Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterMeet the Palo Alto Team Behind Rowan Construction Group Palo Alto
Our Palo Alto crew isn’t a rotating cast of subcontractors. These are the same people who show up to your kitchen remodel in Old Palo Alto, your roof inspection in Barron Park, or your ADU foundation pour in Midtown. They share one trait: every one of them can explain what they’re doing and why, in plain terms, before they start. That’s Clause 1 of the Haven Standard, and it applies to people, not just pricing.
Our People
Grant Rowan, Owner
I started Rowan Construction Group in 2007 after watching too many homeowners in Palo Alto get quoted one number and invoiced another. Before that, I spent eight years as a project manager on commercial builds in San Mateo County, where I learned that the only way to keep a job on budget is to write the scope before anyone picks up a hammer. I still review every written quote that leaves this office, and I still carry a tape measure in my truck because I’ve seen what happens when someone assumes instead of measures. The Haven Standard exists because I got tired of explaining to neighbors why their previous contractor disappeared. When I’m not on a job site, I’m usually fishing the surf at San Gregorio or arguing with my daughter about whether Eichler atriums count as midcentury modern.
Marcus T., Lead Technician - Roofing & Exterior Systems
Marcus has been with us since 2014, which in roofing years means he’s seen three full warranty cycles on Palo Alto’s mix of low-slope Eichler roofs and steep-pitch custom builds in Professorville. He’s GAF Master Elite certified and specializes in identifying where a leak actually starts versus where it shows up inside, which are rarely the same spot. On a job in Greenmeadow last spring, he traced a ceiling stain back to a failed cricket behind a chimney that two previous inspectors had missed. Off the clock, he restores vintage motorcycles and will talk your ear off about British electrics if you let him.
Elena V., Senior Installer - Kitchen & Bath
Elena joined us in 2019 after running her own tile installation business in Mountain View for six years. She’s certified in Schluter waterproofing systems and has a particular eye for the substrate work that most homeowners never see, which is exactly where bathrooms fail. She keeps a photo on her phone of a shower pan she opened up in Palo Alto Hills, the membrane intact but the mud bed saturated because the previous installer hadn’t sloped to the weep screed. She speaks Russian and Spanish, which has come in handy more times than you’d expect on our multicultural crews. Her side project is training her Australian Shepherd to stay off freshly grouted floors, with mixed results.
David K., Service Coordinator
David is the person who answers when you call, and he’s the reason we can say a live person picks up 24/7. He’s been with Rowan since 2016, starting as an apprentice carpenter before moving to the office when he realized he was better at keeping sixteen schedules straight than he was at cutting crown molding. He maintains the photo documentation system, which means he’s the one making sure every crew member uploads their before-and-after shots before they leave your driveway. He grew up in Palo Alto, graduated from Gunn High, and still lives in the neighborhood, so he knows which streets flood in heavy rain and which building inspectors prefer email over phone calls.
Jin P., Apprentice - Carpentry & Finish Work
Jin is in his third year of our apprenticeship program, splitting time between home additions in Palo Alto and ADU projects down the Peninsula. He’s completed his OSHA 30 and is working toward his California contractor’s license, with Marcus and Elena trading off as his direct mentors depending on the trade. His current focus is learning to read existing conditions on older Palo Alto homes, where the as-builts are wrong and the walls are never quite square. He was born in Seoul, moved to the Bay Area at fourteen, and plays competitive Go at a level that apparently translates well to spatial reasoning on the job site. He still asks more questions than anyone else on the crew, which is exactly what we want.
One Standard, Every Job
These four people report to one system, not one personality. The Haven Standard is printed, not assumed. Clause 1 means the written price arrives before work starts, whether Grant writes the quote or David schedules the visit. Clause 3 means the photo record uploads before the truck leaves your street, whether Marcus is on the roof or Jin is learning to document his first solo job. The 365-Day Done Right Promise applies to every project equally because the terms are published, not negotiated.
We’ve delivered over 4,000 projects across our network since 2007, and the discipline that keeps them within a few percent of the original quote is the same in Palo Alto as it is anywhere else: no change order without a signature, no work without a written scope, no crew member on your property without a background check and a uniform. The brands we source, KraftMaid to GAF to Belgard, don’t change by location. The people do. These are yours.
Call (650) 446-9092 to schedule your free estimate, or bring us a competitor’s written quote for a free second opinion. Either way, you’ll talk to David or Grant first, and you’ll know who’s coming before they arrive.
Written by Grant Rowan, Owner at Rowan Construction Group Palo Alto, serving Palo Alto and the Peninsula since 2007.