Nott & Associates - South Pasadena, California

David S.

I've used Jeff and his team for about 10 years at this point, ranging from a guest house full-gut remodel, to a new ADU under the state's new laws, to a bathroom project. The fact that I keep coming back should be enough proof that the Nott team is a rare gem among South Pasadena contractors. He's local to the area and his family has worked on the majority of houses on our street over the many decades they have worked here.

Remodeling old houses is hard. Previous contractors took shortcuts, and the ravages of time put stress on buildings. Jeff's crew is adept at recognizing where old work needs to be fixed to bring it up to modern standards, without breaking the bank. In our house we discovered that previous renovations had left our roof inadequately connected to our second floor; Jeff's team quickly added some structural braces and ties without nickel-and-diming us for the lumber and steel. Consider whether a lower-bid contractor will make those adjustments on-site, or just close up the drywall and pretend that everything is fine. Good custom work takes time and energy that Jeff's team is willing to spend.

I've enjoyed working with Jeff and look forward to many years of additional work with him and his team.

Paul M.

We have worked with Jeff Nott on two home improvement projects (separate homes). In both cases, he has been delightful to work with and always met our expectations. He has a good stable of vendors that are professional and easy to work with. On our most recent project, the start date was delayed due to Covid-19. However, once things opened up, he gave it a full-court press. This project involved upgrading two bathrooms with miscellaneous improvements and came in on budget. Jeff has a wonderful and calming demeanor. We definitely would contract with him again and strongly recommend him for consideration for your small to large home improvement projects.

Stephen L.

My family and I have used Jeff Nott and his team for a few projects between two houses in South Pasadena, one very large complete remodel and a couple smaller ones (bathroom remodel and several indoor touch-ups). We have been very pleased with the results of their work. The team members have been with him for many years, and are trustworthy craftsmen and artisans. They will certainly not provide the lowest bid, but the workmanship is impeccable and the price was fair. Jeff was always available by phone or email, and checked in regularly on all the projects.

The complete remodel presented a number of unique and difficult logistical issues, and Jeff was patient and helpful throughout the process. The designs were beautiful and carefully considered, and the work took a reasonable amount of time given the special circumstances.
Permits were shockingly quick and painless (especially givean the city's notoriously slow and obtrusive board). We would definitely use his team again for any significant future work.

Meredith A.

Faced with a budget, my goals for updating my dark, depressing Mediterranean-style galley kitchen were limited to appliance swap-out, addition of a wooden floor, and a small gain in workspace. Jeff Nott listened carefully, then transformed my kitchen into a room in which I love to work and spend time. In addition, my kitchen, which is open to my living/dining area, has great aesthetic appeal. In the end I not only gained more workspace, wooden floor, and beloved appliances, but the kitchen appears larger, feels light and airy. Plus, I gained badly needed space for a narrow closet in an adjacent bedroom—-all for under budget. I could never have imagined that Jeff Nott’s design, Project Manager Alex, and his skilled helpful, and friendly crew could transform my formerly oppressive kitchen into a joyful addition to my home. I highly recommend Nott construction!

Julia W.

It has been around 3 years since our remodel w/ Tom and Jeff. We actually used them both separately before they became packaged together as a design/build team. We did an entire 2nd story (and no, don't try to live in the remodel no matter what anyone says).

When we started the planning process, I went to the City of South Pas to review my house's prior permits; while there I asked the permit guy- so.... who are the most popular architects in town? Whose work reliably passes the city's review board? I got the short list from the guy and interviewed every single one, including a few who actually sit on the board. Tom was able to design within our budget (at the time we hadn't committed to any contractor, and he had his son Jeff come look over our plans so we could have a remodel that would work within our budget). After hearing horror stories from friends/neighbors, we went to the review meeting ready to plead our case, and literally, they smiled at Tom, listened to his summary, nodded, and we were done. That was totally worth paying for

We vetted several contractors for the actual build, we chose Jeff because of the timeliness of his estimate, the actual estimate (we liked that the payments were broken down and attached to completion of specific items), and his willingness to hold our hands as new remodelers (we asked a lot of questions throughout the process, and he always answered my lengthy emails quite thoroughly). The 2 questions everyone wants to know- yes, we stayed on budget, and no, the 6 month estimated remodel actually took 9 months. However, based on our friends' experiences, a 3 month delay for something a finished product I'm completely happy was totally fine.

During the remodel- Jeff's crew were all super nice. My son was 3years old at the time, in his Bob the Builder phase, and the crew were so nice about showing him things, and letting him hammer away... He had a blast. (He still remembers Pablo!) Unexpected things came up- as they usually do in an almost 100yr old house- and... Jeff stuck to the contract. No markups. He stuck with every single agreement we ever made, no last minute upcharges. Whether it was something big like 100-yr old electrical wiring not being up to code, or us being unable to decide on the right shade of gray paint, Jeff stuck with the costs he promised us. Jeff knows the craftsman look perfectly, so I trusted him on many things that turned out great. There were other things where I had a very specific vision of what I wanted, and I detailed those out very clearly to him. He was able to execute everything that I specifically wanted. As we were finishing up, he hired his designer Clara, who was wonderful to work with and would have been nice if we had been unsure of design ideas. We did choose certain vendors ourselves- tile, fixtures, lights, etc to keep down costs, and Jeff was willing to work with us on that.

Now that the remodel has been over for a few years, I can say, Jeff was right when he told us- with a good remodel you only cry once... Once we moved in, there were no unattended details, everything was complete. Since then, everything has remained in excellent condition. Whenever I've had a house-related question, I feel comfortable asking Jeff, and he always answers.

The remodeling process is inherently expensive and exhausting. We love our house and we appreciate the excellent quality work Jeff completed.

David A. M.

Jeff is caring and kind. Extremely fair unlike other contractors. The work turned out better than expected. He was always available. He even sent back his workers to help me with small projects. I trust Jeff. Nice to work with the father and son team of Jeff and Tom. I highly recommend them.

Claire T.

Tom was the architect on my job. His structural abilities helps him to develop a design that will not only be beautiful but structurally sound.
Jeff (his son) was our general contractor on this and one previous job. He does excellent work and is very conscientious about aesthetics. His subs are excellent--quite a few of them are in-house. He completed the work in a timely manner. We are loving the results!!

James

Incredibly knowledgeable and professional. Did a great job on my house remodel.