Like many other people leaving reviews for Greg, we also hired him for a seismic upgrade of our foundation. From the very first call, Greg was incredibly professional, responsive, detailed, and honest. His timeline for the completion of his work was spot on. He was helpful with the EBB online process and paperwork, which sometimes felt overwhelming. He was pleasant to have around, keeping a very tidy worksite. He arrived every day as promised and completed our job on time. He coordinated with the city inspector to be here for final sign off. Greg is one in a million! We highly recommend him if you are considering work to your foundation. read more

This is a 5 star rating for Greg Sylvis' foundation bolting services. He's a deeply knowledgeable professional. He consistently follows through on his commitments. He makes very easy what could seem like a complicated process. And it's sort of impossible not to laugh at his terrible dad jokes. At the outset Greg walked me through what the process should be with any contractor and how the process / work should get documented in the Earthquake Bolt & Brace portal. That first overview helped significantly in demystifying the process. From then on, everything unfolded exactly as he said it would. Greg handled the coordination, documentation, and execution with precision and transparency, keeping me informed at every step without ever making it feel overwhelming. The work was completed efficiently, cleanly, and to a very high standard, and all required photos and records were promptly uploaded and clearly documented in the portal. He inspires a significant level of trust and confidence - you always know where things stand, what's happening next, and why. It's rare to find someone who combines technical expertise, reliability, and genuine approachability so seamlessly. If you're looking for foundation bolting done right by someone who truly knows his craft and makes the entire process stress-free (and delivers a steady stream of bad puns), Greg is an easy, enthusiastic recommendation. read more

Work has not been done yet (on me) - but I wanted to say he has been nothing but patient and helpful while I'm working on the EBB process because we ran into an unusual situation with paperwork. I'll follow up once the work is done, but very impressed with his attitude, knowledge, and follow-up! Came highly recommended from a co-worker who had her house done and she is impressively selective. read more

I've worked with many contractors in the past, and by far, Greg is the best one I've worked with. He's also very knowledgeable about the process in San Marino. Finally, Greg is also quite the comedian! Definitely recommend! read more

Five-star reviews are meant for people like Greg. We were happy to have found him on the earthquake site (I think it's the EBB site). He has all five-star reviews there too. So we connected, he quickly responded, and before we knew if we were on his calendar. Greg is responsive and professional. He is skilled and knows what he is doing, and we feel lucky to have found him and been able to hire him. I you are looking for someone to do your earthquake brace and bolt, hire him now. Get on his calendar. You won't regret it. I also appreciated that he gave us suggestions to make our home even more safe if an earthquake hits. Love that. His knowledge and assistance with the entire process make it easy for those of us who have no idea. What a huge benefit it was for us in hiring him. read more

I was so thrilled that the only guy to email me back was so great. He knew the EBB process and website so well, he walked me through the whole process. He finished his work quickly and communicated every step of the process. On top of it all, he's friendly and reasonable. Can't do better than Greg. Worth every star and more. read more

Greg Sylvis is the best! Extremely knowledgeable and capable. He guided us seamlessly through the whole process (both the technical aspects of the retrofit and the EBB program procedure), with clear communication and an excellent sense of humor throughout. He was very responsive and did fantastic work very efficiently. We cannot recommend him highly enough. read more

When I was offered a grant for a seismic retrofit through the EBB program, I found Greg in their list of approved contractors in my area. Greg came by to give an estimate the same day I requested a quote. He was very thorough in explaining the work to be done, and all of the steps to the EBB process. His quote was significantly better than the next best quote. Once I hired him, he immediately filed for a permit with the city. He also took care of uploading most things to the EBB dashboard; I had to do very little , which is nice. At the time, I did have to wait 3 months for Greg to start the actual retrofit. The winter rains apparently delayed him a bit. He doesn't use fixed dates for appointments, he apparently goes through his backlog in order, which is understandable. But EBB allows 6 months from the acceptance date, so he was done with plenty of time to spare. read more

We qualified for the EBB program and found Greg through their website. The EBB program takes a bit of time to get through since the proposal needs to be approved before work can even start. There is also a lot of documentation that needs to be uploaded in order to be reimbursed for the project. This process can take months. Greg finished our seismic retrofit in one day, but the thing that stood out was how he patiently explained the entire process to us and helped us with the paperwork every step of the way. We recently passed our inspection with no issues. Greg really goes above and beyond when he works with you! He is also punctual, communicative, and funny. Your retrofit will be in good hands if you hire him. read more

Greg is simply the best at what he does! I wouldn't go to anyone else for earthquake safety and foundation evaluation.

I qualified for the EEB Program, and found Greg through a recommendation from a friend. Greg was wonderful to work with. He was punctual, very knowledgeable, and communicated clearly. He was also very efficient, hard working, and left the site very clean at completion. The process for the EBB Program requires a fair amount of documentation to be uploaded pre and post the retrofit to get reimbursed, but it is not difficult. It also requires patience once submitted as the paperwork process takes time. Greg patiently explained his process and helped with the paperwork when I had questions. He finished in 2 days, and we passed the building department inspection with no problems. I wish all contractors had the work ethic, personality and efficiency that he does. I absolutely very highly recommend him. read more

Don't know how a guy with such a big personality and large frame could fit into such a small crawl space and still do such amazing work. No nonsense. Quick to respond. Great old school work ethic. Hands like the concrete he bolts. I highly recommend Greg. Passed inspection and grateful for the safety upgrade. read more

I left a message for Greg and he immediately got back to me. During our home inspection, the inspector noticed some cracks in the foundation of the crawl space as well as some cracks on the fireplace. I sent him the report along with the photos and he assured me that this was very common and nothing to be alarmed about. I very much appreciate that he didn't try to scare me into making immediate and unnecessary repairs. I saved his number so when the time comes, he'll be the first person I call to make the repairs! read more

We recently employed Greg to retrofit out home and he did a great job. He was efficient and professional getting us a quote. When we were ready to get the work done he was able to fit us into his schedule within a couple weeks. It was easy to communicate with him via phone, text and email and he always responded quickly. We'd absolutely recommend Greg- he's a super nice guy and does fantastic work. read more

5 stars- without question! Always returned calls or emails quickly, arrived / worked days as arranged, super knowledgeable and friendly. Helped me with the permit and before & after photos. The city inspectors comment was "this guy does good work!" read more

Greg Sylvis was recommended to us by a friend, as well as by the Earthquake Brace & Bolt program. He did a great job on our earthquake retrofit. He's prompt, a total pro, and more than reasonable. Throughout the process, Greg handled all the paperwork. Doubtful you'll find anyone better. He's also very funny. Five star recommendation. read more

Greg was the first contractor to respond from the set of contractors selected off the EBB site. He had crawled under my house before I even got return calls from any of the others. He is honest, professional and funny. read more

Greg did an extensive retrofit job on my 1908 house when I first moved in back in 2012. My house was built on river rock so it wasn't simply a retrofit but also entailed building a "sister wall". Don't ask me all the specifics b/c I'm no expert but Greg sure is! He's very personable and easy to work with. He put up with all my dumb questions and I believe the guy really loves his job. He would come over at 7am and work all day and I felt very confident that my 100+ year old house was in very good hands. Fast forward almost 10 years and I had to contact Greg about some paperwork for earthquake insurance. He's still the same personable guy as I remember and he helped me out big time. If you're looking to get your house earthquake safe, look no more and give Greg Sylvis a call! read more

When's the next larger quake going to strike our neighborhoods? This morning, our house passed with flying colors a LA County inspection on a seismic retrofit that Greg did for us. We're hoping that we may now qualify for a discount on our California Earthquake Authority earthquake insurance policy (our agent is looking into it). But even without an insurance discount, seismic retrofitting makes incredible sense in Southern California. We live in world-renowned earthquake country. Greg was fanstastic. He is knowledgeable, highly communicative and responsive, thorough, quick and efficient, easy to work with, and affordable. The previous person who had attempted to retrofit our house had very visibly botched the job. Even my husband had noticed that when we first purchased our home. Greg redid everything, and did it well. He started and finished the same day and dealt with the permitting process for us, which was wonderful. His advice regarding the LA County voluntary seismic retrofit inspection process alerted us to a relatively recent (5-6 year ago) safety law change regarding carbon monoxide (CO) detection that goes beyond just regular smoke detection. Back when we purchased our home in 2012, the CO detection wasn't a requirement. Our LA County seismic retrofit inspector explained to me this morning that although it's not as much of an issue with our own house, many of the local older homes in our area have floor and/or wall furnaces (and/or indoor hot water heaters). Such homes can really suffer from extra indoor carbon monoxide risk, and should take extra care to have working CO detectors. Thanks to Greg, we had gone over to Home Depot this week and replaced our outdated smoke-only detectors with the newer combined smoke/CO detectors (smoke/CO detector value packs are on sale at Home Depot right now). We passed our seismic retrofit inspection (which also checks for appropriate indoor smoke/CO detectors) with flying colors. We learned about Greg through numerous neighbors' recommendations. We are happy to add our voice to the chorus of highest recommendations for his work. read more

I highly recommend contractor Greg Sylvis. Greg was always prompt and patient in answering my questions regarding how earthquake retrofitting is accomplished and the Bolt and Brace process. He returns calls almost immediately. He was able to complete the work in one day - he's fast and efficient. He was extremely helpful dealing with building inspector. The cost was very fair and I'm really pleased with how swiftly this was taken care of. And he's got a great sense of humor. Thanks so much for adding greater security to our home, Greg! read more

Greg, I would appreciate that we speak about the job you abandoned mid project via phone or email as I do not think that Yelp is the forum to discuss. It seems as though that is the only outlet you will actually warrant a response through unfortunately. Sadly there is no confusion on my end, I wish that we did not go down the path we did with you but I feel it is my duty to warn others of what you put us through. It was not right and we are still financially recovering. I again suggest we take this off of Yelp to remedy what you have done to us. Thank you read more

Greg Sylvis absolutely knows what he is doing. There is an archived on-line LA times article from 1994 after the Northridge quake from his father regarding the importance of bracing and bolting houses that are on raised foundations (look it up). Also, I consulted with my brother, who has years of inspecting houses in Illinois (with his Illinois archtect's licence) and nationally for a company that inspects building conversions to housing for the elderly in a US government program. Although my brother has no experience in earthquake retrofits, his knowledge of working with contractors indicated that Mr. Sylvis was first rate at what he does. I feel confident that the earthquake upgrade I received for my home will protect it from all but the most catastrophic earthquakes. read more

Great work from beginning to end. Greg did a fast, thorough job with the actual seismic retrofit, but just as importantly, he was very communicative about the administrative hoops and hurdles of the EBB program. Also, he has established relationships with the other stakeholders in the process in the local area of Pasadena. I would highly recommend hiring Greg. Cheers to the Big One, Greg! read more

Greg is great; knowledgeable, honest and very accommodating. I would recommend him for anyone looking to retrofit their home!

Greg worked with us on the EBB program to bolt and brace our foundation. We received his information from a trusted friend. After receiving other quotes as well, we knew he was the best choice. Greg replied quickly, was easy to work with and made the whole process a breeze. I couldn't have asked for anything easier. He showed up early and on time and finished his work in a timely manner. Highly recommend working with him if you're looking for a foundation contractor! read more

Called Greg last week after I'd gotten turned down for the California Brace & Bolt program & just decided to move forward with the retrofit without it. He returned my call quickly, came out over the weekend to get me an estimate & then scheduled it days later. Today we got approval on the permit! Just over a week & all was done. Excellent experience, fair price (I did my homework and got multiple quotes) and job very well done. Greg is definitely a recommended hire, you won't regret it. read more

Greg Sylvis made the entire earthquake retrofit process through the Brace & Bolt program so easy. He walked us through every single step, always communicated with us promptly, and provided us absolutely everything we needed for documentation from permit to photos. The whole process went smoothly and he came back to make sure everything with the building inspector went without a hitch. read more

Greg was friendly, professional, and to-the-point. He provided a consultation on my foundation and took a look at some interior and exterior cracks around my home. He was responsive and helpful, providing suggestions for corrective action I could take. read more

Greg is a straight shooter! We hired him to check out our foundation and do a retrofit. He only suggested doing what was necessary, no upselling. We passed our inspection without issue. I highly recommend you give him a call! read more

Greg Sylvis has completed numerous projects for us. His quotes are square, his workmanship is impeccable, and we trust him completely with our aging craftsman home. Greg gets more done in a day working by himself than many other multi-man teams I've seen. He puts in long days, cleans up the workspace, and has always been polite, forthright and patient with making explanations of the work to us. The man loves his job, takes pride in being thorough, and has an active sense of curiosity and humor--always a plus. We have come to rely on his expertise and advice--I never hesitate to recommend Greg Sylvis! read more

Greg did our earthquake retrofit for the Earthquake Brace and Bolt Program and was wonderful! He's super communicative and responds promptly via email and text. When I had trouble understanding next steps on the website, he was patient and showed me the process step-by-step. He knows the program very well and exactly how to ensure that the experience is clear and effective. He even explained details about our home that we as new homeowners were not aware of and did so in an informative, kind way. We strongly recommend him! read more

After many years of avoiding the fact that a house built on a hill in LA during the 1930's should really be attached to its foundation, I turned to Yelp to find a house bolting contractor. As it turns out, Greg really is as good as his reviewers say he is. When I called he was very friendly and came out the same day to look at my house. He started working on my house soon after. I needed to go out of town for a few days and he said that was no problem. So, off I went and when I came back it was all finished, inspected and approved. Everything was cleaned-up and tidy, too. He was also able to fix a broken beam on my back porch with out much trouble at all. He got along great with the dog and alerted me to a plumbing problem under the house that I was not aware of. Oh, and the price was very reasonable. Within a week from when I first called the entire job was finished. If you have been putting off bolting your house's foundation, don't. Working with Greg is very easy and his work is very professional. Highly recommended. read more

I remember this guy: very money-hungry. He will "find" problems for you so that he can get more work. I would suggest another (if not a third) opinion/quote before you settle with him like we did, otherwise you're likely to get ripped off blind. In short, he completely contradicted the contractor who came before him, and as I see no reason why the other one would have lied when complimenting the solid structure of the house he was going to fix and make money on, Greg smells of a scam artist who preys on the ignorant. read more

Greg was terrific! Handled permitting and scheduled the inspection for us, and got the job done fast. We are now earthquake-retrofitted, just like that! read more

Had Greg come to my home for an estimate for the Brace and Bolt program. He was less than thorough, missing or just ignoring a couple things under the house and wanted more money than anyone else that came out. read more

I had Greg come over to give me an estimate for earthquake retrofitting as part of the Brace+Bolt program. Unbeknownst to me, my home had already had the work done before I moved in. I of course would never have gone underneath the house to have seen that. Even though the work had already been done, Greg was funny and good natured about it. I thought that Greg exhibited great professionalism where others might have gotten upset. I would definitely hire Greg in the future if I ever needed his services again. read more

I highly recommend working with Greg for brace and bolt retrofitting. He was friendly, responsive, and gave us lots of tips navigating the California EBB program. He made the process very easy and stress free. read more

Greg really came through for us after we got a horrendous foundation inspection done when selling our house in Highland Park. $15-20k estimate!! Greg carefully reviewed the foundation and found specific updates that were not mentioned by other inspector/contractor. He was on time, very nice, and saved us thousands of dollars and lots of headache. Thanks Greg!!! If I ever need work in the future, I'll be calling you first. read more

I first met Greg back in December of 2009 while bidding out a foundation bolting job on a 1920's rear house of an apartment complex on which I was placing the purchase financing. Greg was the first to call me back and he met me at the property within 20 minutes of our call. His no nonsense, rational question & answer approach saved my client an incredible amount of time and money; he basically saved the deal. His less than 48 hour turn time on the work not only impressed me, but the other real estate brokers and the lender invloved. And just today, Greg helped me sort through a pile of century old Los Angeles City building permits to find exactly what I needed to save yet another deal! Ethical, Efficient and Expeditious- 5 stars for Earthquake Safety by Greg Sylvis! read more

Greg definitely deserves all the rave reviews he receives. He's professional, easy to work with, shows up on time (a fairy tale when it comes to most contractors!) and does the work quickly and efficiently, for a fair price, explaining everything he's doing every step of the way. read more