Matt at Cantor Inspections was outstanding from start to finish!…read more He was friendly, approachable, and easy to talk to throughout the entire inspection process. One thing that really impressed us was his ability to take complex construction or building issues and explain them in plain English. He made sure we understood not just what he found, but why it mattered and what our options were. Matt was able to ballpark repair costs, suggest different approaches to fixing issues, and recommend the right type of contractor or specialist for each item. It felt like we were getting an education from someone who was genuinely looking out for our best interests. We also appreciated how practical his advice was. Rather than just listing defects, he helped us understand the context behind each issue and what he would prioritize if he were advising his own kids. We found that perspective incredibly valuable, both during negotiations and in preparing for homeownership. If you're buying a home in the Bay Area, you need to call Matt. We couldn't recommend him more highly.

We had a fantastic experience working with Matt Cantor of Cantor Inspections. The level of detail…read moreand depth of knowledge he provides easily justify the cost of the inspection, which pays for itself several times over when deciding who and what work to do. Matt conducted a very thorough inspection and, more importantly, helped my family understand how to prioritize the work our home needed. His report gave us the knowledge and confidence to speak with contractors and make sure we were focusing on the right repairs rather than unnecessary work. What really stood out was that Matt didn't disappear after the inspection. He remained available for follow-up questions and was incredibly generous with his time and advice as we evaluated contractor proposals. His insight helped us navigate some very expensive recommendations and focus on practical, staged solutions instead. If you want a home inspector who is thoughtful, knowledgeable, and genuinely invested in helping homeowners make smart decisions, I can't recommend Matt highly enough. Working with him was invaluable for our family.

I have worked with Reza and his team on multiple projects. They always make sure to provide best…read moreoptions for each project and ready to go the extra mile to accomplish the goals.

I was looking for a while for a structural engineering firm to help me with a project. Other places…read morewould ask a high up front fee and already had a plan without even visiting the site or getting details from me. Nova Structures actually took the time to work with my specific needs. Reza came out to the site and was able to come up with a solution to my structural engineering problem. Whenever I had questions he would hop on a video call and provide me with the details I needed. The engineering plans potentially saved me several thousands of dollars versus what other firms said the build out could cost.

We have been working on a 2nd floor addition to a 100 yr old house. As one can imagine, there are…read moremany significant structural issues that may arise unexpectedly when opening up walls and seeing how people build things 100 yrs ago. David and Ray have been incredible since the beginning of the process, helping us navigate through all the structural concerns and always trying to find a value engineering approach - whether it was optimizing depth of foundation work, or finding ways to reinforce old windows, coming up with ways to get headers into locations where there isn't the space, and/or proposing alternative shear wall options when there isn't room to fit things. Ray, our project engineer, has been the best communicating and responding to all our questions and worries. He carefully reviews the problem at hand that arise and often will provide 2 or 3 possible options that our builder can work on. With our current project, Ray is always super prompt to resolve any issues via call or email, or video conference and if necessary an onsite visit to inspect the construction phase. He was just crawling in our crawlspace the other day and notified our builder if some items that needed to be addressed to maintain a positive continuous connection from 2nd floor down to 1st floor and to crawlspace foundation. We are now adding the 2nd floor framing and almost done the most stressful part of the project. We have done 3 major remodels in the past with other firms where it was difficult to get in touch with anybody. With Ray and David at Simplengi Engineering, it has been a very refreshing experience to have experts that promptly responds to all our concerns. Value engineering, great timely communication, attention to detail, common sense, simple and smart engineering. We highly recommend Ray and David and Simplengi Engineering for any structural work. Simply great engineering. We don't plan to do another remodel for 100+ years but if we did, we would hire Simplengi 100% for sure.

​If you want the highest degree of professionalism​, the best customer service​, and an incredibly…read morewell trained and highly ethical engineer​, who is a supreme problem-solver and someone who actually responds to your questions, then you'll be 1000% satisfied with Dave Yadegar at Simplengi. ​D​ave is a superbly qualified engineer with a ​v​ast amount of varied professional experience​, and with his knowledge and skills​, ​h​e has saved us substantial amounts of time, money and perhaps most importantly - aggravation.​ ​I​nterestingly, I have met ​two other clients​ of Dave's, and they both shared the same opinion of​ his ability.​ ​D​ave will save you time, money, frustration, etc. New construction, remodels, expansion, - commercial and residential: he will simplify your life as ​he has done for me. He is absolutely the very best. PS- a shout-out goes to Antwon Trinh and Santosh Chitturi for helping round out the team!

Brian, Holly, and Gerardo are the best…read more When I contacted them initially two years ago, within the first 10 minutes of talking they'd recognized that our house was not a simple brace & bolt project given its soft story and referred me to a structural engineer (who himself was excellent) for review/evaluation. I begin with this because that structural engineer mentioned he'd had Brian do his own retrofitting and highly recommended him, which was the only endorsement I needed. The scope of the work was soft story retrofit (incl. excavation at the front of the garage to install a Hardy frame, adding in shear walls with bolts, shear wall with URFP ties all along the house's perimeter) as well as adding in anchors (e.g., hand dug piers, rebar, concrete) in the front and back of the house to prevent the house from further sinking. We initially applied for and got into the ESS program, which Brian/Holly guided us through (pulling permits, getting photos, contacting our engineer for letters/responses on ESS program follow-ups). As in the first time and every subsequent time, they were swift and helpful in responding. ESS, if you don't know (like I didn't), goes through FEMA and requires FEMA review and approval of your plans at each step of the way, but the whole program came to a standstill in 2025-26. We had no updates despite us and Brian/Holly repeatedly following up. We gave up on ESS in April and decided to move ahead with the retrofit. Brian was able to work us into his schedule and work began early May and work was completed in just a little over two weeks, a full week faster than I expected. The whole time Brian/Holly kept us apprised of the status, schedule, and inspections; and forwarded us all documentation and pictures as they came up. The crew was efficient and detailed and did thorough clean ups of the worksite after each day. We felt in control and informed the whole time and are confident in the result; I'd hire them again in a heartbeat.

I'm happy to add to the positive reviews of this company. Brian is very easy responsive, and was…read morehappy to answer all my questions. He went above and beyond to guide me through the process. Jordan and his installation team were very pleasant to work with. He even checked and discovered my newly renovated room may not be supported sufficiently. I hope I won't ever need it, but the work seems solid

I hired SF Bay Engineering for seismic retrofit plans under the Earthquake Brace and Bolt program…read more I was told architectural drawings were required before they could proceed, so I hired and paid an architect to prepare them. After multiple back and forth and with SF Bay Engineering admitting they aren't familiar with the requirements, they terminated the contract. They refunded their engineering fee, but the architectural cost remained my responsibility. I brought the matter to small claims court, and the court ruled that because I retained the plans, reimbursement was not warranted. I recommend future clients clarify in writing how architectural costs will be handled if SF Bay Engineering terminates the contract. Happy to provide additional details upon request

Excellent service. Requested a structural evaluation for some cracks across areas of drywall at my…read moreresidential home. The onsite engineer walked my partner through the damage and inspected the foundation. Provided a thorough report with recommendations for structural improvements. Competitive rates. I appreciate their quality, service and price.

Dan and his team recently inspected our property for seismic safety as per the service I requested…read more They were thorough , seemed very knowledgeable and I enjoyed discussion our project with his team. Highly recommend.

Dan and his wife Cecilia are very professional and drama-free. His crew were very efficient in…read moretaking measurements and Dan went over the overall plan in simple language for our Earthquake Brace and Bolt project. Thanks for everything!

Engin is prompt, responsive, and extremely knowledgeable. I found myself in a very difficult…read moresituation after my property was red-tagged by the City of Oakland due to foundation issues. After speaking with several engineers, Engin stood out as the most thorough, knowledgeable, and solution-oriented. He quickly understood the situation, provided a clear path forward, and worked effectively with the City of Oakland Planning and Building Departments to address the issues. Throughout the process, he was professional, communicative, and helped reduce a tremendous amount of stress and uncertainty. His expertise and guidance were invaluable, and I would highly recommend him to anyone needing structural engineering services. Thanks to Engin, a situation that felt overwhelming became manageable. I am very grateful for his help.

We hired ECR Engineering for a seismic retrofit design and build project in our Pacific Heights…read morehome, and we couldn't be happier. Navigating SF building codes is a nightmare, but Engin and the team made the structural side of things seamless. They provided cost-effective design solutions that saved us on construction costs without compromising safety. They were incredibly responsive to our contractor's questions and helped us get through the permitting process faster than expected. If you need a structural engineer in the city who actually understands old SF buildings, this is the firm.

So I'm seeing cracks on my ceiling and they are starting to worry me…read more I checked Yelp and Nextdoor for some structural engineer recommendations. When I contacted them to get more information they responded timely. Made an appointment with them about a week and a half later. Arash came to the house and looked everywhere garage, outside, all the rooms. And thankfully he said there is no foundation concern. Took him I want to say about 40min to look everywhere. They are not cheap. My eyes almost popped out of my socket when I heard about their rate. But I want someone with experience to look at the house. Anyways, there is a little hiccup with the invoice but they reached back to me quickly to resolve it. The inspection cost is separate to the report fee. Just fyi. Nice people, happy to have found them.

Decided to go with EAS. Actual work hasn't started yet but their prompt and professional responses…read moreplus flexibility led me to go with them. Will update after project is done.

I contacted Joshua B. Kardon, PhD, SE, F.ASCE, on the advice of a friend who is an architect after…read morewe won the bidding war (for $869K) on a 1924 Craftsman home in San Leandro in 2019. It had several issues, especially a problematic (cracked) original foundation. When Joshua Kardon informed us that we might have to spend a considerable portion of the above purchase price to properly fix up the house, make it earthquake-safe, and bring it up to current codes, we decided to pass on this lovely house. (He told us that replacing the cracked original foundation and raising the basement ceiling from 75 inches height to 96 inches on the 1400-square-foot home - all by itself - might cost $200-$300,000 and take many months. The home had other issues, too.) We later purchased a smaller 1954 ranch-style home in almost-as-built condition and called Joshua Kardon again for a consultation about seismic strengthening. He designed the almost-finished project that spans the front of our home and protects it against earthquakes. Joshua Kardon selected a "SkinnyBrace" by Thor Matteson, SE, of Quake Bracing LLC as the most cost-effective way to anchor our garage and the front of the house using attic collectors and garage shear walls. Nieto Valle Construction of Hayward has executed his designs and will soon finish the garage drywall and attic insulation. Joshua B. Kardon, SE, has always insisted on designing and implementing the best possible seismic strengthening solution for us and his solution is now in place. His attention to detail and insistence on doing things "the right way" are highly reassuring and have produced great results. Josh is also very personable, patient in educating us as to why certain design strategies work better, and has a great sense of humor. I would recommend Joshua B. Kardon + Co., Structural Engineers, in a heartbeat to anyone considering seismic strengthening or any other projects requiring the services of an experienced, thorough, detail-oriented, and friendly structural engineer.

Josh was very kind and helpful in providing feedback on an early inquiry as to how I should…read moreapproach working with a structural engineer and contractor in an aspirational project I've started to think through. His calm, kind and approachable energy is exactly the kind of professionalism you want on your upcoming project.

Martin and team are the unicorns of the construction world. They're top notch in every particular:…read morequality, communication, and speed from start to finish. Not only do they do absolutely fantastic work - fast but never rushed, thorough but never onerous - but they also excel at communication. Martin responded clearly and quickly throughout the project. We could not be happier with their work. The team was also cheerful - a surefire sign of a healthy work environment. The price was very competitive, and we are extremely satisfied. Our project included raising an entire section of our house, and installing a new foundation below it, with a retaining wall and piers. They also did a full retrofit on the new foundation. I wish we could hire Martin and his team for every project!

The owner stated he would be around for the project. I didn't see him other than the estimate. I…read morefound myself researching all the components of waterproofing a foundation. I felt like I had to give step-by-step directions on how to complete the project. At one point they didn't plan to put a liquid membrane on the newly poured concrete. The crew was really nice and responsive. The owner paid for a primer so I could fix the poor coverage that the crew had made with the liquid membrane. Eventually, they might be a good crew. At this point I feel like they're just practicing. They did good stucco work.