Foundation Work
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Foundation Work
Foundation contractor needed
Nov 2012
My husband and I just purchased a small two bedroom home in
Albany. We need a foundation contractor to bolt the
foundation and to repair or replace the foundation. Part of
the foundation has a basement and part just has unfinished
crawl space. We are considering options to make the basement
extend the length of the house.
Does anyone have any experience with a foundation contractor
that is reasonable priced, reliable and can guide us in our
financial/aesthetic considerations? We are looking for a
full service professional who is able to obtain all
necessary permits.
We went through this on a past house and went for days
without water and heat and faced cost overruns- we
definitely want to avoid this. We have spoken to George
Walton of Alameda Structural but found his prices out of our
range. Are there other reliable contractors in the area? DJ
We've recently used Sorin Feraru to replace the foundation
on our new house. We've used him and his crew before and we
were very happy with the work. Sorin is reasonably priced,
straight forward and knowledgeable. He helped us with
remodeling our previous house and replaced the foundation on
this one we just bought. His crew members are hard working,
helpful and respectful. We highly recommend using Feraru &
Associates. You can reach Sorin at 510-228-7366.
Alameda Structural just finished our seismic upgrade, which
included substantial foundation work. We highly recommend
them. The crew were friendly and professional, they did an
excellent job, were always considerate, and kept the
workspace neat. A genuine pleasure to work with -- we look
forward to working with them again in the future. Andrew
I highly recommend Alameda Structural Inc. George Walton
came out, looked at my house and my engineer's drawings and
gave me an estimate on the spot. I had tried to save some
money by keeping some of my old foundation and adding onto
it. George told me it wasn't worth it and I had another
firm give me a price and he was right. George's workers
tore everything out and put in a complete new foundation
with the correct drainage and waterproofing. I would have
had a mess if it had not been done this way. But since they
do hundreds of these type of jobs a year, they've seen it
all and know exactly what to do. I was adding a second
floor and they got all the hold downs in correctly and I had
no problems later. His crew was hard working, fast and
courteous. My engineer had two different rebar sizes and
Alameda Structural took the largest size and used it
everywhere. I look at my foundation now and marvel at how
much better it is than the old one. nickatia
Recommendations for a Foundation Contractor?
Sept 2012
We are looking for a foundation contractor to help us figure
out the best option for seismically retrofitting our
foundation. We bought our house in north Oakland this year
and have been told to first try bolting the plate to the
foundation and if that doesn't work we will need to
partially replace it. We are not looking for someone who
simply says we need to replace the whole foundation, but
someone who is willing to work with us to explore all our
options. If anyone has any experience with a foundation
contractor or advice for starting the process, I would love
to hear it! melissa
We used Michael Massoumi (Impact Construction) to retrofit
our house. We ended up just bolting and shearwalling, but
he's a full-scale foundation contractor and could have done
a larger project. Michael gave good advice, the work was on
time and on budget, and the work crew was professional. We
knew we were in good hands when the structural engineer we
worked with said Michael had done the foundation on his
house! Michael Massoumi Impact Construction, Inc.
(510)841-6423 Jennifer
Call Counterforce (Thomas Bruenig 213-5400). We had them
replace our foundation, lower our basement slab, and install
seismic upgrades. I have been impressed by all of their
work! Though I am NOT an expert, every other
contractor/engineer/builder who has seen the work on our
house has commented on the fine quality of the work done by
Counterforce. rinda
Contractor for new foundation/garage expansion
May 2012
Our house in San Francisco needs a new foundation. We've had
plans drawn/engineering work done for the foundation and
garage expansion. We were all set to sign a contract with
one of San Francisco's big garage companies, but we did some
online digging and found out this company operates under
several names and is involved in lawsuits right, left and
center! We've already interviewed a bunch of contractors and
this seemed like the best of the bunch.
Now we're a little scared. This project is big $$$ for us
and we can't afford to have anything go wrong.
Any recommendations for good foundation/garage contractors
who work in SF? Or tips on how to research and a good
contractor?
I have to give a RAVE recommendation for Gary Gatterman, a
contractor who does foundation and structural work,
earthquake retrofitting, framing and demo--pretty much
everything that needs to be done. We read great things
about him on BPN, and were very pleased to see that he lives
up to his reputation. He's been working with us on a major
remodel for the past few months, including new foundation
and all the other things I listed, and he is amazing. He's
a nice guy who is easy to work with, he knows a lot about
building, he points out things that we didn't see, and he's
very responsive and collaborative. His number is
510-427-2465. Really could go on and on, he's that good!
Karen
Michael Massoumi, Impact Construction, (510) 841-6423 did a
very substantial and complex project including seismic
retrofit, deck replacement with new structural foundations,
and multiple 'fix-up's on our idiosyncratic Berkeley hills
1960's cliff house two years ago. He and his crew did an
outstanding job in applying somewhat sketchy engineering
specifications to the reality of an older house, paying
attention to sound structural solutions, as well as careful
and architecturally consistent finish detail. I was very
pleased that he sought solutions that would make the house
more livable, safe, and enjoyable, rather than the minimum
that would get by.
He worked effectively with the City of Berkeley inspector to
get final project approval and I think Michael was the first
to get Berkeley to approve ipe as meeting the fire code for
decks in the Berkeley hills!
The project was lengthy, and involved both indoor and
outside work as we lived in the house throughout the
project, it was very important that the crew were flexible,
considerate, and easy to work with. The cost for the
project was reasonable compared to other contractor bids we
received, and additional charges were only for major
changes. We are delighted with our transformed new home
and have had Michael back to do additional projects. happy
contruction survivor
Need to replace queen anne foundation
April 2012
Looking to get our foundation replaced. Hope to add a
little more head room in basement. Anyone out there
recently have their foundation replaced? Need some
excellent recommends. We have old queen Anne ...plaster
inside walls. K
We used a company called Terra Firma Geotechnical to do some
foundation replacement at our house. They did a fine job,
and we had no major suprises. The work was on schedule and
budget. It was nice because they took care of the design and
permitting also.
The company for you is Feraru & Associates. They replaced
the foundation for our house an year ago and we are very
happy with the work. The price was within our budget and the
job was done in a timely manner. We highly recommend them to
everyone ever since. You can contact them by phone at
510-228- 7366 or by email at office@feraru.us
Foundation work - Need a Contractor or Concrete Co
Sept 2011
Hi all. I am looking for recommendations for a general
contractor or concrete company to do a small foundation
project - basically doing some simple but possibly
time-consuming excavation of the perimeter of a small-ish
room, putting in a bunch of rebar, sand and gravel, and then
pouring concrete. I only have one bid so far, from a major
company, and it's (way) too high, so I'm looking around.
According to the guys I'm working with for other aspects of
this project, this is pretty straightforward and doesn't
require massive expertise. It's more about labor and needing
a crew to dig and haul dirt. This shouldn't be a
contractor's first such project, but if they only have a few
similar projects under their belt, it should be okay. Most
importantly, they need to be able to read the plans drawn up
by the structural engineer and follow them precisely, b/c
this is all permitted and needs to pass inspection.
I need this work started ASAP, and a very rough estimate is
that it might take a small crew 2 weeks to complete.
Hoping to find someone a little more hungry for work than
the expensive company who just bid on this. Thanks so much
for any recommendations!
sarah
I highly recommend David Ford (J. David Ford Construction,
510-845-9076) for foundation work. He did work on our
foundation at our previous house ten years ago and on our
new house last year. He is thorough, careful, and pleasant.
He got the work done on time, charged us exactly what he
said he would (unlike many other people who have worked on
their house and it always ends up costing more than their
initial estimate) and even helped us file for our seismic
rebate with the city of Berkeley. I would not hesitate to
call him again if we ever need foundation work done again.
N.H. in Berkeley
Hi there... John Grivas and his crew from Bay Area Deck and
Remodel do concrete and foundation work. Sometimes you have
to wait in line because they are busy, but its worth the wait.
Give him a shout... he's on yelp and his number is (510)
533-6131
Sara
Don't know if you already found a foundation contractor but
if not I recommend the services of Van Every Construction,
licensed contractor. (Incidentally you dont want to mess
around with getting an unlicensed contractor). They do
foundation, drainage, waterproofing, all that stuff you need
before the rains come in. The owner Donna Gianoulis can
chase the water away just with her smile and great customer
service. Her husband is the contractor and is highly
skilled. You can reach them at 510-839-5810 or
VanEveryConstruct@mac.com Good luck! Lis
Foundation repair Advice
Sept 2011
I recently noticed that my hallway was sloping and had the
house floor surveyed. My house has some parts where the
house is sunk by 3 inches. The company that did the survey
wants to put 8 piers (each $1000 per piece). I am trying to
find a second and third opinions on these foundation
problems. Has anyone done foundation work in the past? Any
recommendations on reputable companies? I live in the
Pleasanton area. Marta
Josh Kardon, http://www.jbkse.com/ has solved quite complex
issues for our hillside home. He 'errs' on the side of
safety and security, he is incredibly qualified. One
component of our remodel/restructure was pouring a wall 80'
x 5' x 8'- yep! We also poured 8 piers to bedrock- well, the
contractors did. This req'd designs for supporting the
entire house temporarily. Josh makes us feel secure. And
he's nice. I absolutely recommend him highly.
Keith Abbey wrote plans for a smaller structure, though I
was not as involved, all went well and he was professional,
responsive, thorough, and pleasant. cp
for your foundation questions talk to Integral Home
Improvements, they are very knowledgeable and thorogh. you
get a 30 min. free consult. 510-904-2786
vishnu
Don Waters construction did an extensive foundation
replacement on my house 4 years ago (replaced about 2/3 of
the foundation) and did an awesome job. We had an
independent structural engineer come out midway through the
job to check their work and again at the end. Of the 3 bids
we got, Don Waters was the middle on price, and I feel like
we got our money's worth - they also showed up when they
said, and finished the job within the amount of time and
money promised.
Recommendations wanted for foundation contractor
Aug 2011
Hi,
My husband and I are purchasing a home that needs a new
foundation and wanted to get some recommendations on
foundation contractors for a house in Berkeley. I'm getting
a quote from Alameda Structural.
Thanks,
K
I'd recommend Alameda Structural strongly. They did our
foundation capping and seismic retrofit several years ago.
Speak to George Walton.
Alameda Structural just replaced our foundation. We are
delighted with the results. They did an excellent job and
the team was thorough, professional and a pleasure to work
with. I'd recommend them in a heartbeat. FWIW, we also got
quotes from Gen-Tech and Dan Peters Construction. Laura
You'll probably get several recommendations for Jim Duval at
Duval Construction in El Cerrito.
Jim and his crew completely rebuilt our foundation ten years
ago and did an excellent job. They also did the
shearwalls/seismic bracing/strengthening in our basement.
He's the best. He's been in the business for a long time.
Not sure if this is current:
Duval Construction
8642 Terrace Dr
El Cerrito, Ca 94530
(510) 527-7428
Satisfied client.
Sam
We recently had a seismic retrofit completed on our house in
El Cerrito and had a really good experience with Rick
Hoffmann Services. Rick specializes in foundation/seismic
work, window and door work, and does the full array of
contractor services. We got three bids (one was from
Alameda Structural) and felt that Rick's was the most
thorough and was a fair price. His job references had
really great things to say about his work. Rick's crew was
extremely professional and they completed the work in a
timely manner and without any cost overruns. They were very
respectful of working in our home. When there was an issue
(i.e. a nail came through our living room wall), Rick made
sure the problem was taken care of. Rick has an eye for
detail, and even though the work was being done in our
basement (a place where aesthetics don't matter much), Rick
made sure everything looked good. Also, Rick worked really
well with our Engineer and with the City's building
department. The permit approval and inspections went really
well. In summary, we thought Rick and his team did a great
job, and we have hired him again to do some work on our
kitchen. Molly
Foundation repair using piers for old house (100+)
June 2010
Looking for contractor who can level the floor of old houses
and do foundation repair using piers.
We recently moved to an old house (1905) on a hill in
Vallejo. It looks 2-story from the front and 1-story from
the back.
One corner of the house settled more than the others and we
also noticed a crack on the foundation wall.
I called Alameda Structural but they do not work in this
area. Any good or bad experience with other contractors
experienced with piers? Thank you.
ken, I replace the foundation for my house and the work was
done by Constantin from C G Builders. He did a very nice job.
Was very easy to work with him and we never had a problem that
could not be solved. My house is not located on a slope but if
you visit his site (www.cgbuilders.info) you can see that he
is working right now at replacing a foundation for a house on
a slope. I keep calling him for different jobs around my house
and last time he told me about this house he is working on. As
I know there are around 20 piers that he has to dig. But
better talk with him. I trust his work and that is why I
recommend him to you. You can contact him at 510-305-5680 or
at info@cgbuilders.info.
Jessica
Re: Contractor for foundation repair?
June 2009
I would like to recommend you contact
George at
Alameda Structural. We are working with them right now on a job and I
am very happy
with their service and their workers. He will not work on a job unless
you have plans
drawn up, but if you need a structural engineer, he has suggestions on
whom to
contact. I also understand with the market being kind of soft now, he
will take on
smaller projects that normally he would not.
Good Luck
Excellent foundation contractor
Feb 2009
Looking for recommendation on foundation work. Want company
that performs
excellent work and will deliver it on time and within budget.
Must also
be familiar with
the review and permitting process. Work site is in Kensington,
if that
matters.
Thank you!
I highly recommend George Walton with Alameda Structural. He did
a whole new foundation and seismic work on our house. His team is
superb and his prices are extremely competitive. You can't go wrong
with him. He also has lots of prior recommendations from BPN. His
phone number is 510-523-1610. Nicole
I live in Kensington, and just had my front porch rebuilt by
Structural Renewal, Inc. They were on-time, on-budget and did very
good work. They do major structural work, including foundations.
Also, they are familiar with the sometimes bizarre permitting
process in Contra Costa County. Their office is in Richmond, and
their phone number is 510-524-3112. Feel free to contact me and
come by to see the porch. ck
Fantastic Retrofitting and Foundation Contractor - Gary Gatterman
- 510-317- 8045 When we had our home done, I did alot of research
beforehand and interviewed a number of contractors. We ended up
using Gary Gatterman. I can unequivocally recommend Gary. I got
bids from 4 highly recommended companies and his bid was MUCH more
extensive and reasonable than the others. While doing the retrofit,
we found some serious problems with our foundation and framing.
Gary went way above the call of duty to add this work at a minimal
cost into his busy schedule and did a fantastic job. During the
permit inspection, the inspector recognized Gary's work and highly
complimented the foundation work. He said that Gary does some of
the best foundations and retrofitting he sees. Gary is extremely
scrupulous and thorough in his work. In addition to doing a great
job at a reasonable price, he is also one of the nicest persons I
have ever met. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions
Gary Gatterman of Gatterman Construction 510-317-8045 Desiree
desiree
We were very happy with the work we had done on our foundation in
the Berkeley Hills by Engineered Soil Repairs. The engineer I
worked with, Lisa, was very nice and explained everything in
laymans terms. The work started and ended on time, and cost exactly
what we agreed to. The crew cleaned up everyday and was polite. We
found them by looking in the Diamond Certified Directory and I
would definitely use them again. Vicki Tomasik
tomasik
We recently worked with George Walton, Brian Bouchard, and their
crew at Alameda Structural to complete the remaining foundation and
retrofitting work needed on our home. They were efficient,
communicative, and earned our trust, especially after taking
financial responsibility after a billing error. They are highly
recommended, can boast lots of experience, and were highly
responsive from start to finish. roselynn
Foundation work: I wanted to recommend a contractor that recently
did a really good job on my house his name is Fritz Spalek he is a
German trained General Contractor he specialise on earthquake
security on residential structures he has been working in this
field for 21 years, right after you talk to hem you will see how
knowlageble he is. I meet hes wife and they are good pleople. you
can reach them at (510) 685-4044. Sicerely M. Benuto Martin
mbenuto
Need to do some foundation work
Dec 2008
Our
house is quite old 1925ish.
When we moved in we knew there was some foundation work that was
needed to be done. We only have a crawl space under our house that
should be dug out to be the recommended 18in. (it is really low
towards the back of our house. We also need to have the foundation
re-inforced in parts, and might as well throw in a earthquake
retro-fitting to that as well. We are looking for, of course,
someone good, but also easy on the wallet. Any help or suggestions
are appreciated. Thank you.
Kathie
We just had our whole foundation replaced. Alameda Structural
did the job and we were VERY happy with their work. George
Walton is the head of the company. You can reach him at 510-523-
1610.
Nicole
Try Rick Patterson of Haven
Builders. He did a retrofit job for us and was extremely
reasonable. While his is a smaller company, he is not one of
those fly-by-night, ''handyman'' contractors. He was very
professional, personable, and a total perfectionist. He arrived
on time every day (something very telling and important to me)
and finished each day by cleaning the work site. His work is
quite good. E-mail him at rick@havenbuilders.com or call his
cell: 510-978-1786--good luck!
mary
Foundation repair in the Berkeley Hills
Dec 2008
Looking for a contractor and engineer to help repair a foundation.
The current foundation is ninty years old and in a slide zone in the
Berkeley Hills. So far we haven't had good look finding engineers on
our own. We definitely need someone who is responsive and who can
make reasonable recommendations. N.
I shopped around for a while looking for a foundation company and
all roads lead to Alameda Structural. They have an amazing
reputation and it's well deserved. The electrician I hired had
his whole foundation done by them. The pest inspector when I
bought my house said that they were better than his own company
for remediation! George runs the place and was easy to work with
for me. Good luck: http://www.alamedastructural.com/
Judiah
I would like to recommend Douglas Carver at Live Oak Structural,
Inc. www.liveoakstructural.com. I needed a partial new foundation
at my 80+ year-old house in Oakland and he did an excellent job. I
would definitely hire him again.
Good luck!
rosie
Try calling Rick, the owner of Haven Builders--he is very
professional, calm, fastidious, and knowledgeable. He did a whole
retrofit job for us--not cheap but very reasonable. We got three
quotes and Haven was right in the middle. He has an engineer that
works with him too. More than price, however, it was meeting with
Rick himself that persuaded us to go with him--
his number is 510-978-1786 or rick@havenbuilders.net Feel free
to give me a call if you have further questions! Jenny
Jenny
I recently had foundation and seizemic support work done on my
home built in the 20s by Structural Protection Services. Rick
Bringel runs that outfit and he is no-nonsense and
knowledgeable. They also got the work done in half the time
because of efficiently timing inspections (Berkeley no less) and
having a clean and respectful, but numerous crew.
Their number is 510-531-1317
Rich
Need to replace damaged wood in foundation
June 2008
We need bids on foundation work under our house, report shows
fungus and dry rot, termite infestation, need to replace damaged
wood. Anyone use a contractor for this they felt was reasonable? SOS!
Emily
Robert Leitz at Decade Construction is amazing- I found him
trustworthy and easy to communicate with.
925 938-2410
925 864-2907
decade@sbcglobal.net
rachel
We used Alameda Structural for our extensive foundation work. They were
professional, on-time and did first rate work. We have heard since that they are
the
''gold standard.''
Call George, the owner, at 510.523.1610
M. Miller
Whatever you do, do not hire RJ Clark (Ron Clark).
He would not do what we asked, tried to use materials that were
of lesser quality than called out by engineer, had inexperienced
workers, and paid more attention to trying to cover up their
mistakes than to getting it done right. He was never on the
job, only came to demand money. We got his name through Alameda
Structural so we thought he would be okay. I checked BPN and
only discovered after we fired him a horrible review
under ''Contractors'' not foundations. The last poster had an
almost identical experience to ours (including he threatened us
and would not have the porta-potty cleaned which was
disgusting.) I could go on and on. He's that bad.
Learned the Hard Way
Need substantial foundation work done
Jan 2008
Can anyone recommend a good local contractor that has done
foundation work at your house? We had a structural engineer
look at our foundation and apparently we need to have the house
lifted up and have substantial foundation work done. We just
need someone with a good reputation that has done other similar
work in Berkeley.
Thanks.
Thea
We had our entire foundation replaced last year. Duval
Construction did the work. They worked every day, were polite,
kept to the price, had good interactions with our neighbors, the
city, the other trades that worked here (plumbers,
electricians), etc. The whole experience was easy - not often
does one say that about construction. I am sure they are not the
cheapest in town. That being said - they are in the area and
seem to have done half the houses withing spitting distance. The
number is 510 527-7428.
Tracey
For you foundation I strongly recommend you go with Sorin
Feraru - he's a general contractor with experience and a lot of
patience, very hard working. He did an addition and foundation
work for us in Berkeley. I got his name on BPN also.
c.j.
We had major foundation work done by Jim Duval of Duval
Construction and I can't recommend him enough. His crew shored
up at our house, removed the old foundation, dug down several more
feet to create usable space, reworked the drainage around the
house and the waterproofing, and gave us a new, very strong
foundation and basement floor. His prices are fair, he's
straightforward to deal with and explains things clearly, and
his people are very competent and pleasant.
margit
Good foundation contractor:
James Pearl: 510-339-6655
There is a previous (positive) post about him on BPN on June 2003.
I have not used him personally but know someone who has used and referred him for
years.
anon
Victorian needs some foundation work
Nov 2007
My husband and I recently bought an old Victorian two level
house in Oakland (near Emeryville). The house needs some
foundation work as well as some other ''cosmetic'' work. We are
looking for a contractor who is reliable, efficient and
reasonably priced. Any suggestions please reply to the post or
you contact me directly. Thanks so much!
Mara
I would recommend Richard Schukert of P&S Construction. He and
his crew did seismic and foundation work for us, and many of
our neighbors. His crew is very clean and respectful, unlike
many we have worked with on other projects - no music, swept up
every day, nothing left unlocked, etc. Also, Richard gets all
the permits taken care of, so nothing to worry about when you
sell your home and get inspections (which he also arranges).
good luck!
heather
I cannot recommend Dirk Setchko (510 812 5077) highly enough!
He's excellent excellent excellent! He is experienced, capable,
trustworthy, easy to talk to, flexible, and his crew! They are
efficient, friendly and great to have around. We're in the
middle of a foundation project right now and it's been great.
Anon
Shifting foundation needs attention
Oct 2007
Part of our foundation has rotated noticeably over the last
couple of months, and there seems to be some shifting in the
house. Can anyone recommend a general contractor who could
evaluate the foundation and fix it if necessary, along with
taking care of some smaller painting and carpentry projects? Thanks!
Amy
Both my husband and I and a neighbor used Sorin Feraru's
services for foundation work and we're very satisfied. He's
very knowledgeable, he listens to all you have to say and all
you want done and does and very good job and in time.He's
licensed and well known in Berkeley. Here's his number: 510-228-
7366
cindy
We had some major foundation work done this past summer and
were very happy with All Seasons Construction (510) 525-7123.
We found them referenced on the BPN from a post a few years
ago. The ownership has changed since then. It's now being run
by Mark Corello and he is a very honest, professional and a
nice guy. The crew was polite and couteous and the job was
finished a little ahead of schedule. It was not cheap but we
were very happy with their work.
Huiling
Foundation contractor for a 1920's home
July 2007
Can anyone recommend a foundation contractor? We have a 1920's
Central Berkeley home that needs to have the foundation redone.
We had the foundation on our 1920s Albany house redone 6 years
ago and highly recommend David Ford 510 715 4801. We have
recommended him to several friends & they were happy also.
Jen
For house painting (exterior and interior) and general
contracting, I recommend Mircea Ilie Construction in the highest
possible terms. For painting the exterior of my house, Mircea
gave me a great, fair price (in-between the low-ballers and
super-high priced ones), began on time every day, and completed
the job with careful attention to every detail. One side of the
house had so many cracks, he recommended a re-stucco there--this
turned out beautifully. The crew made repairs to some roof beams
so seamlessly that I can't remember which ones were broken off.
They also put in windows for me, and finished the inside
moldings--again, as much an artistic job as a practical and solid
one. Moreover, his final price was the same as his
estimate--there were no unexpected increases in costs. The
experience was the antithesis of what we've come to expect from
contractors. His number is 510 575-5434. His website is
www.mircea-construction.com
nancy
We used Alameda Structural and recommend them to anyone who asks. They were
incredibly fast and their bid was $30K less expensive than anyone elses. It seems that
they make their money by their efficiency - and they are efficient. But it could be a
more challenging relationship if you had a lot of changes, etc. that slowed down the
work.
His project coordinator, Brian, was great to work with. Really attentive, checked in with
me practically every day (we lived on site during the work) to make sure everything was
okay.
Rachel
Drainage problems in foundation
June 2007
We are looking for an engineer/contractor to help us address
some drainage problems in our new home. It would involve
foundation work. At the same time we are looking to have a
seismic upgrade as well as pave our driveway and possibly redo
our garage. All of this work is in the same general area of our
home. We have a 1932 Mediterranian with TWO sump pumps. Any
recommendations?
Laura
Our old house in Oakland needed a fair amount of drainage and
foundation work soon after we bought it (much to our chagrin).
We consulted Calin Smith with Smith Engineering and Development
Co. regarding our house. He was fabulous - very bright,
motivated, and quite capable of explaining the problems and
solutions in a manner that us non-engineers could understand. He
came up with plans for drainage, foundation retrofitting, and
seismic upgrades that were both structurally effective as well as
cost-effective. I recommend him without hesitation.
KN
Need a new foundation for 1925 home
Oct 2006
We need a new foundation put on a 1040 square foot one-story
home in Oakland that was built in 1925. I have gotten quotes
from the well established structural companies like Gen-Tech,
Ward Construction and Live Oak. However because these companies
are so well known and established, their prices are at the
extreme high end of the range. Can anyone recommend a good,
respected, licensed company that does foundation work but is
willing to work with you on the price because they are not so
well known?
Lisa
Try Build Right Construction,INC. in Berkeley. They have been
around for about 20 years and do lots of foundations. telephone
number is 510 845 5169.
on solid ground
Sept 2006
We are replacing the foundation for our 80 yr. old house and are
thinking of using Alameda Structural. We've read the archives & the one
review of A.S.
Has anyone else used them & can recommend them? We'd like to hear it all!
Any advice
about foundation work is appreciated. Thank you!
Anonymous
I highly recommend Alameda Structural. When we bought our house
last year, we needed a whole new foundation, and George Walton of
Alameda Structural came highly recommended. He also gave the
lowest bid of five people we asked. Throughout the replacement
process, he and his employees were professional, fast, courteous
and responsive. The foreman on the project was very available to
answer questions and address any concerns we had. I work from
home, and the workmen were quiet (as much as possible when
operating jackhammers) and polite and cleaned up nicely when the
project was done. The work ended up costing exactly the amount of
the estimate, and took a few days less time than estimated, and
the office processed our paperwork with the city quickly so we
got our rebate within a couple of weeks. I am not an engineer and
can't evaluate the quality of the work, but it easily passed
inspection and I have no reason to think they didn't do a
fabulous job
fan of alameda structual
We used Alameda Structural for a large foundation job on a hillside and
they were fantastic. Their price was a very good value for the quality.
The crew we had were very experienced and capable. The owner's
crews have an excellent work ethic. They work their butts off. They
finished our large project earlier than they had scheduled. We're going
to have them do another job for us, too. The owner has been around for
a long time and has an excellent reputation. He's a nice, down-to-earth
and honest guy. He's got a lot of jobs ongoing all over, which is great
when you need to adjust the manpower level----he can bring extra help
in or, if you hit a delay for some reason, he can move the crew to a
different job for a few days 'til yours is ready again. Our foreman was a
smoker but was extremely thoughtful about going away from the house
for smoking. He was very experienced and knowledgeable-----he knew
more about what was going on in our plans, and any problems they
contained, and how to solve them, than our Structural Engineer , our
architect, and general contractor combined. The crew were also super-
honest. The foreman arrived at least 1/2 hr early each day, too, and got
the whole day's work planned. He was so experienced----he ran the
whole job (structural) flawlessly. I'm so glad we hired them. Good luck.
Very pleased with Alameda Structural
We are currently in the middle of a $100k complete foundation
replacement w/ Alameda Structural. We had 3 bids on this project
(one contractor said it was more difficult than he wanted to
tackle) and their pricing was lowest. We hired a structural
engineer to draw up the plans since it was a reasonably
complicated foundation. The project is in week 4 out of 5 weeks
and we are living in the house as they are working on it.
As a layman, my impression is that they are a well-oiled team -
incredibly fast and very well organized. They have large crews,
work 6 days a week (if homeowner oks). I didn't see the
inefficiency of crew members standing around - I think it is
because they know what they are doing and plan well. Our foreman
had 20+ years of experience and his supervisor had +15. The
permits went through smoothly (after we negotiated some issues
around our oddball garage access); as did our inspections. The
city of Berkeley inspector made of point of telling my husband
that they were doing a good job for us. My husband, an
architect, is very impressed with the professionalism of the crew
and quality of work that they are performing.
George Walton (owner of Alameda Structural) seems to be a
straight shooter and we have really enjoyed the foreman and
supervisor. They consulted w/ my husband around various issues
(sewer under house, furnace, stair placement, etc.) to ensure the
best results as they went along.
Foundation work is expensive and it isn't all that fun. But
given all of that, it has been a very good experience. We
heartily recommend them.
Soon to be earthquake-safe!
Aug 2006
Jim Duval at Duval Construction did the new foundation for our
second-storey addition and we were very impressed with him and
his crew. We highly recommend him.
John
Feb 2006
We need to replace the entire foundation of our early 1900's house. We are planning on having it done this summer/early fall (i.e. dry season). We have just hired a structural engineer to prepare the plans. When the plans are done we'll solicit bids from area companies
I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has undertaken this size project:
Who did you hire to do the actual job? (I'm looking at Alameda Structural, Ward Construction)
What worked well?
What do you wish you did differently?
Did you require the construction company to put your house on their insurance policy?
Were the other insurance issues while the foundation was being re-built.
Where did you store the stuff from your basement?
How long did construction take?
What should we know that we don't know now?
Many thanks!
weeziethedog
We had our foundation replaced in November of 2004. The project took about 2 months, however, we also had a lot of dry rot in the walls that were replaced at the same time. We used Gen-Tech and loved our experience with them. Their website is www.gtinspects.com. The guys were very clean and did a great job. I've had several contractors over since for bids on other jobs and many of them have commented positively about the foundation work. You are smart to do the work in the summer. We did our foundation in the winter and without the cripple walls our house was so COLD! The one thing I wish we had done was install a french drain at the same time, since they had already dug a trench. Living in the house while the construction was being done was no problem. You really couldn't tell that they had elevated the house because they only raised it a couple of inches. Good luck with your project!
Meredith
Feb 2005
I would like to second the recommendation for
Gen-Tech. Gen-Tech replaced the foundation on my 1926
home, as well as repaired extensive termite and
dry-rot damage. The crew did an amazing job. The
foundation looks great and the crew did a lot of extra
work, such as reinforcing our front porch, sealing off
the garage from the crawl space, and installing an
access door at the back of the house. All at no extra
charge! Plus the crew was wonderful to work with.
They were exceptionally clean and swept our front
porch every day. Our yard looks cleaner now than
before they started! The crew also signed for
packages for us, took out our trash when we were on
vacation, and threw away some tree branches we had cut
down that were too big for our trash can. I was
worried about taking on the stress of such a major
construction project, but everything went so smoothly.
I actually even missed the crew once they were
finished! Gen-Tech was a great company to work with and their bid for the job was very reasonable. They can be reached at (510) 774-8997, or on the web at www.gtinspects.com.
Meredith
Oct 2004
Hi!
We are looking to get some feedback about three companies
who have bid to do some foundation work on our new (and
first) home. If anyone has had experience (good, bad or
mixed) with them, we would appreciate getting your
impressions and level of satisfaction with their work.
- Jim duval from DUVAL construction
- Gary Gutterman from Gatterman construction
- George Walton from Alameda Structural
Thanks!
We had our foundation replaced on a 100+ yr Victorian
about 12 years ago by George Walton of Alameda
Structural. He was easy to work with, met his commitments
as far as timelines and quality, and was priced
competively. I highly recommend him.
Seth
I cannot recommend Alameda Structural highly enough - they
were timely, within budget, did a fantastic job and were a
joy to work with. In addition, most importantly, they came
back 2 months after the job was done to fix the heater
which had been damaged during the work, without questions!
The comparison to my next door neighbor, who is now in
small claims court with his foundation contractor, could
not be more stark. Phenomenal company!!!
kelly
Aug 2004
We used Mark Wijsen of MW Construction (510-336-1725) for
our foundation and drainage issues. He can give you an
estimate and he'll know whether you need a structural
engineer or not (we didn't need one.) He was very
thorough, honest, and hard-working. He came back multiple
times during the rainy season to check on his work and
always kept us informed about the status of our project.
jc
April 2004
We are looking for a contractor to do the Foundation and
Framing on an addition we are doing in Lafayette. We are
acting as the General to save money. I looked in the
archives and everything was fairly old. Any new
recommendations out there. Thanks
For foundation and drainage work, I highly recommend Mark
Wijsen of MW Construction (510-527-1725.) He is fabulous
to work with. He is prompt, courteous, and thoughtful in
his work. His after-work customer service (i.e. phone
calls, in-person visits to check on the work during heavy
rains, etc.) went well beyond our expectations. His work
was of high quality and he is very professional. We plan
to use him in the future when we pave our driveway. Feel
free to contact me with any follow-up.
Jennifer
All Seasons Construction specializes in drainage and
foundation work. They do excellent work in all sorts of
remodels. Call the owner, Steve Sanchez, at 510-525-7123.
He is very honest and reliable.
Aug 2004
We used Mark Wijsen of MW Construction (510-527-1725) for
our foundation and drainage issues. He can give you an
estimate and he'll know whether you need a structural
engineer or not (we didn't need one.) He was very
thorough, honest, and hard-working. He came back multiple
times during the rainy season to check on his work and
always kept us informed about the status of our project.
Licensed concrete contractor to replace foundation
June 2003
Hi,
We want to replace our foundation and are looking for a
licensed concrete foundation contractor who is responsible
and clean. It is also important that they can finish the
project on time. Does anyone know of a contractor who can
do this job? Thanks!
iris
We are about to embark on some foundation work in Oakland
and have a bid from James Pearl Engineering and Contractor.
I wonder if anyone has used him who might be able to let us
know how it went? Also, if anyone was a great contractor and
engineer for foundation repair they'd like to recommend,
that would be welcome too. Tha
Julie
There were two messages seeking a foundation contractor.
I highly recomend Calif. Earthquake Safety, based in
Alameda. Owner is Jim Winter - thorough, committed nice
guy to work with. His is incredibly knowledgeable about
earthquakes - how the ground moves, how houses do and won't
move...his workers are friendly and skilled. He replaced
our foundation 3 years ago - not the lowest bid but I
don't regret one penny we spent. His number: 510-527-7233.
JB
We had our foundation replaced last summer by Jim Gardner.
The job included pouring concrete. His work is good, he is
responsive, and he finished the job on time. We recommend
him.
Jim Gardner Construction, 655-3409
robin
I recently had about $20,000 of foundation work done on my
96 year old house. I interviewed four contractors and
chose DOT construction based on the promises the owner gave
and how professional he seemed. (Can we tell there are
problems ?) Well, there were. He did not cover a beautiful
redwood (softwood) floor as promised and it now has
gouges. He also promised that the way his company would
support the house there would not be cracks. There are now
NUMEROUS crackes in my plaster. The marble tiles in my
bathroom floor have loosened to the point of making noise
when stepped on. While I understand things happen during
construction, I found it impossibe to have a productive
conversation with the owner. When I brought up the issue
about the redwood floor, he told me I should have hired my
friend's contractor- because I mentioned he had covered her
beautiful wooden floors. I don't think he lived up what he
promised.
feeling burned
We just had our foundation re-done, including seismic
upgrades.Overall, be prepared for an eerie feeling when
you're house is up on stilts! Get 2-3 bids. Start with
George Walton at Alameda Structural. We ultimately chose
George Walton because he has a great reputation and,
although he was 5% more expensive than the other bid, he is
known for doing foundations ''overkill''. We also put in a
drop dead completion date clause in our contract. For every
day over, we would deduct $300 from the final invoice. His
crew is small, shows up on time, leaves on time, and is
nice. They explained whatever we had questions about. Most
impressively, however, was how George left our place when
he was finished. His guys painted everything, blended any
stucco work exactly to the rest of the house, and replaced
any broken items (a bucket and a screen in our case). We
had to call him back to re-paint one section and he did
without a hassle. You can also try Gentech. From the
research we did, these two firms are two of the better ones
in the area. We were told by some friends who used Gentech,
however, that they dragged their project out forever.
Gentech pulled guys off their project and put them on
another project. Also, I heard that Gentech does not always
like to answer a lot of questions from interested clients
like ourselves. Note: George is a little gruff and may
explain things differently than Gentech i.e. you may not
get the same solution with both firms. Regardless, don't be
afraid to ask the firms to re-bid certain items or to get a
deeper explanation. They might trim a little here or there
to get the job. We had a friend who had just gone through
this help us understand the bids and it was invaluable to
have his thoughts.
Alexis
My husband Mark is a contractor who specializes in
drainage and structural work (foundations) so I can tell
you that you should have no trouble finding someone
who can handle both of your problems.
One person who comes to mind is Jim Perl (the
structural engineer who was mentioned in the same
digest as your original post). Mark has worked on
several jobs that Perl has engineered and has a lot of
respect for his approach to both drainage and
foundation issues. I'm not sure if he works out as far as
Pleasant Hill.
If not, ask your realtor for advice. I know my husband
gets a majority of referrals that way. They should have
a list of quality people who work in your area.
Susannah
We used Jamie Pearl last year when we started getting a lot
of water in our basement (he was recommended by friends who
had used him for significant foundation work). We thought
he was fantastic. He crawled through every tiny space
under our house and walked around the house to carefully
inspect all of it. His response? Yes we could put in
another $10,000 worth of french drains--would he do it if
it were his house? NO! His advice was that we put any
boxes up on shelves and not worry about it because our
foundation was fine. He is very practical and won't do
more than needs to be done unless YOU want to. This was
also the experience of our friends. I highly recommend him.
M. Wing
To the person asking about Pearl Construction &
Engineering. We recently purchased a home in need of
foundation work, specifically drainage. I must disclose,
the listing agent contacted Pearl for an inspection and
bid. The bid was reasonable, but the workplan to deal with
the drainage problem just did not make sense to us. Rather
than draining water away from our home, their plan was to
drain water towards the center of the foundation, put in a
sump pump, and pump the water out. This did not make sense
to us - and several other engineering/contractor
professionals agreed, that was not the best way to deal
with our problem. We contacted another foundation and
building contractor: Ward Construction (I believe they are
in Richmond) phone (510) 215-3636. Their plan (without us
prompting) was to place french drains and pumps around the
house to stop water from getting to the foundation areas.
The bid was $4000 more than the Pearl quote. They were
punctual, courteous, planned to ruin our plants/garden
(listed on bid) - but DIDN'T hurt one plant! They started
our project at an earlier date than expected (because they
finished the prior job early), finished our job early (and
a bit under budget). I would highly recommend Ward
Construction. Good Luck!
Judy
also recommended:
Francisco Sanchez
Foundation work - extensive excavation and drainage
June 2002
I am looking for someone who can do some extensive
foundation work around the back of my house. This would
require extensive excavation and drainage work. We want to
take a Berkeley bungalow cellar with a low ceiling and
excavate to create a height of 7 feet. Has anyone had
similar work done, or other foundation work done who can
recommend someone? We have someone qualified and
interested who could do the work, but know we should
probably get other opinions. There was only one posting on
the web-site, so I would appreciate any responses.
Sarah
For foundation and earthquake retrofit work, we have used
Counterforce (510) 835-5400. This included excavation
for a new foundation for our new garage, installing a
french drain, putting in concrete, etc. We were very
pleased with them, and have hired them twice (on
different projects.)
Karen
We had our foundation upgraded by Jim Duval at Duval
Construction and we couldn't be happier. Jim was very
conscientious, and a rarity for a contractor, returned
phone calls on the same day! His team did great work and
was the lowest bid and really listened to what we wanted to
have done and made it happen.
Rob and Diana
We used Jim Duvall about 3 years ago to re-do our crumbling
foundation. He came highly recommended by our house inspector
and lived up to his reputation. Did the work expertly in a timely
fashion, and he's a nice guy as well. Our house is about 90+
years old. We decided not to excavate to deepen the basement,
but he could have done the work. He's also done other homes in
our neighborhood.
His numbers are:
Office - (510) 527 7428
Stacey
We used Ned Clyde Construction for our drainage work, new
foundation and replacement retaining wall. They weren't
terribly personable, but they did what they said they'd do,
and they did it for the price they'd originally quoted, and
within the timeframe specified. I have not always been so
lucky! Thus far, it seems to have held up, though I'm no
foundation expert. Good luck!
PLR
I have used Gen Tech Construction, Inc., 510 530 0687 for
foundation, drainage and termite work and have found them to
be very good. High quality work, professional, reasonable
rates.
Mary
Replacing brick foundation on Victorian house
April 2002
Looking for recommendations for folks who do foundations. Any
recommendations/advice welcome. We have a 110 year old Victorian with brick
foundation. Thanks! Ellen
In response to the person looking for someone to do foundation work on
her old house . . . try Gatterman Construction at (510) 317-8045. The
owner, Gary Gatterman, has done a lot of work on our old home, and
we've been extremely satisfied and impressed with the quality of work.
His prices are very reasonable.
Carolyn
We had our two story 1923 Craftsmen brick foundation completely
replaced 2 years ago by Ring construction. It cost $19,000. I highly
recommend Ring (I forget his first name). They came in on-time and on
budget and he was very thorough in explaining the steps involved--he
also did one half of the house at a time which felt less insecure than
taking the whole thing out at once. It took one month to finish.
Mamaroja
Nov 2001
I can highly recommend Dan Marzilli of Gen Tech
Construction for foundation and drainage work
retaining walls, slabs etc. Their prices are
reasonable, they do quality work, on schedule and tidy
up when complete. You can schedule an appt. for an
estimate at 510 530 0687. They are currently
scheduling work for next year.
Mary
May 2000
We're having our house's foundation replaced and the foreman takes some jobs
on the side. He has been wonderful- good worker, prompt, efficient, all
round nice guy. He's going to replace our fence for us, and retaining walls
are definitely in his realm. His name is Jorge Rodriguez. Here are a
couple of numbers for him: pager- 510-765-6291, cell-925-200-9948.
Gayle
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