Highly recommend for anyone looking to get work done under the EBB program! Oscar and Daniel came…read morein with a competitive bid and know the ins and outs of the program very well. Work was also completed on time and team left the place clean and tidy after.

Highly recommend for ESS (Earthquake Soft Story)! Altamira just finished an ESS seismic retrofit at…read moreour house in Oakland and my wife and I are very happy. Oscar was a great communicator and educator on the project and navigating the CEA ESS program related plans and permits, and ensured the project was competitively priced and well managed. Daniel and his crew performed the work, and were very professional, courteous, and tidy. They completed the work on time and within budget, and completed almost all of the CEA ESS application for us. A wonderful team and experience for us. Thank you, Altamira!

Highly recommend: I couldn't be happier with the work done on the seismic retrofit of our duplex in…read moreSan Francisco. Mark and his crew were professional, knowledgeable, and incredibly attentive. They worked within a tight timeframe without cutting any corners and their price was competitive. Mark took the time to understand my needs and answer every questxion with patience over multiple months of discussion. The quality spoke for itself: our inspector was genuinely impressed by the quality of the retrofit and the work was also reviewed by an independent engineer. Mark earned his reputation as one of the best in the city, and I experienced that firsthand.

If you are thinking about retrofitting you should give Mark a call irrespective of who else you…read morehave talked to. He takes significant amount of time walking through the steps and even he pulls up your home and discusses potential issues and solutions. Highly Recommend !!

Not only did Dan put together a solid structural design for our home, but he's been very supportive…read morein working through updates and building with our contractor. Thanks Dan!

Dan and his team recently inspected our property for seismic safety as per the service I requested…read more They were thorough , seemed very knowledgeable and I enjoyed discussion our project with his team. Highly recommend.

I just completed a deck rebuild over living space with Montclair Construction. This job was not a…read moretypical deck job - it was little more complicated. They assessed the situation quickly and completed the deck in a few weeks. The finished project looks great and their bid was reasonable. A good experience!

I can't say enough good things about my recent experience with Montclair Construction and the work…read morethey did on my backyard retaining wall. It was a big project involving drainage and a complete rebuild, and they handled every part of it flawlessly. The crew was fantastic--courteous, kind, and incredibly diligent. Even my next-door neighbor commented on how impressed he was with their professionalism. No litter, no loud music, no parking issues--just a great construction team doing excellent work. A special shoutout to Robert and Diana, who guided me through the entire process and answered every question along the way. Orlando, who oversaw the project, was also a pleasure to work with. Their communication was excellent, and they kept everything on schedule. I wish I remembered the names of the two main guys on the crew, because they absolutely deserve recognition--they were A+ workers, always hardworking and always smiling. I highly recommend Montclair Construction. They get a 10/10 from me--an A+ rating. This is one very happy customer, and I'll definitely use them again for my next construction project. C. Beam Oakland Hills ---

I bought a new, old home and wanted the foundation and floors evaluated…read more Fast response time. They provided a quote ($600) in no time, offered to send out a sample report and asked for the address of the house. When I probed them with what the evaluation involved (such as mapping floor levelness) and whether they were independent without financial ties to contractors, I learned they don't map floor levelness. They didn't answer the bulk of my questions, and they ended stating they don't have the bandwidth to take on my project.

I hired SF Bay Engineering for seismic retrofit plans under the Earthquake Brace and Bolt program…read more I was told architectural drawings were required before they could proceed, so I hired and paid an architect to prepare them. After multiple back and forth and with SF Bay Engineering admitting they aren't familiar with the requirements, they terminated the contract. They refunded their engineering fee, but the architectural cost remained my responsibility. I brought the matter to small claims court, and the court ruled that because I retained the plans, reimbursement was not warranted. I recommend future clients clarify in writing how architectural costs will be handled if SF Bay Engineering terminates the contract. Happy to provide additional details upon request

I had a great experience with Bama Builders. Jose helped me evaluate some severe cracks in my…read moregarage slab-on-grade and assess the adjacent house foundation. He was very courteous, knowledgeable, and trustworthy. He walked me through the entire evaluation, answered all my questions, and explained the potential causes of the cracks in a way that was easy to understand. He was also very easy to talk to and never pushy about getting the repairs done right away, which I really appreciated. He's very professional, and his prices are very reasonable. I will definitely consider Jose for the repairs. Highly recommended!

We have worked with Jose Madrid on multiple projects over several years, and I honestly cannot say…read moreenough good things about him and his team. Years ago when I was looking for someone, I read the reviews closely, and some folks wrote some great and 100% true stuff about Jose (who also owns Madriz Tree Services), so I'm here to pay it forward. Our first project was a big one: we needed a large tree removed because the roots were actively damaging not just the sidewalk, but the street itself. Jose and his team did a beautiful job removing the tree, repairing the sidewalk, and fixing the road. The root structure was massive, and yet, three years later, nothing has popped back up through the sidewalk or street. Since then, we've hired Jose for several additional projects. He repaired our front stairs with a design that was clean and perfectly matched the aesthetic of our house. He also removed an old fireplace and seamlessly repaired the flooring. Whatever wood and technique he used, it genuinely looks like the fireplace was never there. Most recently, Jose built us a stunning, high-end spa bathroom. It includes a beautiful sauna and an integrated electronic system that controls heat and music. (He actually invited us to visit another open house where he had built a similar sauna and we appreciated being about to see and touch it all first.) Throughout the entire process, Jose was incredibly communicative. He sent regular updates and photos, flagged issues early, and when we needed to make decisions, he sent us thoughtful options and walked us through the pros and cons. The final result clearly reflects both our preferences and his design expertise. It's beautiful. One thing that really stands out about Jose is his attention to detail and problem-solving. For example, during the tree removal, he noticed damage to some underground pipes. He stopped the concrete work, coordinated the pipe repair, fixed it properly, and only then completed the job. He's knowledgeable across multiple areas, and when unexpected issues come up (which they always do in older homes), he knows how to handle them. For context, we live in a small California bungalow built in 1915, so surprises are part of the package. Jose consistently worked with what the house gave us and found solutions. It's worth noting that Jose is in high demand, so projects can take time. That said, the quality of his work is stellar, and for us, it has always been worth the wait. I would 100% recommend Jose for anything from tree removal and concrete repair to high-end interior renovations. His expertise, responsiveness, communication, and final craftsmanship are all excellent - and it pricing was highly competitive!

I had an excellent experience working with Quakebusters. Jerome and Francisco came to give me an…read moreestimate and helped me navigate the EBB application. Once the work began, the entire crew was very careful, thorough, and communicative. Unlike other contractors, they made sure to clean up the spaces when they were done for the day and made it a positive experience.

My wife and I went through the pretty byzantine CA Earthhquake Brace and Bolt (EBB) grant process…read morein order to get our house more quake-resilient and get the Berkeley rebate and CA grant money. I had spoken to Jerome early in the process for an estimate, and he came prepared with all sorts of literature about what brace and bolt consists of, the soup-to-nuts process and general earthquake preparedness. We had to get multiple quotes, but other contractors were either dismissive or way more expensive. Once we decided on Quakebusters, Francisco was tremendously patient with us and guided us through the entire process and helped with advice about how to gather the information we needed. The crew took exactly as long as they anticipated, arranged their own porta-potty facilities, were punctual, arranged for the special and city inspections, worked with our schedule and cleaned our crawlspace nearly better than they found it! Quakebusters were also transparent that there were cheaper options than to go through the official EBB grant process, but we decided spending the extra money for peace of mind and to have permits was out best option. Thank you guys so much! Who you gonna call? Quakebusters!

Our 100 year old house is about 1 mile from the Hayward fault. After 20 plus years of getting wild…read morebids for seismic upgrade work we went to KSF Structural and asked them to design us a new foundation. Kent was great to work with. He provided excellent drawings and a work package that resulted in almost no change orders. The bids were very tight for the work and the contractor's work crew did an excellent job. We are very happy with Kent's help on our project.

I did a whole house remodel down to the studs, that included a complete foundation replacement…read more After looking and interviewing a few structural engineers, I chose Kent, and am so happy I did. He was a pleasure to work with throughout the entire process (and trust me, it was a process lol). He provided plans and details that were easy to follow and build, was open to feedback, and provided clear communication of the tradeoffs involved. His rates are fair and work is quality. I would highly recommend Kent for your next project.