If they offer to give you a home survey for a fee you should decline. You can get them for free from other contractors.

We had Rick come out an do an evaluation on some structural issues regarding our 1920 bungalow. Once Art was able to fit us into his busy schedule, the work got done fast and efficiently. The crew did a good job--always on time, always cleaned up each day. For the first time since we moved in 20 years ago, our upright piano looks level as it sits against the wall! Also, the improved concrete pilons and foundation work underneath the house makes us sturdier and safer. We know we will call on Ward Construction if we need any work done in the future. read more

I hired Ward Construction to install French drains around my wife's art studio which was converted from a free standing garage. Their bid was the lowest of four by far and their work was excellent. The work was scheduled for the Monday before Thanksgiving. The heavy rains were coming and arrived Saturday. The crew seeing the forecast, wanted to complete the job before the rains came and worked Thanksgiving Day and the day after completing the job before it rained. Not a drop of water has entered the studio during the heavy rains of December. I can't imagine many companies being so conscientious to work holidays. I highly recommend Ward Construction. I think they will give the best job at the best price. What more can anybody want? read more

Good execution on a french drain, a new garage foundation, and foundation buttresses for the house. No surprises!

Excellent work starting from over 30 years ago to present in Lafayette on home property plus rentals on hillsides and slopes. The work has been varied from piers to French drains, foundations and regular construction. I recommend them based on my experience. read more

Our basement in Albany was experiencing flooding, and the drainage around our 100 year old home was not working. Also our foundation needed reinforcement and upgrading. We chose Ward Construction because they could solve ALL these problems for us! They replace our foundation along two sides of the house which involved jacking up the house. And they designed a deep drain system around the house that went under our large deck without removing any of the deck boards. That was huge for us, as the other quotes we received involved removing 6-7 deck boards along the full length of the house. They were very professional, even started work early, kept us informed every day of progress they were making, as well as any issues that came up. They completed the job on time, and were flexible about replacing our fencing and gate in a new configuration. I definitely recommend Ward Construction! Mary I. read more

Ward Construction just finished replacing the foundation on my Berkeley house, including the excavation of a new basement and extensive site drainage work. The quality of their work was excellent (very very beautiful concrete work). The crew was great, too. They were polite, respectful of me and my neighbors, and careful to leave the place clean at the end of each day. Communication throughout the job was good and easy. Art Ward and Rick Arden were both very responsive to emails and phone calls. The job started and completed on schedule, and cost exactly what I was quoted initially. All in all it was a great experience and a pleasure working with Ward. read more

Ward construction did some level work in my house regret it. The house looks the same or worst.. Waste of money. When you hire them double check the exclusions on the contract because that is what you are going to get, read more

These guys did a great job replacing my entire foundation. Their estimate was spot on, I paid in installments (which was easiest, actually), and they finished exactly when they said they would from the start. They were accommodating when I asked if they could start the jack-hammering later in the morning, and they were prompt when telling me about any issues (slight wood rot by the downspouts; didn't cost much to fix). Best of all, they were affordable. Hopefully I'll never need to have a foundation replaced ever again, but if I do (on a different house maybe), I will definitely work with them again. read more

We are deck building contractors and Ward Construction has been our first choice for more than a decade for our most challenging hillside foundations. We know we can count on Ward Construction for reliable, quality workmanship and scheduling that's predictable and timely. If you're looking for expertise, professionalism, and old school customer service, Ward Construction has it all. read more

After getting into my recently purchased home, it came to light that I needed some foundation repair done on the corner of the house due to settling of about 2 inches in one area. I had gotten four different quotes, but was most impressed with Rick and Art in terms of their experience and what needed to be done. The process was smooth, professional, and timely. I had a total of five bench piers installed and the house was lifted. I am very happy with the cost and results and definitely recommend them to anyone! read more

We did a partial foundation and full garage floor replacement with Ward in spring 2012. They did a great job, everything just as promised, on time, and with some flexibility to work around other contractors on site. Very professional, and we felt the cost was very reasonable. Best of all, the new garage floor (twice as thick as the old one, which was cracked and shifting) has stayed put for two years! Nary a crack. read more

I hired Ward to install a new drainage system, per Engineer's design, on two sides of my house. One was abutting an uphill slope with very tight working quarters . The drainage for the other side of the house, running continuously from the uphill side, required removal of an old sump basin and concrete with installation of sloped concrete to facilitate drainage away from the house. In addition, they replaced an old ornamental cinder block wall adjacent to the house with a keystone wall of just under 36" height. The crew consisted primarily of three individuals, one of whom was Victor the fore worker. They worked steadily, and were supplemented as needed by other workers who brought in gravel, hauled away waste, and assisted in other phases of the work. Ward was the most expensive contractor from whom we received bids, but they had worked a lot with our engineer and seemed to be comfortable in that relationship. We wanted the job done properly. Overall, I am very pleased with the result and with the process of getting to that result. They worked efficiently, kept mess to a minimum, and communicated well. So I give them 5 stars, with one footnote. Their standard contract, at least for comparatively small projects, is written to protect their interests in the event things go south. Unless you have at least six figures, and perhaps mid to high six figures going into your project, I don't think they will budge from that language. It is troubling if you understand the law. In our case, we had to get the work done and finding reliable licensed contractors in this field willing to take on less than six figure projects is not all that easy, at least where we live. So we swallowed hard and everything worked out very well. I would expect that to be the case almost all of the time. But do make sure that you have a lot of details of what you want and need to have done included in the contract price, because add ons will, well, add on to the contracted price. By the same token, in our case they determined a more efficient way to perform part of the task and gave us a small reduction in price. So they aren't quite ready for sainthood, but I would use them again without hesitation. read more

I had a great experience working with Ward Construction, great crew and Art was very helpful in answering all my questions/concerns. This is a A+ company in my book. Thanks! read more

Our homeowners' association in Orinda had an old (35 years) pressure-treated wood retaining wall, over 200 feet in length, 3 to 5 1/2 high, parts of which were listing quite a bit. Ward scoped the job and replaced about 100 feet of the wall, in good time, during early rains this year (2012), kept the private road right next to the wall open during construction, and overall, seemed to be completely on top of this job, after we had had a number of "soft" bids to repair the wall from others, who didn't seem to be completely on top of the repairs needed. We had a number of small add-ons to the job which were completed seamlessly. The new part of the wall blends well with the still-old part. read more

Ward Construction did a leveling of my foundation in December 2012. Because of scheduling issues, all work had to be done on the weekends and that was no issue for the guys! I was impressed with Rick Arden and his whole crew! Weekend or no weekend, they were there when promised and completed the job on time. Perfect quality, passed final inspection with flying colors. Price was also very competitive. Overall, only the best experience. Ask for Art or Rick and his crew lead by Rafa. You will not be disappointed! read more

I hired Ward Construction in July 2013 to install a French drain and sump pump to address significant water penetration in our basement. They did an excellent job at a reasonable price. The supervisors and crew were very experienced and worked diligently and efficiently to complete the job on schedule. They were courteous and responsive and left the work site looking cleaner than at the start of the work. If you want a no-nonsense contractor that knows how to get the job done right the first time, I strongly recommend Ward Construction. read more

I hired Ward Construction to earthquake retrofit my house. They did a fantastic job, secured the permit through Richmond City (which is renowned for being difficult), cleaned up each day, and provided excellent customer service. I have hired Ward Construction for past jobs, and they are the best. I do not hesitate to recommend them. They are my go-to contractors. read more

I have used Ward Construction for many years. I lived in the Oakland hills, and they installed a sump pump that worked like a charm .. literally, for decades. I have recently purchased a home in Napa that had a drainage problem. Called Ward Construction without hesitation, and they installed a French drain. There were some minor issues with regard to landscaping, and they were up here the next day to fix the problem. Recommend them highly. read more

Great experience from estimate through to execution. Ward Construction did a complete foundation replacement for me. Their price was very reasonable and they completed the work on the timeframe they set out. Crew was super nice, and they left the job site quite clean after it was all done. Definitely use them for foundation work! read more

Used Ward for the second time and was again very happy with the results. Our frist project was major - replacement of a 1910 foundation for our house in el cerrito. The second project was installation of drainage around a slab based room that had been build in the 70's. Their estimator, Rick is professional and freindly, their prices are good, the work is performed on schedule and with quality. Although getting competitive bids is a good practice I did not bother with my second project since I felt the owner, Art, is straightforward and would provide a quote based on the actual work needed. I have neededmto contract for various residential work during the past 30 years and my experience with Ward has been the most trouble free. read more

After working with a well known engineer in the bay area to draft a voluntary seismic upgrade plan for my home in Trestle Glen in Oakland, I forwarded the plan to Ward Construction for a bid. Rick Arden called me to set up a site visit and when we spoke on the phone he asked me how many bids I intended to get. When I told him I had reached out to approximately eight contractors he said that Ward would probably not be interested in bidding on the job because they don't like to get in to bidding wars. He further told me that Ward doesn't usually bid jobs where more than three bids are sought because it usually means the home owner is just looking for the cheapest bid. I pointed out to Rick that the engineer I used was certainly NOT the cheapest in the area and that I simply wanted to make an informed decision and understand all of my options. My Dad was a life long well respected contractor and never did I see him act in any way like this. If you do a good job at a competitive price, why are you afraid of multiple bids? Ultimately, Rick did apologize for "offending" me. But, especially as a woman, I found the conversation to be patronizing. I asked Rick to have the owner Art Ward call me. If that call happens, I will report back. read more

This review is a long time coming. I worked with Ward in January 2015 to fix the foundation of my house, which is in the hills in Kensington. This was a stressful undertaking to say the least, but from the beginning Ward made me feel like I was in the best possible hands. It started with the bid process. I got bids from 4 companies--Ward, two of the other main companies in the East Bay, and one smaller company. I first worked with a structural engineer, who developed plans to dig several piers to support the house. (I won't give him a review, but he was a nightmare. Choose your engineer very wisely.) My house has two types of foundations (standard with one room that's on a slab), which complicated the job a lot. The plan my engineer came up with was wrong for the house, in part because of the two types of foundations. Rick from Ward was the only person who told me straight out the the plan needed to be reworked. It took him a few minutes of looking at the plans to realize they were wrong, and he pretty quickly knew how to address the problem. As a result, I had so much confidence that I could trust him. He was the one who came up with the plan that did work. He also really encouraged me to do as much leveling as possible, which I am very grateful for because it worked like a charm. It made all the difference in my house, and the resulting interior damage was minimal.. All of the others companies gave me bids based on the bad plan--and not one pointed out how flawed the original plan was. In short, Ward was the only company that was capable of giving me a great result. They did it all in about 6 weeks--right within their schedule--and their bid was reasonable. The owner, Art, showed up at my house every day to check on the work. I was in great hands. It turned what could have been 6 hellish weeks into 6 kind of inconvenient weeks. I hope I never have to use them again, but I would without hesitation. read more

Ward Construction recently completed a replacement of our existing brick foundation with a new foundation. I had bids in 2008 right after I bought the house and again this fall, and Ward consistently came in at the lowest bid. While it might not always be wise to take the lowest bid, I was confident - based on reading lots of reviews and talking with Rick and the engineer he brought in - that they could do a good job. I also found Rick a lot more personable than George Walton of Alameda Structural, and appreciated his follow-up before we signed on with them. The work ultimately comes down to the 3-person crew, with Miguel as the foreman on our job. They worked hard, showing up every day at 7:30 and working until about 4:30 every day. There were sometimes difficulties keeping communication lines with them and Art Ward/Rick Arden clear and clean, but ultimately they got the work done, accomodated our requests and did a great job in less time than they had projected. I sleep much more peacefully at night knowing that my house rests on a solid foundation. read more

Ward Construction did an excellent job replacing our 1885 brick foundation in West Oakland. They also installed a french drain and put in shear walls. Their bid was the most reasonable and their communication far superior to any other company I considered. Rafael and his crew were on time every day, they worked very hard, and they made every attempt to minimize the noise and disorder. My garage was cleaner when they were working in it than in the 10 years prior. We had to do the drain on my neighbors property and I was very concerned about the work disturbing them. No worries, Rafael and his crew worked fast, were considerate and we had no complaints from our neighbors. Also, they were very understanding of my terror that my dogs would escape during the work and they made every attempt to ensure their safety. Art Ward is super responsive and replied quickly to every email, text, call, concern I had. We have had dozens of people work on our old house over the years and almost every single time it hasresulted in frustration and poor workmanship. Ward Construction was the opposite. They were excellent. Hire them with zero reservations. You'll be in good hands. read more