An Architect's Review…read more As an architect, I work with contractors on a regular basis and needless to say, I was probably more particular than most when it came to choosing someone to work on my own home. Word of mouth and research led me to ARC / Armando... and I'm glad I went with him! From the beginning, communication was clear and straightforward. We went through the scope of work, my requirements and budget. I had some very basic drawings prepared to communicate my ideas. Along the way, Armando made suggestions to work with my requirements and budget. His pricing was reasonable and, most importantly, he completed the work within the budget we originally agreed upon. Anyone who has done a renovation before knows how easily costs can start creeping up once work begins. That was not my experience here. The scope and budget were established upfront and Armando stuck to them. And this was very important to me as I had no way of accommodating an increase in cost. The work was for a garage renovation, it included interior demo, replacement of an exterior window, addition of a new exterior door, vinyl wood flooring, drywall and installation of a new gypsum ceiling. Work progressed efficiently and to my expectations with no unnecessary delays. Communication throughout the project was excellent, and mostly Armando initiating the conversations to keep me updated. He was also very easy to work with on finishes and hardware. Some items I provided myself while others were sourced by him. Again, he made recommendations to work with my budget while not compromising on quality. Speaking of quality, the quality of the work was exceptional. It has now been over a year since the renovation was completed and everything still looks as good as the day it was finished. Absolutely zero complaints! His attention to detail was very much appreciated. He constantly made suggestions when he felt something could be improved. For example, he suggested a more random tile pattern for the vinyl floor instead of the more regular stagger I had proposed. We went with his suggestion and I am very pleased with it. Armando is knowledgeable, reliable and a pleasure to work with. Coming from someone who deals with contractors professionally all the time, I don't make that recommendation lightly. Definitely highly recommended and he will be my first call for future projects!

The place is not much to look at, but the Food is simply amazing especially the tacos. But…read moreeverything here is well made.

Thanks to a new law, condominiums and apartments need to get inspected before January 1, 2026, aka:…read more SB326 and SB721 We selected South Coast Deck inspection because they were the least invasive and they were very affordable. I also really like that they don't drill into my foundation. Taylor and Jassenia have been spot on with communication. They've been very flexible when I had to change my initial inspection date. Quick to respond to my questions. Today I had my inspection for my three unit condo and Wayne was professional, friendly, and very respectful of everyone's property. I didn't get any negative feedback while he was inspecting, so fingers crossed that I passed. My parents have another property that was recently inspected by South Coast and did not pass. The inspection company offered a contractor that could do the work and (while the contractor is affiliate with them), the price quoted was very competitive as well. I would highly recommend this company if you need your deck inspected or even repaired to bring it up to code.

This is the company to hire most definitely. They were very responsive, polite and answered…read morecountless emails. In addition, they showed up on time and their price for the SB326 inspection was FAR better than any other inspection company and their report came quickly.

It's been over a year now since my initial install and I want to 1) update on the quality of the…read moreproduct, and 2) update on the service the Hicks team has provided. First off: we love our custom door, it continues to be a highlight of our home (super important making a great impression as people enter). It swings easily and is super stable. Recently the bolt holding the door frame to the wall came loose (likely from a mix of daily use and our shifting soils here in San Clemente). Not entirely surprising that there'd be some "settling in" given that it's a fairly massive completely custom door - but still, it had been over a year since the Hicks team finished the job. I emailed and asked: is this sort of thing covered? Well... Myke came out personally and spent the better part of two hours fixing the issue - not only thoroughly reinforcing the door frame but also upgrading the other side of the frame with a new customer stopper to increase security but also improve the operation of the door. It's been almost 18 months since install and Myke came out free of charge. Went well above and beyond and shook my hand and wished me well. If you think "good people doing good work" is hard to find... I hope you find this review, and give Myke Hicks a call.

Good finished work, but this experience changed my opinion significantly…read more TL;DR: I previously gave Hicks 5 stars after our first project, and they still feature that review on their website. We hired them again and have now spent tens of thousands of dollars with them. Both pergolas look very good. On this second project, Hicks chose to handle an unexpected sprinkler conflict rather than have me bring someone else in, the repair failed, and it appears they never performed the basic test to make sure it worked. When I raised it, the owner became hostile, insulted me, and hung up on me. I later gave Hicks a written opportunity to inspect or fix it before anyone else touched the repair and received no response. That experience changed my opinion of the company significantly. I hired Hicks again because our first project had been a genuinely good experience. Across both jobs we had worked through material and scheduling delays, possible conflicts with power lines and solar panels, and changes involving the patio flooring without major problems. Both finished pergolas look very good. The sprinkler issue came up immediately before excavation. Nothing in the estimate or our earlier discussions gave me reason to think the footings would extend outside the existing concrete patio and into the grass. I first realized that when I saw the red excavation markings and noticed they conflicted with a sprinkler head and the line serving other heads. I raised it immediately. Since the contract says Hicks is not responsible for sprinkler routes, placement, or repairs, I specifically offered to coordinate and pay for someone else to handle it. Hicks told me that was unnecessary, that they had the fittings they needed, and that their crew would cut, move, and reconnect the line. I took that as a professional courtesy and relied on what they told me. While they were excavating, I also offered to turn the sprinkler zone on remotely from my phone so they could test the repair. They did not take me up on it. Since the system is easy to activate in person, I assumed they would simply test it themselves. Project delays had compressed the schedule, and we were rushing to finish the walkthrough and final payment before I left on a business trip the next day. We carefully checked the pergola itself, which looked good, but forgot the sprinklers. A day or two later, while traveling, I realized we had missed that check. I activated the zone remotely and could see through my backyard camera that something looked wrong. Rather than bother Hicks based only on a remote view, I waited until I got home to verify it. Several heads that were clearly working immediately before excavation no longer worked, and a substantial amount of water was leaking beside the new installation. The zone was effectively unusable for around two weeks, and parts of the lawn it normally waters developed obvious dead and brown patches. Hicks later acknowledged in writing that "a fitting must've came loose" and that perhaps there had not been enough glue. The repair itself is not what turned this into such a big issue for me. The way it was handled did. During about a five-minute phone call, the owner got heated and defensive, used foul language, called me names, spoke disrespectfully, and hung up on me. He later told me that I "don't know how this works" and that he was not going to read my written explanation. This was completely unlike anything I had experienced with Hicks before. After that, I sent a written notice giving Hicks an opportunity to inspect or arrange to fix the problem before anyone else touched it. I got no response. After the deadline passed, I had the area excavated and repaired. The sprinkler pipe was physically separated at a connection in the area of the leak, which I documented with photos. The system is now working again. What bothers me most is that Hicks chose to take on the sprinkler work, apparently did not do the most basic test afterward, and then treated me this way when I raised the problem. That is especially disappointing because they previously handled a warranty issue very well. A few months after our first pergola was installed, the integrated lighting controller failed after apparently getting water in it. Hicks came back promptly and fixed it at no charge, which increased my confidence in using them again. Both pergolas look very good and Hicks deserves credit for that. But part of hiring a contractor is trusting how they handle problems after final payment. After this experience, I no longer feel comfortable recommending Hicks, I am concerned about relying on them for future warranty work, and I would not hire them again unless this is made right. That is why I am updating my previous 5-star review to 2 stars. I will update this review again if and when the situation is resolved. EDIT: Not a warranty claim. I offered to hire a pro; Hicks chose to do the repair, so they still had to use reasonable care.