Who we are:
Mediterraneo Builders, based in Redwood City, has been building and remodeling homes in the Bay Area since 1991, working closely with homeowners and architects on more than 160 projects. The way we see it, building a home is less about assembling materials than it is about joining people and getting the best out of each of them. Ultimately, you can’t separate the quality of the people from the quality of the product. We’re not the cheapest builder, but we are one of the best. For homeowners who value quality and process over price, we might be a great partner.
Over the years we have experimented with the size and shape of our company, at one point employing scores of people, including multiple field crews and an in-house design service. These days, however, we have the luxury of being small, taking only projects that excite us, partnering with design and construction associates whom we’ve cultivated for decades, and focusing on meticulous construction management for discerning homeowners.
When you call on Mediterraneo, you’ll get one of its principals, Brian Emery or Mark Brunner, and we’ll be there for you every step of the way, whether consulting with your architect, meeting weekly to review project status, or monitoring progress on-site as your vision of home comes to fruition.
How we work:
There’s an old adage in building, “Many hands make work light.” We might paraphrase it to say, “Many minds make work right,” because close collaboration is at the heart of every project we undertake. We love the free exchange of ideas because, as it solves problems, it also builds trust. And when a building project hits a rough patch — as every project inevitably does — all parties can express themselves honestly and so reach a resolution sooner. We wouldn’t work any other way and everyone we bring onto a job — especially our excellent cadre of subs — feels the same way.
Small by design, Mediterraneo can stay flexible and focused on quality. We love learning, growing and improving. As seasoned as we are, we consider ourselves a work in progress, never satisfied with “building as usual” and always searching for progressive ways to approach and improve our process.
Design is a core value:
Because we offered design services in-house for many years, design is in our DNA. Consequently we speak the language of design, understand the design process and are uniquely qualified to help turn smart designs into enduring homes.
If you have an existing relationship with an architect, we’ll be happy to partner with that person and collaborate fully at every stage. We will also be happy to provide a short list of architects with whom we partner and who, in our opinion, would be well-suited to the style and scope of your project.
In fact, many homeowners find it helpful to have us present when they first meet with the architect, to assess the feasibility of different design options and so avoid developing ideas that could bust your budget. Our goal is to build solid, beautiful and long-lasting homes that are true to the homeowner’s (and architect’s) vision.
Managing a project:
A project manager who’s familiar with all phases of design and construction can simplify your life considerably. When Mediterraneo manages a job, one of its principals will act as your single contact point for all scheduling questions, change orders, design tweaks, updates and the thousand-and-one other things that invariably crop up during a project.
One client accused us of being “obsessively well-organized,” which we took as a compliment. It’s the only way to attend to myriad scheduling details, and an orderly way to deal with the unexpected. To that end, we prefer to have weekly project status meetings with clients and visit the job site regularly. We also use a robust construction management software to keep track of contracts, change orders and event changes, and Smartsheet to generate work in progress (WIP) documents and update construction schedules.
Face-to-face meetings with clients are always our first choice because they build trust and, well, they’re fun. But our software also allows homeowners to access and review project details anywhere, anytime.
It all comes down to efficiency:
The reason why we obsess about organization, preparation and scheduling is, of course, efficiency. If, as Benjamin Franklin said, diligence is the mother of luck, it is also the father of efficiency. An efficient project allows us to focus our energies, and operate at a peak level of performance. Which means fewer mistakes, less rework, easier scheduling, happier subs (who show up eager to work), an optimal use of time and resources and, may we presume to say, delighted clients. There’s even an environmental benefit: less waste. In the end, an efficient job is also more fun to be part of.
About building sustainably:
We’d like to clear the air about building sustainably — building green, if you will. If it means creating homes that are comfortable, energy-efficient, healthful, resource-conserving and durable… we’ve been doing it for decades. If, on the other hand, it means jumping on the green sales bandwagon and, say, installing over-hyped, under-validated and potentially costly systems that customers don’t really need, then we’ll take the road less traveled, thank you very much.
That noted, at the beginning of every project we do our best to understand clients’ lifestyles, energy use and environmental concerns and, if needed, present sustainable building options for their consideration. At every stage, we listen carefully and work closely with the architect and other team members to address client needs responsibly and cost-effectively. Often, building sustainably doesn’t raise costs appreciably but when it does, we can help find solutions that will satisfy design, performance and budgetary concerns.
Renovation—making the most of what’s there:
Remodeling a home to increase its floor space or improve its functionality is often a smart move when your needs have outgrown your house’s current configuration—and you love the neighborhood. Renovating can be particularly cost-effective when real estate markets and the economy are in flux, as they have been for the last several decades. But renovations, unlike new construction, can be unpredictable. (Builders are fond of saying, “You never know what you’ll find when you open up a wall.”) So it’s important to have a builder who can respond quickly to surprises on the job site and come up with new solutions.
We have that experience and flexibility. Likewise, our well-developed design sense will come in handy when it’s time to blend the remodeled portion of your home to the original.That ability to understand design and envision something that hasn’t been built yet is one of our great strengths. As important, we appreciate how much hard work goes into a great design, and how important (and difficult) it is to maintain design integrity as a project unfolds. So whenever we offer suggestions, they’re specific, constructive and respectful.
Learning more:
If you have other questions about any phase of construction or would like to see a brief overview of the key phases of a design/build project, please go to our FAQ page. It contains most of the more common questions clients and prospects have asked us in our 28+ years of business.