and e-mails. We were able to visit and inspect work as often as we wanted (generally 1x or 2x per week). Tiziano walked us through the construction site answering all our questions and explaining the work being completed. When there were options or choices to be made, he clearly explained them to us and helped us make the best decisions. He made it clear when those choices would result in a change in the cost and why -- before we approved change orders. Unanticipated issues arising during construction were minimal due to Leonardo Construction’s knowledge and expertise in local residential construction. He kept us on schedule, ensuring the many decisions we needed to make regarding fixtures, cabinetry, flooring and other details were resolved to keep us on schedule. After we moved in, punch list items were dealt with promptly and effectively. In the end, the project came in on time and within budget. All work was performed to the highest quality standards. We love our new home and are very thankful we had the opportunity to work with Tiziano and his team on this project.
VAL BRANCA - We hired Leonardo after reviewing other companies, he had the best costs and most detailed proposal. The owner, Tiziano, is patient, hard working, serious, committed to his job and he goes that extra mile to please the costumer. Most of all, he finished our house on time and there was a lot to be done, the results are stunning and we were very pleased with his work.
ELAINE PARDINI - After comparing several remodel projects by different San Francisco contractors, and noticing the superior workmanship of those by Leonardo Construction, I decided to contact this company for an initial meeting. My property is a 3-bedroom Victorian built in 1906 in the Castro district. After the initial meeting with the contractor, Tiziano Straccia, I did not even bother to contact any other builder. His professionalism and knowledge was apparent from the very start - it was clear he had much experience in these types of renovations. His ideas and vision for the flat were exactly in line with mine, and he understood my budget for the project, knowing how and where to focus my funds. Because I was renovating it as a rental, I needed advice on the degree of the improvements and the most appealing, timeless and durable fixtures, finishes, materials and appliances. At his recommendation, I also hired Ashley Roi Jenkins as the designer for the project. Her creativity and knowledge was extremely helpful in all the desicion-making with regard to style and functionality - very professional. One of the many strengths of Leonardo Construction/Tiziano Straccia is the feeling of inclusion in every aspect of the renovation and excellent and frequent communication. Our communication was almost always via email, and any questions or worries I had were promptly addressed. The entire project progressed so smoothly - I had every confidence that he would handle the problems of remodeling such an old building and would know how to best address them. Even though I do not live in the area, I was always aware of the status of the project, and via drop box, I could see the progress step by step. Other strengths that come to mind are his honesty, pride in his work, and attention to detail. I cannot adequately describe the amazing transformation! When finished, and I saw the completed renovation for the first time since that initial meeting, I was completely in awe! It is beautiful and surpasses every dream and expectation - it is simply perfect! I give my highest and heartfelt praise to Leonardo Construction.
PAUL CALLAN - We found TIziano through a recommendation and were very thankful & happy that we did. He worked with us on a tight timeline for an expanding/fluid project scope on a "fixer-upper" in Oakland (3 stories tall) that had far more water damage and hidden issues that we'd thought when we bought it. We took care of getting a new roof on our own and did some demo/other work before bring Tiziano in, but he took on 100% of the effort once the roof was completed, including: -- Rebuilding, installing porcelain tile floor and new railing on 2 cantilevered decks -- Re-framing roughly a quarter of the house (as we opened walls, we found a LOT of water damage) along with new drywall, etc -- Re-stucco-ing the house where it had been re-framed -- Installing new hardwood internal stairs (3 stories) -- Re-installing 2 sets of french doors and 2 sliders, repairing frame rot and putting flashing in -- Miscellaneous other discovery & repair from water damage -- Various plumbing -- complete internal painting -- new ceiling lights installed throughout (again, 3 story house with very high, open 3 story stairwell) -- new door hardware and related throughout There was much, much more. As we opened up walls, the extent water damage to the house framing, walls and related was far beyond what we'd estimated and Tiziano was great at working with us to figure out what we could drop from the overall project to accommodate the timing and expense of repairing the additional water damage. We liked Tiziano's design style and recommendations, too, and he rolled with it well when our own tastes were counter to his -- especially when letting our kids choose the accent walls for the internal paint job :-) -- which not everyone would be so good at! And, our 4 year old said that he is her favorite contractor at the new house (and she met a lot of the people working on it!). We'll definitely hire him again down the road when new projects and funding align.
HEATHER CLEVELAND DESIGN - Heights. The work required great attention to detail as the products we used were all very high end and needed to be installed in a manner that showed off their beauty. Tizinao was always there to take care of every detail, communicated well with my clients and was easy to work with. When he had questions or concerns about aspects of the design, he spoke right up and was a huge part of every solution. I always felt that if he were at the job site, I could trust that everything was going to go smoothly. Thank you for your hard work and great attention to details! I hope to work with you again soon! Heather Cleveland
JOANNA JG - Yep! Tiziano Straccia is THAT good. I hired Leonardo Construction to do a down to the studs remodel of my 600 sq ft apartment in Nob Hill which included a kitchen and bathroom remodel. Initially I chose to work with Tiziano because he is exceptionally organized and has a strong communication process. After we started working together I was really thankful that Tiziano valued attention to detail and was an expert craftsman and artist. There were several issues that arose with my remodel and Tiziano worked very well with my HOA to resolve while I was out of town. Being able to have such a high level of trust in his decision making and trust how he interacted with neighbors was critical as I was working in New York for the entire 5 months of the remodel. I felt like I hit the jackpot of contractors. His art in tile really came through when I asked him to hand cut 16x16 tile down to 4x16 for my bathroom. Not easy to do and risky, but the result was perfect. I get questions all the time on Houzz about the tile. His first estimate vs the final cost came in exactly in line. The remodel finished exactly on time. You really can't do any better than Leonardo Construction.
JOHN SOMORJAI - We have worked with Tiziano on multiple projects. He redid our entire master bedroom and bath and he redid our back patio and added an outdoor kitchen, jacuzzi, firepit. Both projects were extensive remodels requiring extreme attention to detail and project management. We highly recommend Tiziano for his work which is why we used him multiple times. His craftsmanship is excellent. We added an entire new wood panel ceiling which he executed himself. We are thrilled with the work and he is always available-day or night.
CJ BRYAN - I have been told on many occasions and by many people that my expectations are too high. I disagree. I think that if you have high expectations of people, they will more often than not rise to meet them. Tiziano exceeded my expectations on so many occasions I’ve lost count. We hired him to remodel a 3-br rental unit that hadn’t had any maintenance or repairs done in at least 30 years. We were so impressed with the work just a couple weeks into the project that we asked him to also take on the repair and painting of the building exterior. Both jobs were completed beautifully, and Tiziano is an absolute delight to work with. I would even dare to call myself possibly the happiest client ever.
AG OCONNOR - We hired Leonardo Construction to do a major kitchen and family room remodel in our home. We chose Leonardo because of their attention to detail, transparency and daily/weekly communication. Our project lasted 5 months and we lived in the home with our 3 young children during this time (pregnant with the 4th). Tiziano (owner) couldn’t have been more respectful of our home - everything was safeguarded so the kids could play safely while in a construction zone. Tiziano was on our job site daily ensuring everything was moving smoothly and on schedule. He managed his subcontractors very well and he worked side by side with our architect and interior designer! We would highly recommend Leonardo Construction as a contractor! We completed our project about 19 months ago and we are still very good friends with Tiziano and team...that says a lot!
KRISTIN MASCIORINI - We worked with Tiziano nearly 10 years ago on a full kitchen and bathroom remodel, and although this review is long overdue, it speaks volumes that both spaces still look and function beautifully today. His work has stood the test of time, not just aesthetically, but in terms of quality and durability. Tiziano is kind, thoughtful, and a strong communicator. One moment that really stood out during our project: we were working with a designer (not affiliated with Tiziano) who told us that opening up our kitchen wall “couldn’t be done.” We were discouraged and nearly went along with it, even though it wasn’t what we truly wanted. Tiziano saw our hesitation and stopped everything. He told us, clearly and confidently, “We can open the kitchen — we’ll make it work.” And he did. That decision transformed the space and made our home feel bigger, brighter, and more connected. Throughout the project, Tiziano stayed close to the timeline and budget, and he always made sure we felt heard. A decade later, we still love our kitchen and bath and are so glad we worked with him. Highly recommend!