Highly recommend for anyone looking to get work done under the EBB program! Oscar and Daniel came in with a competitive bid and know the ins and outs of the program very well. Work was also completed on time and team left the place clean and tidy after. read more

Highly recommend for ESS (Earthquake Soft Story)! Altamira just finished an ESS seismic retrofit at our house in Oakland and my wife and I are very happy. Oscar was a great communicator and educator on the project and navigating the CEA ESS program related plans and permits, and ensured the project was competitively priced and well managed. Daniel and his crew performed the work, and were very professional, courteous, and tidy. They completed the work on time and within budget, and completed almost all of the CEA ESS application for us. A wonderful team and experience for us. Thank you, Altamira! read more

I was referred to Oscar (Alta Mira) through a structural engineer and I couldn't have been happier with the outcome of the work. Oscar was on time from the beginning, communicated his schedule, and made repairs to the foundational issues at hand. Prices are more than fair, and his staff that I met (Ricardo) was super friendly! I highly recommend this company, and look forward to future business on other homes! read more

Altamira worked with us after we were approved by the Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) program to perform an earthquake retrofit on our 1950s home. The whole team was fantastic from start to finish! Exceptional communication, expertise and friendliness. The team guided us through every step of the process, and got the job done quickly despite our very small crawl space under the house. They provided updates and photos along the way, and even caught a leak under the house that we were able to have fixed before it got very costly. Thanks, Altamira! read more

I would absolutely recommend Oscar and Daniel for your retrofit projects. They made a very difficult, scary, and expensive project much more stress free than I had imagined it would be. They handled my lack of knowledge with empathy, kindness and patience. I'm very appreciative of their honest work. They treat their employee/staff amazingly which speak volumes as to they type of business that is being run. They were very reasonably priced and helped me navigate the reason for their pricing, making sure that, laws and insurance issues were being followed. I can't recommend them enough. I'm hoping to hire them on for other large projects as they come my way. Louisa read more

I have no experience working with this company. What I can say is that the man who came out to evaluate our project was show-stoppingly rude within moments of meeting him. I almost immediately knew I'd never work with him, imagining how he may behave when he had me over the barrel midway through a job. I just nodded as he talked until he left, which wasn't soon enough. "You should just sell your house." - thanks, buddy; you can get f%*#ed as well. read more

I recently purchased a home built in 1897. You can just imagine how much work needs to be done. I called Daniel. And within 1 week he was here along with his engineer. They both came up with a plan to help me with my project. I am so appreciative that they took the time to explain all my options to me. 5 stars so far. Thank you for coming by. read more

After reading all the reviews and checking out their websites and previous projects, these guys seemed like the ones for the foundation work I need done. I sent a quick email with a board, quick explanation of the problem and asked for an estimate appointment. What I received was the most disrespectful email I have ever gotten from a business. It started with, "Thank you but we are not interested," and went on to mansplain about what type of business I should call instead. Ummmm.... I have been involved in construction for my entire life and have owned this house for over 20 years -- I know what kind of work I need. Altamira Contruction: Thanks for making assumptions without knowing all the details or even seeing the site (that's sarcasm). If you're not even willing to take the time and inquire more about a job that I think is right for you, then I have no interest in doing business with you. Also, maybe you should think about be a little more professional. If your initial emails are this flippant, I have no faith that you would behave any different were we to work together. Final thought: I dodged a bullet. read more

Performed as promised. Accomplished our unique foundation retrofit. Would use them again.

Daniel, Oscar and crew were fantastic to work with! They understand the value of team work and included us in the team when needed. Their communication was proactive, timely and professional. They replaced half the foundation for our 110 year 3 story house and completed all seismic upgrades with a basement remodel. I absolutely recommend their services! I only wish they did general construction- we would Hire them for every single project. read more

A huge shoutout to Oscar at Altamira who showed up on a Sunday morning with only 24 hours notice to help us determine if the foundation of the house we were buying was in need of replacement or not and how that has affected house settling. He was efficient, produced a detailed report and thoroughly explained everything he found in a clear, concise terms we could understand. Highly recommend. read more

Altamira did our earthquake retrofit. They did an exceptional job. This company was professional and kept to the timelines promised. They even explained what was being done to our house and the materials being used. We found them through the EBB (Earthquake Brace & Bolt) program. They did great at making both us and them were adhering to the timelines. We would recommend them to our friends. read more

We would highly recommend Altamira to others for their seismic retrofit projects - ours involved bolting and shear wall installation. We were referred to Altamira by our structural engineer. They had the most competitive bid we received from multiple contractors the engineer referred us to. Everyone we worked with (Daniel, Oscar, Ricardo, and Gerardo) were friendly, respectful, and skilled at their roles. They made the process easy and efficient both for the administrative tasks (photos, permits) and the construction itself. Throughout the project, they kept the work area and staging areas clean and well organized. We also appreciated their willingness to answer questions and help us better understand how the different aspects of the project were strengthening our home. We feel very confident in their work and are now resting more easily knowing our home is more secure. read more

Emailed them here for a quote for retrofit, sill plates and shear transfer ties, they responded quickly and gave a very competitive cost. The cost does not include the permit cost as will vary across cities. Oscar gave me a call, we had a quick chat and arranged for him to come to check out the home. Very smooth process. I hired them, and with all the waiting from EBB, and Altamira's schedule, it was ALL done in about 3.5 months. I guess if you hired them without EBB involved, it'll be done significantly quicker. read more

They were absolutely amazing with my earthquake retrofit. Oscar is knowledgeable and friendly, he made sure I applied for the EBB grant so I could afford to do the retrofit sooner than later, and educated me every step of the way. If I ever need this kind of work again, I'm definitely calling them first read more

I've been a home owner for several years now, and have completed several projects. Alta Mira has been by far the most enjoyable to work with amongst all the contractors I've dealt with. I also work in the architecture industry and know when a contractor genuinely cares for the work they do versus just seeing their profession as a means to charge customers. I had full faith working with Oscar and Ricardo. They were patient with me during the project bidding phase as well as very attentive during the construction phase. They went beyond what they needed to in providing seismic retrofit for my house at a reasonable time frame and cost compared to several other contractors (which few wanted to charge me just to take a look!) I was satisfied with their professional service and communication! I will def consider them in future potential projects. read more

Oscar and Ricardo from Altamira Construction Company were a pleasure to work with on our Earthquake Brace and Bolt (EBB) retrofit project! Prior to providing Altamira's quote, Oscar's inspection in the crawl space was the most thorough of the three contractors I requested a quote from. He clearly explained the process, requested the building permit, and uploaded all the required documents on the EBB Dashboard. Ricardo completed all the retrofit work and served as our representative for the city inspections. He maintained excellent communication with us with the scheduling of the city inspections. He also alerted us to an issue with the strapping of our water heater ahead of inspection. We highly recommend Altamira for your EBB retrofit project! read more

The Altamira crew did a garage retrofit for us and we were so impressed with the quality of the work. We got bids from other contractors but no one matched their price, professionalism, and positive attitude. They were thorough, had incredible attention to detail, and got the work done really well, moving efficiently through the city inspection process. They communicated well and cleaned up after themselves too, a rare find for a lot of contractors! Oscar and Daniel were especially great, and helped us navigate the states brace and bolt program. We would use them again in a heartbeat for any other project. read more

After a week of phone tag we set up day and time for retrofit inspection. Daniel didn't show and never called. I texted Daniel to tell him this was frustrating and he had no idea who I was. My name and town were not enough to jog his memory so I reluctantly gave our street address. He then called and texted that he will come over right then. This felt aggressive so I frantically told him to please not come over. He then said he knows I won't believe him but he dropped his phone in water and that was why missed the appointment. read more

Oscar was straighforward and does not try to oversell. The whole crew worked tirelessly to get job done in a timely manner. I would not hesitate to use them again. read more

Altamira did our seismic retrofit on our old 1920's house without cripple walls. Oscar and Daniel were a joy to work with, and everything got done on time and on budget. They uploaded all the required documents to the EBB dashboard and I received the grants without issues. I would definitely recommend them for your earthquake retrofit needs. read more

The so-called inspector/estimator was rude and completely unprofessional. Based on the website, his name is Oscar. When he came to my home he wasn't customer service oriented and was super rude and conceited. Don't waste your time with this one man show. Plenty of other retrofit companies that will make this process easier and more professional! read more

Altamira came out to my home to do a foundation inspection. I requested the most thorough version, with a detailed analysis and report, with solutions provided. I've done a bit of research myself, and being in the trades I try to equip myself with as much knowledge before discussing with a contractor. Now I've talked about drainage systems and foundation work with a few contractors, but I have to say that I was impressed with Oscar and Altamira. He did a stellar job with the analysis and detailed report. Oscar was prompt and clear in his communication as well. I look forward to continue working with Altamira and will update my review as we continue to work together. read more

I have reached out to several companies to get quotes for my project. Altamira Construction (Oscar in particular) is the most professional company out of all I talked to. They respond quickly and answer all questions a customer might have. They also offered the best deal. My work is scheduled to be completed soon and I will update my review here once it is done. My only wish here is a credit card payment option. read more

Altamira provided excellent customer service and was very thorough with each step of the project when repairing my foundation along with earthquake retrofitting. They were also very punctual with their expected timeline. Daniel, Oscar and Ricardo were a pleasure to work with. Their response time was pretty fast when you had a question for them and they addressed any concerns that I had. They also took the time to educate me on what was going on with my foundation as they were repairing it. I would highly recommend Altamira to anyone that needs foundation or earthquake retrofitting work done. read more

I contacted Altamira Construction for a retrofit job through the Earthquake Brace and Bolt program. They provided a very reasonable estimate and were thorough and prompt in their communication. I would definitely recommend them for a project, large or small! read more

Every time you start a new project there are so many companies to sort through, and I feel so lucky that I found Altamira! Daniel and Oscar are so personable, the quote was totally reasonable, and the work was done with care and attention down to every last little detail. They even took the time to clean and sweep the spaces daily so that we wouldn't feel like we were living in a construction zone. Endlessly impressive work! Thanks so much for everything! read more

I can't recommend Altamira Construction enough! Our project (kitchen remodel, 2 bathroom remodel, new addition of closet, taking 2 additional rooms down to the studs, new wiring, new hardwood floors, structural chagnes) was done on time (~4 months) and on budget. Daniel (CEO, Altamira Construction) and his crew were very responsible and courteous. There was clear communication on the progress of the work and when issues came up (they always do in a 100+ year old house), Daniel clearly explained the options and costs. They showed up every day and even offered to work on weekends with our permission to be able to keep to the timeline. Our project foreman (Salvador) was always there and was able to answer questions for the rare times that Daniel was not on site. We lived in the house during construction so they made extra accommodations to ensure the work area was as clean as possible for us and put up barriers so we had privacy in our make-shift bathroom. They were also very accommodating of a neighbor who was unhappy with the construction noise. I got bids from 7 contractors for the job and Altamira's prices were very competitive. I can't imagine using another contractor for any future work I do. read more

Altamira Construction Company was excellent in their professionalism, expertise in the Earthquake Brace & Bolt program requirements, Permit regulations, and specifics of earthquake retrofitting. Oscar and Ricardo patiently answered my questions, offered explanation of the process, engineering plans, purpose of materials used, and offered beneficial suggestions. They exemplified patience and flexibility when engineering plans required alterations or my scheduled availability suddenly changed. I will happily utilize Altamira Construction in future projects! read more

I am very satisfied with the earthquake retrofit job that Altamira Construction did on my house. Oscar came out and checked out the job, we discussed what would be done and how much... A fair price for strengthening the foundation and increasing the odds that the structure will survive a serious earthquake. The crew arrived on time, with their own portapotty btw, and got right to work. I inspected the job upon completion and was satisfied that they had done a good job... Very happy having done business with Altamira Construction and recommend them highly! read more

We worked with Altamira and Oscar for some structural work on our house in Oakland. Oscar is an expert at what he does and everything went smooth and cost was also reasonable. Oscar was also nice enough to provide some free consultation regarding a different project for our downspouts system which really helped us and ads we we were totally clueless about what do for this very critical project. Great company very professional and friendly contractors would definitely recommend! read more

This is my first review and it's long overdue. What can I say Oscar and Daniel were wonderful! They were very responsive with all my requests. As a first time homeowner, I did not feel these guys were taking advantages. They took the time to explain the project to me and were very detail oriented. Very considerate and professional overall. Will definitely be doing business with them again! read more

Responded quickly and spent time explaining and talking through our project in a really helpful way, giving good objective advice. Thanks!

I got selected for the EBB program, and contacted a bunch of contractors who they have on their directory, but none of them were as prompt or fairly priced as Altamira. I worked with Oscar through the whole process, and it was seamless! He was absolutely great to work with, and since he has done this before quite a few times, he was always 2 steps ahead in terms of getting pictures ready for the permits or how to draw up the plans etc. When it came down to the work, they got it done in 2 days! I would highly recommend choosing them when doing your earthquake retrofit, especially if it has to adhere to the EBB program read more

I just completed an EBB retrofit at my home with Altamira. Oscar Hernandez did an outstanding job of taking care of all details and coordinating workers for the project. The two installers did a great job. All in all it was an excellent experience. Thank you to Oscar and all the Altamira employees.. read more

Altamira helped us out in a tough situation. We were under a difficult timeline to finish a brace & bolt job, when hidden dry rot was found under our house -- this would have prevented the completion of the EBB work. Oscar & co helped us find another team who was able to fix the dry rot in time to finish the EBB job. They worked quickly under tight timelines, and at a reasonable price. They coordinated well with the other contractor, and effective communicated with us throughout the process. Now we have passed all inspections, and finished the EBB job with weeks to spare! Excellent work. I would recommend them again without reservation. read more

I asked for a quote and got a very quick reply letting me know that Altamira does not do work in San Francisco city. So I can't speak to the quality of their work. But for a contractor to respond at all, and quickly, is unusual enough where I wanted to share my appreciation for that. read more

It is rare in this world to encounter a contractor as honest, expert, hardworking, decent and sensible as Daniel Arce. We chose him for our $90,000 kitchen remodel over several other well-known and pricier contractors after I had the opportunity to closely examine two other kitchens his crew had done in our upscale Berkeley Hills neighborhood and, more importantly, to talk with the owners about how the projects had gone. One of them told me "You are so lucky to have found Daniel." Even at that time, I already had a sense that that was true. Now, several months after the project was completed (BEFORE the promised time, ON BUDGET -- with agreed-on change orders that were entirely reasonable and in most cases for additional things we wanted done -- and NEATLY done (his crew built actual temp walls for protection and dust control instead of simply draping and taping)), I KNOW it! Daniel is as honest as the day is long. Everything promised in his scope of work was done to the letter, and his subcontractors were experts in their own rights, as well as collaborative and available. If there were minor issues or questions as we went along, Daniel was available to talk through and work out how to proceed. He was actually wonderfully obsessive about getting things done to my liking, spending additional hours doing so in many cases. Example: I felt too much grouting was left around the tiles on the backsplash (others whom I asked were on the fence about that!). In response, Daniel's project lead Salvador (a highly skilled wizard himself) spent four more hours detailing the grout. I was very happy with the lengths to which Daniel went to make sure I was happy. FInally, the ultimate indicator of my satisfaction with the work Daniel and his crew did for us: we threw him, his crew, the designer, and their families a party to celebrate them in January. My husband and daughter hosted 25 of Daniel's folks with food we cooked that is native to Daniel's Mexican home state of Durango. Believe me, as a clinical psychologist with a busy practice, nothing short of a beautiful experience with Daniel and Alta Mira would have prompted me to spend as much time, love, and care as I did to thank them for the wonderful kitchen they created for us! read more

We chose Daniel and his amazing crew to do our $80.0000 kitchen remodel January to March 2013. I will never use another contractor again. The entire crew is courteous, really clean, does amazing work. They are extremely thorough. Always shows up on time and communicates well about every detail that needs to be communicated about. Any change in price was clear. We have had several constructions projects done in our house prior, always with lots of stress and frustration. This time, I was actually sad the day the crew left. Our kitchen remodel was major, the entire room was gutted and it involved some structural changes as well. Everything was done in a timely manner, subcontractors arrived when they said they would. No time was waisted. We were able to live in our house during the construction. The crew built a temporary wall to protect us from the dust. I often work at home which was manageable as well. We can highly recommend Daniel Arce and his great crew. read more

We've hired Altamira Construction for two major projects. In 2006 we remodeled our home, adding 1000 square ft. We were so impressed with Daniel Arce and his crew's craftsmanship and organization that we hired him again this year (2014) for a kitchen remodeling. Daniel and his crew are highly professional in every aspect: accounting, honesty, trust, reliability, cleanliness. He's a good listener, respectful of your ideas, and will help bring your design into fruition. We've heard nightmare stories about contractors delaying jobs for months, so we feel doubly fortunate to have found such a wonderful contractor like Daniel! read more