it's really sad that companies like this are still on the market and doing the business. They're working in our building for 6+ month remodeling 4 units and the processes they're "managing" are poorly done. They don't clean the common areas and we're living in construction dirt and filth, "manager" is constantly lying and tries to pass the responsibility to others, they can re-do the work several times (like AC, plumbing). Deadlines are failed - we have been promised by management that work will be done till the end of April. It was a surprise to learn that they performed the work for 3 months without obtaining any city permit for that, which is considered a huge violation. They mess with our cars parked on the paid parking lot, they hit our walls and holes are not repaired until we complain million times, they open the doors daily and let the homeless people enter the property, they forget to close the doors and garage gate for the night. If you thing to hire them - run. It will be the best decision, not to fall for their fake reviews made by bots or friends. read more

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This company employs workers who drag their feet. They were contracted to do a job where I live that was supposed to be finished more than a month ago. They leave debris everywhere which is a huge inconvenience for tenants who have suffered flat tires as a results of sharp metal rods that are strewn about the carport. The workers leave security gates open (even after they leave) and they are rude. I have sent repeated notes to their "support" email re: end of the day sweep up of debris from concrete excavation and security awareness. NONE have been replied to which is a show of disrespect. Also, did I mention THEY ARE SLOW WORKERS. They always seem to be on break whenever I encounter them. Maybe that's why the job is taking so long... I would NOT use this company. read more

We had the contractor do a soft story retrofit for our apartment building. Their pricing was extremely fair, and service was exceptional. There was very little disruption for our tenants. The communication was excellent, too. A special thank you to Karen for her hard work in making this potential grueling project a breeze. read more

Cal Retrofit was contracted to do the soft story retrofitting for our small apartment building. As a tenant, I was very impressed and appreciative of the communication they had in the form of notices and providing all of us with Tenant Habitability Plans, as well as answering phone calls and emails. I was able to call the main office number and speak to someone directly when I had questions, and they even had specific departments for things like parking, etc. They answered all my questions big and small. The Field Operations Office, in particular, was responsive to both my calls and emails. The gentlemen that originally came by to post notices (I don't remember his name) took the time to tell us the whole process, including what might appear as delays, answered a number of questions, and managed to quell a lot of worry we had. Every person I spoke to was professional, knowledgeable, helpful, and patient. Cal Retrofit is a class act and I'm grateful they were the company that handled this project. Thank you to everyone there! For those who might want to know, the process took about four months, but the crew was not there every day. It ranged from a couple of times a week to a couple of times a month. In between was waiting for inspections. At every step of the process, an inspector needs to check out what was done and potentially new plans might need to happen, so it takes awhile. Usually notices were posted when they'd return, often I would email and my emails were answered. We have neighbors with newborns, people who worked night shifts, and people working from home (of course), so I wanted to keep on top of the days the crew would be working. Demolition happens first, then the retrofitting, then rebuilding what was demolished. Cal Retrofit will answer your questions about the process if asked. read more

These guys did work in a building where I live. They were rude, sexist, and went out of their way to be as noisy as possible. I understand that construction is loud but they would deliberately sing and scream at the top of their lungs while working and make extra noise, even after my neighbor and I explained that we work from home and asked if they could please minimize the noise that was NOT necessary to do their jobs. One neighbor who speaks Spanish said they were using sexist slurs about us when we walked away. Also they never worked full days which was fine by me but my landlord says he was paying for full days. It took almost 5 months to put one little post in the carport. If I were a property owner I would never give these people my money. read more

I wouldn't use them again They quoted me a price and thousands of dollars over bid they finally finished. Be ware

Not an owner or a landlord, but a tenant. The work looks fine. Cal Retrofit did a project at my apt complex. The project ran over time. They frequently didn't communicate with the management company - so we would get notifications that weren't expected or approved by the management - often the management didn't know how to answer questions from us. Before the project even started, they dropped a porta potty off directly in front of the living room window of a unit a week or two early. They eventually did pick it up and when it was time to be returned, installed it in a more appropriate section of the front of the building. During the project, they would regularly not close the parking security gate behind them. When they would close it, they would brute force it closed (I witnessed this) - to the point where they broke the gate. They wouldn't show up for weeks at a time and not even let us know they weren't coming so we could park in our spots instead of trying to find parking out on the street which was difficult to impossible depending on the day. They unplugged our dryers without plugging them back in. They disconnected the lights for half of the complex for several weeks. They left equipment in parking spaces after they left, sometimes to the point where they couldn't be used. Personally, I had about a dozen boxes stored in the carport to be used for shipping items and wrapping holiday gifts, and one day I came home and most were gone. There was a couple left untouched, and I found one full of nails and bolts belonging to the crew. Other tenants had items in the carport that were moved or missing when they were done. Trash was regularly left in the carport along with their gear. There's some still tools still here. For some reason, a piece of furniture from our pool was moved to the carport and left there. Overall, just not great etiquette on the site with this company, though when you spoke to them, the workers were nice. So there's that. read more

This is only the tenant perspective of the process. They're probably great at their actual work. But... Our project management has been very substandard with how to manage the project based on tenant notification. For example: We live in a building our owner is retrofitting and the project management communication to tenants is non-existent. Basically, we have had our building parking removed daily from 8-5 p.m. and unfortunately live in an area of the city where there is basically no street parking, so it is a big problem. Yet, Cal Retrofit didn't do any work the past 2 weeks, and never signed off on us parking in our building spaces. So we were inconvenienced and left without parking for 2 weeks for no reason--and it all could have been prevented. Cal Retrofit should have told us we could park in our spaces and allowed us to park there. They didn't--even after multiple requests to address the issue. That doesn't make any sense. In construction, Tenant notification is part of your job. Make a construction schedule available to the tenants. That's project management 101! read more

Cal Retrofit seem to be grossly unprofessional and loud group. They're doing an Earthquake Retro fit in our alley, you know an alley full of inhabited apartments. The creeps blast loud music all day and yell at each other loud enough to be heard nearly a block away. They think they're in some sort of vacuum and that all the units around them are just buildings. The ignorance is astounding. I didn't hire the buffoons, and never would. There have been larges gaps of time between the phases that aren't waiting for inspections. The job site has been messy and possibly dangerous, etc. You'd be a lot better off hiring real professionals. read more

Our seismic retrofit was given to us 3 days before the work was to start however no one showed up for an entire 7 days and when they did they did everything against what was set forth by our city. They often left huge piles of dirt and trash and began their work only to abandon the job a week after starting, and the same day that code enforcement came by to warn them about not jackhammering outside of the hours allowed 10am-3pm (which they had been starting at 8am) it's almost 1 month and no one has returned and they left our entire complex filthy. They never replied to emails send regarding what was going on with the work either. Our apt is more unsafe now than it was before mandatory retrofit in Santa Monica was required read more

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Cal Retrofit "started" their work 5 days after they initially stated that work would begin which is extremely frustrating as we all rushed to obtain parking passes and paid for them- come to find out the city offered free parking passes. They managed to continuously violate rules set forth by the city such as no jackhammering outside the hours of 10am-3pm. When code enforcement came out to warn them of this they replied "we are on a deadline" and then they have yet to return to finish the work they started. We have a porta potty sitting underneath a tenants window, huge open trenches with no forewarning of the danger that occurs such as when a trench opened up over the weekend. There is dirt, debri, and the roof and pillars in our carport have been left open as they had started to tear into them -but again never returned to finish work. read more

Cal Retrofit - Open trenches left in our car port over 2 weeks ago - Foundation Repair Near Me - Tarzana, California

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CAL-RETROFIT ARE THE BEST IN THEIR FIELD. We contacted Cal-Retrofit after failed negotiations with another company. They provided descent estimates for two different properties and took over the jobs. Cal Retrofit handled all the building permits as well as the Rental Stabilization required tenant notification paperwork. They always were available to answer my questions and completed the jobs in a professional and timely manner without additional unforeseen charges. Thank you Cal Retrofit and all of your staff for a job well done read more

Garbage and Debris-the remains of something that has been destroyed or broken up. detritus, junk, rubble, dust. rubbish, trash, scrap - worthless material that is to be disposed This is what I have to look forward to pulling up into my parking space every other evening. As employees of the low rated CalRetro continues to violate multiple building codes. This is both a safety and a health hazard but at the end of the day CalRetro is all about money as you can see they do not remove debris they use poor quality materials and to cut more cost they have continue use undocumented workers for low rages. You ask the question why because IT COST MONEY!!!!!!I can't wait to call the city tomorrow to file a complaint against CalRetro and my property owners. Do not do business with CalRetro unless you are a slum lord. read more

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We asked 4 different companies to give us an estimate for replacing a house foundation. They all had a similar outlook on the project, but Calretrofit stood out with a clear scope of work, faster response time, and price. Carlos went above and beyond to answer all of our questions and completing the job as neat as possible. Everything was made simple and easy with their experience and expertise, I can't thank you enough! read more

You guys made our soft story retrofit a breeze. If this is the treatment you give all of your clients, then I can see why you're #1 in Los Angeles. Our buildings parking situation is a nightmare to begin with, and Cal Retrofit's engineers came up with an out of the box solution that was beyond perfect. Their staff were quick on the draw, to answer all of our questions and keep us in the loop at every turn, and they coordinated the construction to a tee. The crew was fast, clean and to tell the truth, these guys are craftsmen! All in all, the experience was better than my expectations, and our tenants are grateful, not just for the ease of the construction, but that their homes are reinforced and quake safe. We can all sleep well now because of you! Thank you everyone at Cal Retrofit. Chris read more

Cal Retrofit did the soft story seismic retrofitting in the apartment where I live. The field operations office was always very friendly and helpful in responding to my many questions. It made a huge difference in planning alternative parking. I'm very grateful for being able to keep abreast of their work schedule and for being made to feel welcome to contact them at any time. read more

We retrofitted our 20 Unit building with Cal Retrofit this summer after getting quotes from them and another well known company. We ultimately went with Cal Retrofit for two reasons: The other company charged us $350 to survey our property, despite it being just 4 blocks from their office, and worse yet, provided us with a boilerplate estimate that showed they were clearly phoning it in. Cal Retrofit oh the other hand, provided us with free estimate that was superior in every way - far more detailed, customized for our property and highlighted many ways they ago beyond code. Thankfully there was no major wait for the permits get sorted, and once they started the work was excellent. They explained what they were doing every step of the way, showed us their progress every evening, were polite and courteous and VERY patient with our tenants many questions and concerns. I thought the parking was going to be a nightmare, and I don't know how these guys did it, but there was not one complaint from our tenants or neighbors during the construction. One of the trickiest things about hiring any contractor is establishing trust, and my experiences with Cal Retrofit left me with a great amount of confidence in them. I can't say enough good things about the professionalism and integrity of the Cal Retrofit team. read more

Thankfully, we found Cal Retrofit and we've utilized their full range of services to complete 6 retrofit construction projects to date, all on time, and on budget. Cal Retrofit navigated all challenges presented and provided the reassurance we needed to continue putting our trust in them. The team at Cal Retrofit is professional and accommodating. They make themselves available to meet every tenant or management concern, no matter how big or small. Their daily communications by email and photos have exceeded our expectations. They are instrumental in filing all the necessary documentation with the appropriate city offices. Cal Retrofit has streamlined the soft-story seismic retrofit process by having all aspects of the retrofit process under one roof, including structural engineering and steel fabrication. This enables them to manage the schedule efficiently and not be dependent on third-party subcontractors. Cal Retrofit understands the direct connection between engineering and actual onsite construction. Our first soft-story seismic retrofit project with Cal Retrofit was complex. Cal Retrofit worked closely with our engineer to avoid surprises and to adapt to our building's peculiarities. Cal Retrofit was straightforward with everything involved, including an accurate timeline and price. They gave us a breakdown specific to each building, which I found to be more reliable than the rough estimates we received from other contractors. They advocated for us with city inspectors, took great care to resist unnecessary change orders, and minimized costs when city-mandated changes were absolutely necessary. They carry the correct Commercial Retrofit Insurance policy. Their unique retrofitting service helped us customize and optimize the total retrofitting process on each project, thus saving us tens of thousands of dollars in construction costs. Cal Retrofit's on-site construction crews are pleasant and efficient. They safely maintain the work areas, keep them clean, and do their best to minimize the displacement of tenant parking. Their craftsmanship is impeccable. We enjoy accessing real-time photos of their work in progress through their online portal. Cal Retrofit's success stems from their unwavering commitment to getting the job done in the most cost-saving and professional manner. They hold themselves to the highest personal and professional standards. They provided customized and optimal solutions to fit each project that was time-saving and cost-saving. They drafted a 3-D model of each building and found the most efficient, economical retrofitting that provides better seismic performance and damage control. Their workmanship and craftsmanship are at the highest level. They are a mindful, dependable and reliable company, and their leadership, crews, and management team are top-notch. read more

Cal Retrofit did a great job... Priced well, clean, on time, good communication, color correct, anything I needed was taken care of correct as well as quickly, overall good job... I would use these folks again and recommend anytime.... Allan Santa Monica Ca read more

We found Cal Retrofit on Google Search and chose them for their expertise in seismic retrofitting. They were very punctual and completed everything on time, and also handled the permitting process smoothly. Thanks for making this experience so easy. read more

I contracted Cal Retrofit in regards to the required earthquake retrofitting work for a building I own in Los Angeles. I had a great experience working with the entire team. Cal Retrofit managed to complete the project in a timely manner with excellent results at a great price. I was very happy when the city gave me their final approval!! Many thanks to the team at Cal Retrofit for all their hard work and a job well done. read more

Cal Retrofit was quick to respond to my call, and arrived on time for the estimate of our Apartment Building. Their communication was great, always quick to respond via e-mail, text or phone. They delivered the quote on time and took care of all the permits. A couple of weeks later their crew came and finished the entire job in 3 weeks. The whole process was smooth and painless. i was very pleased with the price, speed and quality of their work! Overall I would rate Cal Retrofit a 'Big 10'. I would highly recommend them for any Soft Story Construction. read more

From the very start, the folks at Cal Retrofit were very professional, helpful and extremely efficient. They were transparent and informative about our project and how their team of engineers and construction specialists would get it done. They were prompt, conscientious, and they did a wonderful job. I would use them again in a heart beat. read more

It's refreshing when a company delivers more than they promise. When we contracted Cal Retrofit for the Soft Story Construction of our 10 unit Apartment building, we had many concerns, but the foremost was the possible inconvenience to our tenants. Our project coordinator, assured me this would not be the case, and sure enough he stuck to his word. From day one, these guys were truly great to work with. Everyone, from the office staff to the construction crew, were courteous, professional and very accommodating. They came, did their work without chaos, and left the site spotless. Cal Retrofit completed our project on time, and on budget, but for me the best part of the experience, was I did not hear a single complaint from any of our tenants. I recommend them highly. read more