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!

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!

We have worked with Sorin and his team on a number of projects: addition of a basement room, new…read moredecking, some seismic retrofitting, pergola replacement, door repair, and a bathroom remodel. We have been continually impressed with their attention to detail and their craftmanship. Sorin was very accommodating of our long drawn-out decision making process, offering suggestions to speed things up, and offering patience for long delays we created with the materials we ordered. At almost every step of the way, his team pointed out small but important details that we would have missed and worked with us to come up with solutions and balance between the tradeoffs. I would be absolutely happy to go with Feraru & Associates again on another major project.

I would definitely recommend contacting Feraru & Associates for any home renovation projects you…read morehave. Their design/build capabilities, broad experience and portfolio of completed projects are all very impressive. We were considering various approaches to a bedroom/bathroom remodel, and Sorin and his team walked us through multiple possibilities, listened carefully to our feedback, and set us on a path that matched our needs precisely. They also provided us with a lot of insight into the steps need to take the project from start to finish, and all of this was reflected in a very thorough bid. Sorin's communication, promptness, and follow-through have all been exemplary. We'd be glad to work with Sorin on any other projects in the future.

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.

We extensively researched how best to retrofit our Victorian house in San Jose. While other…read moreearthquake retrofit companies provided generalized quotes, only Bay Area Retrofit gave us a plan tailored specifically for our house. Howard Cook, the owner, did a comprehensive evaluation of the vulnerabilities that were extant and clearly explained the whys and wherefores of the proposed work. His knowledge is exhaustive. Furthermore, Bay Area Retrofit definitely take pride in their work, and the carpentry and fittings were neatly finished. As with many older homes, unexpected issues arose during the course of the work. A supporting beam hidden behind ducting had been improperly cut decades ago. Chase, the site manager noticed and installed a connecting, stabilizing bracket as a matter of course. In addition, he thoughtfully installed screws rather than nails so that a shear wall panel could be removed for ready access to plumbing. This on-site, adaptive problem-solving was invaluable. For anyone undertaking an earthquake retrofit, we cannot recommend Bay Area Retrofit highly enough. Start by visiting their website, www.bayarearetrofit.com to gain a fundamental understanding of the principles and processes. Howard has generously provided informative articles and videos. Then, give these folks a call to get this critical job done right.

The words that come to mind in my experience with Howard Cook and his team at BayAreaRetrofit are:…read morehonesty, integrity, professional, knowledgeable, personable. Their website provides detailed accessible information about how they determine what type of retrofit your house needs, what goes into the retrofit and why. You can then really communicate with them about what they will be doing to your home. No gimmicks. No mystery. Howard outlined a plan which we reviewed. He answered and appreciated all of my questions. The team showed up and executed the plan. Howard reviewed their work and returned with the team to make some adjustments. Everything was very clear. Photos were provided. I wish every contractor I have ever worked with had this type of ethic. I highly recommend BayAreaRetrofit.

I had an excellent experience working with Ron from Green Group Remodeling over the last few weeks…read morewhile exploring a garage conversion. Although I've decided to put the project on hold for personal reasons (finishing a campervan project first!), I wanted to specifically highlight Ron's incredible professionalism and dedication. I did a lot of research for this project, and Green Group was the only one out of five companies that offered both competitive pricing and a payment plan that strictly followed California law. That level of transparency and commitment to legal standards is rare and was deeply appreciated. We spent over three weeks going back and forth on the quotation and contract details. Ron was extremely patient, answering every single question I had and providing a highly detailed, transparent 16-page proposal. If you're looking for a team that is thorough, communicative, and professional, I highly recommend reaching out to Ron. They will be my first call as soon as I'm ready to move forward with the conversion!

Roy was my competent project manager and ensured that our input was valued in the process of final…read moreplanning. The marble bathroom steam room project was flawlessly executed. There were minor issues several months after the project was competed. When I research out, I got a lightning fast response from Roy and he sent Cristian who repaired both minor issues in a timely manner. I believe that after service of a project is just as important as the final finish of any project. I plan on working with this crew in the near future.

First: I have not used Troy Construction. So why am I reviewing them? Because out of half a dozen…read morecontractors we met, Bulent was my favorite. We did not choose Troy Construction due mainly due to timing (he couldn't start our project for 3-4 months due to his busy schedule). So why was he my favorite? He was down to earth, was very enthusiastic, clearly understood what we wanted to do, and had a lot of useful advice for us. Even though he had a busy schedule (which we didn't know until we asked him when he could start the project), he spent over an hour with us discussing our project. While we ultimately chose another contractor, we already know we want to use Troy Construction for our next big house project...

We had Bulent and his crew install a new bedroom and 2 bathrooms to our existing home in Richmond…read more It was quite a undertaking! Bulent and his crew were awesome to work with! They were polite, efficient and made the disruption as minimal as possible. Bulent kept us informed every step of the way. He is professional, personable and very easy to work with. Can't say enough good things about Troy construction!

We just finished a remodel with HQR of our downstairs that included kitchen, family room and hall…read morebathroom. I worked with project manager Ronnie and his crew led by Jairo. We had existing design plans, and before we started the project, we interviewed several contractors and decided on HQR because their portfolio of past work and talks with Ronnie. We also chose HQR because we felt the pricing was fair and transparent, especially for this area (Danville/Blackhawk). Ronnie made sure we stayed on budget and estimated 12 weeks for the project, and if it had not for a delay with our windows we would have finished within that time frame. Once we started, Ronnie's crew was here every day and was always very friendly, hard working and thorough. Staying on track and having someone work on the project every day is valuable and not something one should take for granted when working with a general contractor. Maybe it was because we had an outside designer, but I had totally underestimated the amount of time that I needed to spend myself overseeing the project. There were some hiccups along the way, and some specific installations that required me to hire some sub-contractors myself. I can say though that whenever there was an issue, Ronnie did make sure that things were fixed right away to our satisfaction. Ultimately, we got our dream kitchen for the expected price within the promised time frame, and I am thankful for HQR and Ronnie for that.

Very high price for garage conversion quoted $500 per sq ft probably the highest I have heard in…read morethe Bay area.

We had an unpermitted sunroom that was improperly supported. Darren was very professional,…read moreknowledgeable, and responsive. Ignacio did the work for the project, and he is extremely good at what he does and a very hard worker. I am very happy that at least one of our walls is properly supported by a concrete foundation and our sunroom is properly supported from below.

Golden Bay Foundation Builders has been excellent throughout my entire foundation repair and…read moreretrofit process. Our home required a few horizontal cracks patched, and a section of the foundation replaced. We also did a complete retrofit in the process. Darren the project manager has been very communicative throughout and just an overall joy to work with. Special mention to Kyndell who assisted with the inspection process to make sure everything passed. I would definitely recommend this company to any one looking for foundation work!

I've had Damon & his crew (Carlos, Carlitos, Marcos, Samuel) do a couple jobs for me now (these…read morethings tend to snowball, ugh, lol) & they've always done top-notch work. I had a fan in my master bathroom crap out on me, which was weird, since I only bought my place 4 years ago, it was newly remodeled, & I even remodeled some more on top of that. My wife pointed out it wasn't working, but it looked new to me, so I popped the cover to find out...not new at all. New COVER over a fan that was a year younger than the missus. Uh oh. The old "lipstick on a pig" boogie from the prior owners/ seller. Damn. Hate getting hoodwinked. So, I think "well, better check the 'new' fan in the guest bath too." Pop THAT shiny, nice cover & ...same drill but even OLDER. Some mid-80's (I think) giant 13" circular fan they don't even make anymore. Double ugh. Last stop: laundry room. Final fan, pop the cover...whew, it's actually a new-ish fan. 1 outta 3 ain't bad, right? /sigh So I put out the feelers for an electrician (I had 2 dead outlets, 1 indoor, 1 outdoor as well) & after doing the "online quote" thing w/ Yelp, I got in touch w/ Damon @ Berkeley Home Repair. Funny dude, super helpful, quick & responsive. He schedules his electrician, Carlitos, to come out ASAP, for what I think is gonna just be a basic fan install & outlet fix job. Nope. Carlitos goes into the attic & discovers the ducts are all wrong. 3 fans running thru 2 ducts, both bathrooms on the same 4" line, & laundry room on some weird 3" duct. Now, you can get away with 4", but 6" is code & preferred, & every fan has to be on its own dedicated/ independent duct, or you're just blowing moisture from room to room & into the attic. Not good. We crawl the attic together & confirm I need a 3rd roof penetration & new ducts. So much for cheap & easy. Damn. Damon adjusts the bid (as gently as possible, considering my costs just went up almost 10x) & I wind up with 2 brand new Panasonic Whisper Quiet fans (amazing. Almost TOO quiet), a new roof penetration & cap, new independent 6" ducts for each fan, an excellent sheetrock patch & paintjob on my guest bath ceiling (prior, old-timey fan was just way too huge compared to current models) AND Carlitos fixed both dead power outlets (one of which turned out to be an arcing short/ broken wire inside the wall, which we were lucky to catch before a fire). All the workers were amazing to work with & did great on their specific parts of the now much larger order. Everyone worked quickly &, despite the gig snowballing far beyond the expected, Damon priced fairly & had the work done as fast as possible with minimal intrusion & inconvenience (crucial during these pandemic "work from home" times) Tho it was obviously a bummer to have a small job turn into a much bigger & more expensive one, I always felt like I was in good hands with Damon, his communication was clear, direct, quick & honest, & the outcome was excellent. I'll definitely be using Berkeley Home Repair for future work, since homeownership often means nasty surprises like the one I got ain't all that rare, unfortunately. Heh. At least now I know who to call to get sorted fairly & quickly. Thanks fellas! Will try to post pics when I get a chance...but most of this was "behind the scenes" work, or what my buddy likes to call "invisible money", heh.

I called this company and spoke to a guy named Damon who asked me to text him photos of the project…read moreI had in mind as well as a diagram with measurements. I did that. In fact, on the call he said I could text or email him and I asked specifically which mode he preferred - he said that text would get the fastest response. So I texted. No response. Called a couple times. No reply. This place has either closed or has awful customer service and communication. I'm grateful that I didn't spend long on this company but I still wish I could get my time and energy back spent schmoozing this guy who would end up ghosting me Edit: I got a notification 35 minutes after posting this review that he commented and I couldn't be happier that I left one star. Bro wrote an actual essay on yelp instead of doing good business