Jean Mateson

I was very impressed with Jean's skill and hard work.  He did a great job.  I would hire him again and I recommend him highly.

Top line: Jean did an excellent job, was a joy to work with, and did the work at a very reasonable rate.  I would definitely use him again, and would feel confident recommending him to any of my own friends and family.
The details:  Our home had cracked and damaged plaster everywhere, including things like holes in the ceiling from old light fixtures, holes in the wall from additions like closets and cracks throughout simply from the passage of time.  (When conducting some of the demo, we might have made new holes as well...)  In addition to the damaged plaster, there were a number of areas in the house where the plaster had been previously and very poorly repaired, and areas where the mudding conducted did not match the texture of the walls in the rest of the house.  Finally, there were three areas of new construction that had drywall and required mudding.
The work:  Jean was able to fix every single issue listed above without any problem.  He is very skilled in his trade and if he could tackle the plaster problems in our home, I have to believe he has the ability to do nearly any project.  Beyond skill though, Jean is simply a wonderful person to work with, and here is why:
-He was trustworthy.  We provided Jean with the keys to our home, as neither my husband and I could be there to let him in in the mornings.  I would go by once a day to check on how work was going, and every day things had progressed exactly how he said they would, and he was always there when he said he would be.  He had the keys to our home for two weeks, but I would trust him to keep them for two years really...
-He was honest.  There was some work that Jean actually recommended we do ourselves, letting me know it was pretty simple (i.e. unskilled workers such as my husband and I could do it) work and while we could pay him his hourly fee to do it for us, we'd be better off saving the money and doing it ourselves.  He really didn't even have to mention that - I didn't ask him, he simply offered the information.  He probably could have charged for three extra days of work and he didn't - which I thought really showed his honest character.
-He was true to his time and monetary estimate.  He completed the work in almost the exact amount of time he quoted us, and the cost came in in the exact middle of the price range which he quoted upon his initial visit.
-He provided good advice.  There were some areas of the house that we had not thought about repairing (specifically putting a finishing coat throughout the dining room) that Jean recommended we consider, as there was a great variety of texture on the dining room ceiling from years of different paint and wallpaper and damage.  Once he put that top coat on the ceiling looked SO much better - night and day - and I was very thankful that he suggested it.
-He was respectful and listened to our wants and needs for the home.  When Jean came for the walk through I felt he was truly interested in hearing what I had to say about our home, and wanted to know what I wanted for our house.  (Unlike some other contractors who have been through and basically ignore you the entire time, telling you what you want, and spouting their expertise like its some kind of competition.)
Jean really is a wonderful person to work with, has a great deal of knowledge about plaster and drywall, is respectful, and provides a great value for any homeowner interested in having plaster or mud work done.  Highly recommend!!

unknown

Jean is fantastic and has been a complete pleasure to have around. He has basically rebuilt the walls of our 1904 house after they were destroyed when the wall paper came down. Jean shows up exactly when he says he is going to and works consistently throughout the day. I just wish I could say the same about the rest of our crew!!!

Jean was prompt, cheerful, and respectful. He cleaned the areas he worked in before leaving each day. He showed me how he did his work and did not mind my curiosity and questions. He gave me an estimate and stuck with it. He did a great job and offered to come back after I primed the walls to make sure that everything went well.
Jean is a very honest workman, and he does not charge me for estimates. Once I was afraid I was going to have to have him remodel a shower stall. Two other workmen had come to the same conclusion. After looking over the situation for a minute, he came up with a fix that cost me nothing.
Jean is versatile. He can handle not only electrical but plumbing, painting, plastering and carpentry but appliance repair, chimney work, etc. I have owned property in the Bay Area for 17 years and never had as good a contractor as Jean. I highly recommend him!

I had a variety of jobs to be done. Rather than get different contractors for each, I selected someone who could do all of them.
Mr Mateson did all jobs correctly and was very accommodating in doing them the way I wanted. He was also quite helpful in suggesting better ways to do the work than I had thought of. He has all the tools and skills necessary to do a variety of jobs.
Overall, my experience was excellent and the work was done professionally. I hear that his plastering skills are excellent as well.

He was able to come over promptly for an estimate, and was able to start the job promptly after that. Everything went to plan.