Very unhappy with his treatment of our neighborhood during a project for architect Eric Layton. His…read morepeople are consistently blocking the streets and/or our driveway for very long periods of time over the past 9 months. The latest incident was his crew jackhammering and using heavy equipment for almost the whole day yesterday which was President's Day holiday, and per Marin County code such work was prohibited. When we emailed to complain to him, he says he's behind schedule 3 weeks -- as if that puts him above the law.

Eric Droshin did a fabulous job on our remodel... he is the increasingly rare person who does what…read morehe says he will do and does it well! He is meticulous and not only does excellent work with great subs that he manages really well, but he is accurate when creating a realistic bid and sticks to it. He has come in on time and on budget with a standard of excellence and attention to detail that exceeded our expectations. We will definitely use Eric again and are happy to recommend him.

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

I contacted John Ferguson after trying, unsuccessfully, to get a response from several contractors,…read morefor a relatively small job (by contractor standards). The communication between John, his foreman Raoul, and everyone else I worked with on the team was a breath of fresh air. They are very clear and very interested in the customers concerns, and full of helpful suggestions. I was sent a model of the project to review beforehand as well as a detailed breakdown of the work and costs. We discovered extensive dry rot that was not in the original scope of the project, but which was remediated within the given schedule. All the individuals who did the work were top notch craftsmen and pleasant to work with. Whereas previously the back yard was a dark depressing place, I now have a lovely aesthetic space in which I want to spend time. Thank you John, Raoul, and team.

In 2016, we used John Fergusson and More Than A Carpenter to complete a significant addition to our…read morehome in El Cerrito, expanding our house from a 1 bathroom, 2 bedroom home to 2 bathrooms and 3 bedrooms, and doubling the square footage. As you can imagine, this was a large project, and we as homeowners were nervous about budget, schedule, and quality. We had also heard horror stories about contractors going way over their budgets and schedules, and struggling with quality. It was therefore amazing to see what great work John has done. He brought the project in on time, budget, and quality, but more than that, he put his whole heart into the project. John is a unique individual who not only gets the work done, but is constantly looking for ways to improve the experience. Throughout the project, John was not only receptive to our ideas, but deeply thoughtful about new ideas. A number of the improvements he made have really been life changing for us -- an additional butcher block counter top that functions as an extension of our kitchen for example. Finally, I would say that John does his design not just off a drawing or a checklist of features, but really seeks to see what you're trying to achieve, what you like about your current home, and how you want it to feel when everything's finished. That's rare in a contractor. I am therefore pleased to recommend John and More than a Carpenter without reservation. Our work with him has been a joy from start to finish!

We hired Berkeley Craftsmen for a major remodel of a 1932 house, and they exceeded our expectations…read morein every possible dimension. It is exceedingly rare to find all the qualities you want in a general contractor--top to bottom throughout an organization--but Berkeley Craftsmen delivered them all: exceptional competence and skill, absolute reliability and trustworthiness, meticulous attention to detail, and a genuinely delightful team to work with. They should really be called Berkeley Perfectionists--in the best sense of the term. We would walk through the house, and someone would suggest moving something "one inch," and every time they were right. It's hard to believe, but they cared about our house just as much as we did. The entire team worked incredibly hard and steadily over the course of ten months. Even when we expanded the project scope--sometimes at their insistence, because they were committed to doing things properly--they stuck to the schedule and finished on the promised date. Literally no one could believe it, but we moved in on the day we had agreed to at the start. We cannot speak highly enough of the integrity, craftsmanship, and quality of Berkeley Craftsmen's work. And just as important, we were lucky to enjoy the camaraderie and collaboration that came with working alongside this remarkable team.

We undertook a very extensive renovation of our house in El Cerrito, and met with Berkeley…read moreCraftsmen on the recommendation of our architect. We are so eternally grateful for the introduction, and for their availability in taking on our project. I truly can't express adequately what a wonderful job they did building our home. The care and attention to every little detail, the excellence of every aspect of the work, and above all the quick, clear and responsive communication, at every stage of the huge project, were all outstanding. Mark Butler has continued to follow up long after most of the crews have gone, personally coming by to finish small punch-list items, making sure we are 100% satisfied. This project was very extensive, like down to the studs, with new foundation and drainage elements, all new interiors with drywall, new floors, complete new plumbing and electrical system, new exterior, solar system, windows, doors, everything, and we are completely in love with everything BC and all their subcontractors did for us. I can't recommend them highly enough, truly an exceptional company. It restores one's faith that there are still true craftsmen in the world who take their jobs seriously, and believe in honesty and integrity.

Amazing service! consultation was quick and easy to book, everyone seemed knowledgeable and…read moreexplained everything thoroughly. 10/10 !

I have used Hearney Construction for 3 or 4 projects now, and a couple more coming down the line…read more All of them have been outstanding! My wife and I recently purchased a home, and have been fixing things large and small over the past two years. When one of the larger items came up, we were referred to Hearny Construction by my former landlord. They have replaced a roof, new walls and siding, put in a new wall heater, a new bathroom combination fan/heater, as well as built a whole new fence in my backyard that blew down with the high winds late last year. They are reasonably priced and hard working. I dealt mostly with Juan, who works as a project manager - great guy, really friendly and helpful, coming on site regularly to explain the whole process and walk you through everything. Angel lead most of the team doing the work, and also was a pleasure to work with. These are now my go-to contractors.

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!

We just used Dave and his team for an earthquake retrofit in the Oakland Hills (Piedmont Pines) and…read morecouldn't have been happier. My husband and I were very nervous to take on such an expensive and extensive project, but Dave answered all of our questions with patience and attention detail. His quote was very competitive and we got such a good vibe from him and his whole team. They were so respectful - I have a 1 year old, his team, led by Oscar, even stopped working (or did only quiet work) during his naps, no questions asked. They were efficient, very communicative, honest about what they found, and paid attention to detail and aesthetics. For reference, we did both soft story work and basement work. I'm so grateful for him, Oscar, and the rest of his team.

Dave and his crew (including Oscar, Jose, and many others) have completed several projects at my…read morehouse in Berkeley over the past couple years, including a pretty significant seismic retrofit project that involved installing shear wall, bolting the wood house to the foundation, and several other items to qualify for Berkeley's Seismic Retrofit grant. The crew did great work and were very friendly and professional for the entirety of their time working on my house. They also did an excellent job cleaning up when they were finished with the project, which I always appreciate and thinks speaks volumes about their professionalism. One thing I really appreciate about Dave and his crew is their expertise and willingness to make recommendations, even when some of the recommendations may have reduced the total cost of the job. That went a long way towards building trust.

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.