References and Testimonials
Below are the many testimonials for Jack Cannon, General Contractor and owner of Lynstar Enterprises. The interesting thing about these testimonials was the timing of the references; we received 80% of them within 24 hours of asking for them. That, in itself, is quite a statement of his credibility. Who responds that quickly when asked for a reference unless you like them. In addition, pay attention to the length and detail in these references. Plus, when asked for a reference, some of these people hadn’t seen or spoken to Jack for years.
No Need to Micromanage Jack
Back in 2017, we hired Jack to help with a major remodel of our master bath. He and his crew completely reconfigured the plumbing, electrical, and closet area, in addition to re-piping the under-the-house plumbing pipes. They also replaced our water heater and furnace, upgraded the electrical panel and replaced stucco and our windows too. We also had our painting done through Jack. All of the subs were excellent. The hard part for us was that we would have liked a more clear estimate of the costs ahead of time. That being said, I do not think there was any inflation. It was a big job and hard to keep on top of all the trades. One of us tended to be micromanaging the situation too much, which is not needed when working with Jack. He really knows what to do, and doesn't need that extra layer of customer input. I liked that he would give warning about things I needed to pick out - with a clear deadline - like the tiles needing to be picked by “this” date so we can have them ready. I liked that Jack was not pressuring us to do anything but what we wanted. We were not clear if we wanted a custom build of our closet or not. In the end, we chose a semi-custom outside company, and he was totally fine with that. I think as long as the project is going along, he was content. My husband seemed to think that someone should be at the house every day, to minimize the overall project timing but that did not happen as the tradesmen were extremely busy and came and went as they needed. When things happen, if it was on him, he will make it right. If he had questions, he would clarify. If something big came up, he would work with us to figure out what to do next and not rush to a quick fix. I think Jack is top quality, so once you can get him, you should totally go with him. You would be lucky to not have to wait too long. Yes, we would definitely hire him again.
He Is SO Worth Having As Your General Contractor!
Our house was a rental for 10 years. We always knew we wanted to move back into it because it was a one-story house with a small yard. After the renters moved out and before we moved back in, we found Jack and asked him if he could remodel the house within 4 months. He actually did it in 3-1/2 months. Jack with Lynstar Enterprises was AMAZING. He knew we had a tight schedule and he got the electricians, the HVAC and the plasterers going right away. Because the old vent was being removed from every wall,we decided to re-texture every wall of the house. Plus we removed one wall and moved the built-in bookcase from that wall to another wall. So he had to install two header beams. He also recommended wonderful cabinets in our garage to replace our many dilapidated shelves – and we LOVE them. Jack has had his loyal crew of craftsmen, some of whom have been with him for 10 or 20+ years, and they all did a great job. The tile in both bathrooms turned out so nice. Jack recommended that we reface the fireplace, create a new mantel and cut off the foot-high hearth in order to make more room in our 1,550 sq. ft home. I was hesitant at first but decided to make the change and I’m SO glad we did; it turned out so nice and updated. Jack also recommended that we repaint our 10 year old white kitchen – and again, I’m so glad we did. The aged white color would have looked different than the new white color and with an open kitchen, it really would have looked different… SO smart! Every one of Jacks suggestions (and he only gives his opinion if you ask for it) was right-on. And when we had the issue with the “bookcase from hell” having to insert it into the wall, he figured it out. We wouldn’t have the beautiful home we have now if it weren’t for Jack, his experience, common sense, wisdom and his team of experienced workers. We even invited him to our Christmas party! Who does that?! He is so worth having as your general contractor!!
Highly Recommend Jack - Used Him 3 Times
Elizabeth and I can highly recommend Jack. We have done 3 phases of remodeling with Jack - started with bathrooms, then whole living area and the HVAC got moved to the attic a couple of years later, and finished with the office and garage in 2013. What is he like to work with? Very easy and friendly. He is one of these rare people who take pride in the work he does. He has a network of subcontractors he works with, and they all were very good. We did not have any delays during the construction. Everything was on schedule and to the agreed budget. We did not have any stuff happen, to be honest, so hard to answer this question - Jack assessed everything upfront and thoroughly looked at the house's state. His assumptions came through as he indicated, so we did not have any additional surprises. Would you hire him again? Definitely, and actually, we would not go with anyone else. Eight years after the remodel, we did not have any incident. We did not even touch the HVAC till now. It just runs. As far as words of wisdom, if you will stay in the house as we did, you need to plan based on the phase of the project. We were most impacted by not having a kitchen for two weeks and had to cook in the garage. But this should not be your case. I would suggest planning with Jack so that one of your bathrooms will always be operational. Jack is exceptionally experienced in it as he can strike the right balance between optimal schedule and clients' convenience - this is one of the things we liked very much about him. If you hire Jack, I think you would be in excellent hands.
Filled In Blanks Architect Missed
Jack did our first remodel back in 2014 which involved a two room addition, completely replacing all the interior wood paneling with drywall (we live in an Eichler), electrical upgrade, insulation, new roof, new HVAC system, and built-in cabinets.. He was also able to fill in the blanks that our architect missed. Very pleasant, and he makes sure that if things happen (only a few times), he makes them right. He takes good care of the worksite and leaves things clean. He also has a reasonable profit margin. Overall we are very satisfied with his work. We brought him back to do our latest remodel which was to revamp a bathroom and laundry room; plus he is working with us on the exterior hardscape/landscaping. Work quality and responsiveness during the work is great. He doesn't like paperwork, so when we've had delays, it is usually around that. He has some pretty good subcontractors for tile, roofing, drywall/paint. Wasn't wild about his HVAC person on the first job or his cabinet guy on this job, but the latter was our fault (we picked the cheaper sub instead of the person he recommended). He also has a good interior designer, Julie Baker, who helped pick and specify all the bathroom fixtures etc. which speeds up the work. If you work with Jack, highly recommend you work with Julie too because she does that paperwork stuff for him.
His Attention to Detail is Great
We've worked with him on two major remodels--one of our kitchen, 12 years ago, and another one to add an additional bedroom and bath more recently. His attention to detail is great; he really wants you to be happy with the end result, and will do what he can to make it right. An example: our kitchen countertop was supposed to be honed granite; but it was installed with the shined finish. I was out of town, but when Jack noticed the mistake, he got the granite guy back out to the house, got it honed while still in place, and had everything cleaned up and perfect before I got home. His view is that a little extra work on his part to make something you'll be living with for many years exactly the way you want it is the right trade-off. Scheduling is always a challenge, and especially so now, as it's very hard to find good trades people. But Jack has great contacts, and really works to find the best sub-contractors to work on his jobs. Things might take a little longer than you'd like, but they will get done, and done well.
Strongly Recommend Jack
Jack was originally referred to us by a coworker, and we can't recommend him strongly enough. We found him and his crew to be very professional, and Jack was always responsive and respectful throughout the process. He's a really calm guy, never combative or defensive, which made him easy to talk to. Our project was a bedroom expansion plus the addition of a master bathroom. We also had an architect working with us/him throughout, and they worked together with no problems. I don't remember running into any major snags along the way, but I certainly trusted Jack to take care of issues as he saw fit. We were pleased with both the final budget and schedule, and most importantly, we were thrilled with the results. We've since relocated to San Diego, but there are still days when I miss that bathroom. He even took care of a few unrelated tasks while his guys were onsite (fixing a potentially dangerous electrical issue in our kitchen, and rearranging some plumbing in our garage). I have no doubt that he would do a fantastic job with your own project.
No Breakdown in Communication
Jack did my entire house remodel project probably 15 years ago. It was a major project tearing it down to the studs. He brought in reliable subs when needed and is a pretty good contractor managing the project. I was pretty involved because I had a flexible job but there was no breakdown in communication or timely delivery. I would use Jack again as he is one of the few reliable contractors that I had worked with. And those are hard to come by nowadays. There is always “stuff” that comes up. Jack had no issues adjusting when needed. As long as you are prepared for stuff that takes extra work, and are reasonable about paying for those unplanned or unexpected “stuff” you will be fine. Sometimes you can’t see what’s inside the walls until they open up. Jack was very thorough and responsive. Go with him, you won’t go wrong with this decision.
Jack Can Be Selective With His Choice of Clients
You’d be lucky to get Jack to do a project for you. He’s good and very busy and can be selective about who he works with and what projects he takes. We’ve done three projects with him... a full kitchen (to the studs) and 1/2 bath remodel, then a few years later we fully redid two bathrooms, then a couple years ago he redid our stairs. He does quality work, is on time and within budget. He’s never been the cheapest bid nor the most expensive. He’s not much of a salesperson... we’ve referred him to friends and his sales follow up is lacking, but once he is on the job he communicates well. We’ve referred him to several friends and they have also been happy... he’s almost finished with an addition and full kitchen and bathroom for a friend in Waverly Park and she has been really happy with his work and the process.
Run, Don't Walk to Hire Jack Cannon
Run, don't walk, to hire Jack Cannon. He did a major renovation for us (addition, gut inside- we went from a 2 bedroom/1 bathroom to a 3 bedroom/2 bathroom on a small lot in Mountain View). He is wonderful to work with - honest, an expert, has great relationships with his subcontractors and does incredible work. When "stuff" happened, he was on it and gave us alternatives. He was on time - or if not, talked us through any delay. Jack is always willing to meet and talk through any issues. He is smart, kind and generous - I don't think you get that in many contractors. We would (and will) hire him again.
Jack is Clever Coming Up With Options
Yes, we’d definitely hire Jack again. Things will come up, but he’s clever with coming up with options and easy to work with. If you can do both bathrooms at the same time, I’d highly recommend that. We did ours one-at-a-time, so we could continue living in the house, which was inefficient for his subcontractors and likely slowed things down a little (a single bath is not a full day job), so they ended up squeezing us in-between other, larger, jobs but it’s what we wanted.
He is Practical and Works With Good People
Jack did a huge remodel of our home in 2012. We completely gutted the house, added square footage. We had planned to be moved out of the house for 6 to 12 months and it took about 9. Jack was referred to me by a work colleague and we were Pso glad that we hired him. He is very practical, uses good people and kept the project going. The first example of where something went wrong was early on in the project. The sliding glass door in the dining area was installed opening from left to right and I had ordered a door opening right to left. Jack completely did the right thing. Ordered a replacement door with the correct opening and did not charge me any extra. I believe he ended up donating the first door to habitat for humanity. He kept me informed of the spend on the project and we came in pretty close to where we expected. Jack is a really good person and you would be lucky to have him do your project.
Jack is a GREAT Contractor
Yes, we would recommend Jack for your project. Our original house was ~2500 sq ft, single floor with 3 bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms. Jack turned our new house into ~3600 sq ft, two story house, 3+ bedrooms, 3 full bath house. Our new floor plan downstairs is open concept with a 15ft NANA Wall system opening to the backyard. It is our dream house! Here are some thoughts on your questions: -- How it is to work with him when "stuff" happens? We didn’t have any significant issues during the project but even with the other stuff Jack was always responsive. -- Has he been on time for most of the job? Yes and No. I think the “no’ part is twofold… 1) we did ask for changes during the project, and 2) there could be lag time between subcontractors. That said, this wasn’t an issue for us. -- Would you hire him again? Without a doubt. -- Any words of wisdom when working on a project like this? Patience… If we were able to show you our house, I think you’d make your mind up about choosing Jack! Jack’s a great contractor, he’s able to herd the cats to get the work done and his demeanor made any potentially difficult discussions easy chats.
You Hear Horror Stories But Jack is the Exception
Jack Cannon is a true find. You hear horror stories about contractors but he is the exception; he does what he says he will do and does it on time. He may not be the cheapest but with him it's a case of "you get what you pay for". We first heard about him from a neighbor down the street that had him build their house. They raved about him. We have used him to remodeled our kitchen and family room (which involved moving walls and putting in a number of heavy structural beams) in 2011 and again in building us a new master bedroom (with a cathedral ceiling) and master bath in 2016 and making us a 400 sq ft deck with a solid patio cover in 2021. He is honest and very good to work with and usually has a lot of valuable advice on what would work or look good and where to get things (cabinets, fixtures, lights, granite tops, etc.). He has a great team of subcontractors that really know what they are doing.
Absolutely Recommend Jack Cannon
I would absolutely recommend Jack Cannon. I live by the motto that life’s too short mind set and need quality craftsmanship in my life. Jack is a very nice guy and I like working with good people. Jack is great. We only have experience with him for our ADU , and it was a conversion of a 500sf garage into a standalone ADU… but built right before and during the pandemic last year. With our ADU project we wanted something very simple and that was filled with light, since the square footage of the ADU is not big, only 500 sf. Our ADU was a conversion of a 500 sf garage into a standalone ADU… but built right before and during the pandemic. By using white and lights colors and big windows, the space looks and feels bigger, plus the 2 sky lights and vaulted ceiling and beam. Jack did it all – down to every detail. Because of Covid I didn’t want to go out so he went to the molding and plumbing fixture stores, brought me multiple samples to choose from and we were off and running. He really cares about the details and taking care of his clients.
Easy to Work With
I am happy to recommend Jack Cannon for your remodel work. He was easy to work with, accessible, and very responsive. I appreciated that we knew what was happening when. We had a few places where we implemented something a little different from the original architectural drawings, and it was not a problem whatsoever for Jack. As an example of his responsiveness: We had an issue with an internet service provider after all the work was done and signed off, and he came back to run additional wiring without additional charges. Jack is your guy.
We Are VERY Glad We Found Jack
At this time we are at the tail end of our remodel project at this time. We are very glad we found Jack! Jack has been easy to work with and responsive to our needs. He is also very mindful of our time and space and insists his crew leave the house clean - even though it was a space we were using. Like all projects, we had some challenges along the way -- Jack worked with us and took his time to understand what we wanted and found solutions that we were happy with. He was happy to offer suggestions that made the project better while also being mindful of our decisions and budget. I have no hesitation in recommending Jack to others and would hire him for another project any time (that isn't true of a previous contractor we have used).
Only Great Things to Say
I have nothing but great things to say about Jack and all the sub-contractors he works with. We did a fairly substantial remodel with Jack. Granted it was 10 years ago at this point, but he did an amazing job. He was super-responsive throughout the project and continues to be long afterward. He gets my highest recommendation and I would most definitely hire him again.
Responsive, Professional and Reasonably Priced
Jack is very responsive, professional and reasonably priced! I keep going back to him for all of my small remodel projects : ). I would definitely go with him if he is in your budget range.
Helped Restore Craftsman Bungalow Built in 1908
Jack lives just down the street from me. I have a craftsman bungalow that was built in 1908, so it is a Pandora's box, when it comes to remodeling and "stuff" happening was standard and every aspect of working on our house is a challenge. Jack has taken on two projects for us: restoration of our front porch and remodeling our master bath and bedroom. The front porch started out as "just replacing the side stairs with a ramp" for my wife who has Alzheimer's disease. In the process of doing that we found structural problems with the pillars supporting the gable roof over the porch - termites & rot which required a lot more work than expected. Jack and his team pulled it off and I had him replace the walkway, preserve the river rock of the pillars and he made the City of San Jose happy with his work. It ended up costing much more because there was a lot more work and most of the work was unexpected - we found a lot of problems when we did the demo and the City of San Jose required more structural support to be built in than they originally approved. The second project was remodeling the master bath and bedroom to make it more accessible. My wife has difficulty walking and we elected to use the upstairs bathroom while the downstairs bathroom was remodeled. We needed Jack to do it as fast as possible and he was able to get his team coordinated and we went from demolition to a fully functional accessible bathroom in about 11 days. Some rework needed to be done as expected and some non-essential parts were late in arriving due to Covid. We are extremely happy with the results. At one time Jack had the carpenters, plumbers and electricians all working in our small bathroom at the same time. Before we started, I looked around and I found that Jack is not the cheapest and not the most expensive but he does great work and is easy to work with. Make sure that you have changes in writing and post a "pick list" of things you want done even if you have talked to Jack about it. I would recommend that you have a solid plan in place and make sure that all the parts are delivered ahead of the start of construction - there are a lot of delays still due to Covid. Jack is on tap to finish the rest of our remodel as we can do it - re-roof, some new siding doors and adding in a 2nd bathroom upstairs and a kitchen remodel.