Curtis was very knowledgeable and helpful; his crew very diligent and tidy; and the BPP staff efficient and responsive.

TLDR; If you're looking to electrify and/or increase your home's overall energy efficiency, hire BPP - you won't regret it. How it started: We bought our 1951 home in the summer of 2020. As the weather cooled, we realized we'd bought a cold and drafty house. You could turn the thermostat up as much as you wanted, but it didn't make a difference. When the furnace quit on us in early 2022, we decided to just ride it out wrapped in blankets while we conducted a thorough search for the best contractor to help electrify our home. We started with an energy audit from the excellent Energineers, who informed us that the walls of our home had "no insulation." We now had a clear plan of action from a company that had no stake in what we decided to do, including blowing in insulation, installing a heat-pump powered HVAC system, asbestos remediation, and electrifying our ancient, gas-powered water heater. BPP was on a list of contractors recommended by Energineers, and we are so glad we went with them. Energy efficiency is science, and we are not scientists: As new, first-time homeowners we came into this project with no understanding of the basics of HVAC and insulation, let alone more advanced topics like heat pump technology. The owner, Curtis, was beyond patient with our many questions, meticulously explaining our options. While we went with a state-of-the-art heat pump system, he never pushed us to spend more on a higher-end solution, and in fact encouraged us to consider more budget-friendly options as well. When you're electrifying your home by switching to a heat-pump powered HVAC system and/or water heater, it pays to have someone who understands electricity leading your project. Curtis was able to design a comprehensive upgrade to our electrical system that would support our new equipment. His background in electrical gave us confidence that his solution would work and was right-sized for the project. We received multiple opinions about the best way to heat our home, which had multiple challenges including being built into a hill, a partially underground lower level with concrete walls and a slab floor, and a pre-existing extension on the back of the house with questionable ductwork. Curtis recommended installing a single exterior condenser, a ducted mini-split to heat the upstairs (replacing the asbestos-wrapped ducts with new, modern, energy efficient ductwork), and two mini-split heads on our lower level. I was honestly skeptical that our entire downstairs area could be uniformly heated with two mini-split heads, but the system he designed, in addition to being priced very fairly, works like a charm. How it's going: A company can be great to work with, but when you have someone working on your home, what matters most of all, of course, is results. And BPP delivered results, far above our expectations. Energineers had promised us that if we followed their recommendations, our cold, drafty house could become warm and cozy. Deep down, we didn't really believe them. But it was true! The insulation work alone increased the temperature inside our house by nearly 10 degrees. We love having the 3 different heating zones enabled by Curtis' system, so we don't need to heat areas of the house we aren't using. And our entire house is now as warm as we want it to be. As a bonus, the heat pumps include A/C for the occasional heat wave. Rebates, Permits, PG&E, oh my: Projects like this can mean a lot of paperwork. Curtis and the office manager Kathy made the entire process painless. They took care of everything for us, helping us to get the maximum possible rebates, which cut the cost of our project by about 25%. In addition, they handled the permitting process with the City of El Cerrito, and also navigated the application and approval process with PG&E for the electrical panel upgrade. What it was like to work with BPP: Everyone at BPP was a true pleasure to work with, from Curtis and Kathy to the crew who worked on our home. Adam, Austyn, Javier, Juan and Lando were all friendly, professional, and knowledgeable about their craft. They showed up when they said they would, and cleaned up each day before leaving, so that we never felt like we were living on a job site. Curtis and Kathy were very responsive whenever we reached out, as well as proactive about letting us know where we were at and what the next step was. Curtis told us when he was bidding the job that he didn't like to allow surprises in the form of extra charges once the project was agreed to, and he kept his word on that. He was also very committed to making sure our system worked perfectly in every part of our home. When I let him know that one room wasn't getting as much heat as the rest of the house, he personally showed up and found a way to send more air into that room to address the issue. BPP also offers ongoing maintenance and we can sleep easy knowing that our new system will be well maintained over the long haul. read more

Bpp - A view from the crawl space: a new ducted mini-split, whisper-silent and efficiently heating the upstairs of our home :D - General Contractors Near Me - Martinez, California

My new heat pump has been a life changer/saver. I'm enjoying the quiet condenser and indoor fans, and how fast the house goes from 50 - 68 degrees in my main living space in less than 30 minutes. Everything looks well done, complete and Lando and Juan were professional, hardworking(!!!) and looked to have everything well in-hand at all times, as well as being personable, positive and leaving things very clean. Thank you, Curtis, for communicating everything to me well at all phases and being so swift and with this installation. These guys do great work at an affordable price! read more

I would reccomend Mason BPP to anyone and all who require new or renovated construction. Their customer service, professionalism and pure scientific knowledge on energy efficiency will surpass anything you can find in this area. Our 20-25 year old AC broke in the middle of a heat wave. Finding HVAC techs and companies to take on new clients can always be tight in the middle of summer but Mason BPP came out for a service call the next day. Unfortunately our units were not salvagable but I was expecting this. I wasn't surprist that additional diagnostic on the system showed severe damage to our compresson, furnace, and duct work considering the ducting is original and the units have not been serviced properly in many, many years. Curtis + BPP team did the following: - Thoroughly explained the science behind the HVAC work, showed us pictures of damage, explained some of the dangers and then presented multiple feasible options of repair/replacement. He did not jump to an expensive repair or replacement but followed my lead to let me decide what was best for my family. - Presented an extremely low interest rate home loan (3.9%) geared towards energy efficient upgrades (and you can even use 30% towards other upgrades, like flooring!) - Re-routed estimates several times to make sure we were getting the best quality products, best price for products, best technological upgrades for our system, all while making sure we could do the cosmetic upgrades to the floors we wanted within our budget. -Began/completed project within a week after budget confirmation, left areas cleaner than they began, and was consistently open with all lines of communication One of the most important and valuable experiences to me is that I could trust Mason BPP in my home. The on-site team, is notably kind, genuine, friendly, and happy! Lando, the lead worker on-site was seriously a dream to be around. read more

Curtis and the entire BPP crew did an awesome job installing an entirely new ducted mini split system in our home as well as a ductless system in our loft room. They removed old attic insulation and sprayed in new insulation along with foam air sealing. They even went above & beyond by removing our old wall furnace and used the space to run refrigerant lines there instead of making new holes in our walls for access. The crew was very personable, worked very neatly and were considerate of our home throughout the job. Curtis was great at explaining things and answering all of our questions. They were always on time in the morning and had the whole house cleaned up by the time we got home from work. *and very important to us, the loved on our dogs when they were around :) read more

I would recommend Mason BBP wholeheartedly. They are fast friendly and professional. Curtis was very helpful and his knowledge of the system was first-rate. They not only left the house as clean as can be they promised one-day installation. They are as good as their word. Put your trust in these guys and you won't be sorry. read more

I've used Mason BPP off an on for about four years as I work through issues my last contractor created with sub-par HAVC and insulation installation. They came in trouble shot the original issue of a pipe not being sloped correctly, fixed the damage caused by a plugged overflow value in the attic unit that ruined a bedroom ceiling. While they were doing that they fixed a variety of other things that were substandard. The crew was professional, polite and cleaned up thoroughly after themselves. I then had them back to do some attic insulation to help with temperature issues upstairs. It was a challenging problem and the solution they proposed was an excellent value and made a huge difference with controlling the temperature in the impacted rooms. Then recently I had them back to remediate an insulation issue and install a new system in my in-law 850 SQ FT. unit that's on the second floor, It seems it had no attic insulation, so they recommended and then fixed that first. My tenant noticed an immediate difference. They I had them rip out a four year old electric wall heater system and install an ac/heat ceiling vent system that has made my tenant very happy during this hot hot summer and is super energy efficient. Finally I've had them back most recently to balance and install zones in the main house so I now have upstairs and downstairs thermostats and zones to help balance the temperature needs that are very different. It was always cold down stairs while upstairs was too hot. I'm a super happy repeat customer and will bring them in again anytime I need insulation or hvac issues. Very professional, very knowledgeable and willing to work with your budget to find acceptable solutions. read more

Mason BPP did a great job from start to finish. They bid, designed and installed our mini-split ducted heat pump system and an electric/heat pump water heater. The crew did meticulous organized work and were excellent communicators. Jose and crew, Curtis and Kathy in the office kept us apprised throughout the entire process. Rebates!!! We started this whole decarb process through BayRen. read more

I highly recommend this company for HVAC work. They replaced our furnace, air conditioner, and ductwork and weather stripped the house to improve energy efficiency. Building inspector just left with a comment that they did nice work. They also tore out the old air intake from the living room wall and moved it to the ceiling so that we have more storage space now. The drywall patching and priming was excellent quality- they texturized the living room wall to match the rest of the wall. You would never know a big air intake hole was there previously. They also installed a new duct in our master bathroom because the previous home owners did not modify the ductwork when they added onto the house. They balanced the HVAC system properly so that our house is much more comfortable, and energy efficient! They were very professional, skilled, and courteous. They provided space heaters for a few days while the furnace and ductwork were being replaced. They communicated frequently on the status of the project. I would recommend them to any friend or family member. read more

After carefully reviewing three different estimates and making sure to understand what we were purchasing when replacing our HVAC system a couple of years ago, we were most impressed with Mason BPP and Curtis' knowledge and patience in explaining and guiding our purchase. We are so happy we hired them, the product is top notch as expected, the whole installation crew was very professional and respectful of our space, it was an overall very pleasant experience. Fast forward two years, and last Sunday our AC decided to keep running uncontrollably, turning the house into an iceberg. After shutting off the breaker we called Curtis, who called us back an hour later (on a Sunday!!), came over on Monday, and solved the problem on Tuesday- a faulty Nest thermostat that needed to be replaced- all under warranty. We so appreciate Curtis/Mason BPP's continued help, and figured the best way to thank them is to encourage anyone looking for their services to hire them without reserve! read more

I can't say enough good things about Mason BPP! After an incredibly high repair quote from the company our warranty company chose, I reached out to another company that wanted $20,000 to replace the upstair A/C and heating components. Still not satisfied I reached out to Mason BPP and they came up with a reasonable plan and pricing to troubleshoot why our upstairs A/C wasn't working. In one day, two leak repairs later and a few other items, our A/C was up and running for less than $1500. Curtis was great at explaining what the company would do and helped coordinate a quick appointment. read more

Lowell and Curtis and their crew were a dream to work with. They remodeled a storage area for us, turning it into a wine room, bathroom and storage. The entire team was careful and conscientious and did beautiful work. Lowell and Curtis were good about communicating. They understood how picky I am and did a fine job of finding subcontractors and materials to create just the right details. I enjoyed the entire process and I am thrilled with the end result. read more

Not recommended. In late summer 2012, we contracted with Mason Construction for a complete kitchen rehab, as well as new furnace install & other jobs around the house. Total contract amount was low 6-figures. From the start, things were not auspicious, e.g., the demo crew did not show up until 2 days after the scheduled start date. No notice or explanation was proferred by Mr Mason, and only after an inquiry did the crew arrive. The electrician sub-contracted by Mr Mason was sub-par, e.g., left more than one mess for us, the clients, to clean up, and he mis-wired two electrical boxes, one shorting out so badly we for a long time feared for electrical fires from other work done by this individual. Long-story short, after numerous short-comings [e.g, the plans called for a 36" stove hood, he initially installed a 30", failing to properly read the plans], we cancelled other aspects of the job [e.g., a backyard re-do], and ultimately, with work still pending, fired Mason Construction, not wanting them in the house any longer. We had withheld $$ due to perceived quality issues on cabinet paint [justified, as it turns out, for the paint started flaking less than a year after install, and the cabinets ultimately had to be repainted]. Mr Mason sued us in small claims court; we obtained a 3rd party expert assessment of his work, and because of other deficiencies this exam revealed, we counter-sued for around $50K in superior court [all this a matter of public record btw]. We ended up in arbitration were Mr Mason & his subs re-paid us for their sub-standard work, though he was unable to pay his share in one payment, requiring us to have a lien on his house while he paid us in monthly installments to settle the debt he agreed was owed to us. Total time from contract signing to final re-payment/suit settlement, 28 months. Wasted time & wasted monies. We ended up having Custom Kitchens in Oakland fix all the shortcomings left by Mason Construction. While Mr Mason may be an "expert" with over 40 years in the business, in our case, he did not employ his expertise on our behalf, his contracted clients. read more

Very poor outcome on my project. He has left the job unfinished. I had to get Another Co to fix the Air conditioning and heating. My sprinkler system is not working due to so many pipes being broken? The paint job is poor. The seat In the shower is 12 inches high instead of 18 inches. There are other things also. Bottom line is, very disappointing. read more

Mason Construction Building Performance Professionals just finished an 'energy upgrade' for my home. After ten cold winters joking about how I could use the house as a meat locker, my home is now amazingly comfortable and warm. The crew was punctual and neat, worked continuously on my project until complete (no running off to other jobs!) and very thorough. They added insulation to the floors, ceiling and walls, installed a new high-efficiency furnace that is whisper-quiet, and a fan/vent that ensures the house gets adequate fresh air circulation. Then they performed tests to ensure the work would result in a net energy savings of 30%. Now, I no longer have to wear three layers of clothing inside during the winter--I commend Mason Construction to anyone who wants a more comfortable, energy-efficient house. Kudos! read more

I am an architect, specializing in custom residential projects. Mason Construction was the contractor for a project I designed in 1994 when I was working for another firm. It was a great experience, and I kept up with Lowell Mason over the years. When I started my own firm in 1998 he was the contractor I recommended and worked with on my first two big projects. I have worked with many contractors, but consider myself fortunate to have been able to work with Lowell on subsequent projects over the years, including one currently. He personally takes responsibility and pride in the outcome of the work, and doesn't consider it complete until everything is resolved and the owners are happy. His crews have always been great to work with. As an architect I appreciate his effort to always follow what I have designed, ask questions if anything arises or is unclear, or discuss with me any alternatives in construction that he thinks will be beneficial. Not all contractors do that. He has a wealth of experience and technical knowledge that I have found extremely helpful. I highly recommend his company. read more

I hired Mason BPP to replace the attic insulation and ducts. The crew was terrific: hardworking, responsive, friendly, and eager to please. They did a great job and I would hire them again for other jobs. (Incidentally, I received a thumbs up on their work from another contractor who needed to access the crawl space for his work.) I've now had the insulation in both cold and hot weather, and the improvement in energy efficiency is notable. read more

I initially contacted BPP at a community energy efficiency meeting, which they attended in person. I contracted with BPP to upgrade an ancient gravity furnace to a ducted heat pump in the crawl space and a mini-split in one bedroom. The objective was to improve heating energy efficiency and heat the house more uniformly. BPP did a very good job for a reasonable price. They responded promptly to my requests to correct some problems and were generally easy to communicate with. They even found and corrected a gas leak in some work done several years previously by another contractor. I recommend BPP. My only complaints are with the Carrier equipment BPP installed. The cost to control the Carrier heat pump with a cell phone via Sensibo (a Carrier subsidiary) was almost triple what a Nest device costs and the Carrier manuals are hard to understand. read more

As a HERS Rater I've tested over 500 HVAC systems since 2014. Of all the contractors whose work I've tested, Mason BPP stands out. They actually test everything themselves and make sure that everything works to specs. They are a Building Performance Contractor and see the house as a system. I was so impressed with them that I had them do an energy retrofit of my house through Energy Upgrade California. I worked with them to create a forced air hydronic heating system that uses my condensing water heater to provide hot water to the air handler. Mason BPP installed the new heating/ air conditioning system along with new windows and a full insulation package. That, and with the 2K watt solar PV system, we now have $10 PG&E bills. The crews at Mason BPP were outstanding. The exterior crew who did the new door and windows and trim were real craftsmen who were clean, quiet, respectful and good communicators. The HVAC crew was among the most elite in California. This duct/furnace system is among the most airtight in California - it showed no measurable duct leakage. I've never seen that before. They also installed a properly sized AC for the upgraded 1500 square foot house. We have a 1.5 ton unit. Again, I've never seen such a small AC in any house I've tested. It really performed when it was 103 degrees out recently - keeping the house at 76 degrees. The only properly sized AC in my experience! Lowell, the owner has been a general contractor since 1972 and has the experience to plan and manage successful projects. His company gets the details right and leaves the job site clean. I'd hire them again in a heartbeat. read more

About a year ago, we had an energy audit done on our house and we used Mason Construction as they were one of the companies licensed to complete the work for the tax rebate. The owner and his team of 2 were very nice and kept their initial appointments. But, when it came time to do the work, everything was delayed. What was supposed to take a few weeks took 3 months. Windows were made several inches too short, and then when installed, they neglected to notify me of rotting wood around the frame. When I had the house repainted this summer, the painter called my attention to it as he couldn't paint over it. Just tapping the rotted wood was causing it to crumble away. The painter even said that there is no way you wouldn't notice the rotting wood in a window frame while installing windows. After learning this, I contacted Mason Construction several times and have still not received a call back. This was very disappointing and I will now have to hire an additional contractor to finish the work. My overall impression is that the owner of this company has over-committed himself in too many places and can't provide the quality of service that his customers expect. While they are very nice people, they do not run their business effectively for the customers. read more

We wanted to replace our 30+ year old HVAC and had received three quotes from other vendors. I was then referred from a HERS Rater to check out Mason BPP as they are energy experts and work with https://www.bayren.org/ for rebates. Mason BPP was the only vendor who noticed right away that our upstairs register was way too small for air intake and offered a few choices for a high efficiency unit with dampers for upstairs and downstairs. The recommendation was to get a Carrier Infinity Series with a 4 Ton vs a 5 Ton AC unit but with an oversize Evaporator Coil for efficiency for a 3,100 sq. ft house. They even managed to put the exhaust pipe where I wanted it vs one vendor was willing to place it under the house. Lowell and his team made sure there was no leakage air loss with the new ducting. Total rebates back to us was $2,800. The unit works great and I can hardly hear the AC when operating at full speed. read more

Lowell and his crew did a wonderful job on my energy upgrade! I had a number of other requests added to the scope of work and everything was completed in a timely manner and the work done was quality work. I was amazed each night at how neat and clean they would leave my home, not all contractors pay attention to details such as this. Their office staff was great as well, they followed up on the filing of my rebates and were prompt with their replies to emails.Now that the summer months have hit, I'm so glad I have a well insulated house with an energy efficient AC system. read more

We had the construction side of the company build our addition as well as had them do some other side jobs to improve our house. Great to work with and great workmanship! read more