Harvey and his team did an excellent job stabilizing and repairing our outdoor stairs. The stairs were 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. read more

It is so rare to find a contractor who is willing to take on a range of tasks from small to large and 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 read more

Does good work. Fair prices and polite crew. He redid my kitchen after an issue with mold.

Harvey and his team built a front deck for us (8' x 10'), in TimberTech with a Muzata cable railing system and it turned out fantastic. While it took awhile due to permitting, the wait was certainly worth it. Harvey, Jorge and the crew were lovely to work with and clearly cared about the job and the end result. read more

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Harvey is everything you could wish for in a contractor! He is creative, responsive, friendly, and completes the job on time. He has great communication skills and will give you regular updates which include suggestions about how to move toward a time /cost efficient as well an aesthetic outcome. He is very responsive to questions and concerns that may arise for you during the job. His crew is skilled and a pleasure to work with. I appreciate Harvey's relationship with them; his genuine respect and appreciation for them is evident in the seamless way they work together. I recommend Harvey wholeheartedly. read more

Harvey & his team recently completed a remodel in our Berkeley home, and we couldn't be happier! They removed a wall, replaced a load-bearing beam, applied new mud to three rooms, and painted--all within just two weeks. Their teamwork was seamless, craftsmanship flawless, and their flexibility made the entire process stress-free. The attention to detail and commitment to quality were outstanding. If you're looking for a skilled, dependable crew, Varga Construction is the way to go! read more

Varga Construction - Removed wall, installing load bearing wall and fixed the walls to match texture & paint color. - General Contractors Near Me

We had a relatively small project -- a retaining wall that had partially collapsed -- which needed repair. Harvey called us back immediately, came in with a bid significantly lower than my others, and did the job quickly and beautifully. His crew cleaned up after themselves and were a pleasure to interact with, as was Harvey. read more

Harvey Varga and his team did an incredible job replacing 7 windows on the first floor of my house. I left them the keys and didn't have to worry about anything! Everything was done with care and for a fair price! Harvey was very responsive throughout the entire process. I will gladly work with Harvey in the future! read more

I posted two years ago about my many years' experience hiring Varga Construction for projects in two different homes. Most recently, they rebuilt my concrete driveway, which had sunk and cracked and was a risk to passersby because of being several inches below the level of the sidewalk. As always, they were fast and did excellent work. They noticed that a drain spout had been dumping water on the driveway, which possibly had contributed to the sinkage, and rerouted it into a planting area. You can rely on that level of insight and expertise when you use Varga Construction! read more

This year, I reached out to Harvey Varga for a quote on a small bathroom renovation in my 100-year-old home. This was the oldest part of the house, and as such, had some lingering issues like wobbly toilet, uneven floor, and very old bath/shower setup. Harvey quoted me a reasonable price for the job. He asked me when I'd like to start, to which I explained as soon as is reasonable. He offered to begin the following day. Normally, I'd wait to collect a number of quotes, but given the positive reviews for Harvey's work, I jumped in. Cut to a little over two weeks later, I now have a new guest bathroom. I found Harvey's crew (Andres and Jorge) great to work with. They were considerate and respectful of my space and did a good job protecting my furniture and floors. In addition, they were able to upgrade some of my water lines and fix some water intrusion coming in through the exterior wall and window. I'm impressed with the overall work ethic and quality of the project. + Friendly, warm, communicative + Quick, efficient, dedicated + High level of expertise + Great responsiveness from Harvey as project manager/owner via text/phone + Unbelievable turnaround ~ A few surprises (what's a home renovation project without a few quirks?) ~ At times, the crew seemed rushed and missed a few smaller details that we had to sort out (or that I fixed myself, little paint touchups, some extra cleaning, etc) Summary, great work and I'd definitely hire Harvey and team again. read more

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Harvey and his team did an excellent job on my small project. Foreman George and Andres came over to replace my 36" gas cooktop with a 36" Wolf gas cooktop. The project required cutting the quartz countertop and cabinet front fascia, then building a frame to support the new cooktop. The project went smoothly. George and Andres were careful and tidy, using plastic sheeting to protect the area from the construction dust and completing the job with the necessary caulking and touch ups. I appreciate Harvey fitting my small project into his busy schedule. Highly recommended! read more

Varga Construction - Finished installation. - General Contractors Near Me

Harvey is an extremely experienced no nonsense contractor who is very talented at doing quality jobs and solving difficult challenges. He is experienced at many aspects of construction. I would totally recommend him. When you do hire him, know you are working with someone who is conscientious, knowledgeable and gets the job done. Harvey and his crew were focused and worked quickly, with an intelligent eye at solving problems as they may arise. I needed to transform a ground level garage basement type room into a livable space. The foundation was absorbing moisture causing mold problems and an unhealthy living space on the ground level. Harvey installed a french drain and moisture barrier first, designed in an effective manner for this situation which needed more care than an average french drain.. This uncovered many problems with the foundation that were hiding. Harvey combined a solution to this as part of the construction, really solving a huge problem with the house in a streamlined manner while also making the construction of the unit still cost effective. Many more hidden problems emerged, Harvey found solutions to all the challenges and made something of a small miracle happen in our house. Hire Harvey without reservation, knowing you have hired an ethical, experienced contractor who will take your job seriously and complete it in a high quality manner. read more

Harvey and his excellent team did a wonderful job repairing and remodeling our garden shed -- which was in rough shape after years of neglect -- and turning it into a wonderful backyard office. There was considerable damage to the existing structure in terms of rot and termites, but Harvey creatively solved every problem that came up. Most importantly, the team worked to accommodate my neighbors so that no one was drastically inconvenienced by the work. We couldn't be happier with the outcome! read more

Varga Construction - Before - General Contractors Near Me

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Read Harvey's nasty responses to negative reviews, and that will provide all the insight needed to understand why he is not a good choice. He takes no responsibility for his substandard work, blames the client for his shortcomings, and becomes defensive and even verbally abusive if his practices/work are questioned. I hired him because I needed a remodel quickly and didn't know where to start. He seemed affable and down to earth. I should not have relied on that. From the start there were issues- he told me to take measurements of my kitchen for the cabinets. I had no idea how to take all the necessary measurements. I had to ask several times, before finally insisting that he do it, and that was only after a friend that had worked in construction said that it was not my job to take measurements for a remodel. That was just the beginning. Harvey told me he could level my very sloped kitchen floor (2.5" difference on an 11' length of floor). However, when he told me he planned to use self-leveling compound to do it, I told him that didn't sound right, as it's not meant to be used to that depth. He assured me it would be fine. They poured it on top of very old linoleum (that he didn't pull up due to concern for asbestos). After they poured it, his guys busted out an entire corner of the room down to the subfloor, ripping out part of the old linoleum in the process. When I asked him why they tore out part of the floor they'd just poured, and mentioned possible asbestos exposure, he blew me off and said he didn't know why they did it, but they must have had a good reason. I ordered a toilet. When it arrived I saw the measurements on the box were not as advertised, making it too large for the tiny bathroom. I told him I was returning it, and ordering a smaller one. The smaller one arrived, and he sent me a cryptic text that said the smaller toilet didn't fit, but his text wasn't clear, as it mentioned something about changing out all the water lines. He was out of town, and said he'd contact me a few days later when he was back. Nothing for three days. When I finally called him, he told me his guys had installed the toilet I told him not to install. I asked him why, and he said I asked him to(?!) He continued to claim I'd asked him to install the toilet, despite no communication with me from the time he said the small one didn't fit and telling me he'd installed the one I was going to return. He then claimed he'd already installed two toilets (where is he getting this from?), and would need to charge me additional for installing a "third" toilet. Things just got worse. He said he could have his guy paint the interior for a reasonable rate, telling me not to bother hiring painters. Then he claimed his guy had spent 32 hours painting 3 rooms totalling less than 500 sq. ft. He also claimed the guy had prepped and painted 2 coats, which was very obviously not true. Particularly since you could see it was only a single coat, not even that in some areas, and he had only used 3 gallons of paint, which was not enough for 2 coats. Plus the paint was dripped all over the hardwood floors and literally thick drips down the baseboards. This was around the time I discovered his crew had been using my backyard for a toilet. I had smelled urine, and didn't know why. Then I asked one of his guys where they were using the bathroom, as the toilet had been pulled, and the office bathroom (for which I had provided a key), was locked every time I came over. The guy told me they were peeing in my yard. Harvey never told them I'd left a key fo the bathroom, nor had he bothered to rent or even talk to me about renting a portapotty. At this point I wrote Harvey a long email outlining a number of issues that needed to be addressed. He wrote back a verbally abusive email in which he essentially blamed me for all his mistakes, (though he did admit fault for his guys using my yard for a bathroom). This was not the first time he had been verbally abusive/insulting, but it was the last. I shared the email he wrote with several people, and they all said I had to fire him. Which I did. I have had more than 6 licensed contractors over to bid on finishing what Harvey started. Nobody would touch it. Every time someone comes to look, they ask what happened with the floor, which is cracking all over and peeling up from the subfloor where the old linoleum no longer adheres. Turns out some of my brand new cabinets were damaged/split from excessive force being used to screw them together, and at least one cabinet door frame is split from installing a hinge with a drywall screw, instead of an appropriate wood screw. And adding to all of this, the other night, after it had been raining for two hours, I get an email from Harvey telling me he left a hole in my roof that I should have fixed before it rains. Seriously. I am now having to seek legal recourse to get my money back and cover the damage he caused. Don't get taken in like I did. read more

I called Harvey for a bathroom remodel and restoration of a portal that had water damage from a leak. The portal required some special attention...the wall curves smoothly into the ceiling, so there was some tricky bending of sheet-rock too make it work. There also was 100 years of leaded paint on the trim. Harvey's team took the pieces offsite to feather the edges of the paint, which was greatly appreciated! It seemed to me that the crew that works with Harvey and Jorge likes working with them! Harvey is opinionated about the quality (and toxicity!) of the materials his crew uses, and I followed his recommendation and got a cast iron tub instead of a fiberglas one. He also insisted on solid wood molding (not MDF), which made a lot of sense to me. That being said, he is very flexible about design preferences. When working with any contractor, it's good to know what you want and stand up for it. The bathroom has 6 x 3 inch subway tile for the backsplash and 10 x 14 in subway tile for the shower, which is a little unconventional, but it looks right in this bathroom. Once the team understood that was what I really wanted, they went ahead and made it happen. I'm happy with the result and will not hesitate to call Harvey when I have another job to be done. read more

Varga Construction did a home inspection for my house. He was prompt in his response, extremely, thorough, easy to work with, answered any questions I asked and did an all around great job. Highest recommendation! read more

Amazing business practices they do it how it should be done responding on time making you feel comfortable detailing them process can't recommend them enough read more

Harvey Varga and his friendly workers did an excellent job building my backyard deck and lattice under skirting. They also cleared a number of heavy plants and other objects from my yard. They were punctual, hard-working, communicative, neat and efficient. K. Krebs Berkeley read more

Harvey and his crew (Jorge, Pancho, and Andres) recently completed a remodel of our entire first floor of our 1907 house. The remodel included demolition and reconstruction of a kitchen, bathroom, structural and cosmetic work. Through the entire (surprisingly short considering the scope) project, Harvey and his crew have been completely focused on getting the work done perfectly. Harvey is a joy to communicate with and his crew (who have been working for him for a decade) are delightful to have in our house and we trust them completely. This is our second time working with Harvey on a multi-month project, and we didn't give a second thought to working with him again. He and his crew have a plan and execute it quickly and accurately and we simply couldn't be happier with the results. read more

Harvey is very professional and knowledgeable in his field. Highly recommend for anyone in need of top quality contractor work.

Quick run down of our problem: We recently bought a house and the inspector said there was just a touch of dry rot in the guest bathroom. My wife is expecting, and so we wanted to fix that problem prior to the birth. We also decided since we were going to have to take out the tile and tub, we might as well spruce the bathroom up a bit. We contacted 5-6 contractors and only Harvey remained responsive. He gave us a fair quote and worked with our schedule. When they removed the tile, it turned out the dry rot issue was significantly worse. They made much more significant repairs, and although he could have really twisted the screws on me, he didn't. They completed the work promptly, and we are extremely happy with the final product. Ultimately, when shopping for a contractor, i felt out of my element. It's so hard to figure out or know whether someone is actually good at this thing you know nothing about. But throughout this process, I have gotten to know Harvey quite a bit. He is probably one of the most interesting people I've ever met. He is responsible, responsive, fair, easy to communicate with, and honest. I have already recommended him to my sister and friends. I would also recommend him to any of you. He's great. read more

Our house came with relatively complex foundation issues and a recommended contractor...who dropped out of the picture after a couple of years of delays. Other contractors we contacted over the years mostly came by to look and measure and then never got back to us. Enter Harvey. It seemed like it took forever for him to become available, but once he started, he got the job done. It was a big job and took longer than planned, but Harvey and his guys discovered and fixed more than a few problems that time, termites, shoddy past workmanship, and the negligence of previous owners had left for us. I don't think they had any idea just how much tree root they would have to excavate from under the house. There were days when Harvey pulled his guys off our job for emergencies elsewhere--but then he did the same for us later on when the atmospheric river came through the Bay Area. Harvey had his guys over the next day to re-roof our detached garage, and a few days later when we discovered there had been a leak above our living room, they swooped in to patch that roof as well (unrelated to the recent foundation work). The crew, Jorge, Pancho, and Andres, were always friendly, kept the surrounding area as tidy as practical, and maintained their good humor even when uncovering nasty surprises (e.g., rodent damage). Bottom line: Harvey is a super nice guy and once you have established the relationship, you can count on him to take care of you. read more

Harvey Varga is a can do contractor. I had multiple repairs which he and crew got to quickly as requested. The foundation repair was especially good as Harvey had an idea that turned a repair into a new, useful space in the basement. Responsive and reasonably priced. read more

Dont bother with these guys if you are outside of Berkeley. Website says much of Ebay, but apparently the workers 'refuse' to drive out of Berkeley, so change your range and website. read more

Harvey and his team have made my dreams come true. And they have done so while making me feel that my ideas matter and that all the limitations (cost, parts, placing of plumbing, etc..) can be worked through! I initially asked Harvey if he would be open to building a custom shed that I had sketched myself. He not only said yes, but he made it happen in a week's time. It was fast! And it was a life changer for me. I had wanted this shed for years, and it was either too small of a project for most contractors, or required too much specialization (concrete + windows + custom cutouts) for others. Harvey made it happen! The team is diligent and personable. And committed to working with you on what you need. The project that we've just completed is almost a full house remodel -- Harvey was able to chase down parts (he has secret sources!) and accomplish a kitchen cabinet refacing, full bathroom remodel, fireplace remodel, and entire home repaint --- AND he helped me negotiate the most amazing flooring refinish with a trusted partner -- all within six weeks. Along the way, Harvey and his team saved me money, time, and angst. And it all looks beautiful! Harvey is always available, and takes care. I know that I'm lucky to have him on my team. You would be too! read more

Harvey and his team were fantastic to work with -- they were consistently prompt, friendly, and organized. They did superb work transforming an old garage/workshop into more usable workspace, and did so very quickly at a competitive price. I highly recommend working with these guys. read more

I'm really grateful for the reviews on yelp that led me to Harvey, Jorge & their team. It's become increasingly more difficult to find honest, caring, conscientious, and affordable contractors in the Bay Area. Harvey and his crew replaced our deck, including the structural elements, and created a storage unit in our foyer. They worked very efficiently, did beautiful work, and cleaned up well. Plus Harvey cares a lot about making his clients happy! Like the other reviews say--you won't be sorry for choosing Varga Construction for your project! read more

Harvey and his crew did a great job clearing out dry rot in some studs in an interior wall. They replied right away and completed the job within a few days. What I had feared was going to be an expensive and long project turned out to be a fairly easy fix. I would hire them again read more

Varga Construction built a new back staircase for me and then proceeded to sand and seal the steps along with the whole deck. They did a great job. High quality work! And very pleasant people to contract with. I recommend them whole-heartedly read more

Harvey and his crew are fantastic!! Very high quality work, very reasonable pricing, all around a pleasure to work with. He did a beautiful job with a complete remodel of two bathrooms. Highest rating! read more

Harvey and his crew were great to work with. After another contractor dragged his heels for 18 months and then vanished, Harvey came in, agreed to work on my garage rehab, and had the whole thing done in two months. The work was high quality, and Harvey was a pleasure to work with throughout. I would hire them again. read more

Harvey and his crew are great people and do great work. They redid our kitchen including taking down walls, worked on a bathroom, and other important projects at our house and the quality has been great every time. Harvey is the first call we make whenever we have a new project we want to start, highly recommend. read more

Harvey and his crew are the best. We've used them for everything from moving walls, to painting, to electric, to a full kitchen renovation. They take the best care of our place - always treat it like their own. Reasonable pricing and really high quality work. Best contractor I've worked with - highly recommend. read more

Varga construction under the excellent guidance of the owner Harvey have been my go-to team for large and small construction projects. After a very successful large (400 sqft) kitchen build out, the have done several jobs at my property. This summer (June/july 2020) Harvey's team under the experienced lead of master builder Jorge reconstructed my garage into a large laundry room and gym. The quality of the work is top notch, great workmanship on all aspects of the build. Project was costed upfront, and we had no cost over-runs nor any of the usual 'change orders'. Project was finished on time. Harvey's personal approach to get the owner involved in planning and making sure that the end product meets and exceeds expectations makes working with Harvey and his team a pleasure. It's hard enough to go through having building work going on, having a team that is respectful and responsive makes all the difference. I would highly recommend Varga construction for any building/construction work. Great quality of work at reasonable price, with added benefit of a great team. read more

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Without a doubt, Harvey Varga is the most professional, creative and dependable contractor you can get. Seriously. Not only does Harvey Varga have what my late mother would call "Golden Hands" he intimately understands the working parts of each job, because he can do each of those jobs and do them well. Having build some beautiful ash kitchen cabinets for my house in upstate New York, I had him design and install a set of stairs and, trusting wholly to his rapid on-site creative approach, Harvey not only custom built a set of stairs which are eye-catching and esthetically and artistically thrilling, but also well built and significantly improved a long time problem with moving air upstairs in using open treads. Seriously: if Harvey has taken your job you are about to work with someone who really has your best interest at heart. read more

Harvey and his crew did fantastic work on our kitchen - and beyond that, they were fantastic to work WITH. I had a specific vision in mind, but some areas were fuzzy - Harvey totally got it, threw out tons of fantastic suggestions and they were all exactly what the kitchen needed- and together we ended up with a kitchen that was exactly what I had been going for. He's honest, fair, a pleasure to talk to, a pleasure to work with, and the work he and his guys do is top notch. Also, for quite a few changes plus some along the way - they were pretty speedy! We started out with a dark, crowded, outdated kitchen and ended with an airy, bright, beautiful place to cook. I can't say enough good things! read more

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This is a good group to work with. I had a gas dryer that needed installation. Home Depot wasn't available to do the job because it required taking down a stacked dryer in a tight space as well as uninstalling a cabinet. I got a hold of Harvey quickly, he came by and generously offered me a few less expensive alternatives as well as provided me a quote. I looked into the alternatives and decided to move forward with using Harvey's firm. He sent over George and a helper and they were incredible - super friendly and knowledgeable. I especially liked using Harvey's firm because he is local Berkeley-ite and lives in the neighborhood and cares about the community. read more

Unfortunately, I got no response from this provider. It is so sad when the service provider ignores your inquire.

I have some before/after pictures up at http://www.flickr.com/photos/rolfwilkinson/sets/72157621472548777/ I have an old pre-victorian that needed a ton of work. We'd been living in a gutted kitchen for four years, and we were on a limited budget. I was looking at a kitchen remodel, in addition to leveling it from the foundation beneath, and basically rebuilding the rear walls of the house, I also wanted to close off the old rear exit, and put an exit in a different place, as well as build a landing and rear stairs. Close off a window, put a new one in. Yikes! I was terrified, as a project that was going to be extremely difficult to predict and estimate. Add to this the fact that I wanted to have the majority of the work done while we were out of the country and... well... I'm actually amazed that any contractor was able to get through this project without becoming my enemy... there were just so many ways to get it wrong. Harvey Varga totally rocked. He had the right amount of hands-on, and the right amount of delegating of tasks to other workers, all of whom were excellent, and well suited to their respective jobs. The results are stunning, and I was also very satisfied (you my surprise) at how much it ended up costing, given the huge amount of work. Harvey is extremely intelligent, and a bit of a renaissance man. He is seemingly able to do almost anything. He's had a lot of different kinds of experience in his past, and this has resulted in his being able to look at any problem and, in a group of seasoned carpenters, be the one who has the the solution. If you hire him, keep in mind that he can be a bit over-optimistic. And if you mention you are thinking about having something done, make sure you actually want it done, because you'll blink, turn around, and there it will be... done! read more

The owner stopped responding to a quote for a job after initial visit. Maybe he's too busy.