About Upscale Construction

Upscale Construction

Is a Bay Area general contracting company that believes the building process can be made both memorable and positive. We strive to ensure that our clients' and architects' construction experience will always be a legacy to quality and value.

We are a company whose work ethic is firmly rooted in the rigor of our training as skilled craftsmen. Our close-knit work culture is informed by our backgrounds, which are as varied as the projects that we love to build. We care deeply about what we do at Upscale and base our network of relationships on a respect we know must be earned. Throughout both design development and construction, we commit ourselves to the complete execution of the architect's intent and our client's wishes. And we extend to each project we build—regardless of size—the senior management service of a larger company with the competitive cost and personal accountability of a smaller builder.

Working with Upscale you will experience both a professional and personal approach...

Management

DANNY BERNARDINI - FOUNDING PRINCIPAL & CO-OWNER

A San Francisco native, of Italian descent, Danny Bernardini began his construction career in 1989 with a Marin contractor and received his general contractor license in 1995. As the company's reputation and experience grew, Danny shepherded the business from a sole proprietorship to the full-service general contracting company it is today. His desire for openness and clarity on all projects; as well as an eye for detail, creativity and talent helped establish Upscale's reputation in the Bay Area community. Danny's primary focus is on client relations, oversight of the project management team and quality control.

TONY KELLY - PRINCIPAL & CO-OWNER

Tony Kelly grew up in Belfast, Ireland, and moved to the East Coast in 1996, before setting down roots in San Francisco as a superintendent at Upscale. In 2007, Tony became a partner in the company. Tony provides Upscale and our clients a unique combination of hands-on experience with creative problem solving. He promotes and encourages excellent communication, and smooth working environments on all our job sites. Tony is responsible for on-site production including quality control, construction crew management, and subcontractor/vendor field management.

BRAD HAYES - PRINCIPAL & CO-OWNER

Born and raised in Victoria, Australia, Brad moved to San Francisco in 2004 and joined the Upscale Construction team shortly thereafter. Brad's natural communication skills, combined with his field expertise, positive attitude and business aptitude quickly earned him a position working on project estimates and project development. In 2008, Brad became a Principal at Upscale. Brad's responsibilities include oversight of Upscale's business development, marketing and estimating efforts.

Philosophy

Value

Upscale believes in providing quality at a fair price at all times. In combination with aggressive scheduling informed by past projects, we deliver optimum craftsmanship at a competitive cost. In order to achieve this, we make certain we work with subcontractors and vendors who share our schedule goals and our goal to protect our clients' and architects' investment in a superior home.

Trust

The lasting success of our projects depends on a strong partnership between our clients, the design team and Upscale. We understand a construction project is a major commitment and it is crucial that our client and architect know we are 100% committed to building their home to the highest standards and will have their best interests at the forefront of what we do. We recognize this trust is a significant reason for the ongoing success of our projects and our company.

Collaboration

Our relationships with people and how we work with them continue to be Upscale's greatest asset. Building homes is a multi-dimensional process and requires a team of dedicated people from many corners to achieve the same collective goal-a perfectly executed design and satisfied client. We encourage close collaborations with owners, architects, designers, engineers and subcontractors to understand the vision behind a set of plans, and then make sure it is fully realized.

Process

creativity

We know that in custom home building each project that we undertake is unique and comes with its own set of distinct challenges. Upscale is creative and flexible in all aspects of the building process. And we pride ourselves on taking an innovative, open-minded approach to devising solutions and alternative approaches to any schedule, budget or technical problems that may arise either during or prior to construction.

preconstruction

Involving Upscale early-on during preconstruction, can be crucial to saving our clients time and money. We provide valuable trade knowledge and input during early design development. Our involvement helps develop realistic schedules, construction details, budgets and cost options that our clients and architects endorse.

construction

Once a unified and clear objective has been established, and a preliminary budget/schedule has been approved, Upscale will competitively bid the project to multiple subcontractors and vendors to ensure our clients receive the best price from the most appropriate companies. Our subs share our focus on schedule, budget and quality; and they understand they will compete to deliver you the fairest price.