Testimonials

If you are looking for an amazing contractor, Nick Maimone of Sunrise Homestead in Occidental is THE guy… The project ended up in DWELL as a result of his amazing work! When we first began to think about finding a contractor to remodel our home—a holistic full-gut remodel, right down to the studs that would include plumbing, electrical, doors, windows, siding, final finishes—we knew we needed to find just the right person with just the right capacities and… values that matched our own. Upon first meeting Nick Maimone, it was clear he was a thorough and thoughtful professional who shared our ethos around quality, sourcing, and environmental sensitivity. As he took in the space and the surrounding landscape, our ethos converged nicely and I could tell that we were not only meeting a contractor with whom we’d enjoy working, but a really good human as well. My observations were confirmed as we dug into the design process. His attention to detail and his design capacities are exceptional and unusual for a general contractor. From his first sketches to full-blown renderings, everything was top-notch. And I was especially impressed with his architectural renderings, which were beautifully executed and missed nothing—featuring beautiful design work and fully-specified design details, down to the last piece of hardware and millwork. Nick brought nothing but the finest and most thoughtfully-produced materials and finish offerings throughout the project, from our first meetings to the project’s completion—whether sustainably-sourced wood products, handmade tiles, locally-produced furniture and cabinetry, right down to the wall finishes. He missed no detail and everything was finished to perfection. During our time working together, we grew to value him both as a professional and a visionary craftsman-artist. In fact, as our relationship grew over the 18 months we worked together, I came to trust his aesthetics and his creative vision, along with his capacity to articulate them and to bring them to reality and completion. And he accomplished all of this within a framework of respect for the architecture and history of our place, and a true respect for the land and environment around it. Throughout, Nick came through as an organized, thorough, and responsible contractor. His communications were prompt, timely and detailed and he followed through on every aspect of the well-executed contracts we negotiated with him. I never once experienced his leaving details sloppy, work undone, or promises unkept. This is more than I can say for any other contractor with whom I’ve worked! In fact, I’ve never seen a more hard-working contractor, as Nick spent nearly every day on this project actually present on site, directing his subcontractors and… executing exceptional carpentry he himself built by hand. Such amazing and beautiful work! You can see for yourself how things turned out on our project. The amazing photos here speak for themselves. And if all that were truly not enough, when we came to the completion of our project and had to bid our sad farewells, Nick left our place in a near state of perfection. Nothing was out of place and it was spotless! Overall, not only did we end up with the remodel of our dreams, we even ended up with a friend—not something most clients can say about their contractors! Without hesitation, we look forward to working with Sunrise Homestead and Nick again in the future for any of our construction and remodel needs. He’s the best.Thank you, Nick!!!

-Earl F. / Jenner, CA

We had the pleasure of working with Nick on a relatively small rebuild of our custom gate at the family cabin in Monte Rio on a very high end custom home. Nick is a licensed general contractor and extraordinary carpenter with a great eye for detail. He is classically trained with a BFA in sculpture from University of the Arts in Philadelphia and exhibit buildout history at SFMOMA. He checked all the boxes at our first on-site meeting and revisits. He was on time, on budget, an excellent listener and terrific communicator, highly skilled craftsman and problem solver, true to form with the best tools and matching materials, self-proclaimed nit-picky perfectionist, fine finish matching and all around nice guy. Nick is honest, quick to respond, perfect on the details, has very high standards, and is very caring and positive, gracious and modest. He used the existing design not reinventing the wheel and most likely would have improved the gateway design given the chance. Nick is an exceptionally talented contractor with many years of creative problem solving. To repeat, he has a great eye for detail and sculpted, integrated, seamless design with unique elements evidenced by his extensive portfolio. I never felt the need to micromanage him. He is terrific at remote site communication and management. We live in the East Bay and the owner is in Hawaii which adds a level of complexity to remote destination work. I stepped back remotely and admired Nick's process with timely before and after pictures. The end result was outstanding! We will definitely use Nick on our next project, very highly recommended!

-Scott J. / Monte Rio, CA

Nick Maimone, Owner of Sunrise Homestead, is a consummate professional. He exhibited the highest standards and the skills to meet those standards. He took a leaking, rotting mess of faulty construction created decades ago by workers who only somewhat knew what they were doing -- and turned it into a beautiful, sturdy, leakproof sunroom with skylights. He was professional and communicative from start to finish. I recommend Nick to anyone needing to turn a home with problematic construction into a place of beauty, safety, and comfort. He certainly did that for me.

-Joan P. / Sebastopol, CA

I really enjoyed working and creating a relationship with Nick. Our communication was very clear, and I appreciated his timely responses. I respect the value of personal integrity that showed up in everything he said and did. His standards are high, and the quality of his work reflects those standards. It is rare to come across someone like Nick and all that he has to offer.

-Jane H. / Sebastopol, CA

Nick took on a unique project to replace 9 Large Windows in our home and nailed every aspect of it. He was meticulous at every step. From planning and approach to matching existing materials and beautiful finishing skill, it was a pleasure to work with Nick Maimone.

-Tony T. / Occidental, CA

Nick at Sunrise Homestead is an exceptional general contractor. His responsiveness, professionalism, attention to detail, and honesty are truly commendable. From start to finish, Nick's communication was prompt, his work high quality, and his integrity unwavering throughout the execution of a project at our home in Guerneville. I highly recommend Nick and Sunrise Homestead for top-quality contracting services. He is honest and his attention to detail is unparalleled.

-Cyn W. / Guerneville, CA

Recently, we discovered a severe leak in the upstairs shower and was unsure who to contact to give us an estimate. Luckily, we found Nick from Sunrise Homestead. After several conversations, inspections and estimate we chose Nick for the job to fully remodel and rebuild the shower. He is a professional with a very high standard work ethic. His work is meticulous and just beautiful. Quality work without a doubt. The shower turned out just perfect. We were lucky to have him make time to do our project while he is also involved in an entire house remodel. We cannot thank him enough for the job he did for us plus a few other little things around the house. He is an easy person to work with and gives you 100% of himself to any project. I would recommend him in a heartbeat. Thank again Nick.

-Ronni G / Bodega Bay, CA

“My husband and I bought a home several months ago in the Russian River area which needed some repairs including new siding, refurbishing the deck, and some plumbing issues. Nick was incredibly responsive, and explained things every step of the way. The work was timely and most importantly top notch. Despite having to work around both COVID and nearby fires which caused a brief delay, Nick and his crew made sure that everything was completed on time and done in a quality way. We were blown away by Nick's professionalism, responsiveness, thoroughness, and caliber of work. When we need to do further repairs/upgrades in the future, we will 100% be working with Nick -- I recommend him fully.”

- Kelly P. / Cazadero, CA

“His workmanship is flawless, thinks deeply about the project details and is more than willing to work with his clients to make sure the job is the best it can possibly be. He really cares!”

— Jennifer J. / Bodega Bay, CA

“His work is clean, artful and strong. Always pleasant and up front with all charges. He exceeded our expectations. If you are considering Nick for a job, do not hesitate. You will not be disappointed.”

— Mene S. / Santa Rosa, CA

“Nick is a skilled and hard working craftsman. He is a thoughtful and communicative problem solver, with great ideas to help optimize for practical use, aesthetics and cost.”

— Kit B. / Sebastopol, CA

“Working with Nick was a pleasure from start to finish. It's rare to find a talented and trustworthy professional of his caliber who is easy to work with. His range of experience and creative problem solving allowed my project to be completed on time and within budget. I'd hire Nick again in a heartbeat and have no hesitation recommending him.”

— Colin S. / Occidental, CA

"Nick is an incredibly skilled craftsman. I hired him to build a small art studio in my backyard and couldn't be happier with the result. Communication was very strong at every step of the way- he listened carefully to my needs and offered lots of great ideas and suggestions to help me figure out exactly what I wanted. His process is very thoughtful and intentional and he really worked hard to make each decision count- from the quality of materials, to the finishing details. His work is top quality and he really goes the extra mile to make everything as nice as it could be.”

— Cathy T. / Occidental, CA