Read what our previous clients have said about their design & build experience with Nott & Associates.
Professional & Highly Experienced
I engaged Nott and Associates (Both Tom and Jeff) to design and construct an addition to my existing master bathroom. The City of Pasadena, required many initial drawings of existing construction and many interactions on the remodeling and addition. Tom provided all the information they required gaining the permits required, and at the same time gave me the design I wanted (and I tend to know what I want pretty specifically.)
The work was extensive involving creating new roof lines, extending walls, rewiring and plumbing. I used complicated new appliances with many electronic options and replaced water heaters with on demand units. The finishes included French ribbon limestone, porcelain tiles, mirrors and recessed lighting and major expansion of storage.
At the same time as he was working on the bath, and based on my positive experience, I also asked Jeff to remodel my den, update the insulation, power and HVAC systems for the whole house, replace the kitchen floors and make a number of changes to blend the new with the old so that the house had a polished seamless look.
I was extremely pleased with the final results and would use both Notts again if I were able. When I sold the house, I am certain that I benefited in both price and selling time from the quality of work both Tom and Jeff did. At sale time, Jeff was also able to provide me with workmen to help freshen the house up to make it more attractive.
Jeff was thorough and is used to providing detailed results meeting the expectations that his clients have considering the major investments they are making in their houses. He used excellent and competent staff who were not only professional in their results, they were respectful of the fact that I was living in the house at the same time.
The whole experience with the Notts left me with a very happy result. I subsequently moved far away from Pasadena, and in remodeling efforts I undertook on my current house, I wished I had the Notts to assist me. The experience with them was an excellent learning experience and I have used the knowledge I gained to my advantage. Since.
Exactly What We Wanted
Jeff and his crew gave us exactly what we were aiming for: a great looking, perfectly functioning bathroom, utility room, and kitchen remodel that stayed within our budget – not an easy job for an 85 year old house that still had original plumbing and wiring. His crew showed up on time every day, did conscientious and careful work on everything they touched, and were respectful of our schedules and household needs as they worked.
His subs are outstanding craftspeople; especially his cabinet maker and hardwood floor sub. The floor is beautiful and holding up very well. The new cabinets in the kitchen are a work of art; gorgeous to look at and a joy to use.
Jeff was here every day to oversee progress, patiently answered all my questions and concerns, offered advice that came from experience, and never pushed. By the time the work had been completed we counted Jeff as a friend as well as a trusted expert. He provides quality work, quality products, and quality service.
Rebuild After Fire | Historic
After a devastating fire destroyed much of our historic South Pasadena home, Tom Nott helped us redesign it in a way that restored and enhanced the historic beauty of the structure, while adding a few more modern features that make our house a warm and comfortable home for the whole family.
Tom’s designs, color, and attention to detail combined for a beautiful result, and his experience and expertise were critical to the success of our project. Tom was consistently on time and on budget throughout our project, and he was vigilant in ensuing that our contractor was building in accordance with our plans and specifications.
We were quite pleased with the completion of our home and so was the City of South Pasadena who awarded us the Cultural Heritage Restoration award. We highly recommend Tom Nott and would happily work with him again.
Stairwell with custom craftsman featuresRemarkable Job
Jeff and his team did a remarkable job renovating our home. Our house was in really bad shape when we bought it and additional challenges revealed themselves once interior demolition had been done.
I honestly think many contractors would not have been able to deal with what we found. His subcontractors and his crew are really the best. They worked tirelessly to find solutions to those challenges while keeping the limitations of our budget in mind. Throughout the renovation, Jeff was responsive to our questions and concerns.
In the year and a half since our renovation was complete, Jeff continues to be responsive when something needs attention at the house.
Letter of Thanks
After living in our new house for a few months now, I felt compelled to send you a letter of thanks to you and your father. We love our house and the work that you have done to renovate it. I can highly recommend you and your company to our friends and neighbors. Of particular importance to us was the fact that you completed all of the work on schedule and within budget.One aspect of working with you and your crew that we came to appreciate was that you were very flexible considering our needs. When changes to the original plans were made, you did not “gouge us”. Instead you charged us reasonable rates for changes and additions. Throughout the construction process you honored your commitments in regards to time, costs and materials.
I am aware that not all homeowners are as satisfied with their contractors as we are. Sometimes renovating a home can be painful, disappointing and costly venture. I felt like we received everything we paid for and more. Thank you for making our experience a good one.
Craftsman exterior restorationJeff is trustworthy
We’re very grateful to Jeff and his team for converting our 1960s pool cabaña into a beautiful pool/guest house (ADU). Nott did all of the design, secured the necessary city permits, and managed every detail of the construction process. We appreciated the fact that Jeff (and, for many years, his father) has been part of the local South Pasadena community, and he understands the city’s requirements inside and out, which is no easy task.
Jeff is trustworthy–a family man who keeps his word–and a pleasure to deal with. We were pretty meticulous about certain design elements, and Jeff and his team were very responsive and patient in terms of making any required modifications to get things just right. Also, his background in carpentry was a real attribute in terms of the beautifully customized woodwork for the ceilings, floors, and cabinetry.
Kudos to Alex Weber, who was integral to the day-to-day management of the project, including the sequencing of subs and helping us with the design elements and decisions regarding appliances, paint, etc. In fact, the entire Nott team was very professional and courteous throughout, despite the fact that the Covid-19 pandemic posed enormous challenges, including repeated work stoppages, protracted delays on the part of key suppliers, higher material costs, etc. Would we have chosen to undertake a major project during the pandemic? Of course not–it took much longer and was much more expensive than we had anticipated, but we chalk that up to unlucky timing, yet Jeff kept in constant communication throughout. In the end, we couldn’t be more delighted by the end result–we are thoroughly enjoying our pool/guest house.
Accomplished what 4 others could not
Congratulations Tom, you accomplished what 4 other architects that worked on my property could not, that is, design a project meeting budget & cost requirements and obtaining city approval with a building permit.
As you know we are currently under construction and I know we both look forward to the completion of your beautiful design.
A beautiful job on a full-gut remodel
Jeff did a beautiful job on a full-gut remodel of our guest house. He took it down to the studs and put it all back together with a much better layout and function. Jeff was very helpful in making small updates to the plans as we went to make things work slightly better — for example, once we took it to the studs Jeff was able to see that we could add substantial seismic reinforcement if we moved a closet over by about a foot.
We made the change and he was able to reinforce an interior wall that had not previously been updated. He a long history in the greater South Pasadena / SGV area and knows the story of many homes and blocks by designer and builder.
He was respectful of the traditional style of the guest house and preserved its charm, but delivered a vastly more functional house. He was able to upgrade a lot of systems seamlessly as well (such as managing to add central air to a 1901 structure without compromising its integrity).
Significant historical restoration
Mr. Nott is a master at creating a silk purse from a sow’s ear. Our house was originally a non-descript stucco box which Tom converted into an award winning craftsman showplace and was featured on our cities home tour of significant historical restorations.
I’ve since hired Tom on several commercial projects of which I am totally satisfied with the quality of architectural services provided by his firm.
So glad we went with Nott Construction
We just did a total kitchen remodel in our 1912 craftsman home in South Pasadena and we are so glad we went with Nott Construction. We really did our homework and actually talked to a lot of contractors before deciding to go with Jeff Nott and his team.
Being that our home is quite old we had an old brick flu (chimney-like) structure that went from the basement through our kitchen to the roof and had to be removed. Every contractor we talked to seemed unsure about it or said we just had to build around it.
As soon as Jeff took one look he said ‘no problem’ and took us to two other sites where he had dealt with the same problem. In terms of design, Clara, Jeff’s designer was great, she helped us through every stage of the project and came with us to every vendor to help us pick out things.
Clara and Jeff even came up with a better layout design than we originally planned and it turned out great!We really had a great experience with Jeff and his team, they are really about quality and service. Jeff has been really responsive, available and patient. All the subcontractors were great, on time and did truly quality work. You can waste time with other contractors but if you want it done right go with Jeff!
A great benefit to have Jeff Nott
Over the years, as a contractor, developer, and financial consultant, I have been involved with over 100 architects and it is my opinion that Tom Nott is one of the best as evidenced by the fact that the last six projects I have built were designed by Mr. Nott. He is an expert in dealing with the various governmental agencies in order to obtain a building permit.
I might also add that Mr. Nott does his own structural design and calculations which is very rare for most architects. This results in considerable cost savings especially as regards hillside construction. Finally, it is a great benefit to have Jeff Nott give a bid for the General Contracting work which saves time and allows you to get his input on the cost.
Exceeded our most optimistic expectations
My wife and I used Nott and Associates to remodel our house and essentially rebuild our garage. Jeff and his crew are efficient. They hit all their self-imposed deadlines and his cost estimates were spot on.
Moreover, Jeff was responsive–he always got back to us within a few hours if we had any questions or if there were any decisions that we had to make. He is familiar with the byzantine South Pas zoning and materials codes and navigated those as well as could be expected. With regard to quality, Jeff takes great pride in restoring old homes to their original state.
He has a fine eye for detail and added several little touches that made us love our house. Our house was close to a tear-down and it is now the most attractive house on the block.
He exceeded our most optimistic expectations. In short, we couldn’t have been more pleased with Nott and Associates and highly recommend him.
Interior kitchen designsSkilled eye, great recommendations
I wanted to share with you how pleased my family and I were with the recent work you completed on our house in La Canada. As a first-time homebuyer, I had no idea what to expect during this process, and was somewhat fearful of the cost to do the work needed. I was so appreciative of your responsiveness during the entire process (both by phone and e-mail, and at all hours of the day), which amazingly only took about 30 days.
I especially appreciated your sensitivity and reasonableness as far as cost. You made this process enjoyable for me and my family, and made us so excited to move in when the work was completed! We are truly enjoying our new home, thanks to you and your staff, and network of subcontractors.As you well know, our house was not an easy project. We purchased our older home through a short-sale, and “as-is”, with no warranties.
We purchased this home, effectively unaware of all the problems that lay within. Certainly enough, through your efforts, we identified a number of major plumbing, electrical, and sprinkler systems problems, which you were able to quickly repair, and make great recommendations along the way, to improve these systems. You were a true professional, always providing the pros and cons, and most importantly, the costs of every step in the rehabilitation process.
I also really appreciated your staff and subcontractors. They were all amazingly courteous, a bunch of nice guys, and very knowledgeable of the repair and service work that had to be completed. They were always thorough, and completed all jobs well ahead of time. As someone who represents clients for a living, I can truly appreciate now what it is like to be a client.
Every step of the way, I felt as a client, that you would come through timely on the project, and that I could rely on your professional judgment in how we could improve our living space. With limited time available, I had to rely on someone who could make these decisions independently and who I could trust. There were so many minor details, that could be missed, but your skilled eye would always pick them up and provide us with great recommendations.
In sum, my family and I are very pleased with your work, and I would be happy to serve as a reference for you, for any prospective clients, in particular, any in the La Canada area.
Jeff’s strengths are his attention to detail
Jeff worked on my house for approximately one year. His first project was a bedroom, laundry room, and bathroom addition to the main house. He also built a pool house at the same time. Jeff’s strengths are his attention to detail.
He wants the construction done correctly even if he has to redo something. He completely understands all of the construction process and leads all of his subs to complete their work in both aesthetically and structurally correct manner.
He has a very easy going manner and is very easy to talk to. I rehired him for our second project–which is very telling.
The results are impressive
You did two very large jobs at my house recently. In one, you replaced the main beams supporting my house above the vertical pillars. In the other, you replaced the four balconies that had rotted. In both jobs, your planning and approach were well thought out.
The beam replacement was particularly challenging, requiring jacking up the house temporarily to slide out the old beams and insert the new ones. Replacing the balconies required working on high precarious places, removing the rot, and inserting new supports and treads. Both jobs were done meticulously to perfection.
Your crew members were good workers who knew what they were doing, and they were well behaved and pleasant to have around the house. I thought I got good value for my money and the results are impressive. I strongly recommend your organization for any major structural job on residential housing.
HIGHLY recommend Nott Construction
At our first meeting Jeff Nott volunteered that a homeowner’s relationship with his/her contractor is a partnership similar to a marital partnership. That is exactly how Jeff ran things during the seven months that we spent adding on to and remodeling the back of our 1899 Victorian–its kitchen, laundry room, butler’s pantry, and new brick deck.
All aspects of our job were handled knowledgeably and with frequent communication, and the work was performed by competent employees (and subcontractors) whose upbeat personalities and creative skills added to an overall pleasant construction experience.
Given the age of our home, my desire to incorporate period touches (such as a “salvage”, beveled and leaded glass door and sidelights), and our preference for 4″ LED can lights, in- and under-cabinet direct wire LED bars, and a Solatube, there were many challenges. These were handled with a give and take that ensured that the final product was one all will enjoy.
We considered seven different contractors and spent many years planning this job. Now that it is finished and the final photos developed, we can say that we HIGHLY recommend Nott Construction for any job in the area that his construction company services.
Crew did an excellent job
Jeff helped to remodel our garage and also install and electric car plug in station. His crew did an excellent job. They were very professional.
They completed the project in a timely manner. I would recommend Jeff to anyone.
Supportive and professional
I would enthusiastically recommend Nott and Associates. They were supportive and professional from the design through the remodel process.
He was attentive to detail throughout the construction. Jeff Nott worked well with my designer, Susan Sawasy. They both were wonderful throughout the process.
Jeff remains available as a resource though the remodel is complete.
Come through for me every time
I have hired Nott & Associates to do everything from completely remodel a home to smaller jobs like take walls out and trouble shoot electrical problems.
They have come through for me every time…and on budget. Hire them, then sit back and watch things get done.
Demonstrated talent and integrity
Our experience with Tom and Jeff Nott has been the opposite of the common assumptions regarding home construction and contractors. They have been a delight to work with and, more importantly, have demonstrated talent and integrity.
Tom significantly improved the exterior appeal of our home with a beautifully designed Palladian style loge and front entry and Jeff handled its construction, along with major corrections to defects created during original construction by another builder.
We have since used Jeff for other smaller projects and always have found his work to be excellent.
Very professional and saw it through
Tom designed our entire house in Arts & Crafts style. He is the MAIN MAN for craftsman style in these parts. I would go with no other and didn’t.
He’s very professional and saw it through. Knows the city very well as well. He continues the legacy of Greene and Greene.
People ask if our house is original all the time. But it is new. Nott & Associates is the only group to use if you don’t want to worry about things.
Translated our ideas into a great set of plans
My husband and I hired Tom Nott as architect and structural engineer on our residential remodel/addition project. Our project is now under construction and includes a complete kitchen remodel and expansion, a complete bathroom remodel, a master bedroom expansion, two new bathrooms, a new laundry room, a new family room, and a new garage.
We have been very happy with Tom’s expertise and service and enjoy meeting with him and his staff. We feel he really listened to us as we expressed our needs and wants and translated our ideas into a great set of plans.
The framing of our addition and garage is complete so we can now see the fantastic job Tom did in 3-D. Our general contractor has mentioned that Tom is easy to work with and has been very responsive. Overall we recommend Tom Nott and we would not hesitate to use his services again.
Suggestions on the little details were excellent
My wife and I used Jeff Nott on our remodel with additions. I must say that Jeff was always available, on site every day and had a great crew. His suggestions on some if the little details were excellent and we valued his input on which direction to go on some of the finish work.
Another thing about the job we liked was that every subcontractor showed up on time and did what they were supposed to do when they were supposed to do it.
