The Handyjew

(62 reviews)

We are very happy we used Tinka Construction to remodel our small bathroom and update our kitchen…read more George and his crew are super friendly, clean, and creative at solving transitions between spaces. His team is resourceful and they did not generate excessive work to add cost. For our kitchen / laundry facelift, we updated the flooring, backsplash, lighting, and reconfigured our laundry area. George's crew helped to side vent the dryer which the big box store was unable to do. George gave valuable input on our bathroom design to optimize the small space. He had suggestions for an in-wall toilet, a corner sink, window ledge niche, and talked us out of a doorless shower (thank you!). He knows small spaces very well and was able to place the fixtures in their best locations. George would give us a heads up on our requests that were going to cost more than ~1k. He had some subcontractors come in to help with varying degrees of quality and cleanliness. We are glad he managed the plumbing contractor who had to come back 3 times. His paint jobs varied quite a bit in consistency depending on who was painting. The best part of working with George was that we were expecting our first child, and he worked very hard to complete the project before her due date. To our surprise and delight he totally finished it before she arrived!

George helped us with a complete remodel for our home in Berkeley. He and his crew (Oni, Enrique,…read moreMarvin, Wuillian) are extremely smart, honest, professional and creative. His pricing is also reasonable and transparent. We started with an awkward layout (even no room for fridge in the kitchen!) and ended with a tastefully transformed home: open, modern and feels much more spacious than before. George is patient, transparent, detail oriented (with a special eye for safety!) and always a clever problem solver on behalf of his clients. What he did for our project was too much to list, but I'm attaching a few photos where the end results can speak for itself! Contractors like George is hard to come by and highly sought after in the current environment, we would recommend him to any one who values craftsmanship and quality!

E&F Construction Services

4.9

(154 reviews)

We used E&F for a bathroom remodel. They did a fantastic job on a job that was not easy. This…read morebathroom had not been remodeled in over 70 years. Yes, 70 years. Everything needed to be torn down and replaced. The wiring was old. The plumbing was leaking. And the flooring needed to be completely replaced. They produced an estimate. And came in on budget. They gave a time frame. And finished on time. I'm not sure what more you could want in a contractor. We will use them 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.

Kevin Finney

(22 reviews)

I happened upon Kevin by word of mouth at the perfect time! I was visiting my sister and the water…read moredamage in her bathroom was well beyond my ability to cope with. He also dealt with some rot around her windows and managed to fix her deck that had been a hazard for far too long.

Kevin is great! I had him come and install an oddly-positioned custom gate in my backyard and the…read morequality was top-notch! Kevin not only does great work, but he is easy to communicate with and has an excellent customer service orientation. I was so impressed with all his work, that he is now my go-to handyman for all jobs in Berkeley. He is also very reasonable and fair in pricing. I highly recommend Kevin for any projects that you may have around the house.

Mission Home Remodeling

(54 reviews)

Posted this on Google reviews and it got hidden to the public. I think it's important folks know…read moreabout this experience so see below: ______________________ I had such a bad experience with Mission Home which I know will look bonkers given the 5 star reviews. I was definitely persuaded by these reviews - and now will question every business that has 5 star reviews. Do your homework and don't be fooled. Project took much longer than what it should have because they were disorganized and would forget certain things (the foreman would even admit that the PM should have told me certain things!) that I would have imagined a contractor had down pat in terms of sequencing. They use some subcontractors and you are at the mercy of their schedules. They just are not organized (you will do a lot of the reminding, checking in, following up, and certain things still may not happen). They failed inspections meaning more cost (it is their job to pass these! It says this in any contract!) If it seemed as though I was questioning something, the PM got defensive and sometimes unprofessional, gaslighting me in a very aggressive manner. I saved the communication, in fact. The people I worked with directly were young and it showed in the almost-too-casual style of communication and lack of professionalism. I surrendered towards the end and just wanted the project done and everyone gone. I feel completely foolish that I went with the significantly higher estimate thinking it would offer a smooth, superior experience. The actual people who did the work worked hard though and did nice work - hence the two stars. But at the end of the day, it's actually hard to enjoy the work as I am reminded by the months of bad experiences - up to the very end. You can find more experienced contractors out there for equal quality of workmanship and for a more competitive price. I am using a different contractor now for other work at the property - it's a 180 degree difference - they have a dedicated team for my project, meaning time to completion is more accurate and on time; they have a dedicated person to procure the finishes and fixtures, not myself; they are way more organized and even provided me a timeline of what to expect and communicate with me what time they are showing up and what progress was made that day (!!); they are bringing a truly expert eye with attention to detail that ELEVATES the space and are teaching me to ask things I didn't even know I should KNOW to ask; and most importantly, I feel truly comfortable asking questions without defensiveness and aggressive steamrolling in their answers. I received none of this level of care or expertise with MHR, and I want you to know that you should expect these things!!!

Try to get some basic quote range but they say no, they cannot do that and we have to schedule a…read moresite visit even with the measurements and picture I provide. This makes no sense because we just want to get a ballpark to see if it's even make sense to continue. But anyway, on the date of the site visit, the guy come without any tool for measurements and for note taking. The guy just spent like 20 mins walking around the house and said he will get back to us with a quote. But I never hear back from them since. I think the company is very picky on clients and like to see if they have enough money to pay for their service. If they think we cannot afford it, they will just cut all the communications. This is also mentioned by other 1 star reviews.

Bumble Bee Construction

4.9

(36 reviews)

Bumble Bee Construction-Joe is your friendly neighborhood contractor to go to! He took on most of…read morethe siding job on his own till the rest of the crew could join. From there completion time sped up. Very knowledgeable, able to explain process in simple way and also flexible with my hectic schedule.

My experience started off well. Joe was responsive, communicated clearly, and provided a fair…read morequote. Unfortunately, after a miscommunication about part of the project, which I thought we had resolved amicably (I compensated him for the materials he had already used), he later admitted he was upset and had been purposely avoiding my follow up communication. He left the original job on Friday saying he would return the following week to finish a few remaining items. After that, I spent over a month trying to get a response, with little to no communication and no explanation for this treatment. When I finally expressed my frustration, he admitted he had intentionally been ignoring me because of the earlier misunderstanding and offered to send someone to finish the outstanding tasks, "if that's what I was upset about." That level of unprofessionalism was far more disappointing than the few remaining tasks on the project. Misunderstandings happen, but they shouldn't result in giving a customer the silent treatment and leaving a job unfinished. I cannot recommend someone who responds to conflict by avoiding communication completely.

Prime Design & Build

4.9

(64 reviews)

We hired Prime Design for a home remodel project, but unfortunately the experience has been very…read moredisappointing. There have been multiple unresolved issues with the quality of work and follow-through. One example is an LED light that continues to flicker. It has been more than six months, with many calls and text messages, but the issue still has not been fixed. Another example is damage to our garage cabinet, where a hole was created during the work. We are still waiting for this to be repaired as well. Overall, the lack of timely resolution and poor communication after the project has been extremely frustrating.

We contracted Prime Design & Build to remodel two bathrooms, a laundry room, a staircase, and to…read moreinstall hardwood flooring. Overall, the project went well, and we're happy with the final results. Bryan, our foreman, was a strong asset to the project. Even though he was managing multiple jobs at the same time, his responsiveness and willingness to go out of his way to address our concerns made a big difference. Because we were home throughout the process, we were able to catch issues early and communicate them directly to Bryan, who consistently followed through to resolve them. What Went Well: * The tile and flooring subcontractors were excellent - their craftsmanship and attention to detail truly stood out. * Bryan, our foreman, was responsive to texts and phone calls, listened to our concerns, and made sure they were addressed. He even designed a bi-fold closet door for us, and helped pick up all the material to build it. * Bryan also took the initiative to handle several unfinished items himself, which we really appreciated. * The post-build cleaners were top-notch and left the space in pristine condition. * Throughout the project, everyone we interacted with was professional, courteous, and conscientious. There were no conflicts or issues, which made the experience comfortable for us. Areas for Improvement: * The timeline was a pain point. While we were originally told the project would take 6-8 weeks, it ended up stretching to 12 weeks. * The design process fell short of expectations. Because Prime's in-house designers weren't available, our design work was outsourced. We only received a full design package for the master bathroom. As a result, we ended up creating our own renderings for the other rooms to help communicate our vision to the team. That said, we were very happy with the design and material selections for the master bathroom they did complete. We just wish the same level of attention and design support had been provided for the rest of the project. * At times, resource availability was limited, likely due to workers being assigned to multiple jobs. This led to workflow inefficiencies and delays. Toward the end of our renovation, our foreman Bryan had to personally step in to complete several tasks, such as installing faucets, shelving, and baseboards. He managed to get it done in between site visits and meetings, which we appreciated, but it also highlighted a lack of available crew to close out the project. Despite these few challenges, the quality of the work met our expectations. We appreciated the team's effort and the final outcome.

E R Home Improvements

(79 reviews)

Edwin is a very experienced builder. He was able to diagnose our years-long water infiltration…read moreissue in a brief visit. His team started work in the next week and the whole job was professionally done after four days. He knows every aspect of residential construction and can come up with creative solutions for whatever issues you're having. He handled three issues on our property--a back-up sump pump, a downspout that was bringing water back into our house instead of to the street, and some washout from underneath one corner of our foundation from years of rainwater running where it shouldn't. He also repaired a mudsill that was damage by rats. My family is very pleased with Edwin's work and are feeling confident that future rains won't lead to more interior damage in the future.

Edwin was great. Super responsive, super pro. He installed a french drain for us and did some high…read morequality work. I was not in town for the project and Edwin made it really easy for me to track progress. Really happy with the overall work and experience with Edwin!

LB Construction & Remodeling

(102 reviews)

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 Construction did a great job on our front stairs. They were on time, worked steadily all day and…read morewere very friendly. We were very pleased with the results. Friends even complemented us on the work. Highly recommend them!

Varga Construction

(68 reviews)

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

Innovative Tile

(61 reviews)

Zaprian from Innovative tile is a true professional and does outstanding tile work. He helped us…read moremake nice stylistic choices for our kitchen backsplash, worked fast, was very reasonable, and extremely friendly. 10/10. We HIGHLY recommend reaching out to Zaprian for any tile work, he is amazing!

Zaprian does great work highly recommended. He is professional and works with you to find the best…read moresolution.

JR Drywall

(35 reviews)

I'll start by saying that I 100% recommend Ron for any of your drywall and home repair needs. I've…read moresaved his information and will definitely call him again for any future house work or projects that come along over time. In summary, we had a drainage pipe that was leaking, resulting in damaging the drywall it was behind. Ron, within minutes of entering our home, confirmed our suspicions and quickly got to work, starting with the removal of the severely damaged drywall segments followed by the removal of paint. He doesn't do plumbing, but recommended a plumber that he trusted and partnered with over the years. After the pipe was repaired, Ron proceeded to patch up the wall and prep it for painting. His professionalism throughout this multi-day experience was very positive - he shared his thoughts on what happened and why. I appreciated his candor and friendliness. The price we paid for the work was fair and very competitive, something I greatly appreciated.

I really enjoyed working with Ron. He was super knowledgable and skilled. He was able to answer…read moreany questions I had, and made the whole process of repairing my bathroom ceiling a breeze. If I ever need anymore drywall work in my home, I'm definitely going to call Ron and his team!

Andrew's Tile

(92 reviews)

Andrew is a hardworking pro who does great work. We went with a simple white subway tile for our…read morekitchen to freshen things up, and he was able to complete the job in just two and a half days. It looks fantastic -- honestly feels like a brand new home

OMG Andrew is an excellent artist and communicator & his work is truly meticulous. I plan to hire…read morehim again for another tile project in my home.

GM Elite Tile & Stone Installation

(60 reviews)

The team was extremely professional and careful, taking a lot of care to make sure they did not…read moredamage our counters, walls, or floors. Our kitchen was usable for the entire three days they were working on the backsplash. They also helped us pick out the right grout to go with our tile! We're so happy with their work and would hire them in the future.

Alfonso and his team did an incredible job on our kitchen backsplash. They were efficient, thorough…read moreand clean. We couldn't have asked for a better experience.

A2Z Kitchen And Bath

(8 reviews)

We worked with A2Z Kitchen and Bath to redo our kitchen as part of a larger remodeling project with…read moretheir sister company A2Z Remodeling. We had a great experience and are very happy with the final result. Marissa was always available to answer questions and provide advice via in-person visits to the office or over email and texts. She helped us work through several design iterations, and when she recognized that our chosen design was over our budget she prepared a different solution on her own initiative that helped us get where we needed to be. Definitely recommended, thank you again!

They are extremely well organized and customer centric. Will go out of their way to help you with…read moreyour project and do it in a timely and very professional manner.

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Christine H.

1

11

0

10 years ago

Josh built us a beautiful shoe cabinet in our foyer. He matched the trim to our existing style. He is very communicative and got the job done quickly and expertly. We would use him again on a future project. read more

Eric S.

33

17

0

10 years ago

Great service! The work was performed really well and the people are great.

William L.

6

4

0

10 years ago

Josh is smart, thoughtful, reliable, and response. Bravo.

The Handyjew - contractors - Updated August 2026

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We had Bulent and his crew install a new bedroom and 2 bathrooms to our existing home in Richmond…read more It was quite a undertaking! Bulent and his crew were awesome to work with! They were polite, efficient and made the disruption as minimal as possible. Bulent kept us informed every step of the way. He is professional, personable and very easy to work with. Can't say enough good things about Troy construction!

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I spoke to Joe about several small projects, then texted project pictures to him, but did not hear…read moreback.

Tinka Construction

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We are very happy we used Tinka Construction to remodel our small bathroom and update our kitchen…read more George and his crew are super friendly, clean, and creative at solving transitions between spaces. His team is resourceful and they did not generate excessive work to add cost. For our kitchen / laundry facelift, we updated the flooring, backsplash, lighting, and reconfigured our laundry area. George's crew helped to side vent the dryer which the big box store was unable to do. George gave valuable input on our bathroom design to optimize the small space. He had suggestions for an in-wall toilet, a corner sink, window ledge niche, and talked us out of a doorless shower (thank you!). He knows small spaces very well and was able to place the fixtures in their best locations. George would give us a heads up on our requests that were going to cost more than ~1k. He had some subcontractors come in to help with varying degrees of quality and cleanliness. We are glad he managed the plumbing contractor who had to come back 3 times. His paint jobs varied quite a bit in consistency depending on who was painting. The best part of working with George was that we were expecting our first child, and he worked very hard to complete the project before her due date. To our surprise and delight he totally finished it before she arrived!

George helped us with a complete remodel for our home in Berkeley. He and his crew (Oni, Enrique,…read moreMarvin, Wuillian) are extremely smart, honest, professional and creative. His pricing is also reasonable and transparent. We started with an awkward layout (even no room for fridge in the kitchen!) and ended with a tastefully transformed home: open, modern and feels much more spacious than before. George is patient, transparent, detail oriented (with a special eye for safety!) and always a clever problem solver on behalf of his clients. What he did for our project was too much to list, but I'm attaching a few photos where the end results can speak for itself! Contractors like George is hard to come by and highly sought after in the current environment, we would recommend him to any one who values craftsmanship and quality!

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(22 reviews)

I happened upon Kevin by word of mouth at the perfect time! I was visiting my sister and the water…read moredamage in her bathroom was well beyond my ability to cope with. He also dealt with some rot around her windows and managed to fix her deck that had been a hazard for far too long.

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(18 reviews)

This is an extremely long overdue review from work that was done two Summers ago. My deck had…read moredeteriorated to the point where it didn't make sense to just replace certain boards. It was also getting a bit wobbly and there was concern about it being attached to the house, which is on a hillside. Enter Oren of MyWorkshed. He figured out how to cost-effectively disassemble and salvage MUCH of the original pressure-treated structure. He also upgraded the design to meet current standards for structural support/integrity. I was worried about this undertaking because it was such a big deck (yes, yes, so many deck jokes ) and the whole operation was taking place on a hillside, but everything turned out perfectly and it didn't break the bank, which I though it would. MANY THANKS, OREN!!!

Oren and his crew worked on our fixer-upper house for 4 days in April. We had a disappointing…read moreexperience and would caution using him for anything larger than a very small, fixed-bid project. We were doing a lot of DIY work on the house, with everything fully permitted (by owner/us), but wanted a carpenter (preferably one with a contractor's license) to do the particularly skilled work like framing and installing windows. When we first spoke with Oren, he talked about having a crew of 2, himself and Greg. The day before he was to start, he said he had a crew of 4, including his son, who seemed unskilled in construction but happened to be in town visiting, and cost an additional $50/hour. (At this point, right before he started, we didn't feel in a position to dictate the composition of his crew.) They didn't do the work we asked them to do, did work we did not ask them to do, and then quit when they were no longer interested. We asked them to start with 4 tasks, including measuring window openings to order new windows. They did 3 of these, plus removing and re-framing a wall/header which we didn't want them to do until much later, and pulled up floor boards, which we wanted to do ourselves to save money. When I asked them to stop this demolition work, Oren got upset, saying I had "taken the wind out of their sails." After 4 days, they had still not measured the windows, which we had clearly communicated was a high priority. When I asked him about it, he jokingly handed me a measuring tape. Then he said he would come back to do that. I followed up several times, but he never came back. They charge hourly, ($70 each for the skilled carpenters), which might be fine if they worked at a good pace, but they were extremely slow. For example, it took Oren and his son 4 hours ($500) to level a drop-in tub in an already-built frame, using spray foam which is much simpler than mortar. We told him at the beginning that we did not want a "ledge" on the tub frame - we wanted the tub skirt flush with the tub lip, as the manufacturer advertised it. He disregarded this spec, adding a 3" lip on the sides, and then insisted (after it was too late, and contrary to the manufacturer's instructions) that it was the only sturdy way to do it. We had originally planned for Oren to be involved for longer, including to install the windows. But there was never clarity on how much time he intended to commit, and he never asked about our budget. He did not want to sign a contract, and even a few days before he started, we didn't know for sure if he was coming at all. After it was clear he wasn't coming back, we lost several weeks scrambling to find a replacement. His contractor's license was not a benefit, either: the only contract-like term I insisted on was a commitment that he would do everything to code. But the header they installed did not have the required number of nails, and I had to add more to pass inspection. His hit-and-run style also meant the work had no continuity: they installed a $200+ cedar sill for a window, without knowing what kind of windows we were getting and with no plan to waterproof it (we ended up removing the sill); and he covered the window frame with OSB (from the inside) and disappeared, so when it rained, the wall (which had rotted from water) got all soaked again.

Integrity Paint and General Contracting