The worst so called contractor un San Diego. He has no license etc. Pathetic that the city still let's Carlos build homes. He's a liar, steals yr money and gives you all kinds of excuses for everything. He has never paid his workers. Beware. Stay away. He also has been cited by the building inspector. read more

Terrific contractor!!! We did a second story addition and a full-house remodel to our Del Mar home with AB&C and they were great! They handled everything extremely well; from the big things (foundations, framing, roof, etc) to the small things (paint, fixtures, touch-up...), and everything in between (drywall, plumbing, electrical...) - they did everything thoroughly and reliably. We have done several renovation projects in the past and dealt with our fair share of contractors, most of which were a big disappointment. AB&C is that rare find in the construction world: they actually do what they say. They are reliable, and take their work, and customers, very seriously. Carlos is not someone who is quick to make thoughtless commitments or say something just because he knows it is what you want to hear, but when he tells you he will do something, it is going to get done!! He also has pride in his work and/or care for his customers, because he takes care to make sure things not only get done, but get done well. You can really feel and see his commitment to the quality of the work. That is such a huge comfort when you are dealing with the complexity of a large (or even small) renovation project. We feel fortunate we found AB&C to build/renovate our home and will, without a doubt, turn to them with any construction work we may need in the future. Highly recommended. read more

I'm warning you stay away from this contractor. Spent 5 digits on significant remodel and 2 years later everything is falling apart. My toilets I had before the remodel were better than the ones I got. They go for the cheapest and pocket the rest on anything and everything. Parts, subcontractors you name it. Quality is not in their vocabulary but they'll take the money and make up excuses and blame you for poor communication. If he has a Project Manager named Edgar that wears his day job shirt with tape over the company's name. RUN!!!!! He will blame everything on you want will insult your intelligence thinking he can twist back on you. Total narcissist moron. If you want to save money and go with the lowest quote, because they will be, don't trust them. Make sure you have an agreement on models of anything they are purchasing on your behalf because the will get the lowest grade model and charge you the premium price. I gave these guys a chance because they were starting out and I will never do that again. I will pay the highest quote next time. It will save me time and money in the long run. Done with giving the underdogs a chance they won't appreciate the opportunity and screw you over. 4/23 Response to Carlos feedback. Not true that this is the first time you've heard this. You sent your daughter, Gabriella, to my house a year ago to fix the cabinet handles that were falling off. Now the transition boards plates are coming up. You charged me 47k to do 2 bathrooms and a Kitchen remodel I see you're soliciting your clients to write positive reviews to counter act this 1 star. Let's see after 2 years of they'll feel the same way. read more

I contact advance building to get my kitchen done something I have been wanting to do but no other contractor could give me The look I was going for and if they did the price was ridiculous. But advance building gave me a reasonable quote and now I have the most beautiful kitchen I couldn't be happier. Extremely happy with my kitchen and can't wait to hire them again to do another project. Definitely recommend them. Anything you need done they can do. read more

Beware. This man is a con-man, a socio-path with no ethics. My house is still not done after one year. From 5/7/22 until I fired him on 12/14/22, he was working on my house while his license was suspended. Would you want the best surgeon on the planet to still operate on you if their license were suspended? I only found out because several sub-contractors showed up at my house demanding payment for work that we had already paid him for. His license is based on RMO Agency, which means he needs to be supervised by the person who vouched for his license. Well that individual is deceased, but he failed to tell the CSLB that. It was, only after this was reported to the CSLB that he finally told them the truth. His license is subject to him finding a new sponsor by 4/30/23, he will likely not tell you that or he will lie about that. He will tell you he has 30 years of experience, but his license is only since 2018, so be very careful. RMO Agency was created for those who are unable to pass the CSLB exam so are vouched for by another experienced contractor, but that means they have to disclose this and their sponsor should at least show up at your job site to introduce themselves on any project he works on. But I bet you have not met any RMO Agent or Qualifying Agent who sponsored his license and is required to supervise him, have you? My lender released $16,000 to him for plumbing. In one year of work, he did not pay a single cent to the plumbing sub-contractor. He took $13,000 for Stucco which could have finished my whole house by now, but he only paid $5,000 to the stucco sub-contractor. The other $8,000, he spent. So the project you are hiring him for, is what he is trying to use to settle other debts, so be very careful. Document everything. I can go on and on and on. If you are desperate, you better ensure you co-sign any checks to him and the sub-contractor because if you do not, he will take it, not pay the sub-contractor. Be sure to pay the sub-contractors directly or insist on a payment system that forces payments to be made to the appropriate people without him having full control over your funds, and obtain your own lien releases from the sub-contractors. Because even if he signs a lien release telling you that he has paid his sub-contractors, if he does not, those subs can still file a lien, which is the mess he left me in. So be very careful with this guy. My house built in 1970, was better built that what this guy did. He is a con man. A socio-path. My project required a steel beam to be installed. He put in the steel beam alright, but when my lender gave him $9,680 to pay the $6,800 invoice from the steel beam sub-contractor and $3,000 for his labor as he billed. He signed a lien waiver alright but did not pay a single cent to the steel beam vendor. A mechanics lien was filed and I had to pay another $7,600 to get the lien released. Simply put he stole $9,680. So the story goes. He put kitchen cabinets and counter tops in my kitchen from HD Wholesale, perhaps one of the cheapest places in San Diego, which were worth $3,800. He showed up and gave me a change order for $13,200. I took my kitchen plans to HD Wholesale and with an upgrade in the size of the island and the number of cabinets under the island and the quote was $5,800 with crown moulding. The change order for $13,200 was just a shake down. All he really wants is just your money. Watch what he does when City Inspectors are present and ensure he follows their recommendation. He will hide it, or he will conjure up a charge to rip you off. If he tells you to buy something and that he will reimburse you, better run. Hire a project manager to protect you or be sure to supervise every inch because he only wants to take your money. Above all, if your project is for $100,000 insist on him showing you a bank statement with $100,000 or at minimum 50% of the project cost in there, and be sure to put in completion time clauses in your contract because his will not say a word about completion. . The experience is greatly exaggerated so be careful. He will likely hire someone to write a counter review to this as he has done with all the negative ones, but his cup will run over soon. But be sure not to become a mark. He will come with change orders and more. Just ethically and morally bankrupt individual. But that is what the definition of a socio-path is. Your project funds is really a piggy bank for him. Why he is allowed to keep his license tells you that the CSLB has very little over-sight over the industry, so be very careful. read more

We have had an excellent experience with Carlos and his team so far. We have completed the design phase and we are excited to be moving forward with construction. They are thorough and responsive. They have insightful advice and they did a great job of really listening to what we wanted. I will highly recommend Carlos and his team! read more

Carlos Martinez and his team are great contractors for any home remodel project, small or large. They have a strong work ethic, broad knowledge base, great eye for design, reasonable pricing, friendly and courteous service (never missed a day or a phone call over 4 months!) and are very skilled! I would recommend them to any homeowner! read more