The best! My mom hired Gilor Construction for a full ADU remodel at her house, and the experience…read moreexceeded expectations. They started in mid-December and finished by April 7, earlier than we anticipated, and that timeline included a major setback: an 80-foot redwood tree fell on the house during a Christmas storm. The roof was crushed, part of the structure separated, and we lost power for nearly a week. It was a stressful situation, and they handled it. They repaired all of the damage and still completed the full project within budget. That alone says a lot about how they run their jobs. Or Haim, the owner, is very communicative and genuinely cares about making sure everything meets expectations. That level of involvement made a difference. The fantastic onsite team was led by Jesus, who treated the project like it was his own home. He was thoughtful, detail-oriented, and clearly took pride in the work. We would absolutely hire Gilor again and are happy to serve as a reference.

We had an excellent experience with Gilor Remodeling Group, especially Jesus (project manager) and…read moreArturo (one of the work crew). We've done several other home improvement projects in the past and had such a headache with the contractors and sub-contractors not showing up when they said they would, or not paying attention to details, so I know how rare it is to find a contractor you actually like! Plus, their bid came in much lower than the three other contractors who quoted for us. We replaced four bathroom vanities which seemed like a small project, but required more skilled work than we originally imagined - including redoing plumbing and moving electrical to accommodate the new layout of vanity, mirrors, and lighting. The crew was very careful to cover surfaces to prevent damage (and also avoid dust getting on all our things) and to clean up their tools and equipment at the end of each day so we could have our space back. Arturo did really stellar work and clearly pays attention to the small details, like smooth caulking lines and patching each little area of drywall and paint to ensure a completely finished project. Their communication was great, and when we ran into a few hiccups with how to best install wainscoting, Jesus ensured we were happy with the plan before the crew moved forward with it. All in all, we really recommend Gilor and will be using them again for future home projects.

Our experience buying a home with Jen Clark was absolutely outstanding. From the start of the…read morelooking process to the very last Docusign at the closing, Jen was thoughtful, thorough and best of all patient. She just seemed to think of EVERYTHING as we went through the process. She gently guided us away from what would have been bad decisions for us and helped us see our "diamond in the rough." Admittedly, we're not easy clients. We're indecisive. We change our minds constantly. I get bored easily and just want to pick any house to end the process. Jen just kept reminding us of what we told her we were looking for at the beginning and bringing us to houses that met that criteria. Lastly, Jen has a wonderfully artistic talent and vision that she uses to help you beyond the buying process. She suggests paint colors, small renovations, and even bigger renovations to get you to the home that you really want to call your own. She has our highest recommendation!

This review is for The Home Co's interior design service only (not staging or realtor services). We…read morehad Jen come out to our home to discuss hiring her to help redecorate our home after I'd read many positive reviews online. Jen was super friendly, knowledgeable and had a bunch of great ideas and suggestions. We hired her! After we'd signed the contract and agreed to a retainer, she told us someone else from her team would actually be our main point of contact. We were bummed because we thought we'd be working directly with Jen, but probably our fault for not asking specifically what the arrangement would be. We figured anyone on her team would be just as awesome as her. Unfortunately, as soon as the design process started I realized that was not the case. Our designer was very nice, but seemed very inexperienced and unclear on which steps were supposed to happen when. We'd have long zoom calls (that I was getting billed for) where I tried to explain my design style and what I was looking for. After each call, I'd panic a little as I just felt no confidence coming from her, and was not assured she'd actually be able to help guide me through the home design process. I even called Jen after one call and asked her "am I this designer's very first client?", because the woman seemed so nervous and unsure when working with me. Jen said she'd been with her team for a year and a half... hmm.. After I received my floor plans I knew it was time to pull the plug. The furniture layout made no sense for my space, the measurements were wrong, etc. I called Jen to complain and she more or less said "we would have gotten the measurements right if you paid us for more hours". So after many many hours of working with The Home Co, I canceled the contract and have nothing to show for it. Just bad floor plans and a uninspired mood board. I still have 2 hours left from my retainer and have reached out to Jen twice to try and utilize that time sourcing at least one item for my home so it's not all a complete waste. She continues to either ignore my emails, or when I follow up she'll say "I'll get back to you" but it's been over a week now and I'm feeling no love. This was my first time working with a professional designer and probably my last - too disappointing :-(

Can't say enough great things about the staff here. It's so rare to find leasing office staff who…read morereally care these days - it's made a huge difference in our experience here! The building is always clean inside and out and it just feels like a safe place to live. Big giant shoutout to Julius who helped us move in VERY quickly when we were in a bind (I'm talking, apply/lease/keys within a day) and Stephanie for being there for us to get some loose ends tied up. Always smiling faces to welcome you in.

Only move here if you like to get your things stolen and if you like living in a dirty building. We…read morehave lived here for 3 years and are so happy to be moving out in the new year. We have had countless packages stolen, a $1200 bike stolen from a locked bike parking room, as well as other items from our parking space without any help from management as to find the culprits. They have cameras in all of these places and refuse to check them. There is zero accountability for lease violations and management will pass off the responsibility to anyone else- security that doesn't do shit or the police who do not care about package theft in a building. They did the bare minimum when we complained about how insanely noisy the upstairs neighbors are and tell us to call security- who isn't even allowed to knock on a door! They refuse to look at footage of things being stolen unless the police request it. The building has really gone downhill as well. No one takes care of common spaces and the poor cleaning lady works so hard to keep the place clean but people are always messing it up. The trash valet is a waste of money and causes the hallways to smell horrible from everyone's trash. We are forced to pay for shitty internet that we don't use and other random expenses that we didn't initially agree to when we leased the apartment. They charge you for packages not being picked up within 3 days- during the holidays when people are out of town. The first year we lived here we liked it but it's just gotten worse and worse. I would never suggest someone lives here. They nickel and dime you. Management tries to act like a friend and they want to help you but they don't. The hallways smell like wet animal, rotting food, and mold. The trash rooms are a mess and there is no accountability for making the mess. Don't live here. They continue to raise the rent in such insane ways for a building that is shit. It sucks because it was nice and there wasn't theft but the past two years it's just gone down hill. I cannot stress enough not to live here. And Avalon properties in general- they are very corporate and don't care about you at all. They just want money. Find a family owned property or small rental company to live in instead.

The Great (+2 stars) ==========…read more * The structural work: Our home is on a great, new, solid foundation (with shear walls), so we feel as safe as we can be in our home for an earthquake! * Our basement is also now more usable. * Drainage: There is now drainage around the foundation and under the basement slab, so we are no longer worried about our basement flooding! * The working crew were very friendly and considerate. The Bad (-1 star): ========== * The electrical subcontractor was quite bad. The electricians didn't install the dryer outlet properly (one conductor came loose before I first used it), most outlets they installed are loose (they give when pushing in a plug), and they installed a used, old (not LED compatible) dimmer for the LED lights they installed. Also, the owner yelled at his team a lot. * The plumbing subcontractor was bad, too. They misdrilled several holes, damaging the interior of the home. They didn't seal around exterior penetrations into the house. They didn't put a cover over the branch of a wye that was no longer needed. They wouldn't do anything about the loss of hot water pressure in a bathroom faucet that occurred after they moved some plumbing around (I ended up having to disconnect and disassemble the hot water valve myself and I found a piece of silicone clogged in there). They over-glued the drain of the laundry supply box making it nearly impossible to remove the cap, and they lost the o-rings on my faucet aerator. The Ugly (-2 stars): ========== * They overlooked details in the plans about where walls and doors should go, and denied responsibility since they weren't in the structural engineer's plans, which they opted to not have updated with the revisions I told them about. This lead to a sewer pipe being installed in an inconvenient location (it went through the foundation, so it can't be moved), a structural wall that was almost built in the wrong place (I caught it while they were digging the footing), and a room that was built with no doorway (they had to cut some framing to make the opening). * The pricing/scope was negligent at best, but I'd put it closer to misleading or deceptive. During the initial visits, they talked about all the things they would do (including putting up framing, drywall, and insulation), and then sent over an estimate that I accepted. I didn't realize until halfway through the project that the estimate didn't include many of the things they talked about (including the framing, drywall, and insulation); those apparently would be part of "Phase 2," not included in the price of the first estimate. I had chosen E&F over another estimate that was less expensive even though it did explicitly contain the "additional" scope. I was also surprised that the electrical and plumbing (most of which was necessary to get them out of the way for the structural work) was billed separately; i.e., an unexpected additional expense. * They chose to rebuild a segment of stairs (rather than just adding two steps at the bottom, per the plans), which ended up having insufficient clearance with an overhang halfway down. They tried to convince me there was no new problem because they built them the same as before (but the run of the new stairs was one inch longer, causing the 4th step down to be 4 inches closer to the overhang) and resisted remedying the issue. They just ended up taking a sawzall to trim the overhang -- a joist -- which I just have to hope doesn't compromise any structural integrity! Further, they didn't even finish the stairs (sand and seal); "Test your staining skills," they said. * They ghosted before Phase 2. As the structural work was reaching completion, we were going back and forth on scope for Phase 2. However, when the structural work was actually completed, they just stopped communicating, left dirt and demo debris they left on our driveway for a month, then disappeared. There were lots of things they removed to get out of the way (like several segments of fence) but didn't put back. I could easily add 3x more issues and details, but this review is already too long.

We used E&F for a foundation replacement as well as seismic retrofit, including brace and bolt…read more They finished on time and under-budget, with good communication from both the owner and site foreman. I'm definitely planning to have them quote the next phase of our remodel!

We're so thankful we found Hilltop Builders. From the very first call, communication was kind,…read moreclear, and reassuring, which made a stressful situation feel manageable right away. They inspected our retaining wall, installed a French drain, waterproofed part of our foundation, and fixed drainage issues in our backyard. They took the time to explain everything in a way that actually made sense, and we never felt rushed or pushed. The crew was respectful, showed up when they said they would, and left everything clean when they finished. After the recent rain, everything worked exactly as promised -- we finally have real peace of mind and can relax when it rains. Huge thank you to the Hilltop Builders team. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to any homeowner needing help with drainage, foundation waterproofing, French drains, or retaining wall work.

Hilltop builders was fantastic to work with. One of the main people we worked with was a gentleman…read morenamed Ilan Fuks. This company did work on our church that we go to in Martinez California. They did water damage repair that the church had they did other caulking and repair on the outside of the church. They fix the bell tower, making it look brand new. They did an outstanding job I would definitely hire them again. And I would refer them to anyone that needed Repair on their homes or businesses.

In short: Tom and his team are fantastic and turned our 2/1 into a 3/2 with a full basement in…read moreabout 8 months. We wanted to add a bedroom, bathroom and basement to our house and had heard about Tom from other Alameda residents and family who had had some work done in the past. He is well known for basements and foundation work here in Alameda, but our project had it all- new bedrooms, decks, roofs and everything along with it. Tom and his team was able to do it all turning our 2 bedroom, 1 bath into a 3 bedroom, 2 bath with a large daylight basement, all while we were still occupying the home with two young children! They finished very close to the estimated timeline with excellent workmanship. We were very impressed how quickly they performed the demo and framing, getting everything enclosed well before winter. Our new bedroom and bathroom have been a dream and our basement is an awesome.

Recently carroll construction put in some porch stairs of me…read more The job was meticulous and the company was a joy to do business with. I would highly recommend this company.

A great Bay Area contractor. The neighbors marveled at the professionalism and quality of Winfield…read moreConstruction.

We have Ken's team do a full foundation replacement and seismic upgrade on our building. They have…read morea good team and the quality of the work was very good. Ken prices things fairly, unlike many other bay area contractors who have been inflating prices given all the demand their is these days. My only gripe is there were a few unforseen issues that I feel like could have been better anticipated that ended up costing us some extra time and money. All in all we are happy with the outcome of this very large project though.

My husband and I are really happy with New Avenue. Amer and his team, New Avenue's principal…read morecontractor, did an incredible job building a backyard music studio for my husband on our property in San Francisco as well transforming an underutilized space into a laundry room. The team was professional, and they moved very quickly to complete the job. We found the prices competitive. Working with Jeff Rexford, we're now well on our way through the design phase of our next project designed and built by New Avenue. We're very happy to continue working with New Avenue.

New Avenue has been a joy to work with and we couldn't be happier with the incredible result. Our…read moreexperience with the New Avenue architect, contractor, as well as New Avenue management has been fantastic from start to finish. We set out to build an ADU in our back yard, and we knew that New Avenue were the experts in this area--plus they came highly recommended from friends who had worked with them. We didn't have loads of cash to throw at creating a dream house, so we were picturing a very simple, basic box in our backyard, no frills. What we ended up with is a gorgeously designed and built one-bedroom house that anyone would be thrilled to live in. It's energy efficient, has hardwood custom cabinetry and built-in bookshelves, gorgeous tiling and a beautiful kitchen, lovely polished concrete floors. The style is mid-century modern, inspired by the style of the mid-century architect Rudolph Schindler. Our architect, Randolph Ruiz, an architecture professor who is a fantastic communicator with an incredible vision, guided us through a design process that got us to a beautiful design that we absolutely love, despite the fact that my husband and I lack aesthetic talent of any kind. And it came in on budget. And as quickly as could be expected considering the COVID supply issues. The whole construction process took about 8 months because there were delays in obtaining basic supplies such as wood, windows, and appliances because of COVID. Their original timeline was 4 months, and I believe they would have come in close to that if not for the supply issues. This was for a 500 square foot one-bedroom house with a kitchen and a loft. We worked with Purev Baatarchuulu as our contractor. Purev's team was communicative, friendly, and affordable. And most importantly, very competent--one of their construction workers is trained as a civil engineer in Mongolia, and often came up with great suggestions for small improvements to the design as they went along. When one of their subcontractors turned out to be unreliable, thus delaying the project by a couple of weeks (unfortunately, he'd started the project and THEN flaked!) they managed to get him moving again by sheer polite persistence. (I'm certain they won't be hiring that particular subcontractor again). We felt consistently great about working with this thoughtful, careful, communicative, ethical, and hardworking team. Working with New Avenue was key to moving this project along and completing it in a timely fashion, with the confidence that we were doing it right. Kevin from New Avenue was super helpful in answering our questions from the very beginning, when we had just started to think about what it would mean to build an ADU. He knows so much about it, he was able to help us think through our total budget, what our goals were for the ADU, and answer our questions about timeline, as well as many many other questions about how different things work, like getting financing, etc. Kevin is really good at finding the right fit for architect and contractor, so you're not just going with an architect or construction company that your friend recommends, but rather with people who are a good fit for you. He has a deep knowledge of this whole process and is really passionate about building ADUs (which, in my opinion, is super important work to make our cities denser, increase housing supply, drive down the cost of housing, and curb transportation emissions). He also really cares about people feeling great about their homes, and finding solutions that fit your family. Kevin gets it from a holistic perspective, and it has been so great, as people with no previous experience building housing, to have someone with deep experience to guide us through the process.