Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
Before
After
Before
AfterMeet the Oakland Team Behind Rowan Construction Group Oakland
Our Oakland crew shows up in the same gray-and-navy uniforms, but the people inside them are distinct. What ties this group together is a shared intolerance for surprises on a homeowner’s invoice and a habit of photographing everything before they touch it. We’ve worked together through kitchen gut-outs in Rockridge, roof tear-offs in the Oakland Hills during January rain, and ADU foundation pours in Maxwell Park where the clay soil shifted the forms overnight. Nobody here joined for the paperwork, but everybody does it, because Clause 1 of the Haven Standard says the price is written before anyone starts, and that only works if the person measuring is the same person who writes the scope.
Our People
Grant Rowan, Owner
I started this operation in 2007 with a used Ford cargo van and a refusal to do “call for a quote” work. Seventeen years and four thousand projects later, that refusal is Clause 1 of the Haven Standard. I still walk the first site visit on any job over $15,000, because the number on the final invoice stays within a few percent of the number I write down only if I saw the substrate myself. I carry a CS-1 California contractor license, and I verify every crew member’s background check personally before they get a uniform. My desk has a three-ring binder for every year since 2007, each one full of photo records and signed change orders. I live in the Oakland Hills with my wife and two dogs who have learned to sleep through nail-gun noise from weekend projects.
Marcus T., Lead Technician - Kitchen & Bath
Marcus came to us in 2014 after eight years running trim carpentry for a custom home builder in Marin who specialized in $4 million spec houses. He can read a KraftMaid spec sheet like most people read a menu, and he knows which Wellborn door styles ship in four weeks versus twelve. His specialty is wet-area waterproofing, he holds a Schluter-Shower System certification, and he will not let a tile crew start until he has photographed the membrane installation himself. On weekends he restores vintage motorcycles in a garage in El Sobrante, which explains the occasional grease stain on his work boots that no amount of shop soap removes.
Diana K., Senior Installer - Roofing & Exterior
Diana has been on steep-slope roofs in Oakland for fourteen years, starting as a laborer hauling shingle bundles up ladders in the Montclair district. She is GAF Master Elite certified and Owens Corning Preferred Contractor trained, which means she can flag warranty-voiding installation errors before they happen. Her particular skill is identifying the real source of a leak, which in Oakland’s mixed housing stock often means tracking water migration from a failed valley flashing three roof planes away from where the ceiling stain appears. She keeps a waterproof notebook in her truck where she sketches each roof’s drainage pattern, and she has a standing bet with Marcus about whether a given leak is roofing or siding, usually settled with coffee.
James R., Service Coordinator
James answers the phone when you call (628) 300-4376 at 10 PM because a branch came through your bedroom window during a February storm. He schedules the crew, confirms material deliveries from our fifty-plus vetted brands, and makes sure the photo record from every visit uploads to your customer portal before the truck leaves your driveway. He joined Rowan in 2019 after managing logistics for a commercial concrete outfit in San Leandro, and he brought with him a tolerance for complexity that serves him well when coordinating a kitchen remodel that involves Cambria countertops, Kohler fixtures, and a city inspector who only books Thursday mornings. He grew up in the Dimond District and still lives there, which means he knows which Oakland streets will swallow a box truck during rain and plans routes accordingly.
Elena V., Apprentice - General Construction & ADU
Elena is in her third year of a four-year California state apprenticeship program, splitting time between classroom hours at a community college in Alameda and field work with our crew. She has already completed her OSHA-30 certification and is working toward her Residential Carpenter Journey-level card. On site she works primarily with Marcus on kitchen and bath framing, but she has also poured footings for ADUs in Redwood Heights and hung windows in Temescal. Her questions slow us down sometimes, which is the point, a second set of eyes on a stud layout or a plumbing rough-in catches what experience assumes. She commutes from Richmond on BART and a bicycle, and she keeps a set of work boots in her locker because the ones she rides in never dry by morning.
One Standard, Every Job
The Haven Standard travels with this crew whether we’re installing Belgard pavers in a Piedmont driveway or pulling permits for a home addition near Lake Merritt. Clause 1 means Marcus writes the cabinet scope and Diana writes the roofing scope and both prices are flat, written, and signed before demolition starts. Clause 3 means Elena’s questions get answered, not waved off, because a documented photo record only protects the customer if someone was watching closely enough to photograph the right thing. The 365-Day Done Right Promise printed on every contract is not a slogan, it is a terms page with a claims process, because a guarantee backed by a handshake is not a guarantee. Every crew member here has been background-checked, uniformed, and verified by Grant personally. When you call (628) 300-4376, James answers, or another live person does, 24 hours a day, because a documented photo record does not help if nobody picks up to dispatch the crew. We have delivered over 4,000 projects this way. The next one is the one that matters.
Written by Grant Rowan, Owner at Rowan Construction Group Oakland, serving Oakland since 2007.