We had a great experience during the estimating process. Tom was responsive, arrived prepared, and demonstrated a solid understanding of the project and what it would take to complete it. Even though we decided to move forward with another contractor, he handled the news professionally and was gracious throughout. I appreciated his honesty, clear communication, and respectful approach, and I would gladly recommend him to others. read more

Recently carroll construction put in some porch stairs of me. The job was meticulous and the company was a joy to do business with. I would highly recommend this company. read more

In short: Tom and his team are fantastic and turned our 2/1 into a 3/2 with a full basement in about 8 months. We wanted to add a bedroom, bathroom and basement to our house and had heard about Tom from other Alameda residents and family who had had some work done in the past. He is well known for basements and foundation work here in Alameda, but our project had it all- new bedrooms, decks, roofs and everything along with it. Tom and his team was able to do it all turning our 2 bedroom, 1 bath into a 3 bedroom, 2 bath with a large daylight basement, all while we were still occupying the home with two young children! They finished very close to the estimated timeline with excellent workmanship. We were very impressed how quickly they performed the demo and framing, getting everything enclosed well before winter. Our new bedroom and bathroom have been a dream and our basement is an awesome. read more

I am so grateful for Carroll Construction! They replaced a rotten post on my front porch. The pricing was fair and transparent. Rather than providing a quote for the whole job, the owner priced the job based on time because there were so many unknowns. Thankfully, the job was not as involved as we originally thought, so paying based on time ultimately saved me money. The team was responsive and professional. I am very happy with the result! I highly recommend using Carroll Construction--especially if you're a homeowner with no idea what you're doing like me! read more

Carroll Construction - General Contractors Near Me - Alameda, California

I wasn't sure exactly what I needed to address the flooding in front of my basement door. Carroll Construction came recommended by a neighbor and the experience and work was fantastic. They responded to my email quickly, came out to assess the work and make a recommendation within a short time (and were on time which is great since i work during the day) and provided a clear, detailed quote that was totally fair. The work was scheduled easily and the end result is perfect...their clean up was thorough and I'd recommend them to anyone needing work. read more

Carroll Construction (CC) recently completed repair of our split-level balcony damaged by dry-rot. The work included repair of the single-door garage frame and house stucco. Tom was the only contractor who proposed a time & material agreement since there was no clear understanding of how badly the dry-rot had spread. Thankfully, the damage was relatively limited but resulted in a tremendous cost saving finishing well under over-scoped bids from competitors. Our budget absorbed additional work to replace the garage door opener and install a custom wrought-iron railing. Superb quality of work by the CC site crew and sub-contractors who completed deck waterproofing, stucco work and door opener replacement. Tom's crew was timely, well-focused, neat, professional and friendly. There's more work waiting for Carroll Construction on this 98 year old house! read more

Carroll Construction - After: Balcony cantilevered and railing meets current code. Stucco matched texture of surrounding area. - General Contractors Near Me - Alameda, California

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We had an emergency situation at our business. Our storefront window was broken and Tom sent a crew down right away to secure our store. His team did an excellent job very quickly. I don't think this is a service that his company typically provides, but Tom saw a problem and they fixed it quickly. We're so thankful to Carroll Construction and would recommend Tom to anyone in need of a contractor. Thanks so much, Tom! read more

TL;DR: Tom Carroll and his crew do excellent work. They are honest, reliable, fast and treat your home like their own. If something goes wrong (and it will), they fix it. Immediately. Tom likes to pretend to be a grumpy dude, but ignore him. He loves & takes pride in his work and wants to help you. His prices are really fair. A couple years ago, I'd gotten a bid for a job half this size from Some Other Contractor who was 3x as expensive (and a jerk). *Full story** Voluntary seismic strengthening sounds so simple, right? Our modest 1892 Alameda Victorian cottage would not be as complicated as those major foundation jobs you see around town, right? My Bay Area born & raised spouse was just being negative when she said it would be a bigger job than I thought, right? Turns out I was blissfully naïve (ignorant) about the whole thing - even just a partial foundation still means tearing out a whole lotta stuff and building major supports to hold up your house. This is the type of stuff that could destroy a marriage - especially when you start in Pandemic Stay-At-Home Month 13. The contractor you choose to work with is critical to getting everything done right, from completing a solid job on time to maintaining marital harmony. Tom Carroll was absolutely the right choice for us, and we sailed through a disruptive project relatively unscathed (as these things go). Tom does exactly what he says he will do, when he says he will do it. He was 1000% honest from the moment we called him to look at the job right through final inspection. We'd commissioned a set of stamped engineer plans for seismic strengthening on our soft story (garage), and asked a trusted contractor to bid the job. Since it wasn't his specialty, he referred us to Carroll Construction (a good sign right there). Tom reviewed the plans, estimated 6-8 weeks and gave us a very reasonable bid. He was clear about would be in/out of scope for his contract, and was generous (and correct) with advice on what we could do ourselves to save some money. Starting with the permitting process: Tom has the homeowners pull permits, then schedules the job once permits are issued. I was initially hesitant, but he'd advised us that our engineer plans were complete, and about how long it would take to get the permit. He was right, and we started the project the week he'd predicted 3 months prior. Tom answered every single question I had (and I ask a lot of questions) even before our project started. He never acted like I was ridiculous or blew me off. When we encountered surprises (like our basement floor was plywood sitting on dirt), he fixed them for a very reasonable per-diem cost. At one point we realized it was silly not to install more shear walls than originally planned. Revising the engineering plans and getting an updated permit added less than two weeks to the job. As the walls were opened, Tom had to call in other Pros to do things like move electrical cables. While electric service upgrade was on the list for next year, Tom connected us to another contractor & we got it done while all the walls were open, making it much cheaper and less disruptive to our household. Our foreman, Abraham, was wonderful and equally passionate about his work - his team worked quickly and neatly. The neighbors who entertained themselves sitting on the porch watching the project commented several times at how hard they worked - no goofing off at our house! At the end of every day, the job site was spotless. Not a soda can, not a coffee cup, not a rogue nail laying in the driveway. No one smoked on the job - not a whiff of smoke or cigarette butt thrown at the curb. I'd asked Abraham to try and protect the garden beds along side the driveway. He placed boards around the plants and everything bloomed without a single stem breaking the entire time. We had several original wavy glass windows. Despite jackhammers, banging, etc. not a single pane of glass was broken (though we expected something might). Tom had not included replacing dry wall/finishing in the original scope. He'd been very clear that he would try, but it would depend on timing and what other jobs he had going when the seismic work was done. As the end of his contracted work got closer, he said he would be able to do the finishing work but once it started, he had a change on another job. Not to worry - he'd committed to doing the work and made it happen - total delay of about 3 days. I think Tom likes to pretend to be a bit of a curmudgeon - but he's really a nice guy who lives up to his word and wants to help his clients as much as possible. If he seems a bit hurried at times, just ask him again. He and his crew take an immense amount of pride in their word and their work. After seeing projects around town linger on for months & years, and hearing horror stories about other big names who walk off the job or have unreliable teams, I'm so happy we found Tom - and that he put Abraham on our project! read more

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We did a major construction project on our 100-year-old Craftsman bungalow. Working with Carroll Construction was one of the best decisions we made for this project. Namely: - High quality work, very strong levels of competence. Many sub-contractors told us the framing was overkill, our house will still be standing strong 300 years from now. The foundation and framing are rock solid. For finish work, his tiler and finish carpenters have a high level of attention to detail, executing perfectionism, checking in with us regularly, providing design advice when we asked for it, and more. - Good communication and very easy to work with. Tom is responsive and kind. He kept the project moving even during the lockdown during the pandemic. He was straight-forward with any extras we asked for, he is flexible, and his team can accomplish a wide range of tasks. He also cared about us as people, making sure we didn't move out until we had to so that we could save more money. We trust him completely and really enjoyed working with him, didn't hesitate to call him back when we ran into trouble finishing our fences a few months later. - Courteous work crew. Even our neighbors really liked Tom's team! For big projects, if you are interested to work with Carroll Construction, Tom will let you know that he will have you manage the subcontracts, which has pros and cons. He is able to offer high quality work at lower prices than his competitors, to save these costs you do some management. If that works for you, I couldn't recommend him more. Some photos here. See for yourself. read more

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We recently had Carroll Construction come in and do some foundation work for our home. Tom was great, he was very detailed in his inspection and assessment of the work needed. We had other local contractors we reached out to for bids, unfortunately they were over scoping the project work. Tom saved us a lot of money. His team did an excellent job and on schedule. They were courteous, respectful and cleaned up the site every day. We have already started talking about additional project for Tom and his team in the coming months. From our experience, we would highly recommend Carrol Construction read more

We reached out to Tom based on referrals from two people that we trust in early 2021. Our home in the east end of Alameda had significant foundation issues from a century of erosion (and apparently because it wasn't built to code 100 years ago, when building codes were much less strict). Tom referred us to a structural engineer and based on the engineer's evaluation and Tom's knowledge of the water table in the area, we decided to move forward with a full foundation replacement and an expansion of our utility basement from 100 to 200 sq ft with a french drain. Tom and his team were very communicative through the whole process. A foundation replacement is not delicate work and we were living in the house at the time (and working full time from home), but we always knew what was going on and his team was as clean and as careful as possible. The initial phase of construction was remarkably quick. The removal of the old foundation and basement, building forms, and pouring new concrete happened over just a few months. The finishing work (finishing the basement with framing, drywall, plumbing, etc.) took longer than we had originally expected. Tom struggled with an imbalance in workers who can do the hard concrete work and the finishing work on his projects and this resulted in delays in tying a bow on this work. I would be more bothered by this, but speaking with others who were having work done around the same time with other contractors, my perspective is that this was an industry issue and that Tom handled this better than others in the area. He kept us abreast of the situation and made constant progress in getting us to the finish line. At the end of the project, I feel the quality of the work is very high, and am very happy to have a much sturdier house that will last for at least another hundred years. If there was one thing I would have done differently on this project, it would have been the permitting. We handled the permitting on our side, but we have no idea what we're doing. Tom provided a lot of support as we were filling out these forms, but I think it would have been smoother if he or someone on his team had handled this. He has the experience and knowledge of these projects and of the city of Alameda, and I would have paid extra to not have to do this part myself. read more

Carroll Construction is the "go to" general contractor for projects in Alameda -- and rightly so. Not only are they skilled, efficient and cost effective, but their extensive experience in Alameda also makes them knowledgeable about building code requirements and able to work effectively with the City of Alameda. Tom Carroll is highly conscientious, is a good communicator, and has assembled a formidable team combining his own expert employees and the best subcontractors in Alameda. They tackled a complicated remodel of our basement into a rentable ADU at a fair price in a reasonable timeframe given the challenge. I highly recommend them and will use them again if we need additional work done on our house. read more

Carroll Construction just completed a ~9 month long project for us that included a kitchen remodel, bathroom addition, foundation replacement, French drain installation, new driveway/walkway, and deck. I can't be more satisfied with the work! I've realized, after speaking with tons of friends and neighbors who had projects done over the years, that the most important thing when selecting a contractor is finding someone you can communicate with (and who will take the time to communicate back with you!). And that has been the best thing about working with Tom--whenever we had a problem (and there WILL be problems, although ours were small), he fixed them. No hassling, no back-and-forth, they were just fixed. Every person I talked to had a horror story of miscommunication with their contractor. While we had one miscommunication with Tom, it was corrected. When we found one problem that seemed like it would be tough to fix, I texted him, he showed up ten minutes later, and it was fixed within two business days. Tom advised us to operate as the general contractor on the job and hire our own plumber, electrician, flooring guy, etc. to save money. He communicated with each of those subcontractors well, and we really didn't have to do much other than manage the schedule. We worked with several crews, and each was polite, professional, easy to communicate with, and did great work. read more

In June 2017 we bought an adorable 2bed/2ba cottage in Alameda, but it was in need of a LOT of work, and we wanted to add a second story. Immediately, we asked around for suggestions for contractors. We called every single one with the same question: "We have our personal drawings of what we want to accomplish and we need a builder". Only 2 builders responded but what set Carroll Construction apart is that Tom Carroll explained that we actually will do best with an architect. I quickly told him about a recent horrible architect interaction, and he was able to suggest 4 architects that work well with him and the city that will do a project-based fee, without us even being a client or requesting a bid. Following Tom's advice we chose one of the architects. (Hint: Saikley Architects.) After plans and during permits, we went back to Tom and a few other contractors for a bid. Carroll Construction was the only one who came back with a (very reasonable) bid... Our budget was very modest for the huge amount of work to be done and Tom was still amenable to working with us on the project. We hired Carroll Construction from July 2017 - August 2018. Carroll Construction got to work immediately on the new foundation for the back half of the house to ensure enough structural integrity to create a 2nd floor. We cannot say enough great things about his employees. We speak of them almost daily, Mike Y. and crew led the demo and framing; Alberto did our amazing tiling; Miguel did our plumbing (handling our weird fixtures with ease); Mauricio did all the carpentry work and finishings (he's a masterful carpenter!); Romero assisted on the creation of the most gorgeous back steps/landing. They are the dream team!!! Tom himself provides no-nonsense input and suggestions, flexibility for small changes, reasonable billing for bigger changes, and a good supply of dry jokes just to keep things from getting too serious. Once the framing was done, we were so proud that we showed it off to most of our friends. Turns out a lot of our friends have relatives who are contractors and they all agreed it is the best framed renovation they have ever seen. Yes, Carroll Construction will give you the best without you needing to indicate that in a request. A year later everything is still as awesome as the day we moved in. Honestly, I wish we could do all over again, a true delight! read more

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During this crazy January 2023 atmospheric river that is inundating the Bay Area, our sump pump failed. It was just overwhelmed. Carroll construction was attentive and replaced it during one of the rainy days. Tom and his staff were attentive and competent and made sure our flooding was abated. WE highly recommend Tom and Carroll construction. read more

We used Carroll construction for our recent foundation work and couldn't be happier. It was a huge undertaking - Tom and his crew are no doubt experts at what they do. They explained every step of the process to us, gave us a fair price, managed expectations, and provided sound advice when electrical issues arose. Tom brought in the best electrical team to quickly and safely remove our outdated knob and tube wiring and bring the house up to code. Tom was also really responsive when we needed to get ahold of him. I'd highly recommend Carroll construction to anyone looking to update their homes. read more

Tom did a fantastic job replacing our brick foundation with concrete. His crew were respectful, cleaned up at the end of each day, and they kept to promised timelines. Communication with Tom was excellent. Whenever I had a question or concern, I got a prompt response within the day.. I have worked with scores of trades people over the years on various properties. My experience with Tom is one of the best I've had in many years. read more

We had to have our house siding replaced and the guys and the work were super. They were on time and got it all done quickly with no disruption. read more

Tom is a rockstar. When I moved to Alameda, several people told me that he was fantastic, but pricy. I am on a tight budget, so I almost didn't call him. I'm glad I did. He has done two pretty big projects for me. Both times, his rates were better than I could've gotten elsewhere (I tend to shop around), and the work has been flawless. He is also able to talk to women without treating us like we're idiots. I cannot believe how many other contractors seemed to have a driving need to talk to my husband, even though I'm the one that handles stuff like this. It was weird - I thought we were past that nonsense. Regardless, Tom is honest, upfront, extremely capable, and a good guy to work with. It's been years, and I'm still thrilled with the quality of his work. read more

Tom, the best there is. Easy to work with and always delivered as discussed. We had a foundation repair/retrofit project after we moved into our house and reached out to Tom based on recommendations. Tom's crew did an excellent job and communicated throughout the project with status updates. We ended up increasing the size of the project (scope creep...as with every construction project...hahah) due to some additional issues that was uncovered during the demo. Likely, I won't have to do anymore foundation work at this house. If I did, however, I would call Tom again, without question. read more

Tom Carroll is a great guy who does great work. I had a major project that was being handled by another contractor who decided he would move on to bigger and more valuable projects and Tom came in and saved my bacon. He did a killer job and both my wife and I are really happy. His crew was also very nice and showed up on time everyday. Tom is extremely responsive, never letting a call or text go unanswered for more than a day. If I have another job, which I will, he will be my first call. Don't look further in Alameda he is your guy. read more

Carroll Construction - Tom installed our beautiful new garage doors making our house look great! - General Contractors Near Me - Alameda, California

After getting quotes from multiple contractors for a couple projects, Carroll Construction consistently came in competitively with those from other contractors with similar experience and reputation. When we ended up selecting them for our project, we were impressed with the expertise and experience of their crew - they knew exactly what they were doing, went about their work in a very non-intrusive manner, kept a consistent schedule, and cleaned up every day. When we added a couple changes to the job, they were accommodated with clear communication and little hassle. At the end of the project, we felt confident that we'd selected the best contractor for the job and that the work was done to the highest standards; and I would not hesitate to work with Carroll Construction on any future project at our residence. read more

I had a sump pump installed by Carroll Construction. Tom explained the job, gave me a very reasonable quote. I had been using a portable pump and he asked why I wanted to spend the money to install a pump. I explained that the water gets in the garage. He suggested I just elevate everything and save the money. Has anyone ever had a contractor suggest solutions that would be cost free and result in a lost job for them? I had the pump installed and it has saved me through an El Nino year. Tom is honest, fair, offers very competitive prices, is responsive and his crew works efficiently and cleans up each day. Recently Tom came out and inspected some work I needed verified, at no cost. read more

Avoid Tom's Caroll Construction!! Pro's: Tom has been in business for years.  He has a crew of employees, not subcontractors.  He's personable. Con's:  His workmanship is "bare minimum" at best.  Tom and his crew installed a new foundation, to replace the original brick foundation in our Victorian home.  If you are like us, getting a new foundation is a once-in-a-lifetime event, which means you "don't know what you don't know" nor what to research. Consequently, you research the credibility of the contractor, and then put your confidence in him.   Hopefully my review herein will help you avoid Tom's Caroll Construction. Problems with Tom's work as follows. This may be slightly technical, but if you are getting a foundation and/or work by Tom's Caroll Construction, in my humble opinion you are better off knowing. 1)      This has been a huge hassle & costly.  Tom insisted on installing an  ejector pump for the sewer.  He said it would save us as homeowners from calling him about a backed-up sewer, so he insists on an ejector pump for his customers getting new foundations.  However, 5 years later we've now had literally 3 different plumbers on-site to fix and/or fully replace the ejector pump.  Note the way we know the pump failed,  sewage backs-up into our tennants toilets and bathtubs....followed by angry Tenant phone calls, and moving out as soon as their leases ended.  Each plumber has asked us, why we even have an ejector pump...since it easily looked like we had plenty of elevation (aka the normal way, having gravity create the exit flow) to directly connect to the Alameda sewer system without an ejector pump.  Also, during the original construction 5 years ago, the sewer lateral company also asked us why "we" installed an ejector pump, since they could see it wasn't needed.  Well today, we had a sewer company come do an official survey.  They determined per Code, we have plenty of elevation from the rear to the front, to directly connect to the Alameda sewer system.  Unfortunately since the trench is not open like it was during the new foundation, we now have to dig a trench thru our finished floor and concrete foundation, from the bathroom thru the livingroom, out to the side yard thru the asphalt & garden and out to the street. This fix is very costly ($32K), but we are forced to do it. 2)      A new foundation is to have a permant electrical ground called an Ufer Ground.  However, Tom's Caroll Construction negligently did not install it.  Our Alameda Permit inspector looked for it, but confirmed it was not installed.  Tom said our subsequent contractor must have cut the wire, but the Alameda Permit inspector agreed if that were the case, there would still be evidence of a cut wire coming thru the foundation...which there was not. 3)      The bathroom plumbing was installed at best bare minimum.  We later learned that Tom's Caroll Construction installed a shared pipe for each bathroom.  So if the toilet backs-up, then you cannot use the bathroom sink, and vice versa.  Granted this issue is not major, but it is symptomatic of Tom's callous disregard for best practices. 4)      Tom's Caroll Construction also installed some structural beams, as part of the foundation work.  At one section, three beams came together, and best practice would be to install a "bucket bracket" to extra secure them.  When I later learned of this best practice, I asked Tom about it.  He said something like, he would be foolish to install it that way, since he would lose money.  I replied, but why didn't you recommend it to us as an optional cost either upfront or later... to which Tom shrugged his shoulders.  ***This along with the above, shows me that Tom is clearly out for himself, and doesn't really seem to care about his customers! read more

Carroll Construction - To fix Tom's Carroll Construction' new foundation mistake, had to dig thru our finished bathroom and chop thru the foundation. - General Contractors Near Me - Alameda, California

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Everyone in Alameda uses Tom, so he was our third estimate for the house foundation. He took one look at the existing foundation, told me the "new part" was crap, grabbed the plans and came back with an estimate $30K less than my lowest bid and including 1/3 more of the house. His crew was clean, friendly and efficient, left my backyard tidy when they weren't here. I felt comfortable having them around. But the big deal is that I have a foundation! And Tom did it without finding any hidden expenses. Very easy to work with. Had to wait for him but now I know why. Thank you!!! read more

Tom and Co. have been working with us for nearly 2 years. We started with a foundation, then completed a full interior remodel. If you're in the market right now for a GC, you know how hard it is to get one. Tom is just as busy as others, so hopefully he's available to bid on your project. Every GC has their strengths and weaknesses. Tom is very competent and has a good team. His strength is concrete work and rough-in work (plumbing, carpentry, etc). He also has a wonderful finish carpenter on staff (very hard to find these days). He does not do electrical, paint or any other finish work, though he will "set" things provided by others, such as cabinetry. You can save some money this way should you feel comfortable sub'ing out these trades yourself. Tom is very straightforward and totally honest. We always felt that his billings were honest. He knows his rep is worth more than a little extra money. Lastly, he in a native Alamedan with good ties to the building dept. and inspectors. This is TOTALLY IMPERATIVE when working in small town like Alameda. If you hire someone off the island who isn't in the club.... it will be much more difficult. All in all, I think you'll be happy with his work -- and happy with the cost savings you get. Good luck! Remodeling is not for the faint of heart. read more

Unfortunately, I have reached out to Carroll Construction twice for different projects and have been declined both times.

Tom, did an excellent job rebuilding my dilapidated garage,4/5 years after the completion of construction the garage still looks new. Last Sunday's wind storm blew the gate off of my fence he came out the next day and repaired it. I don't think most contractors would've done this as competently and quickly as he did. read more

Tom worked on our house from Feb 2018-July 2018. It was a big job, retrofit our original brick foundation on our large victorian home. I appreciated how easy Tom was to work with from the get go. He came highly recommended from others we trust that are knowledgeable in this business. Tom is personable and a great communicator, and very responsive whenever we needed to talk. He knows what he is doing and the workmanship of his crew is solid. He was open to working things out that came up along the way if we had concerns. I appreciated how nice and courteous his crew was with our dog and small kids, they were always on time and cleaned up well. I would work with Tom again and highly recommend him. read more

Carroll is expert at retrofit foundations on vintage homes. They weren't intrusive, the ho,e condition was maintained during the retrofit without any consequences, and they were clean and efficient. The workmanship and professionalism were at a level all contractors should strive for. I highly recommend this firm for your foundation needs. read more

This is our 2nd time using Carroll Construction and I am very pleased with their attention to detail & professional demeanor. They finished the job in a timely manner, just as Tom had said, and cleaned up after each day. ..and if your lucky you may get to see Tom (try to) throw down some dance moves from the 80's! read more

Awesome! Tom is very nice and PATIENT! His workmen are ARTISTS! You call and they call back, you change a quote they go with it. No complaints. They arrive early, stay busy, take normal lunch, come back and stay a full day. Please just call them today because they are that good! Also, they are super careful about your house. My eight-year-old son had just planted some corn in our very small back yard & we had put a tiny fence around them so the workmen would see it. They not only saw it, but the plants were leaning and one of the guys built the dirt up around them so they would stay upright & then watered them! All my plants are safe, any of my stuff that I hadn't moved was moved with care AND all the work has been done at lightening speed with expertise. There was a structural problem that the workmen found, they called Tom who came right away, called us, discussed a new & very reasonable quote & continued work. Please stop reading now & call. Seriously! Go! read more

I have used CC a few times in the past 7 years. He replaced my full foundation on my 100 yr old house. He was there often and and helped me make decisions on choices and options that I didn't foresee. I have used him on a few smaller jobs as well and I have been completely happy each time. I would recommend him highly to anyone read more

After years of fear-mongeringly high bids for a new foundation, we were actually a little paranoid about trusting Tom Carroll's reasonable price. He did exactly what he said he would do. It was excellent work, on time and on price quote. When we asked for a little extra work he was fair about the price. He kept the place clean throughout the work. We're completely happy with his work! read more

Tom and his team were great - they know what they're doing and do an excellent job. All were kind and helpful, no question was too small. We had to redo our entire foundation and replace/repair so much inside an old, neglected two-story home and we used Carroll Construction for much of our work. Great new foundation and lovely new bathrooms! read more

Tom Carroll is a great guy and great to work with. He saved us when our previous contractor ran out on us, owing us a lot of work. He cares deeply about quality and communicates well. We used him to finish our foundation work and numerous other home remodeling tasks left undone by our previous contractor, and we desperately wished we had gone with him from the beginning. read more

I hope this isn't premature but I have to say Carroll Construction is awesome. They are doing an addition for us and the price was really fair and the the work it top notch. The crew is great, clean, courteous and do excellent work. Tom, the owner, frequently visits the site and makes sure everything is moving along smoothly. We couldn't have asked for a better contractor. read more

The short version: Hire Tom and his crews! They are reasonable, professional, friendly, and do great work! The long version: It was time for a new foundation (somewhat common in old Alameda neighborhoods) and I asked people in the area for opinions. Two had hired Carroll for the same thing and were very happy with both the price and the work. I called them, Tom came by the next day and gave me a verbal quote, and we talked about adding some other work in. His written quote was basically the same, and entirely reasonable, but more than I had cash for. I don't think it's a good idea to haggle with a contractor, since he knows what he wants to do the job for. He and I quickly worked out a reduced scope (I'm doing the finish work) that I could deal with. Within a few days, one of his projects got put on hold so he called me up and we went forward before I had a chance to even look for another quote. I have absolutely no regrets about this decision. His crew was curteous, they cleaned up nicely every day, and they were very good with my 3- and 5- year old kids who were very curious about "the workers" every move. They finished the entire job faster than time I was quoted, and then did a bit more that came up along the way, for a very reasonable added fee. There were even a few small things that he just took care of because it was easier to just get it done than to think about how much it would cost to add to the deal. I'm an engineer so I was pretty curious to watch the progress and to see how they did it. The temporary supports for the house gave me great confidence, and generally all aspects of the work showed they really know what they are doing. The only surprise came when I watched them take out the old foundation with a sledgehammer because they didn't need a jackhammer at all. Wow did I need a new foundation! Tom came by whenever necessary and was available for questions when I had them (even when he was sick for a few days). Both he and his foreman Memo were very helpful, including showing me some tips for doing the parts I'm going to work on myself. To top it off, Tom referred me to two other quality contractors (electrician and plumber) for some unrelated work that I need done. I couldn't have asked for a better experience with a contractor. Hire him. read more

I can't say enough good things about Carroll Construction. Tom has a done a massive amount of work on our home: removed/replaced our original brick foundation, seismic retrofit, drainage, re-pipe of the entire house, and a full bath renovation. Through it all he was calm, patient, and professional (and I am sort of a PITA client) and maintained clear and open communication. His crew's work is meticulous and they were always respectful and conscious of the fact that while they were working there were often two children in the home around whom they had to work (to keep noise at a minimum during their nap). It's clear that Tom takes a lot of pride in the work his team does -- and justifiably so. I have recommended Tom to both friends and family in the area. I'd feel 100% confident in engaging him for any construction project on my home. read more

Tom's crew did a great job addressing a number of maintenance issues we had put off since buying our house. In addition to fixing the things we knew about - rafters with dry rot, garage door trim damage, etc. - he found several other issues we were unaware of and could have gotten much worse, including a leak under our toilet that was damaging the subfloor. The work was completed in a timely manner and at a reasonable cost. It was very easy to work with Tom and his team was professional. read more