If you want a quality project run by ultimate professionals, Levitch is the design/build company…read morefor your project. They designed and rebuilt our mid-60's home from the floor up. They made the process as comfortable as possible and worked with us every step of the way. When the city contractor reviewed and closed the permits, he said the work was the best he had seen in 30 years of performing inspections. We love Maurice, Vuk, Susan and the entire Levitch team. We definitely would use them again and recommend them to everyone who is looking for remodeling or rebuilding work to be performed.

I bought a house in Kensington in August 2020. Inspectors' documents reported that extensive repair…read moreand replacement of major systems of the house were needed. In September 2020, over a 90 minute Facetime, I consulted with Maurice Levitch, the president, architect, and general contractor as to how best address the issues. He walked through the house I had just purchased; I was in my home on the East Coast which is where I then lived. During that Facetime we agreed on the major contours of the project. During the next two months, his staff and I refined what would be done. Project scope, cost, and expectations were completely transparent at all times. The project took place from September 2020 to April 2021. While the project was going on, I was in Washington, D.C. I never once visited the Kensington house. Levitch and I did the entire project over email and telephone. At the end of almost all days, pictures and a short report were posted on their ProCore website showing me what had been done that day. I found the whole process enjoyable and interesting. I found Maurice to be a first-rate architect and general contractor with a deep knowledge of design, building systems, environmental impact, materials, and product. He will offer alternatives so that you can stay within your budget (I did find I spent more than I intended to but that was because I wanted to expand the scope of the project or pursue alternatives I hadn't contemplated). I found his subcontractors to be first-rate as well and Maurice makes sure that their work is organized, efficient, and of the highest quality. Among other things done: --All windows, interior doors, and exterior doors replaced. --New HVAC system. --Electrical system replaced, new interior panel, outlets brought to code. --Plumbing issues remedied, an entire subfloor of a bathroom rebuilt. Exact match for a rare marble tile found for a new floor. --Wood floor repair. --All manner of Kensington animals removed from crawlspace and attic. Moisture barriers, crawlspace and attic insulation replaced. --Walls sanded, made uniform throughout house with skim-coat plastering and then painting. Old baseboard removed, new chosen and installed. --Closets gutted, expanded, outfitted with custom rods, panels, and underlit shelves --A gas-leaking 36" range in the kitchen removed. Replaced with a 30" induction range, involving carpentry, electrical and plumbing work. --Carpentry work in kitchen, old maple cabinet wood was reused or matched perfectly. --Mudded in light fixtures for art lighting and wall washing installed. Total project cost was more than $325,000. A daughter with an Oakland worked with Levitch on two projects (2018 - 2022). First project: structural work to prevent house from sinking and an addition of 2 bedrooms, a playroom, and 1 bathroom. Second project: total kitchen renovation involving re-architecting of entire main floor. Excellent work, lovely people!

Haven't used their services but I called and the owner was super friendly and redirected me to…read moreanother referral who served my area! Thank you for being nice

I contacted Don in regards to a Survey Letter that was requested by the permit inspector for our…read morePergola. I sent him the approved plans and he got back to me promptly. Don is an extremely nice guy, very professional, courteous and straight to the point. So happy to have found him, all in all it only took 2 days and now I can request final inspection.

First off let me say that I don't know how Greg has no Google or Yelp reviews yet. He does have…read moreseveral that are very positive on another website so don't be alarmed. Greg was very polite, professional, and very knowledgeable. I contacted him and several others last week, and because all land surveyors are extremely busy at this time of this year, very few ever responded. Greg found the time to help me out on my last day of investigations for a house I was in escrow on. I got all the information that I needed to make a sound decision, and he was able to confirm my suspicions about the property I was buying. I know that when I am in need of a full land survey, he is the one I will call. He's a straight talker with his client's best interest in mind and that's always hard to find when you're talking about anything involving real estate. I'm happy to have found him.

Working with St. John Land Consulting was simple, straight-forward, and professional. This was a…read morestark contrast to the several other surveyors that we spoke with, most of whom failed to respond at all. Greg provided us with corner markers for our property and submitted the records with the country surveyor. I would highly recommend using St. John Land Consulting services.

BUYER BEWARE I don't…read morerecommend Paul Lins for your surveying needs. It's so important to work with vendors of high integrity and this guy doesn't have it. Vegvary or Humann are much better and offer competitive prices.

Thorough and efficient, and very easy to schedule and make payment. Paul and team went above and…read morebeyond to support our project when we hit a major challenge. We would be happy to work with them again.

My new next door neighbor Pedro gave me only 1.5 days notice before starting digging for a new…read moredriveway to store their gigantic GVWR 14000 LB hauling trailer in between my house and his house. I did not know Pedro was to start digging at 8am on 12/13/2025 (Saturday) until PG&E came to mark the gas line around noon on 12/11/2025! Worse yet, my neighbor Pedro encroached on my property when marking the property line by himself! It was somewhat obvious because a few other neighbors noticed things did not look right, and brought the issue to my attention in time! Yet when I talked to Pedro, he brushed me aside and refused to pay for a survey! In a situation like this, Bob from Apex was an answer to my prayer. He was extremely professional, capable, and kind. He came out right away to check the property line w/o being paid, and advised my neighbor Pedro on where the correct property line should be. It turns out Pedro's marks were about 2 feet into my property ! Bob left my neighbor Pedro to mark the property line and the situation is still unresolved. Yet I'd like to thank Bob for his help. He is amazing and my hero!

We contacted Apex for advice on an encroachment problem. Bob took time out of his day to come to…read moreour home and helped us resolve the problem with his expertise and common sense. He is a professional who will help you explore your options. We wholeheartedly recommend Bob and Apex Civil Engineering & Land Surveying.

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

I reached out to Jim regarding a leak that was coming into the house at the lowest point of my…read morehome. I thought I would be in for a large cost to install a French drain system, but he was the first to say that we should look into seeing if we can solve this for $10. 1/ Adding some caulking to the side of the house, due to some cracking he saw in the exterior. 2/ adding to the downspout and adding a separate tube that can move the water to a different location. Super honest and thoughtful. In the future, if I need some investigation or work, Jim's my guy! Thanks for saving some money and being thoughtful.

Responsive, thorough and professional. No longer full service so Jim has structural engineers that…read morehe recommends and has with in the past.

Dave and his crew (including Oscar, Jose, and many others) have completed several projects at my…read morehouse 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.

Dave Ford Construction just finished a complete retrofit on my home in the Berkeley Hills. I could…read morenot 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.