Make sure you ask his availability before booking an estimate with him. He told me sometime in June is earliest and when I said I'm looking to install sooner, he got upset and said so I came out here for nothing, you could've told me that prior and I said no you could've told me you are scheduling two months out prior and that most people want the work done asap instead of waiting that long. He then skidded out of my driveway. read more

Seriously- 18 inches from the kitchen counter to the cabinet base? I was having a terrible time trying to fit some of my larger cooking appliances onto my counter space. So i decided to call John and he raised all of my kitchen cabinets by 5 inches. The work was done with care from take down to re-installation and needless to say i was very happy with the work. His pricing was extremely reasonable and he was a pleasure to work with. I will soon call on him again to install a large 5x8 skylight on our Loft, hopefully before the summer heat comes around. read more

I called Bay Area Deck and Remodel about a year ago and spoke with John about building a deck around my new hot tub. John was referred to me by a friend who had hired him to do a retaining wall and fence at his place in Lafayette and was really happy with the job he did. After all the bad experiences I've had hiring people to do work on my house, I now always get first hand word of mouth recommendations before hiring anyone. John came out and we talked about the job. I mentioned that I am into the environment and felt like maybe using fake wood (treks) instead of redwood. After he left, he researched sustainable wood and found a place in Berkeley to buy sustainably harvested hardwood from Brazil. I was stunned. The materials cost about 20% more but I didn't bat an eye. Guilt free wood - awesome. John also engineered the deck to be able to slide away if I ever have problems with the spa. The work was done beautifully and John's design was really clever. If you are looking for someone who will build your deck or whatever overnight, John is not your man. He really takes the time to figure out how to execute the job and makes it happen. Quality work takes time and Bay Area does it right the first time. read more

John Grivas and his partner, Matt, just completed a deck remodel for me and I am extremely happy with their work and professionalism. It was on a steep hillside and not an easy job . Unlike other contractors I have dealt with on other projects, John offered a fair and comprehensive bid and in a timely manner, started and finished the job when promised, charged only a fair and nominal amount for a necessary change order (often contractors are not so honest with these). When finished the job site was left clean and neat. He was not only highly competent but communicated easily with me, was personable and delightful. I would highly recommend Bay Area Deck to anyone who wants excellent workmanship at a fair price done by a contractor you enjoy and trust. read more

We hired John Grivas to renovate three large back decks on our home in the Oakland hills. We are so pleased with the result, and John and Matt were so great to work with, we give our high recommendation. John replied in a timely manner to our original request for a quote, and came out to look at the job. We could tell right away that he was a good listener, attentive to what we wanted and needed from our decks, and not trying to push any particular agenda. We decided to go with Trex composite lumber, and John got quotes from multiple different lumber yards to make sure we got the best price. After comparing a few different options for the railings and posts, we agreed to go with the Trex brand railings, which was a new railing material for John and his crew. We appreciated it that they were willing to work with materials new to them to get us the result we had in mind. John gave us a timeline for the work and communicated details upfront about how much to pay and when. Our site had a bit of mystery, in that it was hard to determine how much of the understructure would need to be reinforced at the outset--but they stayed within the quote for the scope of the work, even when the demolition of the prior deck revealed a bit more understructure reinforcement than we all hoped. The quality of the work was really excellent. John was careful in the details, a skilled and professional craftsman. He did not rush the process, and he and Matt worked well together as a team. Clean lines, level runs, it looks great. I'll add that our lot is very steep, our 1960s home has had some settling down the hill, and we had a high expectation for the work: This was not an easy-peasy job. John and Matt were also just a pleasure to have working at our home each day. They were friendly and communicative with us, and warm and patient with my two young children, who were eager to observe the work and its daily progress. Even my one-year-old learned both their names, and would ask, "What John doing?" and my four-year-old loved telling Matt all about the latest dinosaur or sea creature. Bottom line: John does careful, beautiful, and honest work. He is a good listener, skilled craftsman, and just generally pleasant to interact with. read more

This review is long overdue. Earlier I wrote a 5 star review for John Grivas and Bay Area Deck. The deck is beautiful. We love it and continue getting compliments on it. Today I'm writing a followup review for John's character. He is a stellar person. I needed to enlarge a whole in the deck for a tree that has been growing. I couldn't get anyone to help me with this project as contractors all felt the job was too small and not worth their time (I'm not too handy). I was worried that the tree would eventually tear apart the brand new deck. After talking to John about the problem, he came out himself on a weekend to help me. It had been a few years since he and his team built the deck. Who does that? Truly stellar. I've recommended Bay Area Deck to my friends and family and I'll continue to do so. read more

John and Matt were amazing people to work with. From the beginning they were on time, responsive, and easy going; they were unlike any other contractors we met. We had a huge project for them to complete: redo a flight of stairs, two decks, driveway railings, a retaining wall as well as remove a huge awning and metal gate, all on a huge slope. Other contractors refused to work with us due to the hill our house was on, but they saw no problem. Their price was extremely fair, well under all the other quotes we got. They worked on our house for about a total of two months, so we really got to know these guys on a personal level. My husband and I felt more than comfortable handing over the keys to our house; we are actually sad that they are done. We miss their company. They did not mind our loud dog, which we also appreciated kindly. As for their work, it was all beautiful to say the least. We could tell they really loved their craft, and went above and beyond our expectations. They built a custom gate for the front of our house, refused to charge us for gravel, included lights on our stairs, and went back to the store several times until we found the exact stain color we wanted. They never made us feel bad when we asked for a little more of them. Seriously, these guys are the ideal contractors. Look no further. read more

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We hired John Grivas to replace our garden fence, secure our deck and build a staircase to a lower garden. John's work was meticulous. Everything he did looked great. It was well thought out and the deck has never been so secure. We would hire John back again in a heartbeat and would recommend him to anyone. read more

John was great! We had him do stairs from our split-level kitchen to the backyard and a fence and cover for a water heater. He gave us a really fair estimate, didn't balloon the price with slight changes that came up and finished the job quickly. I would highly recommend him and his company and use them again! read more

John Grivas delivered excellent results with my office project. He was attentive to detail, precise, and a pleasure to work with. I am very happy with the finished result! Thank you... read more

I've been a homeowner for 30 years and have worked with many contractors. John Grivas is one of the BEST! Here's what I like: -Timely and clear COMMUNICATION. He returns phone calls and emails. He communicates clearly about the scope, cost and potential challenges of the job. -Punctual and DEPENDABLE. He shows up on time, works hard and keeps coming back to the project until it's done. No 'disappearing act' midway thru. -PRICE: John is very reasonably priced for high quality work. He sticks to his estimate. -QUALITY: John is meticulous, thorough and tidy. He knows what he's doing and his work is very good. He keeps the construction site neat and leaves the area clean when the job is done. DESIGN: John has an eye for deck design. He rebuilt our old, crumbling deck. The new one is not only user-friendly but pretty. PATIENT: John focuses on being thorough rather than rushing. He is patient when the job is dirty, frustrating and hot (e.g. under our house doing earthquake reinforcement for several days). 5 stars for Bay Area Deck and Remodel. read more

We are so pleased with the job that John Grivas and his team (Greg and Ron) did, rehabbing our decks and fitting them with stainless steel cables. The price was fair and the business side was very upfront and straightforward. They were painstaking on the job and cleaned up thoroughly. Bay Area Deck has a great rep that is well deserved. Five stars from Sam and Jane. read more

We have used John on at least five different projects over the last ten years, including a complete tear-down and rebuilding of an elaborate retaining wall/terracing system, rebuilding two large decks and constructing several fences. He'll continue to be our first choice to do any subsequent projects. John is a pleasure to work with. His work is solid and his lines are straight. He has good ideas, and does what he says he's going to do. Highly recommended! read more

Totally agree with the reviews here. We also have had numerous bad experiences with contractors and work on the house. John is strikingly different. He not only did the work we needed well but communicated well, answered all calls and questions and ended up finishing work under the quoted price! read more

we had a great experience with John and Greg at our place. they did a paved driveway and wooden ramp up to our house and it turned out great! the pavers look awesome and the deck is solid. they also put some drains down under the pavers and it solved a lot of issues we were having. they were dependable, respectful, and stuck to the quote. highly recommended! read more

We hired John Grivas to replace our existing deck circa 1968 with a new larger composite deck. John worked with us on the design, carefully listened to our needs and delivered an outstanding product. We LOVE our new deck!!! John is professional, completely trustworthy, and truly a craftsman. We look forward to bringing John back for phase 2. read more

John and his crew of Dave, Matt, and Peter did an outstanding job putting in a new deck and pergola. My old deck and pergola were falling apart, and there had been some problems with the original design. John made excellent design changes that give the new deck and pergola much cleaner lines. They not only look very attractive, but they're built to last. (My builder boyfriend who didn't have time to do the project himself was very impressed by it.) Really high quality work! And John and his crew were a pleasure to work with. I was impressed with John's attention to detail, his patience with my many questions, his clear, timely communication, and the frequency with which he was on-site. The crew was great, going out of their way to make sure I wasn't inconvenienced, showing up when they said they would, communicating clearly, cleaning up well, and just generally making the project smooth and efficient. I'm thrilled with my new deck and pergola and would happily hire John and his crew again for future projects. read more