A suburban town in the eastern shore of the San Francisco Bay area, San Leandro is home to beautiful shorelines and natural scenery. The town features upscale cafes, restaurants, and historical sites with a diverse housing scene. Homes vary from traditional, contemporary and minimalist designs depending on the property’s location.
This list compiles the best custom home builders to help make the process as smooth as possible. We considered the number of projects completed, historical background, and the overall quality of the firm’s work.
Creation 7
33 Quail Ct. #300, Walnut Creek, CA 94596
Founder Eyal Matalon graduated from Ono Academic College with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. He then established the firm in 2016 to provide high-end homes with beautiful designs. His team uses classic designs to complement the house’s high-class structure, like stone masonries, vinyl flooring and walls, and a simple light bulb for a ceiling lamp. The firm is all about finding the right blend of simplistic detailing and bolder designs.
Kitchen with Island, Sink, Cabinets, and Hardwood Floors in New Luxury Home, with View of Living Room, Dining Room, and Outdoor Patio
The team worked on a simple contemporary home. It has the traditional wooden vinyl flooring and stone masonry with a touch of high-class flair: sleek couches and seats, a modern-style fireplace, bronze elephant detailing and a chandelier. What makes this home particularly stand out is that the outdoor patio transitions into the great room, adding to the place’s ambiance of high-class mixed with simplicity.
Devlin McNally Construction
3150 18th St. Suite 228 MAIL #401, San Francisco, CA 94110
Established in 2006, Dave Devlin and Dan Mcnally have over 15 years of experience in the industry. Together, they have created many uniquely structured homes throughout the years with many different styles: jet black exteriors, rectangular shapes, and even pencil-like structures. Their many years of experience earned them features from Dwell, Gardenista, Arch Daily, DeZeen, and Leibal.
One example of their work is this modern home that integrates a mix of several styles: traditional, modern, and minimalistic. From the exterior to the interior, this home exudes minimalism with its white and brown color palettes and classic pairing of white and wooden furnishing in the countertops, shelves, and cabinets. To mix it up, the dining room and living room blend traditional and contemporary features using paintings, boasting of a brick fireplace, and bright white cabinetry.
The Englander Building Company
24 Blithedale Terrace, Mill Valley, CA 94941
Peter Englander is an award-winning builder with over 25 years of experience. He has completed over 200 projects ranging from estates, subdivisions and commercial buildings. Since 1990, the firm has produced different houses from cottages, vacation homes, and luxury apartments. The firm has made one of the more unique homes today, with the house being atop of water elevated by wooden beams. It shows the firm’s immense diversity, and this would pay off with features from San Francisco Magazine, SFC & G, Gentry Home, House Beautiful, and Builder Magazine.
This Mill Valley home is a contemporary house that balances indoor and outdoor living. The house itself has a warm aesthetic with wooden furniture and structures surrounding most of the home. Each area of the house has vast windows that allow sunlight to brighten the entire place. A notable feature of this house is the outdoor deck. Its large outdoor space acts as a place to socialize, relax, or lounge around. This Mill Valley home takes advantage of its location and allows its inhabitants to easily soak in their surroundings.
GemBuilt Construction & Remodeling
2625 Middlefield Rd. #465, Palo Alto, CA 94306
Established in 2006, the firm has produced contemporary homes that use landscaping to add to its overall look. The fancy steps, driveways, and plants reinforce the atmosphere that the house radiates. While the interior represents what the house is supposed to be, and the exterior creates that first impression.
This traditional Spanish house immediately presents itself as a classically designed home from the exterior alone. The house’s elevation allowed the firm to add stairs, a staple for Spanish-style homes. The interior further represents this traditional look with the warm color palette, bell-like chandeliers, and traditional paintings. A notable feature of this home is the outdoor patio. It includes a classic brick fireplace with couches and seats surrounding it with a second area decorated with rattan and wooden furniture. The home is built to invite people who enjoy the traditional style of living but with added flair.
Genesis Pro Builders
458 San Antonio Rd., Mountain View, CA 94040
Genesis Pro Builders is a family-owned firm started by brothers Itamar and David. Itamar and David work closely with each client to design the house unique to each person’s taste. Their designs mimic high-class styles but without the expensive interior pieces. With their designs’ clean looks, they aim to give their clients a comfortable but quality living experience.
This modern design home is a great example of their look: a clean, sophisticated house that blends high-end living and minimalism. From the outside, it exudes this luxurious lifestyle with the jet-black look and wooden vinyl design. However, the interior exhibits comfort with a semi-minimalist structure. It has a gourmet kitchen, sophisticated bar, and dining area without flooding the house with excessive minor furniture. Other features worth noting include a uniquely shaped swimming pool, walk-in closets, and large bathrooms. Together, each piece of the home creates a unique living experience that’s sophisticated yet comfortable.
Jetton Construction, Inc.
1117-A Virginia St., Berkeley, CA 94702
Bill Jetton graduated from the University of Houston in 1973 with a degree in Economics. After graduating, he apprenticed under a master builder in Mendocino and later established the firm in 1980, where it would receive accreditation from the American Institute of Architects (AIA). It has produced over 500 projects and has won numerous awards like the AIA East Bay Home Tours, Lafayette New Home 2018, AIA East Bay Home Tours, Mid Century Modern 2018, and the BAHA Spring House Tours on the John Hudson Thomas Remodel in 2017.
The Claremont House is a home featured on the 2016 AIA East Bay Home Tour. The exterior has a simple and traditional look, but the interior has undergone a full remodel. The house has a relaxing ambiance with folding doors that led to the back garden, a separate suite, an outdoor pool, and a pond. The backyard has a zen type of structure with several trees and plants surrounding the pond, pool, and patio. This ambiance extends to the kitchen, which directly accesses the backyard and includes vinyl wooden furniture. The rest of the home is more contemporary with modern furnishing and a beige curtain with cream white seats. The contemporary designs extend to the backyard’s separate suite, which mixes the zen aesthetic and modern furnishing. It’s a sophisticated home that fits a relaxing lifestyle.
J5 Homes
San Francisco, CA 94110
Founded in 1988, J5 Homes has over 30 years of experience in the industry and completed over 250 projects. It has completed several custom home projects but has also catered to apartment remodels too. One common theme its projects have is how it uses outdoor decks to create other areas to relax. Whether it’s a house or apartment, it provides excellent views of the city and enhances the home’s atmosphere.
This modern home in the Bernal Heights neighborhood is a three-story house that emphasizes lighting and creating open spaces. It started with the master suite encompassing the entire top floor with stunning panoramic views of the city. Simultaneously, there is ample outdoor space with a wraparound deck, a patio, and a gated covered walkway. The rest of the home includes floor heating, high-end appliances, oak hardwood flooring, and custom cabinets. These features contribute to a cozy home that provides views of the city and a relaxing atmosphere. For a luxurious and comfortable house, this home is an excellent example of mixing designs and using your surroundings to enhance the living experience.
Lafferty Communities
2000 Crow Canyon Place Suite 350, San Ramon, CA 94583
Richard Lafferty graduated from California State University, Chico and graduated with a degree in Business Management and a minor in Economics. With over 20 years of experience, the firm extends its services to Utah and offers various houses ranging from ranch, contemporary, and colonial homes. A notable feature of the firm’s many projects is the unique stone masonry on the houses’ exterior that adds a rustic feel to the entire house and radiates a classic cozy ambiance.
This 3,449 square foot contemporary house in Petaluma, California is a cozy home that exudes a simplistic lifestyle. The house has five bedrooms and three bathrooms and has relatively simple furnishing. It radiates that homey atmosphere that provides a welcoming ambiance and aesthetic. It’s more about making simple things create a calm and serene home environment without the need for stylish furniture and lavish decor. The house’s overall ambiance creates an atmosphere that will help its homeowners unwind and relax and spend some time with family or friends.
MN Builders
2400 Union St., Oakland, CA 94607
Owner Steve Nicholls established the firm in 1981 and also acts as a solar-powered shop. Many of the firm’s projects include a rustic and contemporary European design. It uses a mixture of modern and classic furnishing, from the sleek black fireplace and countertops to rustic light wood tables and seats. The firm also emphasizes lighting to improve the houses’ aesthetic by having tall windows in every home area including the dining room, living room, kitchen, and bedrooms.
This house in the Noe Valley neighborhood in San Francisco is an Asian-inspired home using contemporary furniture blended with minimalist designs. The backyard consists of a wooden deck surrounded by many lush plants. The walls of the upper deck have a wooden vinyl design that further radiates a natural aesthetic. A notable feature of the interior is the use of plants in the kitchen, office, dining area, and even the bedroom. It’s an excellent way to enhance the living environment without cluttering the space. It provides a touch of nature to the house, which complements the home’s exterior and emphasizes a natural look.
Moroso Construction
1086 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA 94103
Owner Justine Sears and co-founder Ron Bond are currently operating Moroso Construction after principal Jeff Moroso retired in 2016. Justine joined the firm in 2007, while Ron has been with the firm since its earlier days in 1992. Its projects have a distinct modern flair that incorporates luxury furniture and designs, with a twist of contemporary European influence. The mix of styles are shown in many of the firm’s works: some having Victorian-style blue and gold cabinetry and chandeliers and some having classic wooden designs. Whatever style the project is, the firm incorporates a sense of elegance, as seen in many of its previous works.
One example of the firm’s success is this modern Victorian-style library room. This room is a blend of traditional structure with a mix of classic and modern furnishing. It has the traditional European style blue-gray cabinetry, lavish blue couch, cream white seating, and glass coffee table. However, it balances gracefully with the sophisticated look of the modern furniture. This library room is a supreme example of the firm’s tasteful exploration with different yet elegant styles.
Visionary Home Remodeling Inc.
1580 Oakland Rd. Suite C103, San Jose, California 95131
Kfir Muller founded the firm in 2004 and received accreditation from the Better Business Bureau (BBB). It creates contemporary homes with a vibrant ambiance, a common feature in most of its projects. Most of the firm’s projects have a simple white structure that is balanced with darker furniture using mahogany wood, black countertops, and gray cabinetry.
One of its works displays the firm’s signature looks. This complete home remodel in San Jose, California, is a laid back contemporary house with a relatively simple structure. The house has retained its original white and gray color palette throughout the home yet includes modern furniture like brown couches and mahogany cabinetry. Using a lot of open space, the house is simplistic yet sophisticated by design.
