Mares & Dow Construction & Skylights Inc. - San Francisco, California

Colin G.

I have used Mares and Dow in two of our house skylight projects. Once in 2018 and again in 2019. Both times their skylight evaluation technician came and measured and made a recommendation. That process was easy and professional. The installation, when the skylight was manufactured, was equally professional, rapid and well done. I would recommend Mares and Dow to anyone with skylights that need to be replaced with new state-of-the-art UV and infra-red resistant skylights. They look just like glass but they work perfectly.

John B.

I had a poor overall experience working with Mares & Dow to install two Velux skylights on our home. Their quote came in lower than the only contractor I had worked with before, and since they were skylight specialists, I gave them a shot.

I scheduled the job early this summer, but work didn't begin until two months after the time initially quoted. A couple of days into the job, after the interior drywall was removed, the team found unexpected wood rot in the decking under the roof (totally not M&D's fault, previous owners had re-roofed over bad decking), but M&D could not handle the repair and could not get their roofing partner to come in for a quote, so the job stalled for over two months with very poor communication. I had to fire M&D from the job and bring in another contractor to fix the roof spot and install the skylights since they offered no solution.

The Good:
- I had initially purchased the wrong kind of skylights (wrong mounting style) and on my first call to Mares & Dow, they pointed me in the right direction. I returned those to Home Depot and they purchased the right ones for me. Saved me some $$$ and headaches, thanks!
- When it was clear that I was firing them from the job, they were very polite, quickly removed their scaffolding and were paid for the work completed so far.
- Jimmy was knowledgeable and a pleasure to work with on the initial demo.

The Bad:
- I had to call them repeatedly for information. I'd be told "Oh, we'll call you later today with scheduling information" and I'd never get a call back. I felt like I only saw movement when I called 3-4+ times a week, the office line, personal cell numbers, etc. Their follow-through and inter-office communication about what was happening was really poor.
- Job start was constantly pushed back from August to October.
- When complications arose, M&D were not able to move forward, nor were they able to bring in a roofing partner to help, many requests for quotes for options were ignored.
- When job cleanup was happening, I asked the team repeatedly to not block our one-way road with their truck, but was not listened to, pissing off some of my neighbors.

I wish I would have paid the extra $ to have the other contractor do the job from the beginning instead of starting it with M&D and having to switch when they couldn't provide the support needed to do the roofing part, wasting $, months of time, and hours of my time calling to get info.

Michelle S.

Jimmy installed a skylight in our kitchen. They were tidy and even painted some trim. We are very happy with the service and the work that was performed. I highly recommend Mares & Dow and will use them again if occasion arises.

Romy G.

We had two skylights installed in our home. The crew was on time, very professional, and very hard-working. The skylights are beautiful! We could not be happier!

Stephen X.

Excellent communication. Great professional and experienced crew. A project well done. Thanks to the entire Mares & Dow team.

Judith B.

Excellent family company. Professional, helpful, great customer service. I highly recommend them.

Dean T.

Would recommend for anyone looking to replace existing skylights.

Larry A.