Customer Testimonials

“We had a great experience and would recommend Talmadge Construction Inc. to anyone. We do not live locally and despite that, the renovations to our condo were seamless with very good communication. The project lasted 5.5 months as predicted. Thank you, Jeff, Menna, and David; you guys rock!”

“100% Satisfaction! The quality and service were outstanding.

Expertise: The project manager was immediately accessible by text, and coordination was flawless. Subcontractors were well-supervised and clearly chosen for their excellence.

Professional & Organized: The organization went beyond the project manager’s oversight of the subcontractors. Everything was laid out for us in detail from the first project meeting around our dining room table with Jeff and Andrew Talmadge, project manager Jeremiah Trask, and designer Kristen Totah, and continuing at the end with the photo shoot. Carin was on top of invoicing during the project and iv

Schedule: We finished on time, in spite of the supply chain issues that came up due to the pandemic. The project manager informed us every day what would be happening the next few days and who would be coming in to work and the approximate time they would arrive. If that changed during the day, we got a text from the project manager.

Budget: When you demolish an existing bathroom in a 50-year-old house, you hold your breath for expensive surprises hiding underneath. It’s inevitable that there will be something. The budget made allowances for “surprises” but it was always clear from the first kickoff meeting that some might exceed the estimate. Our extra charges were reasonable, unavoidable and expected.

Construction Quality: The project manager would show us and explain each part of the work before moving on.

Communication: The project manager was our sole contact once construction began. He was always accessible by text and responded immediately. He communicated with all subcontractors.

Problem Resolution: Things were planned so well that problems were minimal. They kept on top of ordering and keeping track of the delivery status with vendors, which was challenging at times with pandemic-related supply chain issues. We only had one real problem, when a plumbing item arrived from the manufacturer defective

Clean & Safe: It’s a challenge for both the homeowner and contractor when the homeowner stays in residence. We remodeled a bathroom in a previous home, and dust was everywhere. That did not happen here, and all materials and equipment were kept out of the way each evening. If materials or tools were not being used that day, they were not on site.

Value: We could have gotten other contractors for less, but we would not have had the services of a designer or any of the other extras that saved us a great deal of time and frustration. We got what we paid for and don’t regret a penny.

Trust: This comes down to good project management and communication.

Areas Of Satisfaction: Most, to be honest! One silly thing that impressed us was the consideration of our neighbors when placing the chemical toilet. It wasn’t sitting out in full view, but covered by a tasteful redwood screen and serviced weekly.”

“The folks at Talmadge construction are highly qualified and extremely easy to communicate with about any aspect of the project. They are also very responsive and listen well to all ideas and concerns. They are a joy to work with.”

“They were incredibly professional, dedicated to getting the job done without cutting corners, reliable, and did an excellent job! They always followed up, actively solved problems with our input, and worked to improve any situation that wasn’t going well. We highly recommend Talmadge Construction!”

“I would highly recommend the Talmadge Team to anyone with a small or big remodel project. They are creative and consummate professionals in meeting any of your needs. They did my son’s nursery addition and an outdoor awning for my patio equipped with heaters and a fan and I did not need to worry about any aesthetic or technical challenges.”

“I was really happy with how professional everyone at Talmadge was and the quality of their work is excellent. They did a great job. We would use them again for sure!”

“Everyone involved is knowledgeable, professional and still super friendly! A great collaboration all around.”

“Jeff Talmadge and the entire Talmadge Construction team did a fantastic job from design to punchlist. Talmadge Construction delivered a top quality product with top quality staff. I highly recommend them.”

“I am most satisfied with the production team. They were very helpful and knowledgeable. The quality of work was exceptional.”

“I was able to have Talmadge Construction take care of my project, even though I was unexpectedly not on site for most of it. They were great about communicating about progress along the way, which I really appreciated. The quality of work is outstanding.”

“Talmadge has a great team of trustworthy, personable professional people with amazing skills. The quality of all the work was great and we didn’t have to oversee anyone to get the best results.”

“They consistently do a good job. They did a big repair for us before, and they did a fantastic job. They are extremely reliable. I know if they’re on the job site, it’s getting done right.”

“Personnel, especially the project manager, and the rest of the the workmen, the designer, and the production manager, were very responsive. They were most agreeable, and very skilled in helping me with decisions along the way in all the areas I was ignorant in. They found options that were affordable, beautiful, timely, and efficient. And they were fun to be around and learn from.”

“We’d recommend Talmadge Construction to anybody looking for an exceptionally capable, professional, responsible, communicative and congenial contractor.Our remodel job was relatively small compared to the scale of many of the jobs Talmadge takes on–and yet everyone in the company took our questions and concerns seriously, communicated with us regularly, intelligently and thoroughly, and treated us and our home with meticulous care and respect. Jeff Talmadge worked with us personally during the initial stages of the remodel, helping us select fixtures and preparing us for the project. A few months after the job was completed, he reached out to make sure everything was functioning well. When we mentioned a single issue–a minor malfunction in a shower fixture–he promptly sent his plumber out to fix the problem.”

“On time, within budget, superior quality work. This is what we look for in a contractor and that is what Talmadge provided.”

“I was most satisfied that they did what they said they would do, they were timely in preforming the work, the overall quality was good and they got the resources they needed. Jeff salvaged and finished a project that another contractor had abandoned. I really appreciated that he was willing to do that. There was a lot of substandard work that needed fixing and that can be very sensitive in terms of taking over someone else’s work because of permits. He handled the whole thing very professionally.”

“They did everything timely, communicated well and my kitchen is gorgeous.”

“We appreciate all the time and care you and others have given to our job, which we realize is relatively small compared to many of Talmadge’s projects. That you have communicated clearly with us all the way through, taking even our smallest follow-up concerns seriously and showing up quickly to address them, has left us feeling really good about the company.

“We’ve received quality work, meticulous attention to detail, attentive and respectful interpersonal interactions, and peace of mind. We’ve heard enough cautionary tales about construction-projects-gone-awry to know how much that’s worth. We have already recommended Talmadge to one friend in search of a contractor, and will happily do so again whenever the opportunity arises.

“Thanks again.”

“Working with the team at Talmadge was great in every respect. They produce outstanding quality work and they know how to manage a project. I appreciated the authentic communication and transparency throughout every phase. Their dedication & attention to detail was amazing and consistently went above and beyond. Thank you to everyone at Talmadge for our beautiful home.”

“It was a pleasure to work with the Talmadge team at all stages of the remodel. Every single person combined excellent technical and personal skills. We actually looked forward to seeing team members and missed them when the project was completed (on time!). Communication to us throughout the project was frequent, detailed and accurate. The designer did an outstanding job working within our constraints of keeping the original footprint and a small space. The quality of all the work in the new kitchen is outstanding.”

“We had been talking about remodeling our home for a number of years, but weren’t sure to what extent or how to begin such a daunting undertaking. When we met Jeff and Adele Talmadge in 2002, we felt that we had found the answer to our needs. The idea of a design/build approach with a team that worked together throughout the entire remodel process was very attractive to us. Needless to say, once we started working with the Talmadge team, we never looked back. They helped us realize our dream of transforming our dated and very plain 1950’s home into a home that is very comfortable, functional and architecturally pleasing to us. We ended up doing a whole-house remodel, desiring a traditional design that would age gracefully for many years to come. We worked together well with the team, appreciating the time and effort they took to help us bring our vision to a reality and making lifelong friends in the process.”

“We wanted to write to express our thanks for the successful completion of our remodel project with your firm. You and your team were able to take some unusual ideas for a small home and bring them to life in a process that was much easier than we anticipated. The result not only met but surpassed our expectations, and our friends and family were amazed, especially when we told them we came in ON BUDGET and one week EARLY! (Some of our friends, having worked with other contractors, laughed when they saw our schedule, and told us to double it).

It’s hard to say what we like the most about working with your team, but a couple of things stand out. Your ability to provide multiple design professionals to help us translate our ideas into real-world application was very helpful. Your personable staff that ALWAYS answered the phone and did clean, professional work made it easy to make changes. We loved our client binder, which was full of suggestions and references. But perhaps best of all, our on-site project manager, Rich, made the day-to-day process of living in a remodel project bearable. He was there every day, riding hard on the subcontractors, and if necessary, cleaning up after them when they left a mess!

Having lived through a remodel now, we feel we understand the process so much better. So… would we try to act as contractors on our next remodel? Not a chance – well use your firm again! And we would recommend Talmadge Construction to anyone.”

“Construction projects always have their share of surprises, issues and challenges, something I’ve learned first-hand over the course of several major home remodels and construction of three new homes. I have never written a thank-you letter to a builder before, but now that my exterior remodeling project is complete, I simply have to write and express my gratitude to you and your team for making this the most successful, stress-free and well-executed project I have ever experienced.

Every Talmadge employee, from Project Manager Jeff Lindahl to the clean-up crew, made me feel as though my project was the top priority every day. Communication was always clear and timely and our mutual expectations were always discussed and carried out exactly as agreed upon. From the initial planning discussions though the post-project debriefing, I felt as though my satisfaction remained your number one priority, and you showed time and again that my needs and concerns came first. This is so incredibly rare nowadays, and to experience it thought a project of this magnitude – one that spanned many months – is a wonderful thing.

I just can’t say enough good things about you, your employees and your business model, Jeff. I actually look forward to the opportunity to work you with you all again. In the meantime, if I can provide a recommendation to a prospective client or share my own experiences with someone considering a similar project, I’d be most happy to oblige

Thank you, and best to all of you in the year to come.”

“I haven’t had a chance to be at home in Soquel for several weeks. Our harvest season is in full swing right now, and it will probably be a few more weeks before I’m able to get out of here. All is going well, Nick is here and working hard and we’re having fun meeting the various challenges associated with bringing a crop in.

I want you to know how very much I appreciate you taking care of our deck leak and repairs to the belly band of our house. In my absence, having a friend that I can trust make necessary prepares, supervise the work, and make all the decisions involved is really nice, and I consider myself fortunate to be able to call on and count on you.

Lisa and I both appreciate your efforts very much, Jeff – THANK YOU!”

“It seems somewhat inadequate to simply say “Thank You” for a job well done. I had many unspoken concerns about taking this project on, and you alleviated every one.

Your employees (especially Rich and John) are exceptional. Your subcontractors were outstanding. And the fact that you finished a flawless job on time exceeded my expectations. Yet the thing that meant the most to me was the way you really listened to what my mom wanted. You both have created a company that you should be so proud of. I feel very fortunate to have worked with both of you. I want you to know that I realize our experience could have been very different with another contractor. Thank you for going “above and beyond” in so many ways!

My best to you this season and I wish you continued success!”

“Thank you for taking such good care of our house. Your diligence and attention to superior customer service is greatly appreciated. Of course, I knew that when I chose your team for the project in the first place.”

“Just wanted to than you for the gift and the very generous gift card. THANK YOU! We’ve already done our shopping.

Also wanted to say a few words about Danielle since we didn’t talk about her much on Friday. Not only does she have a great design sense and came up with suggestions that fit our taste, her follow up was amazing. I really didn’t expect to see her after the design phase was over, but she was there every step of the way, helping Jeff with decisions and suggestions. She always had time for me even for the tiniest of decisions, and was willing to come over and help with decisions anytime. I really appreciated that and of course, she’s so nice. But everyone who worked on the project was. No grumps or bossy people.

Also I did think of someone who’s thinking of doing some work on her house. She’ll be at the party Sat. So that’s good advertising and hopefully Jeff or Danielle will be there when she is.

Thanks again for everything, it was worth every penny!”

“I want to THANK YOU for the many ways you supported me – and most importantly CASA and our vision for building young lives.

I hope you feel great pride & satisfaction with the completion of your rather HUGE undertaking – a permanent home for CASA. You were an amazing, kind, HARD WORKING leader during all of it! Sometimes Allie & I would look at each other & just PRAISE your name!! Now CASA and “our” children belong to the entire community – we have insured that.

And THANK YOU for always stepping up for help building, hauling, finding free spaces, running committees, opening our beautiful home… and more!”

“Thank you sooooo much for organizing all the work at Camp Harmon!! You guys did an amazing job! Ive never seen such a project work like clockwork.

Thank you again!”

“On behalf of the members and friends of Christ Lutheran Church of Aptos, I would like to thank you and the members of Santa Cruz Rotary, Sunrise and Aptos/Capitola for all that you have done to help build the fence for the Aptos Community Garden for low income people. You will be receiving a more formal thank you for your efforts. We are so grateful for your help.”

“Project was completed on time and exactly to my requests. Crew is neat and tidy and we were able to live through the remodel. This was my fourth project with them, will use them over and over again. Great team!”

“…From the onset of the project, they were knowledgeable and professional from their project leaders to their sub-contractors. They gave us daily and weekly progress updates and they came in on budget and on time. If you want to work with a first class organization, Talmadge is the one.”

“We chose Talmadge Construction to make structural improvements & repairs to an 8 unit apartment complex. They did an excellent job making repairs to a second floor deck, adding new waterproofing material and installing a new railing along the balcony and staircases. Throughout the process they communicated with the tenants to make sure everyone was aware of their work schedule and what to expect.”

“…I have received nothing but glowing comments about the work from people who have seen the house. When I re-financed, even the appraiser told me the work was really well done…I am very impressed with the quality of their employees (and subcontractors), the excellent quality of their work, and their dedication to customer satisfaction. I would recommend Talmadge Construction to anyone.”

“We both felt that whatever we wanted done Talmadge did – on time, on budget and excellently – if not ahead of time or below budget. We’re not sure any purpose would be served in having a meeting.

We can summarize it in just a few words: You guys are the best!

Special kudos to Rich who performed in his usual outstanding and professional way. Thanks again so much Jeff for all your great work and service.”

“I can’t thank you enough for the beautiful job your company did on the in-fill of the wine cellar. It has been a pleasure working with you, Thayer, Adele and your crew. You’ve restored a bit of the faith I’d lost in the contracting world. Someday I hope to be able to use you for another project – perhaps a joyful one instead of one born from grief.

Thank you again.”

“The story I like to tell about Jeff is we had a warranty deficiency on something on our remodel. It’s been two years since they did the remodel, but they came out and fixed it. That shows me someone who wants my business again, and wants my referral.”

“I got what I wanted for the price I wanted.”

“Overall best construction experience we ever had.”

“We will certainly call you again when we need more work done. Thank you.”

“We heard numerous horror stories about remodels but happily we experienced none of them with you, your staff or your contractors. Great job all around. We’ll be contacting you again to remodel our bathrooms when we’re ready.”

“We thoroughly enjoyed working with Talmadge Construction, Inc. Jeff went far beyond the call of duty to accommodate us and to maintain an open dialogue to foster a relationship of trust and honesty. Talmadge Construction clearly takes pride in their work and we feel fortunate to have had them build our home.”

“…He has a great attitude that nearly anything is possible. Jeff surrounds himself with good people but his greatest asset is himself. He can keep a project going without appearing pushy. And the quality control is excellent…”

“I appreciate the extra effort you and your workers took to meet our accommodations while living through a remodel.”

“We want to tell you how much we are enjoying our beautiful new bathroom. It is beyond our expectations! We also want to tell you what a pleasure it was working with you and your company.” Read more…

“He brings a level of professionalism to a project that most contractors don’t. He’s definitely one of the most organized contractors I’ve come across.”

“…because of his professionalism and quality, and I know he’s not going to make assumptions about my drawings; they’re going to call me to clarify and the job is going to get done right.”

“Good quality, great people.”

“He stays on top of the job; runs the job well.”

“Really very organized and good to work with.”

“Well, with Talmadge I can recommend him all the times without any concerns at all, because they do a great job all the way around. That’s what’s really important; how they run their business.”

“I think Jeff does well in all three categories: dealing with people, good with his business, skilled.”