Bruce was fantastic to work with and would highly recommend American Soil Testing. We hired Bruce…read moreand his team for a soils report for a planned addition. He was very patient with our questions and more than accommodating of our accelerated timelines through the entire process. He was responsive and very knowledgeable about the permitting and building process. Pricing and turnaround times were very reasonable and competitive. The report was thorough and definitive. One thing that could be improved: it wasn't until our structural engineer discussed the soil report with Bruce that we were told the soil analysis and report we got was only to assess a pier foundation. We were also interested in whether the soil could support a mat slab foundation and we were only told afterwards that it would require a totally separate drilling, analysis and report (and another few weeks of lead time). It was confusing why our original soil analysis wasn't comprehensive enough to also say whether a mat slab would be sufficient and we would've appreciated the info beforehand. Other than that though, Bruce and his team is excellent to work with and we would definitely work with him again.

This owner Bruce is a total nightmare, stay away!!! He suggests solutions that are three times…read moremore expensive than anyone else and REFUSES to work with other engineers who say he is being far too unreasonable. Look at his other reviews! Three people just had to hire someone else and they are out $4000 because he is so horrible to work with. I am out $4500 and he is a completely unreasonable and he thinks he is smarter than anyone else, when really he is so full of himself no one can get through to him. He is super abusive, many many people have issues with his personality. This company should not exist anymore he is that bad. Will not listen and in my opnion is a complelety abusive and dishonest person. His managwr told me he does not work with push piers or do work for push piers AFTER I paid them and I ws very clear that the foundation fix I needed was being done with push piers, He took my money and he had no way to meet my needs, very dishonest, I hired Bruce Emam to do a soil test for my foundation repair and a possible addition. He called right when the workers were about to start and wanted $1000 more - shady. He tried to pressure me and yelled at me and called several times for more money before they would start working. Like he was holding me hostage. I tried to talk to him he just talked over me and was yelling over and over like he was beating me up with his words. He got off on being a bully. Very aggressive, very powerplay. He said much more extensive work was needed. I had explained the project throughly several times and all was well documented. He would just yell and not listen, total bully. The bait and switch was not appreciated. I cancelled the job and am asking for my deposit back. After calling many other soil companies I realized my job was too small and Bruce was the only one who would do it in the timeframe I needed. I called his manager and he said he would do it but I still had to pay $4500 instead of $3900. Bruce and he was upset at the bad review and wanted me to take it down. I said when I have a good experience and you guys turn out to be nice pople I can take down the bad review. He did the soils report and asked for my money before he would send the report. I said I paid him a deposit I would like to make sure he did the report before paying, but I ended up paying. His report apparently stated they needed concrete piers which are three times more expensive and according to the foundation company completely unnecessary. They said it completely over the top, Those are only used on a landslide or slopes in extreme situations and my ground is flat and totally not needed. He is just all about money. I feel He is intentionally trying to screw me over and make the job three times more expensive. I feel He is very much a power-play guy, holds people hostage has SERIOUS, SERIOUS control Issues, has "I have to be right issues". In my personal opinion, There is something psychologically wrong with this guy. It seems to me he enjoys being vicious and will try to destroy you if you disagree with him. I would never never never recommend this company to anyone and I feel he is a scam artist and highly unethical because he is such a control freak. I am thinking of calling the other people who have worked with him and had to get a totally new report to file a class action lawsuit with me against this terror of a man. Any takers??? He is all about money and a complete CONTROL FREAK AND YOU MUST OBEY HIM OR HE WILL BE BRUTALLY MEAN TO YOU. His own workers say there are many complaints about his personality. I need a full refund or I am seriously considering a lawsuit againt this unethical dishonest bully. This is my experience. This guy is BAD. This is my personal experience with this highly ABUSIVE and overly dominant individual STAY AWAY.

I want to express our gratitude for Zenith Engineers Inc. prompt, professional, and outstanding…read moreservice throughout our remodeling project. From the very beginning, we were impressed with Senthil, Ryan and other members of Zenith team's level of professionalism, prompt response, architectural knowledge and effective communication.This level of service was seamless through our entire engagement with Zenith Engineers Inc., from obtaining the building permit to successfully passing all necessary inspections by the SF Building Department. No one questions their architectural work because they are so good at what they do. We had some initial concerns after reading negative reviews, but as the project progressed, it became clear that those comments were based on personal grievances, rather than valid concerns. The team at Zenith Engineers Inc. has a high level of professional ethics and integrity. Zenith's management team had explained to us early on in the project, the strict adherence to code and compliance was paramount throughout the project. If Zenith compromises to satisfy unsatisfied clients, the building will end up being non-compliant and more importantly unsafe. We truly appreciate Zenith's commitment to quality and integrity, even if it means earning a few negative reviews along the way, which seem rather unfair to them as they are simply doing their job. I am extremely satisfied with the professional and excellent work the team at Zenith Engineers Inc. provided us and will hire them in a heartbeat for all our future structural and/or seismic engineering needs. Thank you Senthil, Ryan and the Zenith engineering team for your professionalism and support. It was our best decision to work with you and experience such high standard of professionalism, work ethic, and integrity.

After having used Zenith for multiple projects in the last few years, looks like it's finally time…read moreto look for someone else for the next one. We started using Zenith because of its responsiveness and effectiveness when it came to structural design. With them as part of our team, we were able to keep up with the City submittal and response timelines we had set. Fast forward to today, and we can't get a hold of anyone. When we do, it's always an excuse for why they didn't respond, without a resolution. We sent them the last City comments 30 days ago and have yet to get anything viable to re-submit back to the city. Given that this is a 30-unit hotel project, going with a different firm now will mean a complete re-design of the project; an absolutely painful exercise that will set us back months. Zenith knows that. So it's absolutely shameful for them to act in a way that would even suggest that our only choice is to get the entire project re-designed by another firm just to have it keep moving forward. So much for "we respond to emails within 30 minutes and always answer phone calls" as outlined on one of their online profile. Knowing how we were treated on this round of City comments and the fact that the entire company seems complacent about what they try to embody in their rhetoric, I would stay away for any future project.

I'm happy to add to the positive reviews of this company. Brian is very easy responsive, and was…read morehappy to answer all my questions. He went above and beyond to guide me through the process. Jordan and his installation team were very pleasant to work with. He even checked and discovered my newly renovated room may not be supported sufficiently. I hope I won't ever need it, but the work seems solid

We had Golden State do our earthquake retrofit. This is the most honest and professional contractor…read moreI've ever encountered. Brian, the owner, met with me to answer all my questions, no pressure. Left the next move up to me. He guided us through the complicated paperwork, got the estimate and permits quickly, showed up when he said he would, and it was all done with no drama or delays. We saved on our earthquake insurance, and the recent tremors we hardly felt.,

Working with Irvin at Prostruct Engineering was a breath of fresh air. After purchasing a new home…read moreand enduring my first winter, I was incredibly nervous to find significant water in my crawl space and cracks along the raised foundation. I initially signed a contract with Prostruct, but after Irvin reviewed my photos, he demonstrated a level of integrity that is rare to find. Instead of taking the job, he honestly informed me that my specific issues fell outside their scope. He took the time to explain what I was seeing, referred me to a geotechnical engineer who could actually solve the problem, and issued me a full refund. I greatly appreciated his transparency and professional guidance. I highly recommend Prostruct Engineering to anyone looking for an honest assessment--they clearly prioritize the customer's needs over their own bottom line.

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY -- terrible communication and shady tactics…read more I reached out to ProStruct Engineering for a simple onsite structural evaluation at my home in Danville. They sent a 10-page contract and demanded the full $1,100 upfront the same day, before any work was even scheduled. After I signed and inquired, I asked the project manager multiple times for a firm date when the engineer could come out for the survey. Instead of giving a straightforward answer, they used clear delay tactics and kept putting me off with vague responses. When I finally decided to cancel before any site visit or report was started, their own contract (Section 5.5) clearly states I should only owe a $500 "setup fee." Yet they are now treating it as if I owe the entire $1,100. This is a classic "pay us everything first, then we'll drag our feet" operation with a heavily one-sided contract designed to trap customers. Save yourself the stress, the risk of a lien on your house, and the endless runaround. There are plenty of other licensed structural engineers in the Bay Area who actually communicate and don't play games with scheduling. Would not recommend. Proceed with extreme caution.

Update: the work finally got done and it is beautiful. Their reputation as the gold-standard for…read morethis kind of work is clearly deserved. Upgrading to 3 stars, with the 2 star penalty for the totally ridiculous year+ it took me to get them to actually do the job. The simple answer to the owner's question of "how can we do better" is to honestly and accurately inform customers about what to expect, and then deliver. No secrets there.

Steve came over today and spent nearly 2 hours thoroughly explaining not only the situation of our…read morehome, but a history of building construction since the 1930's. With illustrations and insightful metaphorical explanations, I got a better understanding of the way soil moves and changes with the seasons and over time. He also did a great job of understanding the effects of water and soil movement. I've had four other contractors come over to my house, and this was by far the best in the area at understanding concepts of my foundation clearly, without being made fearful of potential outcomes. This information helps clarify and understand my home a lot better, and I'm so grateful for the detailed explanation with a friendly disposition. I now have an elevation reading of my entire home, a better understanding of my floor and foundation, and know some steps to get towards a more stable foundation for my home in Concord. After struggling with other companies in this area, I'm definitely confident in engineered soil repairs to be our solution. Thanks Steve and ESR!

Excellent service! While working to get our property ready for sale, we had initial foundation…read moreinspections done by another company through our realtor. Based on the report, we engaged Foundation Solutions for the repairs. After a quick call for an appointment, I met with Collin to go over all necessary repairs. He was very professional and explained the scope of the work and details on how each of the repairs will be done. Once the quote was ready, Collin followed-up to see if there were any questions. The quote was very reasonable and I quickly went with them. Scheduling the work was also easy and only took the crew a couple of days to complete the job. Great experience overall!

We just did a mid size project with them last month. We had them underpin one side of the house and…read morereplace a good amount of posts and repair some cracks in our foundation. Brett came out to do an assessment on our entire foundation and his finding was consistent with our own inspection report. Their recommendation is also on par and we find that Brett is quite knowledgeable about the scope of work. He is also very patient, responsive and respectful throughout the estimating project while we took a long time to decide, a lot of follow ip questions and requests. Not once that I felt rushed, pushed or disrespected. The team kept me informed on the timeline of permit, project starting time, inspection and completion, everything was transparent. They passed inspection without problemsx Our foreman is Humberto who was polite, dependable and kept me well informed on the work they performed the day of, when they finished work and provided needed before and after pictures. I also find their pricing is reasonable compared to other companies that we interviewed with the experience that far exceeds their piers. Overall I had a good experience with the crew. They are polite and really didn't interfere with our life that much while they work. I would recommend them for all foundation repair needs. Be careful because lots of foundation companies will scam you, just because you will not be able to see what they did underneath your crawl space. The last foundation company came out to fix our house they made a bunch of noise for 2 weeks, said they are done and then we hired an independent inspector and confirmed they did nothing. Spend the money on a good company. This one is probably the best one ( we interviewed 6 companies)

Had a 30 minute call with Nathan about BEAR Engineering's report for the property I'm interested…read morein. He answered a few questions I had in a very thorough manner and gave me the peace of mind and perspective I needed. The report itself was very detailed and well-written. I think it's always valuable to get opinions from companies that do inspections only, since that eliminates conflict of interest.

I used BEAR's phone consultation service to help me understand the foundation, slope and drainage…read moreissues at a house I was considering buying. Nathan did a great job of quantifying the potential risk, comparing the house's situation to others in the area and educating me as to what to look for in the house's construction history. It was convenient, economical and very professional. I'd highly recommend them.

Did not have any work done yet. They sent Howard for an inspection. Super knowledgeable. Honest…read more(rough) estimate of scope of work to be done due to house leaning with cracks in walls. Based on Howard's knowledge and experience we need to discuss options for corrections. Thank you Howard, it was nice to meet you.

They did so well with our foundation repair. They were kind and courteous during installation and…read morecleaned up everything. Their price was the most affordable and we compared 4 companies.

Ned Clyde helped us in the early 80s (when it was still Ned!), and this family run business helped…read moreus a few years ago, and yet again this year to correct minor settling of our 4,000 sq ft home on a hillside in Danville. These guys care about doing the job correctly and about customer satisfaction. They are not "in and out" workers, but stayed until the job was completely done, including a thorough job of clean up, making the landscape and drainage disrupted as proper as possible. It is such a pleasure to work with Jon and Dwight, because all along I am able to trust they are doing a good job.

Please use extreme caution with anything Ned Clyde presents in an inspection if you are a…read morehomebuyer. As homebuyers, we have seen his work in foundation inspections multiple times and have been appalled by his lack of attention to detail and dishonest work. On one home inspection, he missed a 14 foot horizontal crack in the foundation, something that even non experts were aware of. Luckily we had a second opinion that noticed it and provided an accurate inspection. Another time, he said the foundation was needing no attention even though it had significant issues and needed a ton of repair work. It seems to me that sellers' agents use this company to downplay or ignore any foundation issues in a home. Please be ware of any inspections done by Ned Clyde!

John is an awesome home inspector. He's helped me with two houses so far. He is very knowledgeable…read moreand really takes time to explain what is happening with the houses that he inspects. I love that he knows about older building material and ways that they use to do things. He doesn't mind answering questions and he gives you a very thorough inspection. As an accountant, I'm very analytical so knowing as many of the potential issues as I can before hand is really important to me. The cost of the home inspection is nothing compared to the potential money lost by purchasing a house with hidden issues. I will definitely keep him in mind for my next home purchase and recommend him to anyone who needs a top notch home inspector.

We used Jordan to help complete our inspection for our first home purchase. He's been a great…read moreresource and really looked out for my family and I's better interest. He's honest, gets the job done, trustworthy, all around a great!