I would not recommend working with Shah.
First, his location creates real challenges for proper project oversight. He is based in Manteca, roughly 80 minutes from the Bay Area, and as a result, his presence on-site was very limited. For example, during the initial foundation inspection, he did not attend and instead asked me to communicate directly with the city inspector. The same situation occurred during the final inspection--he again did not show up and asked me to handle it. The inspection ultimately failed because the job site was incomplete and disorganized. The city inspector also expressed concern about the contractor's absence. I was left relaying information between the inspector and Shah, which is not the responsibility of a homeowner.
Second, the project was subcontracted to another local GC, but there appeared to be very little oversight or control. The subcontractor's crew repeatedly failed to follow the soil engineer's instructions, and Shah did not take effective action to correct them.
Third, throughout the process, Shah frequently questioned the soil engineer's qualifications, despite being the one who originally hired that firm. This created unnecessary confusion and undermined confidence in the project.
Fourth, due to the subcontractor's failure to follow proper compaction procedures, we were required to remove the top 24 inches of fill and redo the work. This issue was entirely preventable. When this was identified, Shah refused to proceed unless I paid an additional $4,000, despite the problem stemming from his team's errors.
Overall, this project highlighted Shah's lack of knowledge of the pool filling process, poor subcontractor management, and inadequate project oversight. These issues resulted in significant delays, failed inspections, and additional costs.
For anyone considering working with Shah, I strongly recommend being aware that he is not local to the Bay Area and relies heavily on subcontractors with limited supervision. It is important to carefully evaluate whether this structure will meet your expectations for quality and accountability. read more