In short: Tom and his team are fantastic and turned our 2/1 into a 3/2 with a full basement in…read moreabout 8 months. We wanted to add a bedroom, bathroom and basement to our house and had heard about Tom from other Alameda residents and family who had had some work done in the past. He is well known for basements and foundation work here in Alameda, but our project had it all- new bedrooms, decks, roofs and everything along with it. Tom and his team was able to do it all turning our 2 bedroom, 1 bath into a 3 bedroom, 2 bath with a large daylight basement, all while we were still occupying the home with two young children! They finished very close to the estimated timeline with excellent workmanship. We were very impressed how quickly they performed the demo and framing, getting everything enclosed well before winter. Our new bedroom and bathroom have been a dream and our basement is an awesome.

Recently carroll construction put in some porch stairs of me…read more The job was meticulous and the company was a joy to do business with. I would highly recommend this company.

Working with Athos was a Joy! Our home had some serious water damage from our upstairs neighbors,…read moreand Athos walked us through every step he and his crew could take to restore our home. He was easily reachable and if we found some material at a different price was able to match. Our home looks amazing and our son loves his restored room. I've been telling other neighbors about the great work these guys do.

I love their office manager, Kathy, and their rep was quick to reach out, however, the consult was…read morevia phone, and they didn't ask for measurements or a video call. At the end of the conversation, the rep (owner, btw) said I would receive a quote the next day. It's now been 1 week and radio silence. Guess they don't want my business.

Piotr and his team built a 450 sq. ft. master suite and laundry room addition for our existing 2/1…read more We absolutely love our "new" 3/2 that matches the style of the existing home. We really couldn't imagine working with another contractor for future projects. His team was respectful, creative and hard working. They appeared to use higher grade building materials than the other projects we see being built around town. They're finished the project within their estimated completion date during even though it was complicated by an extremely wet winter. We had a couple of minor miscommunications but nothing unexpected for a project this size. Piotr responded by making the appropriate fixes and changes.

Our project was to build an ADU in place of our detached garage. Not having done anything like this…read morebefore there were a lot of things I didn't know or needed to think of. We had plans but what do I know. They were approved. Piotr and Jesus and all the team were a pleasure to work with. They helped us navigate the work and provide vital information based on experience on how to get what we wanted within the guidelines of the city. Plans are just plans until something has to be built so be flexible. Piotr and team are really flexible and reasonable.

This review is embarrassingly overdue, but better late than never. Ace did an amazing job with my…read moreprimary bath remodel; living/dining, bath and kitchen painting (with some demo work to remove built-in cabinetry); recessed lighting installation; and some custom carpentry (e.g., bench for primary bath shower, countertop between kitchen and dining area, sleeping den for my dog with a nice sliding door). This project required a lot of attention to detail and workmanship, and together we navigated through the whole project successfully with a couple of curve balls along the way. I appreciated Ace's proactiveness in planning and communication. Her small team is efficient and and reliable, and overall the work done was a great value. I am very happy with my updated living spaces, which make my home feel like a sanctuary! I highly recommend Ace with Kannon Construction and would definitely use her services again.

This review is soooooo long overdue and I feel like a jerk-hole for not writing it sooner. If…read moreyou've ever had a handy person or contractor do decent work but then you end up swearing for days or weeks because of the huge mess they left behind, your experience with Ace will be a ray of golden sunshine!!! Background: I live in a duplex with shared attic space; it was originally a single family residence with just one attic door. I wanted access to the attic without hassling my neighbors/tenants. Ace not only created a fantastically-functional attic opening, she also took the time and care to make it look beautiful (i.e. like it was part of the original house with decorative trim and multiple coats of paint). But the BEST PART is the care she took to protect my home and and that she left me with no clean-up chores. I've had so much work done on this home and previous homes (small jobs to remodels and major construction). And this is the first time that I've had this experience--of not cursing like a sailor at the dust or grime all over my stuff. Ace did a superb job of containing the dust when she had to drill and cut into the ceiling. I forgot what it's called, but she basically created a tent in the area where she needed to work. There was no drywall dust or sawdust in my storage room or near my laundry area. Bless her!!! She also helped me identify the source of some cracks in my ceiling. They were there before she started her work, so I cropped the photo of my new attic opening. Did I mention that she's nice, easy-going, and that she patiently answered all of my questions? Did I mention that she was very communicative and pro-active in giving me updates on her arrival time, etc.? If you haven't figured it out yet, I was and still am extremely freaking happy with her work and her work ethic. I will definitely be hiring her again.

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 had a leak in our office from the roof/deck above that I had been dreading fixing for a long…read moretime. Don't be like me and make sure you get those things fixed before they get worse. I know hiring a contractor is scary. There's a lot involved and they'll be in your house for an indeterminate amount of time which makes it really important to hire someone you can trust. Tom came out to provide an estimate for our project. He was the only one of the contractors I called that really investigated the existing condtions and repair based on what he could see and his own knowledge. He spent over an hour at the initial call making sure he didn't miss anything and talked through the potential issues and repair. This was his time spent not knowing whether or not we'd hire him. He was also the only contractor to tell me he would only do the work with a permit. Whether or not you think one is needed, just knowing that he wasn't afraid of the permitting or inspection process was a big plus to me. Always ask about permits during the interview process. He then went to his car, drafted an estimate and came back to talk to me about it. I was really impressed at this point. There wasn't any pressure from him to sign on and he encouraged me to ask questions. The estimate was well defined and a bit higher than another bid, but from what I saw I thought it would be worth it. After we signed on, he gave a rough schedule and starting time and said they stay on the job until it's done. We had a list of items to buy and he helped us out there too. He was in constant communications and always responded, even on weekends. Before the work begins, it is pretty easy to promise things to the client while telling your crew something else. When the work actually started, Jesus was our foreman and true to their word, he stayed on the project until completed. They were extremely respectful of our home, carefully protected things and kept the work area clean. During demolition, they found some unforseen things, but took care of it without issue. There were times when they could've easily walked through our house to talk to us, but instead opted to ring the door bell to respect our space. The construction went smoothly and Tom would visit and communicate frequently. He took care of the inspections as well without issue and some other things without charging us, which I appreciated. At the end of the project, we had some concern about the slope of our deck above the office. Tom and his crew came out and fixed it and didn't even mention the final payment until we were happy. Our remodelled office looks amazing. I'd gladly recommend LB Construction for anyone looking for a contractor and will contact them again in the future.

LB did a fantastic job for us. We hired them for a major remodeling project and they delivered…read morehigh-quality work, on budget and on time.

Mr. Jameson was brought out to a home I was purchasing to give an estimated cost of repair to fix…read morethe foundation issues at the home. He quoted a price and when I contacted him to actually do the repair I was told by him that he could not even do the bid, that I needed to bring in Geotech people to tell him what needed to be done! The only reason I purchased the home was because John assured me the repairs would only be about 10k. Now I am living in the home and wanted to fix the issues Since John falsely represented his qualifications I had to call in someone else and they quoted the repair at over 40k! I will be filing a complaint with the CSLB and the BBB. I purchased a house because he assured me it wasn't going to be a crazy amount to fix the issues. Now I am stuck in a house that I will never be able to sell for a profit because John is a complete LIAR! He was obviously just trying to help make a sale! Well guys it worked you made the sale, but you don't get to lie to someone about your qualifications and get away with it. This is a professional contractor who my realtor brought in to counter what my own independent contractor had stated and because he seemed knowledgeable and I trusted the realtor I didn't do my own research on him and even if I had I wouldn't have known he was full of it till I actually called him for the repair. How could John quote me a price to fix my foundation of just over 10k and then when I call for a formal bid he tells me he isn't qualified to even give me an estimate! Now I am spending every night awake crying and worried my house is going to slide down the hill!

This guy is an ass. He leaves his big trucks in front of my house for months with zero work being…read moredone, making it difficult for neighbors to park. We live in an parking impacted neighborhood. His workers come early and take up most of the spaces. He pulls up and double parks on the wrong side of the street making it dangerous for neighbors to pull out of the driveway safely. He has lots of space to put his extra trucks on his block. He is so full of himself. I have seen him in a confrontations in his neighborhood. Do not use this guy. There are several honest and good companies in Alameda and I would suggest using anyone but Jameson.

They remodeled our bathroom, redo everything from waterproof to tiling…read more They also did some extra roof repair and cleaning for us. (separate from the bathroom project). Very careful with protections from day-1, I think it's good quality overall.

Pablo and crew are absolute professionals. We hired them to remodel our new master bathroom. It had…read moreto be completely gutted and they handled literally everything from plumping to electrical to all the finishing details. Great communication and top-tier work at an awesome value. We'll be hiring them again for other projects down the road!

Collins Remodeling did a great job on my kitchen. Design help was excellent and creative, all…read moreworkers were professional, clean, and permanent employees of the company, so there was total trust and accountability. They did excellent work and if something needed tweaking, Matthew and his team addressed it quickly without question. The work and materials are high quality and I am so happy with the result. Highly recommended!

From the owner: Blending Experience with Modern Technologies…read more Collins Remodeling is Alameda's reliable home builders. Whether it's for your home, condo, office or commercial building, our expertise is making your dream a reality. Our attention to detail, client-first philosophy, and passion for exquisite craftsmanship makes us your ideal partner. At Collins Remodeling, we have done everything from simple home additions to new home constructions. We pride ourselves on meeting the customer's needs from both the desired end result to budget constraints. Our company is licensed and insured, which means you can enjoy the peace of mind that comes with hiring a reputable contractor.

2nd Review Addendum:…read more Miri, S&I owner, reached out to me to resolve the issues mention in the original review. She offered to discuss the issues and have workers come out to make things right. By this time, but I had encountered the issues mentioned in the first review addendum. I don't want her employees or day laborers anywhere on my property. After providing her with an advance copy of the first review addendum, Miri responded with a reimbursement offer of $3,000. I accepted the reimbursement. I still regret hiring S&I to work on my property. I recommend you do you extra due diligence before hiring them. I don't trust their high-star rating.

SI did a project to add a wall, some electrical and a pocket door turning a formal dining room into…read morean office. They were our highest price quote, (I got 5) but they were more communicative and detailed than any of the other quotes we got, so we moved ahead with them. The office turned out great and we had no issues with the whole process.