We are very happy we used Tinka Construction to remodel our small bathroom and update our kitchen…read more George and his crew are super friendly, clean, and creative at solving transitions between spaces. His team is resourceful and they did not generate excessive work to add cost. For our kitchen / laundry facelift, we updated the flooring, backsplash, lighting, and reconfigured our laundry area. George's crew helped to side vent the dryer which the big box store was unable to do. George gave valuable input on our bathroom design to optimize the small space. He had suggestions for an in-wall toilet, a corner sink, window ledge niche, and talked us out of a doorless shower (thank you!). He knows small spaces very well and was able to place the fixtures in their best locations. George would give us a heads up on our requests that were going to cost more than ~1k. He had some subcontractors come in to help with varying degrees of quality and cleanliness. We are glad he managed the plumbing contractor who had to come back 3 times. His paint jobs varied quite a bit in consistency depending on who was painting. The best part of working with George was that we were expecting our first child, and he worked very hard to complete the project before her due date. To our surprise and delight he totally finished it before she arrived!

George helped us with a complete remodel for our home in Berkeley. He and his crew (Oni, Enrique,…read moreMarvin, Wuillian) are extremely smart, honest, professional and creative. His pricing is also reasonable and transparent. We started with an awkward layout (even no room for fridge in the kitchen!) and ended with a tastefully transformed home: open, modern and feels much more spacious than before. George is patient, transparent, detail oriented (with a special eye for safety!) and always a clever problem solver on behalf of his clients. What he did for our project was too much to list, but I'm attaching a few photos where the end results can speak for itself! Contractors like George is hard to come by and highly sought after in the current environment, we would recommend him to any one who values craftsmanship and quality!

The Great (+2 stars) ==========…read more * The structural work: Our home is on a great, new, solid foundation (with shear walls), so we feel as safe as we can be in our home for an earthquake! * Our basement is also now more usable. * Drainage: There is now drainage around the foundation and under the basement slab, so we are no longer worried about our basement flooding! * The working crew were very friendly and considerate. The Bad (-1 star): ========== * The electrical subcontractor was quite bad. The electricians didn't install the dryer outlet properly (one conductor came loose before I first used it), most outlets they installed are loose (they give when pushing in a plug), and they installed a used, old (not LED compatible) dimmer for the LED lights they installed. Also, the owner yelled at his team a lot. * The plumbing subcontractor was bad, too. They misdrilled several holes, damaging the interior of the home. They didn't seal around exterior penetrations into the house. They didn't put a cover over the branch of a wye that was no longer needed. They wouldn't do anything about the loss of hot water pressure in a bathroom faucet that occurred after they moved some plumbing around (I ended up having to disconnect and disassemble the hot water valve myself and I found a piece of silicone clogged in there). They over-glued the drain of the laundry supply box making it nearly impossible to remove the cap, and they lost the o-rings on my faucet aerator. The Ugly (-2 stars): ========== * They overlooked details in the plans about where walls and doors should go, and denied responsibility since they weren't in the structural engineer's plans, which they opted to not have updated with the revisions I told them about. This lead to a sewer pipe being installed in an inconvenient location (it went through the foundation, so it can't be moved), a structural wall that was almost built in the wrong place (I caught it while they were digging the footing), and a room that was built with no doorway (they had to cut some framing to make the opening). * The pricing/scope was negligent at best, but I'd put it closer to misleading or deceptive. During the initial visits, they talked about all the things they would do (including putting up framing, drywall, and insulation), and then sent over an estimate that I accepted. I didn't realize until halfway through the project that the estimate didn't include many of the things they talked about (including the framing, drywall, and insulation); those apparently would be part of "Phase 2," not included in the price of the first estimate. I had chosen E&F over another estimate that was less expensive even though it did explicitly contain the "additional" scope. I was also surprised that the electrical and plumbing (most of which was necessary to get them out of the way for the structural work) was billed separately; i.e., an unexpected additional expense. * They chose to rebuild a segment of stairs (rather than just adding two steps at the bottom, per the plans), which ended up having insufficient clearance with an overhang halfway down. They tried to convince me there was no new problem because they built them the same as before (but the run of the new stairs was one inch longer, causing the 4th step down to be 4 inches closer to the overhang) and resisted remedying the issue. They just ended up taking a sawzall to trim the overhang -- a joist -- which I just have to hope doesn't compromise any structural integrity! Further, they didn't even finish the stairs (sand and seal); "Test your staining skills," they said. * They ghosted before Phase 2. As the structural work was reaching completion, we were going back and forth on scope for Phase 2. However, when the structural work was actually completed, they just stopped communicating, left dirt and demo debris they left on our driveway for a month, then disappeared. There were lots of things they removed to get out of the way (like several segments of fence) but didn't put back. I could easily add 3x more issues and details, but this review is already too long.

We used E&F for a foundation replacement as well as seismic retrofit, including brace and bolt…read more They finished on time and under-budget, with good communication from both the owner and site foreman. I'm definitely planning to have them quote the next phase of our remodel!

I happened upon Kevin by word of mouth at the perfect time! I was visiting my sister and the water…read moredamage in her bathroom was well beyond my ability to cope with. He also dealt with some rot around her windows and managed to fix her deck that had been a hazard for far too long.

Kevin is great! I had him come and install an oddly-positioned custom gate in my backyard and the…read morequality was top-notch! Kevin not only does great work, but he is easy to communicate with and has an excellent customer service orientation. I was so impressed with all his work, that he is now my go-to handyman for all jobs in Berkeley. He is also very reasonable and fair in pricing. I highly recommend Kevin for any projects that you may have around the house.

Try to get some basic quote range but they say no, they cannot do that and we have to schedule a…read moresite visit even with the measurements and picture I provide. This makes no sense because we just want to get a ballpark to see if it's even make sense to continue. But anyway, on the date of the site visit, the guy come without any tool for measurements and for note taking. The guy just spent like 20 mins walking around the house and said he will get back to us with a quote. But I never hear back from them since. I think the company is very picky on clients and like to see if they have enough money to pay for their service. If they think we cannot afford it, they will just cut all the communications. This is also mentioned by other 1 star reviews.

Well Done! Highly professional, skilled and especially nice. We originally just planned to update…read morethe two bathrooms, fireplace and minor revisions to master bedroom however we then added updating the kitchen, terrace, floors, lighting and speakers very reasonably priced. Amir was supervisor and executed the remodel our exceeding expectations! He made the remodel process go smoothly. I highly recommend Mission.

Joe was great! He gave us a quick and reasonable quote for building a large garden trellis, and got…read morethe job done the next week. He is an experienced carpenter who cares about the quality of his work and attention to detail, great communication throughout the process. We will be using Bumble Bee for our next project!

My experience started off well. Joe was responsive, communicated clearly, and provided a fair…read morequote. Unfortunately, after a miscommunication about part of the project, which I thought we had resolved amicably (I compensated him for the materials he had already used), he later admitted he was upset and had been purposely avoiding my follow up communication. He left the original job on Friday saying he would return the following week to finish a few remaining items. After that, I spent over a month trying to get a response, with little to no communication and no explanation for this treatment. When I finally expressed my frustration, he admitted he had intentionally been ignoring me because of the earlier misunderstanding and offered to send someone to finish the outstanding tasks, "if that's what I was upset about." That level of unprofessionalism was far more disappointing than the few remaining tasks on the project. Misunderstandings happen, but they shouldn't result in giving a customer the silent treatment and leaving a job unfinished. I cannot recommend someone who responds to conflict by avoiding communication completely.

Change is very difficult. It's also costly. And scary even. This company took the sting out of…read moreit. They aren't the cheapest out there, but once you see the work they do, it's almost a bargain. I did my research and wanted to find something in the middle- quality without excess. I found these guys. My project manager, Elijah was a total professional and also happens to be a real nice human being. His crew is even better (sorry, Eli). They listened and wanted my input. I grew to trust them quickly and started asking for their opinions about various things along the way to help me decide what to do. As stressful at it is to have people in your house everyday making lots of noise for weeks, I'm actually going to miss these guys. I will definitely hire them in future. I already have new projects in mind, and once the money is there, I'll pick up the phone and get to see my new friends again.

We contracted Prime Design & Build to remodel two bathrooms, a laundry room, a staircase, and to…read moreinstall hardwood flooring. Overall, the project went well, and we're happy with the final results. Bryan, our foreman, was a strong asset to the project. Even though he was managing multiple jobs at the same time, his responsiveness and willingness to go out of his way to address our concerns made a big difference. Because we were home throughout the process, we were able to catch issues early and communicate them directly to Bryan, who consistently followed through to resolve them. What Went Well: * The tile and flooring subcontractors were excellent - their craftsmanship and attention to detail truly stood out. * Bryan, our foreman, was responsive to texts and phone calls, listened to our concerns, and made sure they were addressed. He even designed a bi-fold closet door for us, and helped pick up all the material to build it. * Bryan also took the initiative to handle several unfinished items himself, which we really appreciated. * The post-build cleaners were top-notch and left the space in pristine condition. * Throughout the project, everyone we interacted with was professional, courteous, and conscientious. There were no conflicts or issues, which made the experience comfortable for us. Areas for Improvement: * The timeline was a pain point. While we were originally told the project would take 6-8 weeks, it ended up stretching to 12 weeks. * The design process fell short of expectations. Because Prime's in-house designers weren't available, our design work was outsourced. We only received a full design package for the master bathroom. As a result, we ended up creating our own renderings for the other rooms to help communicate our vision to the team. That said, we were very happy with the design and material selections for the master bathroom they did complete. We just wish the same level of attention and design support had been provided for the rest of the project. * At times, resource availability was limited, likely due to workers being assigned to multiple jobs. This led to workflow inefficiencies and delays. Toward the end of our renovation, our foreman Bryan had to personally step in to complete several tasks, such as installing faucets, shelving, and baseboards. He managed to get it done in between site visits and meetings, which we appreciated, but it also highlighted a lack of available crew to close out the project. Despite these few challenges, the quality of the work met our expectations. We appreciated the team's effort and the final outcome.

I want to give a shout out to Edwin who came and did an inspection for me. I had to fire a…read morecontractor for bad work and Edwin came to provide a written evaluation. He went over industry standards with me. He was professional, gave great advice and is truly human-centered. I can see he has a lot of integrity and pride in his work, business, and community. Thanks Edwin!

Things changed and we ended up using Edwin and his crew for this project! The other contractor we…read morewere going to work with gave us a funny feeling and we decided to give Edwin a call back to see if he was still interested in the project. When I reached out to him again, he immediately stopped by to talk about our goals and vision for the repairs and overall look. He gave me a very competitive updated quote, and generally put me and my husband at ease about the project. We really felt like it was collaboration where we were able to go back and forth with ideas. Edwin and his crew were always making great suggestions to help things look their best and be the most functional. I wanted to do some of the painting and finishing work myself (trying to be handy/creative) and got several great tips from Edwin and his crew. Every day they arrived on time and kept the work area so clean and tidy. We loved working with them and will be sure to use Edwin again for our future projects!

I worked with LB Construction for a bathroom remodel and highly recommend them, and our project…read morelead Yovel in particular. My bathroom was very outdated and probably hadn't been updated since the house was constructed in 1960. I met with more than five contractors and from the start, Yovel proved he had experience, a point of view on what would work for us, and an easy going manner. LB's quote was fair and they were upfront about potential change orders or other costs that might come up (not surprising for such an outdated bathroom!). Throughout the project, Yovel kept me updated on progress and sought my opinion when different options were available on how to proceed. In one instance, he came up with a great way to cut the tile so I could avoid paying for a whole extra box. The updates were particularly important for me because I didn't stay at the house during this renovation, because this was my only bathroom. I gave me the peace of mind that everything was under control when I couldn't personally be there to oversee things or give input. The bathroom turned out AMAZING and it's easily my favorite room in the house now. I would happily work with them again on my next home renovation.

Eran and Jorge were great! Totally listened to our needs and wants. Offered excellent advise and…read morehelped us decide on colors, tiles, cabinets, everything. They used their sources to find us the best deals. I'm so happy we chose LB construction and remodeling to do our house. From a three bedroom, one bath to a two bedroom,two bath. Perfectly sized for our lifestyle. All done in only 5 months. Couldn't ask for a better crew to work with, they made me feel like a queen!

Harvey and his team did an excellent job stabilizing and repairing our outdoor stairs. The stairs…read morewere in really poor shape and felt like they were ready to fall down, so we needed the work done immediately. Harvey was extremely responsive and his crew started quickly. He communicated clearly about what was possible and was honest when the stairs turned out to be in worse condition than first assessed. The team replaced the unsalvageable parts and stabilized the rest, and the workmanship on the parts they replaced looks solid. All-in-all there was only so much they could do given the stairs were built incorrectly and were in very bad condition, but they pulled through and got everything into a safe, workable state. Harvey was also a really nice guy to talk with. Professional, personable, and easy to work with. He kept us informed when the timeline shifted, worked efficiently, and left the area tidy when they finished.

It is so rare to find a contractor who is willing to take on a range of tasks from small to large…read moreand do excellent work on every task. Harvey Varga took on a whole list of things that we needed done--from building a 150-foot fence, building a sidewalk and concrete pad, rebuilding kitchen cabinets to install a dishwasher, putting in a new vent fan, fixing an improperly installed dryer vent, etc. He was very responsive to our initial request for work and had a crew with a couple of days. Each task was given detailed attention and done with perfection. His crews were efficient, competent, thoughtful, and quiet. They were respectful of us, our property, our neighbors, and our dogs, and cleaned up at the end of each day. It was a pleasure to work with Harvey Varga and his crews. We give him and them our highest recommendation particularly for someone who has a mix of small and large jobs. Tom & Virginia