Jimmy Stuart Construction did a fairly large job for us in our 60-year-old home in El Cerrito. He…read moregutted and rebuilt our kitchen/dining area and two bathrooms, did some structural work (new beam, shear walls), and numerous odds and ends (laundry room, outdoor deck and lighting). His experienced team has been together for years and is highly professional and committed to detailed work done right. They became like an extension of our family. They always went the extra mile to give us what we wanted. The crew kept the house clean, responded quickly to our calls, and coordinated well with subcontractors (cabinets, windows, plumbing, electrical, countertops, brickwork, mudders, painter). Jimmy was a wizard handling the permitting process. Stuart has a practical approach to solving all the issues that arise during construction. He discussed the problems and offered solutions. As things were finished he came back and fixed the little glitches that come up and made adjustments as needed. The work was done in two months, as promised, and, considering the adjustments we made along the way, was essentially on budget. Results are amazing, like living in a new house. We highly recommend Jimmy Stuart Construction.

1. Emailed Stuart Construction with a description of our project and request to schedule a time for…read morea consult. No reply after more than a week. 2. Called their telephone number only to get a voicemail message saying the voicemail box was full and could not accept any messages. 3. Called again and spoke to Jimmy who asked me to email him the details of the job. 4. Emailed Jimmy, more days went by without a response. 5. Received a call from Jimmy and apology. He said there was a possibility of stopping by our house that weekend to walk through, and would call to followup. Never received a call. The end.

Project Review: Winfield Construction (2025-2026)…read more 1. Project Overview & Scope After evaluating proposals from 7 or 8 local reputable general contractors, Winfield Construction stood out far above the rest due to their track record, execution capability, local experience, clear communication, and thorough process. We specifically hired Winfield to execute the critical seismic retrofit and foundation scope on our 100-year-old home in the Berkeley Hills as part of a major structural overhaul. Building or remodeling in the Berkeley Hills requires specialized geotechnical knowledge, familiarity with local soil conditions, and a clear understanding of strict municipal seismic codes. While we hired an independent civil engineer with deep local expertise in Berkeley Hills geology to design the engineering plans, Winfield flawlessly brought those plans to life and handled every phase of the foundation and seismic build. Bringing over 35 years of industry experience to the job, Winfield's construction proficiency and mastery of hillside foundations were clear from day one. The scope involved an extensive 80% to 90% full-structure rehabilitation: Winfield led the seismic retrofit and foundation work, while EBS executed the specialized structural elements. Over a 5-to-6-month period, Winfield maintained a dedicated, full-time crew of 6 to 8 skilled tradespeople on-site. Key Structural & Foundation Work Completed: * Structural Assessment: Complete interior and exterior wall exposure to evaluate the home's structural integrity and load paths from the footings up to the roof framing. * Seismic Retrofit: Installation of a full seismic bracing system, including engineered shear wall reinforcement, mechanical anchors, and heavy-duty hold-down hardware. * Underpinning & Bench Piers: Careful manual excavation and pouring of 5 reinforced concrete bench piers to stabilize the foundation and handle load transfer. * Foundation Work: Full structural sistering along the centerline foundation--adding new reinforced curb walls at shallow foundation depth--along with 21 linear feet of sub-slab and stem wall replacement. * Substructure Support: Installation of 5 cast-in-place isolated footings, support posts, and load-bearing girders to properly distribute weight across the frame. * Deck Ledger Support: Anchor installation and framing for a 40+ foot structural ledger board engineered to safely support a new deck build. * Additional Work: Miscellaneous carpentry and framing, including creating a new exterior access door opening without compromising structural integrity. 2. Pricing, Quality & Value While cheaper options exist, lower pricing often means trade-offs in material quality, unlicensed labor, a lack of experience, or cut corners. Winfield/EBS offers competitive, mid-tier pricing that delivers outstanding value through quality craftsmanship, deep experience, and full accountability: * In-House Crew: They never outsource critical excavation, shoring, or demolition to unlicensed third parties, ensuring strict site safety, quality control, and full compliance. * Quality Materials & Permitting: All work strictly adheres to current building codes, uses high-grade lumber and concrete, and proceeds under full municipal permitting and inspections. * Transparent Bidding: Proposals are itemized in detail, eliminating hidden costs and providing total clarity upfront. * Warranty & Peace of Mind: Backed by 35+ years in business, they take pride in their craft and stand firmly behind their structural warranties. For a complex project in the Berkeley Hills--where steep terrain and seismic requirements demand true expertise--the quality, safety standards, and hands-on experience Winfield/EBS brought to the job made the investment well worth it. 3. Conclusion & Acknowledgments I want to express my sincere gratitude to the team at Winfield Construction and EBS for their exceptional work, execution, and professionalism over these past several months. * Tony: Thank you for addressing my questions promptly and tailoring structural solutions precisely to my preferences. * Fred: Thank you for your outstanding field management and for going above and beyond on-site every single day. * Burt: Thank you for managing logistics, scheduling, and project operations so seamlessly. * Ken: Thank you for making everything work on your end. I would not hesitate to work with Winfield Construction again, and I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a contractor with top-tier technical expertise for complex foundation, structural, or seismic projects!

A great Bay Area contractor. The neighbors marveled at the professionalism and quality of Winfield…read moreConstruction.

This guy was doing work down the street from us, and has had a jackhammer running constantly for…read moretwo days. The noise is awful and nonstop. It made us wonder if his jackhammer is too small, or if he is cutting corners by using only a single crewmember with a jackhammer, or whether jackhammering was even the best solution. (Maybe he could have used a bobcat?) When I called him to inquire about when he'd be finished and whether his approach was the fastest way to get the job done, he had a really bad attitude; which is what other yelpers have described in their reviews. Mr. Allen is certainly not someone we'd ever want to work with.

I had a major problem with a leaky shower in a rental house I own -- the shower had been leaking…read morefor quite a while and the damage was rather extensive. Robert of RC Allen Construction gave me an extremely competitive bid for the job and was able to get the job done in a timely manner and not overly disrupt the tenant (who was already disrupted living without a shower). The work was done timely, on budget and I have a very happy tenant. Overall I'm extremely pleased and would highly recommend Robert for any work necessary.

I have to say - both my husband and myself were skeptical about taking on necessary renovations…read morethat we needed to our home during COVID 19. Honestly, we didn't really have a choice though...it *had* to be done. Global pandemic or not, I'd hire Paul and his team over and over and over again, they are that good. I loved that he was able to map out the littlest of details - down to which shifts of workers would be on the job site - to facilitate contact tracing if needed, and to limit my family/his workers exposure. Although our renovation was absolutely necessary, I'm glad we made the choice to go with Paul and his team. In uncertain times, they gave us peace of mind AND a top notch reno. Thanks Paul!!! I owe you and your crew my famous coq au vin as a thank you, lol!!!

There are many times "cheap is not better." For example, laser eye surgery, breast implants,…read morecorporate travel agency. But most importantly, anything done to your precious home. We contracted Paul and Acme Builders for my "Man-Cave" project, to tear down my closet, wire my room for all the fun a man can have: play music (walls are wired with input/output for any electronic instrument) through the PA system, or just headsets (ports on the walls), have a sporting event or even dance parties (disco ball, LCD laser projector, fog machine). These guys were professional, on time and on budget in transforming my room. How do you screen people (strangers) roam around in your house and trust them? Certainly not by signing up with the lowest bidder, although many times the lowest bidder may be Acme builders as they have integrity in pricing it as reasonable as possible. Anything cheaper than that, would mean cutting corners (cheaper material, shoddy construction practices, not-so-good laborers). Acme Builders can handle any project of any size/budget. If you need a reference, I am more than happy to put some senses into you about hiring Acme Builders.

** I have not actually used Avalos Roofing, only pre-inspection; estimates, etc…read more March 2023 was a windy month in the San Francisco Bay Area... all of the roofers were "blown away" with work, and in the middle of it all, Michael did a same-day inspection (for free!). Michael answered the phone every time I called, was quick with texts - I could not have asked for more. If I ever needed service again, I would not hesitate to call Avalos Roofing

Seems like the guy is retired but still does some jobs, had a roofing repair, although the price…read morewas much higher than expected, they came out and inspected the roof and repaired it very quickly after my initial call.

In our search to find a contractor to do a master bedroom/bathroom remodel we were delighted to…read moremeet Rob Sausedo Rob and his crew did an amazing job. Our job consisted of wallpaper removal , texture and paint walls, tub to walk in shower conversion -vanity mirror and toilet removals and replaced with new. My wish was to have it all completed my Xmas and their pensive workmanship got it done. Highly recommend RC Sausedo

Rob and his crew are the best of the best. We added two bedrooms and one bath to our home (just…read moreunder 500 square feet), and we couldn't be happier that we chose Rob to do the job. Communication was excellent throughout the project. He finished the project before his estimated time, he took care of EVERYTHING we asked, and really went above and beyond on many things. He uses the best material and makes you feeling great about your project. They explained everything they were doing, and did everything they could to limit the noise and dust. Not a day went by when we felt like we were unsure of what was happening, and we always knew we could count on them to be there on time. Not once did we ask ourselves "I wonder if they are showing up today?", which is the case with a lot of contractors. They were always on time, friendly, courteous, and we really got to know and like Rob and his team. After our project was complete, we hired him again for a wall removal project (a wall was dividing our living room & family room) and a project to move a sliding glass door to another wall, and add a window. Once again, nothing but the best. His crew took extra time to make sure everything was 100% safe and supported before they removed the wall, and when they finished, you could never even tell the room was once split in two. Our house has completely changed, and we have him to thank for the fantastic job. We would recommend Rob for any job, and will hire him again in the future. If you choose to hire Rob, we guaranty you will not be disappointed and he will do the job better than anybody. Please view all the photos we posted, including the one showing the finished product.

Gridlink Electric has provided me with exceptional service from day one. Thomas' expertise and…read moredependability has allowed me to remain completely ignorant of how electrical stuff works --and I LOVE IT! I especially appreciate how they take their time to explain what needs to be done, in words I understand. They know their business and leave their quality workmanship behind. You hear horror stories about the contractors from hell too often these days...go with the best and have the job done right the first time!!

Gridlink Electric worked wonders on a dark and gloomy room in my home this last fall. I had a dream…read moreof recessed lighting, dimmer switches and they made it happen! I described what I was hoping for, they gave me ideas and options, and when all was finished I had a room that was warm and inviting. No stranger to the out-of-doors, they also solved a couple of pesky landscape lighting problems we'd put up with for years. I'd recommend Gridlink Electric without hesitation. They listen, respond and do great work -- all with a positive attitude and great service-oriented way of doing business that's hard to come by these days!

I needed ASAP a qualified contractor to replace a garbage disposal, an electric outlet not working…read moreabd a broken bathroom tile. They responded quickly and the jobs were resolved fast. Thank you for the superb job, quality of service and professionalism. Great price and 100% satisfied.

We initially hired Saki Brothers for HVAC work and they did a great job so that the new system made…read morea huge difference in our aging home and even lowered our energy bill. We then found out they also do general contractor work and asked them to come back for some remodeling work. We were very impressed from beginning to end. They were easy to work with, professional, and really knew their stuff. They kept us in the loop the whole time, stuck to the schedule, and made sure everything was done right. It's not easy to find a contractor who does both construction and HVAC so well, but these guys nailed it. Highly recommend them if you want solid work with zero stress. We'll definitely call them again for our next project!