John Mandella
Owner, Designer
Featured article from Pasatiempo Living
Owner John Mandella is a Santa Cruz local from an entrepreneurial family. His love for construction and design started by helping out with the family’s small businesses. Over a 10 year period John learned the trade from his father and working for other contractors. In 2006 he passed the Contractors State License Board test and started Mandella Construction in 2008. John’s passion for quality craftsmanship and keen architectural talents have been the key to his success.
Building and maintaining relationships is a priority for us. We always try to develop a personal connection with our clients, which allows us to better anticipate and respond to their needs. We believe it’s important to take the time to explain the different options to achieve our clients’ goals so that everyone is on the same page.
Why Design/Build?
Design/Build remodeling is one-stop shopping for design and construction. You work with John and his team for the entire project, from concept to completion. We provide pricing information, timely feedback on the budget effect of decisions you make, and help you design your project to get the most "bang for your buck".
What Clients are Saying
"I’ve worked with John on 6 projects on two different sites over the past number of years. He is my go-to general contractor for Santa Cruz County From simple attic ladder installations, to build outs of entire decks, he is the guy. Some words I'd use to describe John and his team are: transparent, ethical, professional, skilled, timely, kind, efficient, a good communicator. Some things I really appreciate about John is that He listens to my needs, delivers bids that I can understand, budgets them well, sets clear expectations and delivers on promises. He picks up the phone. When problems arise, which they undoubtedly do in home renovation, he comes up with options for solutions when presenting the issues. He has been on budget and on time for every project I’ve done with him. I know when I hire John to manage a construction project I can focus on other things, because he has it. All of this makes him a great value and a gem of a general contractor."
—Paige Gordon
“John Mandella incredibly transformed our living room/dining room/kitchen into a great room. The end product is like an elegant bed and breakfast suite—a room you don't want to leave because of its flow, its cozy and expansive charm.
Our first impression of John proved true again and again over the course of the remodel: he knows his business of construction, he has a great way with people, he is honest, thorough, and efficient. We called him at all hours; he either quickly picked up or immediately called back. When we added other "requests" to the great room project, like a new shower to our little back house, or a new front yard fence, or a new deck, or a new overhang to our front porch—he was not only agreeable, he added expert advice and then put his great crew on the jobs.
My husband and I loved working with John. I will continue to highly recommend him to those wanting a new home or home improvements.”
— Hannah Crocker
We highly recommend Mandella Construction. John, his crew and subcontractors did a wonderful job on a major update of our 1975 custom home in Pasatiempo. They worked well with our architect, civil engineer and interior designer in a wonderful collaboration that was timely completed. In particular, his crew did masterful work incorporating the update into the existing design and finishes, including conversion of a wooden, spiral staircase into a new wooden non-spiral staircase that looks original. Five stars!
— Bill and Jacquie Faulkner
