Dave and his crew (including Oscar, Jose, and many others) have completed several projects at my house in Berkeley over the past couple years, including a pretty significant seismic retrofit project that involved installing shear wall, bolting the wood house to the foundation, and several other items to qualify for Berkeley's Seismic Retrofit grant. The crew did great work and were very friendly and professional for the entirety of their time working on my house. They also did an excellent job cleaning up when they were finished with the project, which I always appreciate and thinks speaks volumes about their professionalism. One thing I really appreciate about Dave and his crew is their expertise and willingness to make recommendations, even when some of the recommendations may have reduced the total cost of the job. That went a long way towards building trust. read more

Dave Ford Construction just finished a complete retrofit on my home in the Berkeley Hills. I could not be happier, period. The entire process was seamless and the work done by Oscar, Dave's foreman, and their crew, was impeccable. I cannot say enough about the workmanship, responsiveness, cleanliness of the site and how prompt and on time everyone was. When something needed to be done it was done. I appreciate the level of professionalism by Dave and Oscar and feel relieved that my home is as secure as possible. Dave works with an excellent engineer, Dan Szumski, all plans and permits are taken care of. Dave and Oscar have subsequently done more work on my home...I continue to be appreciative. Dave is incredibly knowledgeable and communicative. Moving forward, all construction jobs will be done by J David Ford Construction and Oscar. read more

I have had a wonderful experience with this company. We hired them to assess the seismic needs and complete an earthquake retrofit on our home. Oscar was the foreman on the job and I was amazed how professional and efficient the operation was. Everything went as planned and Oscar was a delight to work with. Also, I think it is worth mentioning that I got several bids and this one was the most reasonably priced and made the most sense for our property. The team was very transparent about the recommendation and I understood and agreed with the rationale behind the retrofit plan. Passed city inspection with no issues. Highly recommend. read more

We hired them to do a seismic retrofit of our circa 1930s home. David Ford leads a fantastic team.... they did a meticulous job at all stages... the initial engineering survey, detailed drawings that explained everything to us, and excellent work that was done (once they started) with excellent efficiency, care, and attention to detail including matching the stucco and paint and other finishes seamlessly, inside and outside. Scheduling was complicated; they needed lead time to get started. But the end result was worth the wait. read more

It's happening to me... I had a GREAT conversation with J David Ford a couple weeks ago. He seemed so friendly and knowledgeable. I was so impressed and assumed the bad Yelp reviews about his disappearance habit were false. On the phone, Dave previewed how the whole process would work and connected me to the structural engineer he works with, Dan. He was very responsive during those first conversations. He said he would come with Dan and iterate with Dan around the plans. We chose a date that worked for Dave. The day came, Dan arrived, and he told me that Dave wasn't going to make it. I called Dave numerous times - at his office and home number - and he has totally ghosted me. I am baffled at how he can run a business this way. I am wondering if he is just promoting Dave and getting a kickback. Something is fishy here. read more

I had David Ford help with some seismic work a couple of years ago. After the work, my front door stopped working completely. It became wedged in a way where I can't even open or close it anymore. When I called him about it, he told me to use an orbital sander to plane the top, and that would allow it to close properly. After I took a good look, it became apparent that wasn't going to do anything to fix the door and it was going to leave a 1 inch gap below my door. I called him again about this and told him I'd pay for whatever work needed to be done to fix it and he told me to send over the designs and he'd reach back out to me on Monday. That was over a month ago, and since then he has completely ghosted me ignoring my texts and messages and basically leaving me hanging. I wasn't expecting free help, I was happy to pay for the work, and with the relationship to the seismic work he seemed like he'd be helpful but the lack of professionalism has me with a sour taste in my mouth and feeling like it would be foolish for me or others to work with him in the future. Very disappointing read more

Dave is an absolute expert contractor for seismic retrofit. During consultation he took the time to advise me on earthquake insurance, which structural engineer to work with, what to expect on the permitting/inspection process (his foreman handled all of it) and how the work would be done in detail. His crew was very professional, friendly and performed expert work. The plans provided by the structural engineer were followed exactly. When one item was missed, it was addressed immediately. Dave also helped my find the right subcontractor for earthquake valve installation. There were some hiccups in communication in getting this job going, but Dave was clear as to why that happened and was just an expert in seismic retrofit delivering a job that is code compliant and was done on schedule and budget with no problems once work was underway. read more

Dave Ford was recommended to me by our realtor to consult on options for replacing our foundation and possibly having the house up in the process. As a contractor myself I was very impressed on with every aspect of his visit. He was friendly, generous with his time and an encyclopedia of well earned knowledge. I rarely have a hard time coming up with the words to express my thoughts and feelings about something, but I am now. I guess I'll leave you with this; when I think of every skilled contractor, architect or engineer that I've known in my life Dave is solidly at the top of my list. read more

THIS REVIEW IS FOR COMMUNICATION / SCHEDULING ONLY (I never had the opportunity for them to perform any work) I called J. David Ford and spoke with the receptionist and I was told to send over an email with the Engineering Report I had and my contact info, and I would be called back. That call never came. I called again multiple times with no answer before I finally got the receptionist again who again, said I would receive a call back (and that the delay is because they are very busy). However, again, no call back. I understand these guys are very busy, but so am I. I take time during my work day to make these calls, to draft and send emails, to follow up ... and it amounts to lost time on my part. Again, I get it if you're busy but a simple "I'm sorry, we're currently booked with business through (insert date)" is all you need to say. read more

I cannot say enough good things about David Ford. I was a first time home owner about 14 years ago and after purchasing my home was surprised with a major drainage problem that produced a serious flood in my home. Both my realtor and the listing realtor had worked with David for years and he was the first person they recommended. With his right hand person, Rick and the amazing crew, the work was done thoroughly and within the estimated time and budget. As a result of my satisfaction, I then hired him to do the seismic retro-fitting on my home. Thirteen years later, I encountered another water leak during the rainy season and the workers who had performed some separate plumbing work told me it was because my house was on a slope. I contacted Dave and he came out and spent the time to identify the cause of the leak which in fact was due to the previous workers who had blamed it on the slope. Fortunately they took responsibility and fixed the problem but had it not been for Dave's knowledge, and willingness to spend the time, I would not have had this situation resolved so well. Dave is extremely knowledgeable of his vast field, reasonable, reliable and a pleasure to work with. He may not be the most inexpensive contractor but he's also not the most expensive. And most importantly as a result his work is worth the price. read more

I am happy to recommend Dave Ford. We bought a house on Ashby in Berkeley that we thought needed retrofitting for seismic action. We got two bids and chose Dave. He's well acquainted with state and local requirements. His crew was great. The Berkeley permit process is not quick and he managed it well. And then got us a large Berkeley rebate. I've inspected all the work, as have the city folk. It's top notch. My applause to Dave Ford. read more

Dave recently completed a seismic retrofit for our house in Berkeley. He was great to work with and I'd highly recommend him. I thought it would be a pain to get our house retrofitted and to have to go through the process of getting engineered plans, acquiring permits, etc. However, Dave helped us take care of everything: - Dave coordinated with an engineer (Dan Szumski) for retrofit plans - Came to our house to explain the engineered plans to us - Performed the work quickly, but was also flexible around our schedule - Managed the City of Berkeley permitting process from start to finish; prepared and submitted the permit application, acquired the permit, scheduled the engineer inspection and final City inspection - Submitted all the paperwork required for our City of Berkeley seismic rebate He was knowledgeable, easy to communicate with, and made the process worry-free and easy. read more

Dave Ford and his team recently finished extensive seismic retrofit work on my house in the Berkeley hills. I cannot recommend J David Ford Construction highly enough. They offer the highest quality work at a competitive price. They were accessible throughout, advised me of progress every step of the way and completed the work in a timely manner. The project manager Oscar went beyond the call to make sure that I was happy with everything. The other companies just frankly are not as good and do not have the same experience. I am forever grateful to J David Ford for the excellent work on my house and for all of his help in guiding me through the process. read more

Dave Ford and his crew completed the seismic retrofit of our home in Berkeley in January 2018. I have been beyond satisfied with the professionalism of his team (shoutout to Oscar and Jose, the foremen on our project), his knowledge and his willingness to go above and beyond in explaining the work that was being done. To top it off he is competitively priced and handles all the filing and inspection/permit fees with the City of Berkeley. He has years of experience doing retrofits with the City of Berkeley and it shows. I do want to note, in reply to the bad reviews here, that if your home is not in Berkeley you may not get a reply for a bid for work. He is in such demand in Berkeley alone that there is little need to go to other cities for work. If you do have the opportunity to hire him for your retrofit, however, you will not be disappointed. read more

We hired J David Ford construction to do our retrofit because he was the most communicative and respectful contractor we spoke with. He was recommended to us by neighbors and we are glad we went with him. We used Dan (at Davids recommendation) to engineer our soft story retrofit. Everything was on time, on budget, and he dealt with all the city needs and regulations. Would definitely recommend and hire him again! read more

David Ford Construction completed a seismic retrofit on my Daughter's home in Berkeley. I met with all of the contractors prior to selecting David. He had the best reviews and his pricing was competitive. We are very pleased with the quality of the work that was done. Oscar made sure everything was done to our satisfaction. We received the City of Berkeley transfer tax rebate and State Brace N Bolt rebate. read more

Interesting, as I had refrained from leaving a review for a year until I saw the recent review from Oakland. The exact same thing happened to me. I selected this contractor in Spring 2015 based on so many positive reviews, used his recommended engineer to develop a retrofit plan, and then the contractor came back out to look over the property with plans in-hand so that he could provide an estimate in a couple of weeks. Then nothing. Not only no estimate, but no call-backs, no response to e-mails, no return calls to his (apparently functional) office. His secretary expressed surprise at the delay. For a couple of months I tried. Nothing. Absolutely unprofessional. I was shocked, then dismayed, then angry. So I moved on at additional expense. read more

I'm sad to say that after coming in highly recommended from a few people, I wish I had not contacted David Ford to do our seismic retrofit. Our initial phone went very well and due to our conversation and the recommendations, we decided to go with David for our retrofit. He told me that the first step in getting a seismic retrofit was to get plans from a licensed engineer. He gave us the number of a (relatively) inexpensive engineer. The engineer met up with David at our house, looked over the work and said he would be in touch when the drawings were finished. Everything was going smoothly. I paid for the plans and then... nothing. For the next couple of months I couldn't get David on the phone. I left a number of messages but never got a call back. I stopped trying after a while. We ended up going with another firm for our retrofit. However, along the way I've learned that many builders are licensed engineers who would like to supply their own plans AND you don't actually need to have engineered plans to get a permit for a retrofit Oakland! So I wasted a lot of time and money and pushed back a lot of work on the house because I called David Ford. read more

After considering bids from a number of contractors, my wife and I hired David Ford to help us out when we discovered water seeping into our finished basement during the rainy season two winters ago. David Ford's team came in, diagnosed the problem (inferior construction work done during a previous renovation) and proposed a thorough and effective solution. The work required digging up a walkway and cutting into the side of our house to properly run a french drain and seal up our foundation. After completing the fix, their finish work covered up what they had done, leaving the side of the house looking better than before. There was no way to know for certain if the effort would solve the problem, but two years later we are very pleased that our basement has remained 100% dry, even after heavy rains. If we should be unfortunate enough to develop drainage issues in another location, we wouldn't hesitate to contact David Ford again to assist us. David and his team also performed an earthquake retrofit project for us including the installation of anchor bolts, UFP connectors, hold downs, shear panels, and seismic hardware. David connected us to an engineer to design the retrofit plan, which ultimately required cutting into an interior wall to access the foundation and then refinishing to restore it to its original state. David's team was efficient and professional and the finish work looks great. We happily recommend him to other home owners with seismic work projects to do. read more

J David Ford was a great choice for our retrofit work. We interviewed a few contractors, but easily David was the most informed and helpful. And he and his team are just great people, good to work with. I felt 100% satisfied with the work they did. His depth of experience was clear as he walked us through the different options, and at every step of the way he was right on top of the job, what would happen next, everything. His teams were top-notch, working politely and efficiently with as little disruption as possible. They always left the site clean, and structured the work so the disruption to our living space was minimal. David helped us anticipate what we might find inside one wall where we weren't sure what would be in there, and every step of the way he kept us up to date. Finally, David Ford and team's knowledge of the Berkeley planning department and frequent experience with them ensured our job passed the inspections with no trouble. One inspectior thanked them for always doing it right, and making it easy. Two thumbs up--I'd hire them again in a heartbeat. read more

J. David Ford Construction is rated 5-star, A+ in our book!! My husband and I recently purchased a home and my father was very concerned about the possibility of extraordinary damage if/when there is a major earthquake, especially because there is living space above the garage. The house was also built in 1960 and the bolting and whatnot was therefore also from 1960! Even with an earthquake insurance policy paid in full, we decided to consider the idea of retrofitting our home. While this work may not 100% save your home in an earthquake, we have been told by many people that at the very least there will be less damage, than say the neighbor who hasn't retro-fitted will have. In our search for a contractor, Dave provided a wealth of information about the process and actually recommended bringing in an engineer to ensure the appropriate plans and only the necessary work was completed.This ended up being cost-saving in the long run. Dave also oversaw the process of obtaining permits and stayed in touch with us along the entire process. I was impressed with his committment to coming on-site himself several times to examine the work and to also bring in as many staff as needed to meet inspection deadlines. I always found him to be extremely personable and willing to take as much time as needed to fully explain all of the work being done on our home. I like to ask a lot of questions and he is the first contractor who didn't make me feel like the questions were a bother to him. We were also having an issue with our deck which his team did some superb work on for us. He offered to come back in a year or two to take another look at it to assess how many years might be left in it before it actually needs replacing. He also suggested that in the meantime we research decking materials to really choose a product that works best for us. Dave always provides great suggestions, but I appreciate the lack of pressuring to do it his way only. I was so impressed by his assistance because when I originally called another contractor to look at the deck that person told me it needed to be taken out immediately. Even after the retro-fitting work and deck work were completed, I mentioned the need for a few other smaller contractor jobs in our home, and within just a few days' time frame, Dave had set up the staff to come by (at my schedule's convenience) to do the work. During all interactions with Dave and his staff, everyone was extremely nice and professional. So much so, I baked chocolate chip cookies for them several times! The workmanship is fantastic and Dave strives to ensure the customer is 100% satisfied with the work. And, I think at the end of the day one thing that is very, very special about J. David Ford Construction is that it is a family-run business. Dave's wife, Lynne, often picks up the phone and is a delight to speak to. Dave provides his cell phone number imemdiately and answers at all times of the day (I work late and often called him at 7:30pm at night expecting voicemail, but he answered, it was great!) Lynne and Dave are a great pair and make you feel like part of their family in the sense that they are going to take care of your home as if it were their home. And that trust and confidence in my opinion is a major factor that sets them apart from the competition. Thanks again Dave & Lynne!!! read more

Dave Ford is the most knowledgable contractor I've ever worked with. He has decades of experience which is very clear when you speak with him. He has a refreshing no-nonsense approach and does not waste your time or money while evaluating a project. He is my go-to for any retrofitting work and I cannot recommend him highly enough. read more

David came out and spent a considerable amount of time helping us to understand a basement drainage issue. Other contractors had charged us to come out and look and provide little help, but David was thorough and smart and really helpful and he didn't charge us for his time which is unusual these days. I will definitely be recommending or using him in the future - he clearly has tons of experience and a great attitude! read more

I can only agree with the other reviewers. Based on these reviews (and similar from other sources) we had already decided on David for our seismic retrofit and nothing along the process made us regret the decision. He came out while the structural engineer was making his inspection so that he had not only had the drawings but also knew any reasoning and thoughts that the engineer had. When he discussed what was to be done he was informative and hit a perfect level, not condescending (some contractors can act surprised that you do not know the minutia of their job) but still managed to explain what was to be done and why. There were never any confusion in communication, he was clear on how long it would take to get a permit, when we did not have it on time he followed up with the city and kept me in the loop. Whenever I wanted to contact him he either took his cell calls directly or called back the same day. His work crew was very polite and tidied up nicely while they were working. I got the impression that David's work ethic colored the people who worked for him. (I was curious to see what was happening with our house so I went down there to check it out sometimes and the people I met introduced themselves but made sure I never stumbled into any active tools). After the deed was done they also cleared out some of the junk that previous owners had dumped in the crawl space. And last but not least he handled the tax rebate work without any other work for us than to receive the check. Knowing that we have done what we can makes us feel as calm as we can about earthquakes. read more

Dave Ford is an A-one contractor and I was thankful I chose him for my home retrofit. In deciding to earthquake retrofit our house near the Hayward fault, I first worked with a structural engineer (Thor Matteson), who then referred me to a few contractors specializing in the work he recommended. After interviewing these contractors, I felt that Dave Ford was the most knowledable for the job. He was thoughtful and thorough in providing me answers to my questions and giving me complete information throughout the entire project. His crew of workers knew their job and conducted themselves in a professional, friendly manner, being cautious of our property. When needed, Dave worked closely with the engineer as the job progressed, making a good team. Dave Ford's lengthy experience in construction was reassuring. When unforeseen problems arose, his experience and his crew were able to take care of them...I didn't have to call anybody else for solutions. If I need a serious contractor in the future, I will most assuredly call Dave Ford. read more

I also can't say enough good things about Dave Ford & his crew- we just finished a retrofit on our home (split level, built in 1928 which is 1 mile from the Hayward fault) and I'm already sleeping better at night. We received numerous quotes from other well recommended contractors, but Dave came in the lowest and had the best references. He worked around our schedule and did the job quickly and left our house not only structurally in better shape, but looking better than before. Everyone on his crew was great to work with and very respectful of our home (and my family). Dave explained everything we needed to do at every step of the way. Everyone living in the bay area should retrofit their homes (the big one could happen at any minute) I really highly recommend having Dave do it for you! read more

Service with integrity: I'll second all these favorable reviews. Dave Ford is extremely experienced, hard working, and a great communicator. We did a soft story retrofit in a very tight spot (in a garage with little room to encroach onto). He was patient and able to work with the city permitting process and the engineer (Dan Szumski) through some changes required by the city. I would highly recommend him! read more

Superb: We highly recommend and are grateful for the excellent work David Ford did to structurally reinforce and earthquake -proof our home. Not only was the job done on time, on budget, with integrity and professionalism but communicaton was sterling. David is a pleasure to work with and he had a great working relationship with the structural engineer so that problem solving and execution were topnotch. His crew were so considerate of our family, they actually cleaned up daily -- not the case with many contractors we've worked with. David's breadth of knowledge, experience and work ethic is why he is highly sought after and recommended. Bonus: he's a fascinating fun guy too. We happily add to the list of fans. Basha and Tony in Oakland read more

Did good job with our seismic retrofit and made sure needs were met through the permit process. I'd definitely consult with and probably hire again for other needs for our house. Had friend who had been in the industry seismic retrofit industry come by to check out his work - he said top notch. read more

After interviewing several earthquake specialists, we hired Dave Ford to do a seismic upgrade on our house in the Berkeley hills. Our decision was based on a number of glowing reviews of Dave's company in the Berkeley Parents Network website as well as our always-reliable gut feelings. And were we smart! When a spotty cash flow forced us to postpone the start of construction, Dave was patient and understanding. He never lost his temper when we asked him to cancel our contract, somehow intuiting that we were trustworthy and that we would honor our word to sign on again when our situation improved. When we finally began the project back in June, he was more than accommodating about setting up a workable installment payment schedule. During the grueling process of obtaining plan approval from the city of Berkeley, he handled the tiresome revisits to the planning department with good grace, confident that we'd eventually get a green light and be able to start the job. Dave stopped by several times before the work began in earnest to see if we were O.K. with the upheaval attendant upon preparing both our garage and our downstairs bedroom for sizable reconstruction. He estimated that the job would take about 3 weeks, and his crew actually completed the work a day ahead of schedule. Speaking of his crew, Oscar and Leo reported in punctually and cheerfully every morning, working nonstop until late afternoon. His longtime helper, Kyle, wrapped up last-minute loose ends with his ever-present smile and his can-do attitude. They were a delight to have around, and they left the place immaculate at the end of each day. Their loyalty to Dave was palpable, each of them having been in his employ for many years. Dave checked in with us often after the job was completed to reassure himself and us that the work was done up to his high standards. In the above-and-beyond-the-call-of-duty department: Dave referred us to an excellent waterproofer to solve the problem of our continually leaking front balcony; not only was the cost estimate 1/10th the amount quoted by several local waterproofing specialists, but the finished work comes with a 5-year warranty! Dave Ford is, quite simply, the best. read more

For seismic retrofit work on our 1937 Berkeley home, we asked three structural engineers to name the best area contractors; Dave Ford was recommended by all three. Though his bid was not the lowest we received, Dave was by far the most informative and helpful: he answered all our questions thoroughly, dealt proactively with permits and inspections, and painstakingly walked us through the work as it was being done. Dave is a thoroughly professional, veteran contractor/manager. His crew was responsible, courteous, and highly capable; Oscar will go the extra mile to make certain you're satisfied. We are extremely happy with the seismic retrofit performed by Dave and his crew, and would recommend them without reservation. read more

Our experience was very positive. We needed some foundation work done to sell our house in a tight timeframe. The work got done in time despite discovering a new problem along the way. When the changes to the drawings needed to be done, Dave Ford took care of talking to structural engineer directly. He was also happy to talk to the buyers of our house and explain to them exactly what the problems were and how they were corrected. The buyers told us that they were reassured after talking to him. Many of the real estate agents representing potential buyers commented about how J. David Ford Construction was the company to get to deal with foundation problems in this area. We have had quite a bit of experience with dealing with contractors over the last ten years so we have a pretty fair idea of what things cost. We found the cost of the work to be quite reasonable. read more

We interviewed a few earthquake retrofitting contractors before we chose David. He was by far the most knowledgable and the best recommended of the contractors we considered. He referred us to a great engineer who was reasonably priced, professional, and prompt. David's team came and did the work as promised, on time and within budget. All of the work was reviewed with us and explained in detail. We have a complex situation with our house because there is a two car garage with two stories above (soft story). David spent extra time interacting with the engineer to make sure everything was done properly. We were very happy with the service that we received and would recommend him to anyone considering getting this type of work done. read more

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I, too, cannot recommend Dave Ford highly enough. He's the kind of contractor you usually only dream about: knowledgable, accountable, involved in the details, easy to reach, willing to explore multiple options and truly enjoys sharing and helping the customer through what can be some upsetting and confusing situations: drainage and foundation problems. Dave installed a drain system around and under my house several years ago, as well as shored up some of the foundation. All along the way, he kept me in the loop. The work wasn't cheap, but nor was the workmanship, and the water problems that had been plaguing my house went away. Fast forward several years and I notice a couple of new issues, unrelated to those that Dave addressed previously. Because I am now an absentee landlord and not an occupant of the house, I wanted to be sure that the source of the problems were being correctly identified by my maintenance team. I called Dave, with whom I haven't spoken since he worked on my house, thinking I'd never connect, but lucky for me, that wasn't the case. He called right back and met the next day with my maintenance guy. Dave reviewed the problem and explained to the maintenance guy how to best alleviate the new drainage issues. He even took the time to call me to review everything he saw and what he recommended for a fix. Thanks, Dave. You're the best!! read more

We just completed a retrofit in Albany, CA. We have a soft story and were trying to comply with Brace & Bolt requirements, so like many of Dave's clients this meant an engineered retrofit with Dan Szumski coordinated by Dave. He took care of permits and did much of the paperwork with CEA to satisfy the incentive requirements. I thought his communication was great ... anyhow it was at least as good as my own. There was a wait to get started but the job itself went pretty quickly and the inspector praised the work. He charges a fair rate -- I would not say it was cheap, but economical. read more

Dave Ford is a wonderful contractor, someone you can trust to be honest and do the best job possible for you. He did a major earthquake retrofit on our house in the Oakland Hills, following an engineer's (Dan Szumski) plans. His work, his workers, and his sub-contractors were all great. Dave's knowledge and ability to explain the engineers plans helped me feel totally comfortable with the work that needed to be done. He was always available to answer questions, he was creative, anticipated problems, was very flexible and worked his work schedule around mine. I was home while the work was going on and found his team very understanding of what it's like to live with construction. They were always polite and considerate and worked very hard. His bid was reasonable, actually less other bids I received and his final charge was what he bid, there were no add-ons. I totally recommend hiring Dave and would not hesitate to hire him again for other construction related work. read more

Having done a number of retrofit projects in the East Bay, getting to work with Dave and his crew was a treat. Dave is incredibly knowledgeable and consistent with regards to his assessments and what gets done. Also, Dave was infinitely helpful in navigating the rules and processes associated the City of Berkeley retrofit program. We look forward to referring Dave and to working with him again. read more

Dave Ford is by far the best contractor I have ever worked with. I hired him to do a seismic upgrade of our Oakland Hills home. Besides being very knowledgeable about what needed to be done, he was key in getting the engineer (Monty Stott) to finish the plans before the next big one hits the east bay! Dave is a real gentleman with tons of integrity, way beyond you see in most people much less in contractors. His crew is the same way...very skilled, very interested in doing the job right, very friendly and trustworthy, and just really nice people. I wish I could Dave 10 or 20 stars because 5 just does not seem like enough for Dave and his crew. They are in a league of their own. I highly recommend you hire Dave for any of your seismic upgrades, or any other contracting work that he does. You will not be disappointed. read more

We had David Ford do our seismic retrofit for our new house in Berkeley. We were very pleased, everything worked smoothly. Great crew, great boss, highly recommended. read more

We approached David when we were looking for a contractor to do a seismic retrofit on our home. I was extremely impressed with everything about him, from his extensive knowledge and experience to his kindness and patience. He spent time with me on the phone answering many questions and explaining things and gave advice on and made recommended good workers for related home projects we were looking to get done. Ultimately we had to go with a lower bid on the job due to tight finances, but if I had more money (or if I have more in the future!) I would not hesitate to hire David; it was clear he's one of the best at what he does. read more