Worst of the Worst. Mr Lie slowed the process of my ADU by months. He was supposed to solve problems, instead he created them. Had a serious case of BigDealitus. Lots of better engineers out there. read more

Buyers beware. This guy Kevin is the worst He promises the world and claims he can do everything including grading plans. He delayed my project because he is incompetent w grading. Please be careful with this guy. He tells you he is the most important person to help with your project then over charges and under delivers and can cause your project to be delayed for months!! People tried me to warn me about him adidnt listen and got burned. Please dont be fooled like i was. *update 4/19/24. Just got word from another person he scammed them again just recently. Please please be careful! read more

Service itself was ok. quick and easy. Before you sign the contract, however, make sure to ask and clarify all the included services before you make the "initial deposit". I paid close to $4k to survey my property, which included, 1.perform research, 2. perform field survey, 3. perform boundary analysis, 4. set/install or locate all 4 deed corners of the property with survey markers, 5. prepare record of survey map (18x26) and file/register said map at the LA county surveyors office. Only exclusion was $688.50 county filing fee, which i was fully aware of. After the project was completed, Kevin sent me the final invoice, which included the filing fee of $688.50 and $150 for the printing services. I called Kevin to ask why there was additional fee that was added on, which was not clearly mentioned in the contract. He told me he had to print the map on a specific type of paper called mylar paper, required by the county. I told him that, per our contract section #5, Preparing record of survey map should have included cost of the material, which should have been included in the initial deposit. Then, things started to get ugly really fast. He started yelling at me saying, he's been in the business for a very long time and noone has ever mentioned this to him, and especially only for "just $150". He told me he is not a cheater and I shouldnt treat anyone like that just for $150. He reminded me that I had already signed the contract and referred to the very last paragraph which reads "printing and reproduction. Client shall reimburse the company all printing & reproduction costs." I got it, but that still doesn't clarify my initial question of "how do you prepare the document without necessary materials." Conversation ended with him yelling in my ears "you don't need to pay me a dime, you go out print it out yourself and you send it to me then!" No customer should be treated this way. Maybe the contract was written poorly for a reason, i don't know... This experience left a very bad taste in my mouth. I will pay my dues and move on.. not because he is right, but it's not worth my time. (Added after owner's response) I am sure people can see who is telling the truth by the way you are mocking your customer instead of offering an apology for your rude manners and horrible customer service. read more

Our contractor told me that we needed a building corner cert for the new addition and ADU that we are currently working on. She told me to contact Caliland Engr. I submitted a request thru Yelp and Kevin sent out proposal via email in less than 24 hours. I had questions, so I called him and he explain everything clearly. In less than 48 hours, Maggie and Chandler came to the property and did what needed to be done. His price is extremely reasonable and they are the true professional. I highly recommend Kevin Lai and his team. Thank you Kevin, Maggie and Chandler for the job extremely well done read more

We didn't end up actually needing to purchase the survey, but Kevin still took the time to answer all of my questions, and even sent me over the property records he pulled for me free or charge. Did I mention he did this the same day I called him? Everyone else was booked and wouldn't even speak with me. I highly encourage everyone to use Caliland Engineering for all their surveying and property needs. read more

Caliland Engineering - Structural Engineers Near Me - Arcadia, California

Kevin was a lifesaver when my inspector required property surveying. With most companies offering a 6 week lead time, Kevin and his team came to my property the NEXT day! Prompt and professional, Kevin eased my stress and completed the job in a timely manner. He submitted the necessary documents to the city and his rate was affordable. Please reach out to Kevin for your surveying needs! read more

Bait and switch BEWARE! Hiring this guy was the worst decision I have ever made. I sent out a Yelp request where he contacted me and told me he would beat the lowest bid on a Plat Map. What he did was produce a map that was non-submissible, so he could charge me more incrementally for the missing items! He demands that you pay him upfront, makes you sign an ambiguous contract then produces a product that is deficient. His strategy is to charge you incrementally for the deficient items i.e., Bait and Switch. Because you pay him up front you have no choice but to continue paying him as he holds the product ransom! The city rejected all his maps citing that they did not meet the minimum requirements. I ultimately tried to sue him as I never received ANYTHING from him that was admissible to the city. He then fabricated evidence and lied to the court!! He told the court I came to him and wanted a "cheap map"?? What, he contacted me through Yelp!! All I wanted was plat map of my property that I could submit to the city!! He then produced a fabricated map he made and told the judge he sent me that (Liar)!! He sent two of his associates to my house to do the measuring. He lied to judge and said he came himself! This guy worse of the worst. I paid him $6500 dollars for a plat map, and NEVER received a complaint map from him. This guy is well known amongst other Surveyors and through the city and county planners as being deceitful, they refer to him as You Lie (Yoon Lai). Look elsewhere! read more

Kevin is easy to work with. Very responsive. I paid then in two weeks, everything was done and the record is submitted to la county

Kevin is top notch. Very responsive to both my calls and my emails (even on on the weekends). He expedited the return of my plans for submission to the city on a rush basis to allow for the completion of my building. Kevin made himself available to both the contractor, architect and all necessary parties to complete the drainage plan for our property. Finally, his prices were very reasonable. Another Civil Engineer wanted to charge me an additional $6,000 for testing. Kevin told me that, according his expertise and opinion, he wanted to complete the plans and only charge me anything extra if the city actually asked for it. Feels great as the consumer when the person you hire is looking out for you. Finally, as for the response times on Yelp, as a business owner, some people submit requests on weekends or at 1:00 a.m. in the morning etc. I believe that Yelp accounts for that in making subsequent adjustments to the response time. Thanks Kevin. Would highly recommend. Please feel free to contact me via Yelp if there is anything else you may questions about. read more

I first engaged Kevin @ Caliland Engineering two years ago when I was planning a master suite addition to my home. He was responsive, on time, professional, and fairly priced. I got all the information and documents I needed to move on with my project and left happy. Two years and multiple project delays later, we finally broke ground and started to build. Naturally, once molds for the foundation and retaining walls went up, a city inspector asked for additional survey's and markers on the various structural supports and retaining walls. (note: these were additional requests, unrelated to our first survey) THE PROJECT CAME TO A STOP, AGAIN! I called up Kevin in a hurry and trying to get the issue taken care of. In less than 24 hours we exchanged multiple emails and I had a quote in-hand. All was right in the world. I'd recommend Caliland Engineering and will likely call them in the future if I need their services. read more

We are in the middle of a big remodel of our house and at the last minute during one of our inspections the city inspector said he wouldn't let us move forward without a setback certification for our property lines. Everyone else we called gave us a timeframe from 4 wks +, we needed this asap since the foundation pour was already scheduled for a few days from when we called. Kevin was able to squeeze us in on Saturday (the day after we called!) since we explained we were on a time crunch. Fast forward to today, the inspector came out and approved us for the next step - foundation pour! Kevin was very nice, professional, and got the job done quickly. I would highly recommend anyone needing a surveyor to give CaliLand a call. A big thank you to Kevin and his team!!! read more

Money-hungry unprofessional short-tempered.. if I continue with the amount of adjectives I would violate yelps word count limit. Kevin Lai aka Kevin Liar does not care for your business he will care enough to take your money and move at a snails pace once he starts on any project you naively entrust in him, BY THE WAY he piggy backs off the renowned Calland Engineering in Brea to leech off their established business name. I paid him 5K for a topo survey that took 2 months and I literally had to follow up with him each week for a response! Sometimes I wonder if he is a living corpse that lives off sucking greenbacks off his clients that he feels entitled to. The sense of entitlement this human displays is appalling. I was always respectful to him but he has forced my hand and after all that was said and done, he still has not completed the job to record the survey with the county, so yes I will be taking his behind to civil court. Additionally, for giggles I asked him to quote me for a lot split of SFR according to SB9 CA, he DOUBLE charged me! My request is to split one lot into two, he planned to charge me for two separate lots as if he was doing one in CA in one in FL! WOW amirite. Calland charged me 1 charge for a lot split and came in under HALF of what Kevin Liar was going to charge me 7k x2 = 14k! vs. Calland 6k... wtf :( read more

It's been over a week, and there's still no response with a quote or anything. Although I have not used their service, Yelp has it wrong about 45min response time. My review is based on my initial experience, or there lack of. read more

Been many months since I contacted them. Guess they don't need business. Not going to chase em around. Not impressed.

Super expensive. I finally found someone else charging a fraction of the price. Seriously saved like 9,000 dollars.

I sent Kevin a survey request through yelp and he responded promptly. He was knowledgeable and provided me with all the information requested. Will contact him again in the future if we decide to proceed with our project. read more

THEY ARE SIMPLY THE BEST! Caliland Engineering was my first call when looking to have my property surveyed and boundary markers set. Kevin Lai called me back right away after my inquiry. Kevin then spent MUCH time with me on the phone detailing exactly what work would be done, and, since I had just begun my search for surveyors, what questions to ask other potential surveyors. He was very prompt in sending me a detailed professional quote. After talking with 8 other surveyors, Kevin was hands down, the guy for me. He is professional, affordable, SO knowledgeable, honest, and stands firmly behind his work. He informed me of how the entire process would work and how long it would take for the survey to be complete and then filed with the county. The whole process, from our scheduled appointment onsite to the actual filing took less than a week. The map was so complete and detailed that another surveyor said "The map prepared by Kevin Lai is one of the finest maps of its type that I have ever seen." Kevin's team, Kenny and Winthrope, were very professional and exact in their work on site. I had been having some problems with my neighbors who had supposedly done a survey some years before. Kevin spent so much time on the phone with me. He also spoke with my irate neighbor AND with the surveyor that had supposedly done a survey of the property next door. Kevin was confident and patient and told us all that the "Truth would prevail". He was right! His boundaries were accepted as the true boundaries. I feel great having Kevin on my team. I would ABSOLUTELY recommend CaliLand and Kevin Lai to anyone! read more

Kevin and Caliland Engineering is an outstanding company. I needed to have a Title Survey done in a very short amount of time for my lender as I was buying an apartment building and Caliland Engineering was the only company that was able to work with my fast turn around time. Kevin was very professional and helpful through the whole process. Caliland has multiple teams of people to get the job done which is why they were able to do my survey and every other company was backed up 3-5 weeks. I actually got referred to Caliland Engineering from another Survey company because they could not do it within my time frame and said the only company they would recommend was Caliland because they have seen their work and it is very thorough. Thank you again Kevin and Caliland for being so diligent with completing my Title Survey :) read more

We recently had a topography map and land survey map draw by Kevin and his team. They also provided a survey map in CAD format for our architect. Everyone we spoke with was highly professional, very informative and friendly. We couldn't be happier with the excellent and expeediant service that was provided and would highly recommend using this company for any of your survey needs. read more

I had called around to find not only a good price, but quality work and when it came time to survey our property, we were lucky enough to have found Kevin at Caliland Engineering who is located in our city. From the start, we spoke with a friendly young woman who was able to answer a few questions for us and take our information for a quote. We were emailed a quote within a day and when my husband and I agreed to go through with them I called to let them know. Kevin was awesome over the phone. He was professional, energetic, knowledgeable, and assured me that the job would get done in a timely manner. Since we live so close to his office I decided to walk in and sign documents and take him a bottle of wine because he was so pleasant over the phone. If Kevin was awesome over the phone, he was even better in person! When I handed him the bottle of wine that we had bought for him, he handed me one in return! Who does that? Kevin does! I can't stress how happy I am to know that there are businesses run by people like Kevin in the city that I grew up in and continue to live in. I've already told a neighbor and a friend about their services and I'll update my review when the job is finished- but for now, 5 stars! Call them. Tell them Lilly sent you! You won't regret it. read more

Thank you Kevin for the detailed and fair proposal, out 10 surveyors contacted you're the ONLY ONE who came through!

We used Caliland Engineering for our property survey to find where our boundaries are in the 4 corners. After calling 3 other places, it appeared that Caliland was the most reasonable. Kevin was professional and he came out to measure and put markers on the 4 corners by the agreed upon time. I have no problem with this company at all. If you're looking for a professional and reasonably priced property survey which I would highly recommend if you want to fence up your yard, I would highly recommend Caliland Engineering. read more

I have been attempting to obtain an estimate from this company for 2 months. I've sent them 3 emails and made 2 phone calls to no avail. I cannot comment on the quality of their work but if this is a preview of things to come I will not hire them. I suggest to hire a company that is responsive and professional. read more

I don't have much basis for a review, other than the fact that my email and phone call requests were never returned. After a few calls I got a phone call from an engineer and sent my plans over to him via email. I never heard back. I followed up with reception, and again, never heard back. The other reviews are great which is why I chose this firm, but honestly, unless you like herding kittens and chasing phone calls find another firm with better service. read more

Caliland Engineering answered my request, surveyed my property, and completed the job within a week. Couldn't be happier!

Folks, I do not know where to begin. Kevin Lai and his staff should be called super heros!!! After receiving an unfavorable LOMA determination from FEMA, to remove my structure from the Special Flood Zone, Kevin and his staff took to arms to determine why it was not approved. He recounted all his calculations against the requirements and double checked the application, and everything pointed in our favor. It did not make sense, why FEMA did not approve the application. He called a FEMA rep, worked with her for hours and days to prove our case. The FEMA rep requested we submit a follow up application package since the original one had been closed. Kevin and his staff went above and beyond to handle this, and submit in a timely manner. After working long and arduous, FEMA corrected its original position and revised the determination in our favor. Kevin was an angel sent from God. He handled my elevation certificate that was required during the construction of my garage and now this LOMA application. I can't thank Kevin enough for his hard work, except wish him many blessings. He saved me countless of hours and days to deal with this.Thanks very, very much Kevin!!!! PS: to Mr. Michael K. whom posted a negative review of Kevin. With all do respect, it was a shock to read your review. I do not know the circumstances and respect the vendor-client confidentiality amongst both, however, I suspect you may have been very impatient with Kevin for not attending your needs immediately. Please bear in mind that he has other clients that need to be attended, and in addition, there are contracts that need to be reviewed and agreed prior to conducting business. If you wish to contact me, please send a private message via Yelp and I will be glad to share Kevin's work. Both my construction and LOMA application began in Feb 2014, and as you can see from the date of this message, it is July 2014. Patience is a virtue and it should be practiced to get things done properly. Thank You... read more

I bought a house in 2009 on the hill side. The lot is about 30,000 sqft. Not all the lot is usable. Many areas are not even accessible because of thick bushes and trees. You can imagine how difficult the job was. I had to hire two workers to do the cleanup of the trees to assist with the job. Kevin was the engineer who took my job. He came to the site and did the work personally. He marked all the critical points of the boundary of the lot. As a result, he found that my neighbor's backyard encroach into our property, which is another story. With the survey, my neighbor does not have any leverage to argue with us. It was a boundary and topology survey. Kevin did a very good job and delivered the result fast. I also received the drawing in digital format that can be used for future architecture design. Great value! read more

Called Caliland Engineering on 08/23/19 to get a survey done on my property. I got a proposal in the email later that afternoon from Kevin. Had a question about the proposal since I wasn't very familiar with the aspects of the survey. I called on a Saturday and Sunday and surprisingly Kevin actually answered even though they weren't open. His proposal was precise. Nothing hidden. He knew how important this survey was to me and made the time to come out on 08/26/19 to get it done. He himself showed up to do the survey. It's nice to know that as the owner and an engineer he came at the site to do the job. He is very professional and knowledgeable. Prices are fair. You get what you pay for and to actually get an engineer to do the survey is phenomenal. This is not your ordinary survey company. I would highly recommend Caliland Engineering!!! read more

I needed to have a Boundary Survey done. I came across CaliLand Engineering and did a little research and read the Yelp reviews. After requesting an estimate and receiving an email that was more than double what I expected I called Kevin and we spoke for about 20 minutes. I wouldn't say his prices were cheap but I guess I wasn't comparing apples to apples. Kevin explained to me why the price was what it was and I understood so I bit the bullet. His team came out and spent 4 hours taking measurements, they were very professional and courteous in answering my questions. They really did do a lot of work. I was glad that I chose to hire them. There is peace of mind in knowing that the job was done correctly and I don't have to question if my markers are in the right place. Thanks Kevin! read more

We had hired Kevin and his crew to do a boundary survey for our property about a year and half ago. (okay, little late getting this done!) We were very pleased and glad we hired Kevin! The price was very reasonable, and the work was completed in a timely manner. Also, Kevin is a very easy and patient person when explaining to us how the process of surveying works, what to expect, and how the results are published. In fact, when we stopped by--unannounced-- to give him a deposit to begin the work, he took time out from his busy schedule to go over the process with us, because he wanted to be sure we understood what is done and why having a good, qualified and trusted surveyor (which he is!) is important! We highly recommend him and encourage you to give him a call--his estimates are free, and will gladly review your estimate with you! read more

FAST, CHEAP & AMAZING!!! I'm a real estate Broker working on a 15 day escrow and 7 day due diligence period on a hillside ordinance lot. We stumbled upon a problem and needed an answer right away. Kevin and his team were honest and successful in providing me and my clients the answers we needed right away. If you are considering whom to work with I advise you to give these guys a call. Yes, I am aware I'm full of compliments and that you think I am a plant...but no, I am simply being honest. Caliland Engineering Inc. deserves all the praise in the world. Thanks guys for saving my project! -Investor Choice Realty read more

Not ounce but twice I called this place and I kindly ask for an estimate of a boundary survey to determine my property lines. I figured they are probably very busy, so I called a month later......but nnnoooooo. Again they never got back at me the second time. So that's what I'm basing my review on. They never bothered to get in touch with me. That's no way to run a business. read more

Just had the lot for my house surveyed by Caliland and I had a wonderful experience! Kevin was not only very helpful and full of knowledge he is a wonderful human being. Thanks Kevin A+ service! Looking forward to working with you on a topography survey and retaining wall design! read more

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! We had to get a rush survey of our property for our remodeling project, and Caliland sent a team out THE SAME DAY. Kevin, Ben and their team were extremely punctual and professional. In a few days, I had the necessary Survey and Corner Report which allowed us to proceed with our remodel. Throughout the process, Kevin was extremely accessible and answered all of our questions in a timely manner. We were extremely impressed with Caliland, and would enthusiastically recommend them without hesitation. read more

I found Caliland on Yelp as I needed a survey and didn't know anyone in the business. I reached out to them and received a very prompt and professional quote. Was very happy with their responsiveness. read more

Do not use this guy for any boundary studies. Paid nearly $4000 for a job he hardly supervised. He works from his office, sends his family members to do the actual calculations, but yet they do not answer any questions on the property site. The biggest complaint is that he insists on the use of "offset" markers to mark a boundary line, which means that the property line markers are NOT put on the true property line. For example, it was found that my neighbor was encroaching onto my property by more than 5 feet, yet Caliland insisted that the markers be put on my side of the fence, even though the real property line was deep into "her side" of the fence. She is an older women with very little knowledge of these issues, so imagine her confusion and anger when it was proven to her that she was encoraching but yet the property markers were physically on my side! She thought I was lying about the encroachment because the markers were physically placed on my side. She and I both insisted that Caliland place the markers exactly where the line is supposed to be, but Caliland wouldn't do that without an additional $1250 dollars!!! I paid him nearly $4000 and he wanted me to pay an extra $1250 just to take 15 minutes to put two measely more sticks into the ground that would visibly show that an encroachment existed. Talk about unfair, unethical, and money hungry... read more

We needed two surveys done. A topographical and boundary survey for a home construction project on a small hillside lot with lots of trees. The level of difficulty of this survey was high due to the fact, it is a very old community in the Canyon Community in Sierra Madre, where nobody knows where their property lines really are even with previous surveyors. Talking over the phone with Kevin made me feel comfortable. I looked at several surveyors on Angie's List, but chose Kevin because of his proximity to my home. I explained our lot and he sent me an estimate that was reasonable, which I signed to allow him to begin work. When Kevin came out, he explained that many of the original monuments have been removed over the years. He and his engineers came EARLY and had already marked many locations of the potential monuments by the time I arrived. The problem was that many monuments set by other surveyors where not recorded and were no use. Because of this, the project took several visits by Kevin and his engineers, but they eventually got it. Kevin will work hard to do things the right way, and in order to do so, he had to "clean the mess" in my tract. When completed I received a PDF file of the topo map and record of survey map (which gets submitted to the County for recording), and an electronic file of all the elevation data. I was amazed at the level of detail in the map. Even the winding rock staircase and jagged roof lines were defined, trees were marked, gas, water meters located, etc... At the end of the topography boundary survey, I also asked Kevin to set monuments on my property to ensure my property lines are protected, in case other monuments in my tract are damaged or removed. Setting monuments did cost me more, but I wanted peace of mind. I was very satisfied with Kevin's effort, patience, and ease to deal with during this survey project. read more

Kevin, the surveyor is very informative and will help you with your situation. He just spent half an hour with me on the phone, explaining the ins and outs of obtaining a survey. If his prices are reasonable, I will be hiring him do to our survey. read more

Cali land engineering was not only just an honest survey; it was a great learning experience in the end! I had some rowdy neighbors who wanted to encroach their plants and place random junk on my property and needed to survey my land to stop them. Searching yelp for local surveyors I found Kevin and the Cali land team here on yelp and decided to consult with them about my plans and what I needed. I gave Kevin a call and told him that I needed a boundary survey done of my residential property. In about an hour Kevin made a very detailed contract about what was to be done and I was very satisfied with the concise details that he put into the contract that made me understand the large amount of work involved. Next I decided to go ahead with it and went down to Kevin's office in Alhambra to meet him and sign the contract, I left with a very good honest impression of him. A few days later I saw his team surveying the whole block taking precise measurements with only the finest surveying equipment. I saw the team come out not only one but four times two of them on my property itself. In addition to the physical aspect, they also did a ton of research of old survey's done of the area. After the results came in Kevin and his partner Kenny clearly showed me an auto cad map of my property showing me the boundaries and gave me advice on whether I should set corner monuments. In the end I decided corner monuments were the best choice as I was also advised to build a fence by Kevin to prevent any future encroachments on to my property by my rather annoying and nosy neighbor. So Kenny and his partners came out for a fifth day and set down the monuments. The amount of time and effort Kevin and Cali land engineering put into my plans was totally worth the totally reasonable cost to get the survey done. Kevin was also willing to go out of his way and his families to coordinate with me on weekends for revising several aspects of the records filed. I was also able to get advice on where to build the fence within my property without much compromise. There are also many fake survey companies, even ones who impersonate Cali land engineering. I would not pick any of those unless it was the Cali land engineering found on this yelp page or website link http://caliland.net! Overall I'm very satisfied of the honesty and hard work that Kevin and Cali land engineering team has done to help me achieve my goals of resolving this dispute. read more

I needed a 4 markers for a boundary survey to build a fence around our property. I had several bids and found Caliland on this website. Kevin is the man. He is very professional and explained how the process works. I hired Kevin in January and he completed the assignment within a week. I highly recommend this company to anyone who needs to survey their property. read more